Dutch ministry of defense will upgrade six of its Chinook helicopters
NewsDecember 19, 2017
RIDLEY PARK, Pa. Boeing and the Netherlands ministry of defense have signed an agreement that will upgrade six Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) Chinook helicopters to the latest F-model configuration, which the defense ministry believes will ensure commonality of systems for its entire fleet of 20 F-model Chinooks.
The upgrade to a common configuration, say Boeing officials, will improve operational effectiveness, maintenance, and affordability of the fleet. A key feature of the enhancements is the advanced operational capabilities provided by the Common Avionics Architecture System cockpit with an integrated Digital Automatic Flight Control System. In addition, the common avionics architecture system also aligns with the U.S Army and other allies, improving worldwide interoperability, flight-handling characteristics, and long-term product life. The venerable Chinook heavy-lift double-rotorcraft has been in military and civil operation since the mid-1960s.
“The Netherlands’ Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) is responsible for providing the Dutch armed forces with the best equipment money can buy, and our troops deserve that,” said Colonel Koen van Gogh, DMO project leader. “Ever since their introduction in the mid-1990s, the Chinooks have been continuously involved in almost all of our missions abroad, but also in disaster relief operations and in domestic support. A true versatile workhorse of our Defense Organization.”
Deliveries of the six modernized Chinooks are planned to begin in 2021.
