The U.S. Department of Defense awarded a contract for the provision of eight CH-47 heavy-lift helicopters to Saudi Arabia.
On August 23, 2017, the Department of Defense announced it had awarded Boeing a $222.6 million contract for eight new-build CH-47F transport helicopters. The helicopters are for the Royal Saudi Land Forces Aviation Command.
The Department of Defense noted that the contract has an estimated completion date of July 30, 2021.
In December 2016, the U.S. State Department approved a possible sale of CH-47Fs to Saudi Arabia. Riyadh requested 48 CH-47Fs, 112 T55-GA-714A engines, 116 GPS inertial navigation systems, 58 common missile warning systems (10 of which for spares), and 48 M240H 7.62mm machine guns. The total value of that approved sale was estimated at $3.51 billion.
According to the State Department’s December press release, “The proposed sale of the CH-47F aircraft will improve Saudi Arabia’s heavy lift capability. Saudi Arabia will use this enhanced capability to strengthen its homeland defense and deter regional threats. Saudi Arabia will have no difficulty absorbing these aircraft into its armed forces.”
Military markets analyst, covering Eurasia, Middle East, and Africa.
