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Egypt has received the first five of 12 CH-47F Block I Chinook helicopters ordered to modernize its heavy-lift fleet. The aircraft were formally handed over during the El Alamein Airshow on 8 September 2026.
The delivery marks the first stage of a $426 million foreign military sale under which the new helicopters will replace Egypt’s existing CH-47D aircraft. Senior Egyptian and US government officials joined Boeing representatives at the handover ceremony. Boeing announced the delivery on 15 September.
For the Egyptian Air Force, the Chinook is a transport aircraft with roles beyond conventional military operations. It can carry troops and equipment and support humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and firefighting missions. Boeing says the CH-47F Block I offers greater payload capacity and range than the Chinook variants previously operated by Egypt, giving crews more flexibility when moving people and supplies.
Those capabilities are relevant across Egypt’s varied operating environments. A heavy-lift helicopter can transport personnel or cargo to places where ground movement is difficult, while its ability to support emergency missions allows the same fleet to serve civilian needs. The arrival of the first five aircraft begins the transition from the CH-47D, although Boeing has not given a delivery schedule for the remaining seven in its announcement.
“The Chinook flies where it’s needed most — into disaster zones, across deserts, to assist people at their most vulnerable,” said Kathleen “KJ” Jolivette, vice president and general manager of Boeing Vertical Lift Programs. She also pointed to the company’s continuing commitment to supporting Egypt’s aircrews and keeping the fleet operational in the years ahead.
Egypt has operated Chinooks for more than four decades. It acquired 15 CH-47C helicopters in 1981 and had transitioned its fleet to the CH-47D by 2002. The latest delivery therefore continues an established relationship between Boeing and the Egyptian Air Force while introducing a newer version of a familiar aircraft.
Boeing’s wider relationship with Egypt dates back to EGYPTAIR’s first Boeing order in 1966. Alongside the Chinook programme, the company provides field service and engineering support in Egypt for the country’s Apache helicopter fleet. That local support forms part of a defence relationship extending beyond the delivery of new aircraft.
The El Alamein handover gave Egyptian officials an opportunity to display one of the new CH-47Fs at the airshow as the modernization effort moves into its delivery phase. With five helicopters now handed over, attention turns to the arrival of the remaining aircraft and their integration into Egyptian Air Force operations.
Once all 12 have been delivered, the programme will give Egypt a renewed Chinook fleet for military transport and emergency response. For now, the first delivery provides a tangible step in replacing the older CH-47Ds and maintaining a heavy-lift capability that Egypt has relied on since the early 1980s.
Source: By Clay Ham
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