Developed by the now-defunct Vertol Aircraft Corporation (now part of Boeing), the CH-47 Chinook was designed in response to a United States Army requirement for a heavy-lift helicopter that was capable of transporting troops, artillery, supplies, and performing medical evacuations. 

The first flight of the Chinook occurred in 1961, officially entering service in 1962. This bird quickly garnered a reputation for being a dominant player on any battlefield, inevitably being granted the loving title of “Jolly Green Giant” for its size and the overall vital role it played in the Vietnam War.

Despite its age, the Chinook continues to be a real workhorse of the U.S. military. Indeed, it has a unique appearance that demands one’s attention whenever it happens to roar overhead. You know that this airframe is popular because of all the iterations of the Chinook. Not only the CH-47 but the Special Forces variant, the MH-47.

Like Something from Star Wars

That’s because, even by today’s standards, the thundering Chinook looks less like a helicopter and more like something that you’d see dropping out of hyperspace in the Star Wars universe. It is the apotheosis of form meeting function. Built with tandem rotors, with one rotor mounted over the front and one over the back, the CH-47 has increased life capacity, and sand stability, and reduces the need for a tail rotor, which can be vulnerable in combat scenarios.

The design of the Chinook allows for this glorious bird to carry heavy loads over long distances, a feature that has ensured this helicopter has remained in high demand, despite being sixty-two years old. 

From its inception, the Chinook was built with adaptability in mind. A CH-47 can be reconfigured for various missions, whether it be transport, cargo delivery, or search-and-rescue operations. This is a highly durable bird. As a young bird, the Chinook first saw combat in the jungles of Vietnam. 

However, its service did not end when the Vietnam War did. Indeed, the Chinook saw some of its most intense operations, doing real yeoman’s work, in the mountains of Afghanistan during America’s twenty-year-long conflict there following the terrorist attacks on 9/11.

Although not a heavy helicopter, some have compared the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to the CH-47 Chinook and have found the former wanting. But that’s not a fair comparison, seeing as the Black Hawk is not a heavy helo. Nevertheless, some aviation websites have unfavorably compared the two birds, claiming that the older Chinook surpasses the Black Hawk, both in terms of size and lifting capacity. To be fair, these birds are meant to work together. 

And they do, quite well. 

True Lifesavers in Combat 

Chinooks are legendary for the ease in which crews find maintaining them in some of the most hostile conditions on the planet. Again, these birds operate in almost any environment, from the jungles of Vietnam to the mountains of Afghanistan to the deserts of Iraq and Syria, and everywhere in between. That ease in terms of field maintenance has made the bird relatively affordable for the Defense Department and has ensured the helicopter’s longevity. 

The Chinook has evolved over the decades, with the latest CH-47F variant incorporating advanced avionics, digitized cockpit controls, and enhanced cargo-handling capabilities. These newer Chinooks feature improved survivability with modern armor and defensive systems. And these beasts can take a beating. 

As for the Special Forces version, the MH-47 is based on the airframe of the CH-47. This version is specifically designed and built with an integrated avionics subsystem. Still, like its CH-47 predecessor, the MH-47 can take a pounding from the enemy and live to tell about it. 

According to a recent episode of the popular podcast The Shawn Ryan Show, former U.S. Army Chinook pilot, Alan Mack, and member of the elite Night Stalker unit, detailed how his MH-47 Chinook took a pounding in Afghanistan, and he lived to tell about it. The bird was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG, and survived, but lost electricity.

Not to worry, the Chinook can function with its electrical grid. Mack dove his bird down to avoid further anti-aircraft rounds, in the process the Chinook lost one of its two engines at 12,000 feet and kept flying! 

After that, Mack’s Chinook lost its hydraulic fluid due to repeated bullet strikes on the lines. So, his crew went to work refilling those lines with hydraulic fuel, buying Mack time to find a safe place to touch down.

What other chopper could survive that? 

Sure, there are differences between the CH-47 and MH-47. But the toughness and simplicity spoken about earlier are found in both models. The Jolly Green Giant is the best helicopter that the U.S. military has created. It consistently outperforms expectations, is easy to maintain, easy to use, and is wildly survivable. The Chinook is a modern technological marvel. 

The Pentagon should keep building these things for another fifty years.

Brandon J. Weichert, a National Interest national security analyst, is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, the Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is available for purchase wherever books are sold. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

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