The CH-47 Chinook is an American heavy transport helicopter of the Cold War and modern times, currently (2019) manufactured by Boeing Helicopters. The prototype flight took place in 1961, and the machine entered service in 1962. The helicopter - in the CH-47F version - has an overall length of 30.1 meters, and the diameter of its rotors is 18.3 meters. The drive is provided by two Lycoming T55-GA-714A engines with a capacity of 4733 hp each. Its maximum speed in horizontal flight reaches about 315 km/h. The helicopter has a two-rotor tandem system and is devoid of a tail boom.
Work on the CH-47 Chinook began in the late 1950s, when the US Army wanted to replace the CH-37 Mojave helicopter with a completely new machine with a much more modern power unit and better characteristics. In the end, a machine with an unusual tandem system was created, but which met the requirements set for it. Moreover, as it turned out over time, it also has great potential for modernization. During production, many experimental versions of this successful transport helicopter were created, among which the following can be mentioned: CH-47A (the first version produced in series), CH-47B (a version with more powerful engines and a redesigned body) or CH-47F (a version tested in 2001, with certainly modernized avionics, a new engine and chassis). The CH-47 Chinook helicopter has gained considerable popularity and, in various versions, has been or is still operated by countries such as the United States, Egypt, Greece, and Canada.
