Germany selects CH-47F
 

https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/germany-to-buy-60-heavy-transport-helicopters-from-boeing-bild-am-sonntag

Germany to buy 60 heavy transport helicopters from Boeing -Bild am Sonntag

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Reuters
Publishing date:
Apr 23, 2022 • 12 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation

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BERLIN — Germany will buy 60 CH-47F Chinook heavy transport helicopters from Boeing worth around 5 billion euros ($5.40 billion)as it upgrades its military armor, Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported on Sunday, citing government sources.

The helicopters will be financed from the 100 billion euros planned special fund for the military which Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the paper said.

The helicopters could be delivered in 2025/26 at the earliest and would replace the roughly 50-year-old CH-53G helicopters made by the Sikorsky unit of U.S. arms makers Lockheed Martin, it said.

Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht will inform the parliament of the decision next week, the newspaper said.



Competitors for the deal included Lockheed Martin’s CH-53K King Stallion. But the cheaper Boeing model and the fact that many NATO allies also fly the Chinook were the reasons for deciding on the CH-47F, Bild said.



A spokesperson for the Defence Ministry said no decision on helicopter purchases has been made yet. ($1 = 0.9264 euros) (Reporting by Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Leslie Adler)

More "Germany is said to select" than a signed firm order.
See
https://www.pprune.org/military-avia...-ch-47f-3.html

There you go, Less Hair.
https://www.reuters.com/business/aer...er-2022-06-01/

Germany picks Boeing's Chinook helicopters to replace Sikorsky fleet

Reuter

https://cloudfront-us-east-2.images....X6GHRDI7RA.jpgA Chinook helicopter flies over the city centre during a military parade marking Greece's Independence Day, in Athens, Greece, March 25, 2022. REUTERS/Louiza Vradi

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RegisterBERLIN, June 1 (Reuters) - Germany will buy 60 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters from Boeing (BA.N) to replace its ageing CH-53K fleet, Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Wednesday, in a blow to rival Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) that had also competed for the order.

"With this model we are strengthening our ability to cooperate in Europe," added Lambrecht, who did not say how much the helicopters would cost, during a speech to the Bundestag lower house of parliament.

According to past planning data, the Bundeswehr was set to acquire 45 to 60 heavy-lift helicopters for some 4 billion euros ($4.29 billion), to be delivered between 2023 and 2029.

A crucial argument for the Chinook was its global use, German Chief of Defence Eberhard Zorn told reporters.

More than 500 Chinooks are in use by the U.S. Army and forces in Europe, which means spare parts are readily available, so the helicopters can be operated for a long time.

The CH-53K is only used by the U.S. Marines and Israel, Zorn said.

Boeing, with its trademark tandem rotor Chinook, and Lockheed's Sikorsky, with its CH-53K, are the only Western companies offering this type of military helicopter.

Over recent years, the Bundeswehr has repeatedly postponed its decision on buying new heavy-lift helicopters.

It relied heavily on the old CH-53, which it had been flying since the 1970s, for its mission in Afghanistan. The operation revealed the ageing helicopter's shortcomings, with much maintenance work needed to keep it in the air.

($1 = 0.9323 euros)

Only today this got officially announced by the german MOD. Everything before was just unconfirmed speculation.

Still needs parliament to approve and they a little way off ..

cheers

They agreed on giving the green light for the "Sondervermögen" 100 billion extra defense budget already.

Business Insider published a very interesting and ill uninformed story about this acquisition yesterday, which they have subsequently deleted, although other media have picked it up and are repeating the same story attributed to Business Insider. They claimed that the cost of the acquisition would be double the original figure due to the additional cost of developing inflight refueling which has been on the CH-47 for 35+ years, and new technology main rotor blades which have long been abandoned by Boeing because they couldn't make them work. I wonder who the source of the misinformation might be, as Airbus are already partnered with Boeing on the programme, and there was only one other platform offered?

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/ch...084629848.html

Chinook helicopters could cost Germany twice as much as planned -Business Inside

Thu, January 19, 2023 at 4:46 a.m. AST·2 min readhttps://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/gq...880492644177cfOpening of the International Aerospace Exhibition ILA at Schoenefeld Airport, in Berlin BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's planned purchase of 60 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters manufactured by Boeing to replace its ageing CH-53 fleet could cost twice as much as planned, Business Insider reported on Thursday, citing several government and industry sources.

Six billion euros ($6.47 billion) had been budgeted for the helicopters, but the U.S. Army has signalled to Germany that the desired equipment is cost-intensive as some components have not even been fully developed, the German news outlet said.

Expensive extra requests from Germany and inflation could raise the price to as much as 12 billion euros, the report said, adding that features such as aerial refuelling and special rotor blades were not yet available.

"We haven't yet received the letter of offer and acceptance from the U.S., so we cannot make any statement as to the price," a ministry spokesperson in Berlin said.

A Boeing spokesperson declined to comment on the prices, noting that this was a deal between governments and the company was a supplier to the U.S. Army.

Boeing is currently working on new rotor blades as part of the Chinook's Block II configuration but these developments had not been requested by Germany, the spokesperson said.

On aerial refuelling, the person added that this had been a feature of Chinook helicopters for 35 years.

A deal on the German purchase is expected to be signed this year and it would then take three years to deliver the aircraft, according to the company.

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz shifted policy in February after Russia invaded Ukraine, sharply increasing defence spending and committing 100 billion euros for the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces.

More than 500 Chinooks are in use by the U.S. Army and forces in Europe.

($1 = 0.9270 euros)

(Reporting by Christina Amann, Sabine Siebold and Kirsti Knolle, writing by Rachel More; editing by Jason Neely)

I get the feeling they'll be buying a bunch of Cyclones.

Ummm was that sarcasm lol Sikorsky did pitch the Cyclone back in 2011 (as got the blurb from Paris Air show and first CH-148 Cormorant on static) as SK replacement, we talking heavy lift heavy lift lol

cheers

You have to be impressed with the long service life of the CH-53 with the Luftwaffe at around 50 years. Here is a short summary of their production and modernisation:

https://www.helis.com/database/model/CH-53G/

I remember going for a flight in one 1975/6 at Soest.
Pilot threw it about somewhat.
Impressive beast compared to a Gazelle.

Potential sale of 60 + 20 spare engines, missile warning systems, radios, transponders, navigation systems, a suite of modifications and technical support for $8.5 Billion now approved by US State Dept - goes forward to Congress:

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/ar...entagon%20said.

Boeing Chinook Maintenance Training Device delivered to a HAS at the former USAFE Bitburg Air Base in Germany - now Bitburg Airport.

I take it is one of these.

https://www.lsijax.com/products-serv...evice-program/

FMS approved
 

and the FMS has been approved

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/maj...ok-helicopters

cheers

Cheers , wheres the bit (no pun mentions) where it mentions Bitburg Flugplatz

Assembly underway
 

https://onfirstup.com/boeing/BNN/art...XJM2r-daemxuUw

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....e951bbdaa.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....4b33805cb.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f0e77a6fc.jpeg

cheers