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Italian Chinook transport helicopter during a NATO exercise in Bulgaria
Photo: STOYAN NENOV / REUTERS
Germany's armed forces are to receive a new fleet of heavy-duty transport helicopters. The Defense and Budget Committees of the Bundestag have given their approvals for the purchase of 60 CH-47F Chinook heavy transport helicopters. A majority of the specialist politicians in the committees voted in favour of procurement.
The helicopters are to become the "workhorse" in the Bundeswehr for the rapid air transport of vehicles, material and soldiers. The CH in the model name stands for "cargo helicopter".
They can carry a weight of more than ten tonnes and have two counter-rotating rotors. The transport helicopters are important for national and alliance defence, but also for missions abroad. The first helicopters are scheduled to be delivered in 2027 and will then replace the aging transport helicopter fleet with CH-53 aircraft.
Total costs of almost eight billion euros
According to the draft decision, the total financial requirements of the project amount to around 7.2 billion euros. In addition, almost 750 million euros will be spent on adapting the infrastructure for the operation of the helicopters. Originally, around six billion euros had been estimated for the procurement.
These include the construction of new buildings and hangars, the adaptation of flight operations areas and the expansion of existing tank farms. The evening before, there had been new doubts about the project because of the increased costs.
fek/dpa/Reuters