Piaggio Aerospace to support Italian ICH-47F engines

Piaggio Aerospace has announced that it's been contracted by the Ministero della Difesa (Italian Ministry of Defence) to provide technical-logistic engine support for the Esercito Italiano's (Italian Army) ICH-47F Chinook fleet. 

The contract, worth €50m (US$55.6m), will see the Italian-based aircraft manufacturer's engines business unit maintain and support the Honeywell T55-L-714 turboshaft engines - the powerplant of the Italian Army's Boeing ICH-47F Chinook heavy-lift tactical transport helicopters. 

Under the nine-year agreement, Piaggio Aerospace will ensure that the the army is supplied with spare parts and engines, along with performing maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) tasks.

ICH-47F [AgustaWestland]
AgustaWestland

Vincenzo Nicastro, Piaggio Aerospace Extraordinary Commissioner, said: "The contract signed today allows us to strengthen our engine business unit, while we are close to signing more contracts with the Ministry of Defence on the P.180."

The Italian Army has a total of 16 ICH-47F Chinooks in its inventory, solely operated by 11° Gruppo Squadroni 'Ercole' at Viterbo in central Italy. The first ICH-47F was delivered to the Italian Army in 2014.