With orders still rolling in for the twin-rotor helicopter, Boeing has provided details of its future plans for the venerable H-47 Chinook, including adding launched effects and paving the way toward a crew version of the aircraft. The latter will provide an unprecedented vertical-lift capability, and one that could be of great interest to the US military and other operators.
Boeing released a computer-generated promotional video today at the U.S. Army Aviation Association’s Army Aviation Warfighting Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, showing the effects of a Chinook being launched from the rear ramp.
Launched effects, formerly known as air-launched effects (ALEs), describe a class of different uncrewed systems that you can read more about here. The newly launched impact terminology reflects the fact that they can be launched from land or sea platforms, as well as from crewed and uncrewed aircraft. Effect drones launched include variants that function as scouts, electronic attackers, decoys and suicide drones. They are usually highly autonomous, working independently or in more complex networked swarms.
An old but nonetheless interesting graphic shows how different types of air-launched effects delivered from different platforms could be used on the battlefield of the future. US Army
When it comes to the Chinook, Boeing confirms that helicopter-launched effects have yet to be tested, but the company is working toward that goal.
Kathleen Jolivet, vice president and general manager for Boeing’s vertical lift division, said today that the company is investing its own funds in the initiative and is currently looking at how quickly it can move into the demonstration phase based on expected U.S. military and international interest.
It’s worth noting, meanwhile, that Boeing and the military are already moving forward with the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter-launched effect demonstration, including the recently announced trials of the AH-64E with Enduril’s ALTIUS-700 unmanned aircraft system (UAS). The military said the program went from requirement to live demonstration in less than six months.
AH-64E Apache launches ALTIUS-700 at Yuma Proving Ground. US Army
With its capacious hold, the Chinook will be able to accommodate a large number of launch effects, allowing it to complete multiple missions over an extended period of time, especially when compared to other helicopters that launch these drones from externally mounted tubes.
The Chinook will be better able to handle larger launch impacts. In the past, the military has released descriptions of ‘large’ drones in this category. These are envisioned as having a combat range of up to 350 km (217 mi) and a total flight time of 30 minutes. However, there are also aspirations to increase those performance specifications to 650 kilometers (404 miles) and one hour of total time in the air. For example, these will weigh up to 225 pounds each, compared to about 25 pounds for the ALTIUS-600.
A UH-60M Black Hawk launches the ALTIUS-600 during testing in 2020. US Army
There is a possibility that the Chinooks, especially the special operations MH-47Gs, are already using some form of launch effects. As we discussed at the time, there is strong evidence that the U.S. military may have used kamikaze drones to take down Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro earlier this year. After all, launched effects are increasingly important to the advancement of rotary-wing aviation.
As well as launching Effects, Boeing is moving forward with what it calls the Chinook, an optimized crew that reflects the terminology of the US military. As far as we understand it, the terms optimally crewed and optionally crewed appear to be interchangeable, although the former may also include less-crewed flight with the assistance of an AI copilot. Boeing also pushed us toward an Army press release for the H-60Mx Black Hawk helicopter, described as an optimal piloted vehicle and extensively modified to fly. with or without A pilot at the controls.
Heather McBryan, vice president and H-47 program manager at Boeing, said the company is now “working very closely” with the military to add more capacity to future Block II production lots.
According to McBrien, the military has “publicly expressed a desire to call them optimal crew aircraft, where they can, in some cases, reduce the workload for pilots, but in other instances, eliminate it entirely, and we’ve made great strides in those efforts.”
McBrien says the work is also responding to demand from international clients.
As part of this effort, after years of development and post-production modifications, Boeing recently added its Active Parallel Actuator Subsystem (APAS) to the Chinook product line. A hardware and software system, McBrien describes APAS as working “like lane-assist in your vehicle.”
Tested for a few years on the special mission MH-47G, APAS reduces the pilot’s workload, but also provides more situational awareness and enables safe maneuvering, especially near the envelope of the aircraft. For now, APAS is primarily for the MH-47G and the United Kingdom’s new Chinooks, but McBrien confirms that Boeing is looking at how to bring more elements of autonomy to the CH-47F as well.
A US Army MH-47G from the 160th SOAR lands on the flight deck of the Expeditionary Sea Base USS Herschel “Woody” Williams in the Atlantic Ocean. US Navy
In February, for example, the CH-47F completed its first fully automated approach and landing test flight, respectively, in what Boeing called “approach to x.”
It used the company’s upgraded Digital Automatic Flight Control System (DAFCS), software that ensures the Chinook touches down all four wheels on the runway without any pilot intervention. While the DAFCS is currently deployed in the CH-47F fleet, the upgraded version further reduces pilot workload and brings autonomy to tactical approaches, increasing flexibility and operational capability.
A US Army CH-47 during cling-load operations. US Army
Right now, every Chinook that comes off the production line has a basic DAFCS, while APAS essentially provides enhancements to a single flight control system with a combination of hardware and software.
As Chris Speights, Boeing Vertical Lift’s chief engineer explained with APAS, “The parallel work system really expands, providing a high-bandwidth control mechanism for the software to take advantage of. So we get more precise control and growth with APAS when you add it on top.”
Speights added that Boeing is also looking at the future beyond APAS.
“APAS is the base, then there will be other capabilities, whether it’s algorithmic or whether it’s sensors or an integration of those that will give more autonomous capability in the future,” he said.
Potentially, this could lead to fully autonomous Chinook flights, from takeoff to landing, optimally for an uncrewed or completely unmanned Chinook.
Speights described the work on the upgraded DAFCS and APAS as “fundamental” if the company is to pursue the Optimum Crew Chinook.
“This puts us on a path to flight automation, not necessarily full autonomy, but flight automation, which starts with the vision of reducing pilot workload today and up to x,” Speights said. “But it enables additional capabilities in the future, as the customer wishes, based on their concept of how the aircraft will be used.”
It is worth noting that Sikorsky is working on alternately crewed and uncrewed versions of its H-60 Black Hawk series. Late last year, the company unveiled its U-Hawk demonstrator, a completely unmodified version of the Black Hawk helicopter, intended to carry cargo and provide launch effects. The U-Hawk leverages the company’s past work on the Optional Pilot Vehicle (OPV) version of the Black Hawk, which has been flying for years.
For now, however, Jolivet said Boeing is “waiting and seeing what happens” with the military’s uncrewed/optimal crew vision. “I think there’s more to come,” he added.
Along with APAS, Boeing is looking at how it can bring a digital backbone to the CH-47F. A digital backbone essentially provides a shared network of data and tools that link both product design and sustainability. The result is that everyone working on the aircraft receives the same data points and the same information at the same time. In practice, this means adding multiple redundant networks and distributed interface units to ensure accurate monitoring. With reliably collected data, the Chinook can be upgraded easier, safer to operate and faster to fix.
Meanwhile, Chinook remains in high demand.
The latest budget request includes funding for additional MH-47G aircraft. Regarding the CH-47F Block II, Boeing is ramping up production to meet the military’s rapid-fielding ambitions. Six Block IIs were delivered last year, and Boeing received a contract award for nine more in September 2025, followed by six more orders, for a total of 24 under contract. McBrien confirmed that, as of today, three aircraft are in production, with two of them in final assembly.
“We expect to deliver one of those aircraft later this year,” McBrien said. Total US Army Block II requirements have yet to be determined.
In terms of international orders, the first deliveries for new orders from Egypt, South Korea and the United Kingdom are expected this year. Production of the first German CH-47F is also underway, with delivery expected in 2027.
Although it was first introduced back in 1961, the Chinook seems to have a bright future ahead of it. As Boeing now focuses on new capabilities, we may see the Chinooks deliver the effects they launched and operate in crude versions not too long ago.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
