Boeing (NYSE: BA) will build 18 CH-47F Block I Chinook heavy-lift helicopters for South Korea and one additional unit for Spain under a potential $793 million deal made through a foreign military sales agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense.
Block I helicopters are expected to be delivered in 2027 under the deal, which marks the final order on the existing CH-47F Block I FMS contract with the U.S. government, Boeing said Wednesday.
South Korea requested to buy 18 CH-47F helicopters and related equipment from the U.S. government under a $1.5 billion FMS agreement approved by the State Department in December.
Spain is buying the additional Block I aircraft under a $1.3 billion FMS deal cleared by the department in 2018, increasing its fleet to 18 Chinooks.
The company has begun work on the H-47 Block II program, which will feature a new drivetrain, redesigned fuel tanks and an updated airframe to improve the aircraft’s lift and range.
The U.S. Army ordered six Block II helicopters and expects to receive the first aircraft in early 2024. U.S. Special Operations Command purchased 36 units, while the U.K. ordered 14 Block II helicopters.
