FMS contract for Egypt orders CH-47F Chinook
On 26 May 2022, the US State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Government of Egypt of 23 CH-47F Chinook Helicopters and related equipment for an estimated cost of USD 2,6 billion. The new transporters will be used by the Al Quwwat Al Jawwiya Il Misriya (Egypt Air Force).
Egypt has requested to buy 23 CH-47F Chinook helicopters; 56 T-55-GA-714A aircraft turbine engines (46 installed, 10 spares); 52 Embedded Global Positioning System (GPS) Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) (EGI) (46 installed, 6 spares); 29 AN/AAR-57 Common Missile Warning Systems (CMWS) (23 installed, 6 spares); and 75 M-240 machine guns (69 installed, 6 spares). Also included is ground support equipment; airframe and engine spare parts; technical data; publications; Maintenance Work Orders/Engineering Change Proposals (MWO/ECPs); technical assistance; transportation; training; and other related elements of logistics and program support.
The proposed sale will improve Egypt’s heavy lift capability. They will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment and services into its armed forces as the country already operates the CH-47D Chinook, of which the have nineteen in their inventory. The heavy transporters are operated by 18 Squadron, part of 546 Air Wing and 33 Squadron/Chinook OCU and are based at Kom Awshim air base. The new CH-47Fs will most probably also be based at Kom Awshim with a new unit.
Photo (just illustrative) by Martin Uleman (Scramble Archive)