Rotorcraft
Boeing Assembling First Block II Chinook
The Block II upgrade will keep the helicopter flying for the U.S. Army into the 2060s.
The U.S. Army will eventually field a fleet of 473 CH-47Fs, and those will be upgraded—flight controls,  cab, electronics, radios, a stronger pylon, stronger aft section, and a stronger, longer nose—to keep the model flying into the 2060s. (Photo: Boeing)
The U.S. Army will eventually field a fleet of 473 CH-47Fs, and those will be upgraded—flight controls, cab, electronics, radios, a stronger pylon, stronger aft section, and a stronger, longer nose—to keep the model flying into the 2060s. (Photo: Boeing)

Boeing and the U.S. Army inducted the first CH-47F Block II engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) helicopter into final assembly earlier this summer. “Our progress from contract award to final assembly in less than a year is a direct result of the efficiency and reliability of the program,” said Chuck Dabundo, vice president, Boeing Cargo Helicopters and H-47 program manager. “Block II upgrades will help keep Chinooks in operation for the U.S. Army into the 2060s.”