What Is Special About CH-47 Chinook Helicopter

Video from the channel Military TV about Boeing CH-47 Chinook, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 9:21. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.

A presentation of the CH-47 Chinook covering its history, engines and main performance figures.

The Chinook's story begins with Boeing's purchase of Vertol Aircraft Corporation in 1960. Derived from the Vertol Model 107, it first flew on 21 September 1961. Like other US Army helicopters, it is named after a Native American people, in this case from the state of Washington. It was designed for heavy-transport missions: moving cargo and equipment on the battlefield, and troops and supplies on humanitarian missions. In Vietnam it once evacuated a large number of refugees in a single flight. By 2012 more than 1,200 had been built. It is used by the armed forces of more than 19 countries, including the US Army, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and the Royal Saudi Air Force, as well as commercial operators. The CH-47F and MH-47G variants will remain in Army service at least into the 2030s.

Each rotor is 60 feet in diameter. With the rotors turning, the aircraft spans about 98 feet; the fuselage is 51 feet long, 18 feet high and 12.5 feet wide. The Honeywell T55 turboshaft engines sit on either side of the rear pylon, delivering 5,000 shaft horsepower each (150% more than the original model), with an upcoming upgrade set to raise that to 6,000. It carries 3,914 litres of fuel, has a range of about 230 miles, a maximum weight of 50,000 pounds and a payload of 24,000 pounds.