AirAsia Pacific

Kawasaki to Produce 17 Chinook Military Helicopters for Japan

Japan has awarded Kawasaki Heavy Industries a contract to produce 17 CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters for the armed forces.

Under the deal, Tokyo will invest 71.4 billion yen ($458.1 million) for five aircraft in the CH-47J custom-built Japanese variant and 161.1 billion yen ($1 billion) for 12 platforms in the CH-47JA extended-range variant.

The agreement requests the company build the fleet locally and adopt the Chinook Block II configuration, which features a more advanced airframe, fuel system, and drivetrain, increasing the system’s overall weight to boost its lift capability.

Chinook proprietary developer Boeing confirmed Japan’s latest contract in an interview with Janes. This investment makes the East Asian country the fourth international customer to employ the Block II configuration.

The US, the Chinook’s country of origin, first accepted its own Block IIs in July 2024. Two months later, the country announced a $115-million contract to procure additional Block IIs in the Special Operations variant.

The CH-47 Chinook System

The Chinook has a length of 98 feet (30 meters) and a wingspan of 60 feet (18 meters).

Alongside its payload lift capability of 27,000 pounds (12,247 kilograms), the helicopter can be used for combat with the integration of mounted machine guns, miniguns, and missile systems.

The platform is equipped with two Honeywell engines with 4,777 horsepower each for a top speed of 170 knots (302 kilometers/188 miles per hour), an altitude up to 20,000 feet (6,096 meters), and a range of 165 nautical miles (190 miles/306 kilometers).

The modern Chinook build weighs 54,000 pounds (24,494 kilograms), while some of its older variants are offered with a lighter airframe.

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