The Egyptian Air Force has chosen to purchase Boeing’s Chinooks, in the biggest and latest upgrade, Arabian Business‘ sister publication DEFSEC Middle East reported.
The purchase will make the Air Force the operators of the largest and most modern fleet in the Middle East.
“We are honoured that Egypt has chosen Chinook for the third time,” Mark Ballew, Retired Chinook pilot and Business Development Executive for International Government and Defence at Boeing, told DEFSEC Middle East.
The Egypt Air Force has made orders for Chinooks twice before, once in 2003 and then in 2004. The current purchase of the F models is the third contract with the company. Valued at $426 million, procurement for a Chinook, by the time contracts are signed until delivery, typically takes three years.
Chinook has been in service for over 60 years, but it is not the same aircraft as it was in 1961 when it was first delivered. We have gone through a series of upgrades and modernisations,” Ballew said to DEFSEC Middle East.
“The glass cockpit provides all the necessary information for the pilots and crew to perform their mission with greater ease, reducing their workload,” Ballew added.
The new models features digital advanced systems, advanced flight control systems, and the ability to move laterally or vertically by one foot.
“With the aircraft being able to move laterally or vertically by one foot, enhances safety for the crew during operations in confined or high dust areas,” he explained.
Boeing is currently finding ways to improve maintenance and support of the aircraft using its Next Generation Product Support.
The new F models will replace Egypt’s fleet of CH-47Ds. Currently, the country’s Air Force operates 19 older Chinook models. The delivery for the 12 new aircrafts can be expected in 2026.
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