Germany to buy 60 Chinook helicopters

Germany will buy 60 Chinook heavy lift helicopters from Boeing to replace its ageing fleet of CH-53s, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht announced on Wednesday, putting Boeing’s competitor Lockheed Martin out of the running.

During an address to the Bundestag lower house of parliament, Lambrecht continued, “With this approach, we are improving our ability to cooperate in Europe.”

The Bundeswehr was expected to buy 45 to 60 heavy-lift helicopters for 4 billion euros ($4.29 billion) between 2023 and 2029, according to previous planning data.

The only Western companies that offer this sort of military helicopter are Boeing, with its signature tandem rotor Chinook, and Lockheed’s Sikorsky, with its CH-53K.

The CH-53 has been in service with the German military since the 1970s, with plans to phase it out by 2030.

The Bundeswehr depended heavily on the ageing CH-53 for its combat duty in Afghanistan, but the campaign exposed the helicopter’s flaws, with extensive maintenance required to keep it flying.

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