Seeking to establish commonality through its Chinook fleet, the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) awarded Boeing company a contract to upgrade six CH-47D to the latest F-model configuration, bringing the Dutch fleet to 20 F-model Chinooks. The Netherlands acquired 14 CH-47F Chinooks through the U.S. Department of Defense’s Foreign Military Sales program in 2016.
Deliveries of the six modernized Chinooks are planned to begin in 2021. A key feature of the upgrade includes the integration of Common Avionics Architecture System cockpit with an integrated Digital Automatic Flight Control System. The common avionics architecture system provides for advanced operational capabilities and aligns with the U.S Army and other allies, improving worldwide interoperability, flight-handling characteristics, and long-term sustainability.
