The Heavy-Lifting, High-Flying Helicopter Used In Combat And Disaster Relief – SlashGear

The CH-47 is an odd-looking aircraft. It has a tandem rotor configuration, meaning it has two rotors instead of one, and it’s sized like a cargo van that can fly, which is hardly a tactical look. But with the ability to carry 36 troops and a massive supply payload, it’s quite useful. The Chinook, which has been in continuous service since 1962, derives its longevity from what it can carry. Through a series of hooks underneath, the CH-47 can carry almost 48,000 pounds, be that in the form of Humvees, howitzers, or hoisting people out of harm’s way. Outside of combat, Chinooks have been deployed to help with natural disaster relief, or help with search and rescue operations too.

The U.S. military’s flying semi truck is powered by two Honeywell T-55 engines. In addition to allowing the helicopter to lift the weight of roughly ten cars, the engines give the Chinook a top speed of 196 miles per hour, making it the fastest military helicopter in the world, Honeywell notes.

According to Boeing, the CH-47 flies for of 19 countries’s militaries, and it doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon as the current modernization program plans on keeping the chopper in service until at least 2060.