Army and Boeing work together to beef-up electrical system on advanced CH-47 Chinook helicopters
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala., 18 Sept. 2014. U.S. Army helicopter aviation experts are working with the Boeing Co. to improve the electrical system on the CH-47 Chinook medium-to-heavy-lift helicopter to incorporate additional on-board power.
Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., awarded a $27.7 million contract modification to the Boeing Defense, Space & Security segment in Ridley Park, Pa., to design and test a modified electrical system for the CH-47 twin-rotor aircraft.
The contract is for development, fabrication, testing and bench qualifying a modified electrical system that can be integrated into a twin engine, tandem rotor, which will result in an improved electrical system for the CH-47 aircraft, Army officials say.
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Boeing and the Army reportedly are redesigning the electrical system developed originally for the CH-147F -- an advanced, multi-mission helicopter that features a modernized airframe with a long-range fuel system allowing it to fly twice as far as standard range models, Boeing officials say.
An upgraded electrical system provides additional power and redundancy, while an integrated common avionics architecture system cockpit and digital automatic flight control system reduce pilot workload and provide greater situational awareness.
The aircraft also has an advanced aircraft survivability equipment suite that includes a directional infrared countermeasures system that increases crew safety while allowing operations to be conducted in a wide range of threat environments.
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The enhanced CH-47 electrical system reportedly has increased capacity involving three 60-kilovolt-ampere generators to provide power for additional survivability equipment and provide addition growth capability.
On this contract Boeing will do the work in Ridley Park, Pa., and should be finished by September 2017. For more information contact Boeing Defense, Space & Security online at www.boeing.com/boeing/bds, or the Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal at www.acc.army.mil/contractingcenters/acc-rsa.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
