With orders for twin-rotor helicopters still piling up, Boeing has provided details about future plans for the venerable H-47 Chinook helicopter, including increasing launch effects and opening the way for a manned version of the aircraft. The latter would provide unprecedented vertical lift capability and may be of great interest to the US Army and other operators.
Today at the Army Aviation Association’s Army Aviation Warfighting Summit in Nashville, Tenn., Boeing released a computer-generated promotional video showing a launch from a Chinook’s rear ramp.
Launch Effect, formerly known as Air Launch Effect (ALE), describes a class of various unmanned systems, which you can read more about here. The new launch effect terminology reflects the fact that they may be launched from land or sea platforms and from manned and unmanned aircraft. Launch effect drones include reconnaissance drones, electronic attack drones, decoy drones and suicide drones. They are typically highly autonomous, operating independently or in more complex network clusters.
An older but still interesting graphic shows how various types of air-launched effects from different platforms could be used on future battlefields. U.S. Army
Speaking of the Chinook, Boeing confirmed that the helicopter’s launch performance has not yet been tested, but the company is working toward that goal.
Kathleen Jolivette, vice president and general manager of Boeing’s vertical lift division, said today that the company is putting its own money into the program and is currently studying how to quickly move to the demonstration phase based on anticipated interest from the U.S. Army and the international community.
Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that Boeing and the Army are already moving forward with launch demonstrations from AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, including the recently announced test of Anduril’s ALTIUS-700 unmanned aerial system (UAS) launched from an AH-64E. The Army said the program went from requirement to field demonstration in less than six months.
An AH-64E Apache launches an ALTIUS-700 at Yuma Proving Ground. U.S. Army
With its generous accommodation space, the Chinook will be able to accommodate a large number of launch effects, allowing for multiple missions over an extended period of time, especially compared to other helicopters that typically launch these drones from externally mounted tubes.
The Chinook also handles larger launches better. The Army has released descriptions of such “large” drones in the past. It is expected to have a combat range of up to 350 kilometers (217 miles) and a total flight time of 30 minutes. However, there is also a desire to increase these performance specifications to a total flight time of 650 kilometers (404 miles) and one hour. For example, each weighs up to 225 pounds, while the ALTIUS-600 weighs approximately 25 pounds.
During a test in 2020, a UH-60M Black Hawk launched the ALTIUS-600. U.S. Army
It is possible that Chinook aircraft, specifically the MH-47G special operations aircraft, are already using some sort of launch effect. As we discussed at the time, there is strong evidence that the U.S. military may have used kamikaze drones in the operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro earlier this year. Regardless, launch effects are increasingly critical to the future survival of rotorcraft.
In addition to launch effectiveness, Boeing is also advancing work on what it calls the “best crew-carrying Chinook,” reflecting the U.S. Army’s terminology. From what we understand, the terms optimal crew and selective crew appear to be interchangeable, although the former may also include flying with a reduced crew with the help of an AI co-pilot. Boeing also pushed us to publish an Army press release on the H-60Mx Black Hawk helicopter, which is described as a best-driving vehicle with extensive modifications to fly with or without A pilot is at the controls.
Heather McBryan, Boeing vice president and H-47 program manager, said the company is currently “working very closely” with the Army on what additional capabilities to add to future Block II production batches.
McBryan said the Army has “publicly expressed their desire for what they call the best manned aircraft, and in some cases they can reduce pilot workload, but in other cases eliminate it entirely, and we’ve made a lot of progress in those efforts.”
McBrien said the work was also in response to demand from international customers.
As part of this effort, Boeing recently added its Active Parallel Actuator Subsystem (APAS) to the Chinook production line after years of development and post-production modifications. McBryan described APAS as a hardware and software system that works “just like a lane assist system in a vehicle.”
APAS, which has been tested for many years on special-mission MH-47Gs, not only reduces pilot workload, but also provides additional situational awareness and enables safer maneuvers, especially at the edge of the aircraft envelope. Currently, APAS is mainly used on the MH-47G and the UK’s new Chinook helicopters, but McBrien confirmed that Boeing is looking at how to bring more autonomous capabilities to the CH-47F.
A U.S. Army MH-47G from the 160th SOAR lands on the flight deck of the U.S. Expeditionary Naval Base Hershel “Woody” Williams In the Atlantic Ocean. U.S. Navy
For example, in February this year, a CH-47F successfully completed its first fully automated approach and landing test flight, which Boeing called “Close X.”
This uses the company’s upgraded Digital Automated Flight Control System (DAFCS), software that ensures the Chinook lands on the runway on all four wheels without any pilot intervention. While DAFCS is currently fielded on the CH-47F fleet, the upgraded version further reduces pilot workload and brings autonomy to the tactical approach, resulting in increased flexibility and combat capability.
A U.S. Army CH-47 performs attached load operations. U.S. Army
Currently, every Chinook on the production line is equipped with basic DAFCS, while APAS essentially provides enhanced capabilities, built on the same flight control system, combining hardware and software.
As Chris Speights, chief engineer at Boeing Vertical Lift, explained, with APAS, “The parallel drive system actually enhances the functionality, giving it a higher bandwidth control mechanism that the software can then leverage. So when you add that on top, we get more precise control and enhancement with APAS.”
Speights added that Boeing is also looking at a future beyond APAS.
“APAS is the foundation and then there will be other capabilities, whether it’s algorithms, sensors or integration of those capabilities that will provide further autonomous capabilities in the future,” he said.
Potentially, this could lead to fully autonomous Chinook flight, from takeoff to landing, for optimally unmanned or even completely unmanned Chinooks.
Speights described the work on the upgraded DAFCS and APAS as “foundational” if the company pursues the best possible manned Chinook.
“This puts us on a path toward flight automation, not necessarily full autonomy, but flight automation that, starting today, reduces pilot workload and gets closer to x,” Speights said. “But it can enable more capabilities in the future based on the customer’s concept of how the aircraft will be used.”
Notably, Sikorsky has been developing optionally manned and unmanned versions of its H-60 Black Hawk family. Late last year, the company unveiled the U-Hawk demonstrator, a fully unmanned version of the Black Hawk helicopter designed to carry cargo and provide launch effects. U-Hawk leverages the company’s past work on a version of the Black Hawk’s pilot-optional vehicle (OPV) that has been flying for several years.
For now, though, Jolivet said Boeing will “wait and see what happens” based on the Army’s unmanned/best-manned vision. “I think there’s more to be done,” she added.
In addition to APAS, Boeing is also studying how to bring a digital backbone to the CH-47F. The digital backbone essentially provides a shared network of data and tools connecting production design and maintenance. The result is that everyone working on the aircraft has access to the same data points and the same information at the same time. In practice, this means adding multiple redundant network and distributed interface units to ensure precise monitoring. With reliably collected data, Chinooks should be easier to upgrade, safer to operate and faster to repair.
Meanwhile, Chinook helicopters remain in high demand.
The latest budget request includes funding for additional MH-47G aircraft. In the case of the CH-47F Block II, Boeing is ramping up production to meet the Army’s rapid fielding goals. Six Block IIs were delivered last year, and Boeing was awarded a contract for another nine in September 2025, and has since secured an order for six more, bringing the total number of orders under the contract to 24. McBrien confirmed that as of today, three aircraft are in production, with two undergoing final assembly.
“We expect to deliver one of the aircraft by the end of the year,” McBryan said. The total requirements for the U.S. Army Block II remain to be determined.
In terms of international orders, the first batch of new orders from Egypt, South Korea and the United Kingdom are expected to be delivered this year. Production of the first German CH-47F is also underway, with delivery expected in 2027.
Although the Chinook first flew in 1961, it seemed to have a bright future. With Boeing now focusing on new capabilities, it’s likely we’ll soon see the Chinook providing launch effects and operating in an unmanned version.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
