Spain's first CH-47F delivered

BOEING HAS delivered the first of 17 CH-47F Chinooks to the Fuerzas Aeromóviles del Ejército de Tierra (FAMET – Spanish Army Air Mobile Forces) after being remanufactured from an existing older model FAMET CH-47D. The helicopter, coded ‘ET-420’ but serial unconfirmed, was formally handed back as a CH-47F during a ceremony on February 1 at the FAMET headquarters in in Colmenar Viejo, Madrid.

cH-47F FAMET
The first Spanish Army CH-47F at Colmenar Viejo, where it was handed over on February 1 FAMET

All 17 of the FAMET’s current CH-47Ds will be progressively upgraded to CH-47F standard under a contract announced by Boeing on January 3, 2019. The last example is expected to be completed in about three-years-time.The CH-47F features a digital automatic flight control system, common avionics architecture system and advanced cargo handling to meet the FAMET’s modernization needs for increased operational capacity, while ensuring interoperability with allied nations.

The Spanish modernization effort coincides with its European counterparts across the region. The Netherlands recently retired its last CH-47D Chinook in favor of the F-model configuration, while the United Kingdom has purchased additional aircraft to upgrade its fleet.