The German government has announced that Boeing’s CH-47F Chinook has been selected for its heavy-lift helicopter requirements for the German Bundeswehr (army).
The need to replace the Sikorsky CH-53G with 40 to 60 new “off-the-shelf” helicopters had been the subject of countless delays and cancellations, as the German Federal Ministry of Defense stated that those models offered as replacements were far too expensive. The choice was whittled down to the Sikorsky CH-53K “King Stallion” and the Boeing CH-47F, prior to the termination of the acquisition program.
Germany’s CH-53G fleet has been continually upgraded over the years including using the multi-mission operational concepts utilized by the US Marines, including the automatic rotor folding system which allows for the CH-53s to be stored in hangars at all the German airbases.
In 2019, the NATO Support and Procurement (NPSA) awarded a contract to Sikorsky to provide critically needed spare parts and dynamic components for the remainder of the CH-53G fleet’s service life, which is expected to run until into the 2030s. Sikorsky continues to leverage this sustainment approach to support the CH-53G helicopter fleet, and most parts of the initial package have been delivered.
In January 2021, Germany announced that it restarted its competition to find a replacement for the CH-53G, with plans to look once more at the submissions from Sikorsky and Boeing via the US Foreign Military Sales process. No longer called the “Scherer Transporthubschrauber” (heavy-lift competition) the new process re-examined both models, which involved flight tests in Germany and combined operations with German army units.
Boeing is teamed with Airbus for the bid. “With our Chinook offering and together with our German industry partners, we will create 500 highly-skilled jobs in-country, all in direct support of the Bundeswehr’s heavy-lift mission requirements,” said Michael Haidinger, president of Boeing Germany.
By announcing the Chinook as the winning contender, Germany is going with a tried and tested combat platform that is set to be selected by additional NATO nations in the years ahead. So far, orders for the CH-53K have been limited to just the USMC and Israel.
