5 Fast Facts On The US Army’s Chinook Replacement Program

The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem-rotor helicopter and is one of the heaviest-lifting helicopters in any Western army. However, despite continuous upgrades, the helicopter is now an aging platform, having first flown in 1961. The Army has confirmed it is exploring operations for the next CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift rotorcraft replacement. This comes after the cancelation of the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft and as the Bell V-280 Valor program ramps up and is expected to enter low-rate production in 2028.