Italian Army Signs Deal For CH-57F Chinooks
By Andy Nativi
AgustaWestland will deliver the first of 16 Boeing ICH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters to the Italian Army in 2013 under an almost €900 million ($1.22 billion) contract signed on May 13.
The contract includes an initial five years of logistic support as well as an option for an additional four helicopters. The contract was expected to be signed in fall 2008, but was put off by a funding shortage that has resulted in a one-year delay in the first delivery.
The new Chinooks will be assigned to Army Aviation’s 1st Regiment, based in Viterbo, near Rome. Purchase of the ICH-47Fs is an urgent requirement, as the helicopters are badly needed to support ongoing and increasing operations in Afghanistan.
Italy also wanted to use some of its new Chinooks with the Army’s Special Operations Squadron, which currently operates a couple of CH-47C+ helicopters. But the Italian requests have been turned down due to “exportability” issues that include an aerial-refueling boom, low-level navigation radar, and an updated self-protection suite featuring directed infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) missile jammers.
The basic F models are unlikely to find any major special forces employment. Italy is evaluating its options and has considered upgrading the ICH-47Fs later with a new DIRCM system being developed jointly by Italy’s Elettronica and Israel’s El-Op.
AgustaWestland is the ICH-47F prime contractor, responsible for system integration, and is to establish a final assembly line in Vergiate, near Milan in northern Italy. Boeing will provide fuselages from its Philadelphia plant.
AgustaWestland is still discussing with the Italian Army the possibility of taking back its current CH-47C+ helicopters to refurbish, upgrade and resell them on the secondhand market. The two sides have so far been unable to reach agreement on the residual value of the helicopters.
The Army has been reduced to 21 operational CH-47Cs, but had originally acquired up to 40 helicopters, many of them grounded and some far from flyable.
Given international demand for the Chinook, the C models could find users that either have an urgent need to put them in service or do not have the money to afford new-production F models.
AgustaWestland and Boeing took some time to define their CH-47 relationship, which goes well beyond the Italian contract. The Finmeccanica subsidiary is responsible for sales and production of CH-47s for Europe, including the U.K., as well as some Mediterranean countries including Morocco, Libya and Egypt.
Turkey is also looking at the purchase of at least 10 Chinooks. If Ankara decides to buy CH-47Fs through the U.S. foreign military sales channel, Boeing will be in charge. If a commercial contract is preferred, AgustaWestland will take the lead.
Photo: Boeing
