Germany Gets U.S. Nod to Buy Chinooks for $8.5B

The U.S. State Department has approved the sale to Germany of 60 CH-47F Chinook helicopters and related equipment for $8.5 billion.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today. It will have to be approved by the Congress.

Chinook beat out Sikorsky’s CH-53K King Stallion to bag this contract. Germany announced its intent to buy them in June 2022.

The Boeing-built helicopters would come with a laundry list of add-ons, from engines, electronic counter-measures and missile warning systems to skis and life rafts.

The Chinook heavy-lift helicopter, used to transport troops and equipment, was a familiar sight in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. These aircraft were used to evacuate U.S. embassy personnel from Sudan in April.