CAIRO — The United States has delivered the first new Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopter to Egypt, beginning deliveries under a contract for 12 aircraft for the Egyptian Air Force.
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo announced the delivery on September 17, describing it as another development in the expanding commercial and defense partnership between the United States and Egypt. The embassy congratulated Boeing, the U.S. Army and the Egyptian Ministry of Defense on the delivery.
“Congratulations to Boeing, the U.S. Army and the Egyptian Ministry of Defense on the delivery of the new CH-47F Chinook helicopter—another concrete example of the expanding commercial and defense partnership between the United States and Egypt,” the embassy said.
The first helicopter was publicly presented to the Egyptian Air Force during the El Alamein International Airshow, held from September 8 to 10, 2026, at El Alamein International Airport on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast. The U.S. Embassy did not provide details on the delivery schedule for the remaining aircraft or specific operational plans for the new helicopter.
$426 million contract for 12 helicopters
The current acquisition comes from a $426 million Foreign Military Sales contract awarded to Boeing by the U.S. Army in January 2023 to produce 12 new CH-47F Chinooks for Egypt. Boeing said at the time that deliveries were expected to begin in 2026 and that the aircraft would replace Egypt’s existing CH-47D fleet.
The contract followed a May 2022 U.S. approval of a potential larger sale of 23 CH-47F helicopters and related equipment to Egypt. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency estimated the value of that possible package at $2.6 billion. The proposed package included engines, navigation systems, missile-warning equipment, machine guns, aircraft survivability equipment, training, spare parts and other support.
The signed 2023 contract, however, covers 12 aircraft.
Modernization of Egypt's Chinook fleet
The CH-47F is the modern production version of Boeing's twin-rotor Chinook heavy-lift helicopter. It is designed for missions involving the transportation of troops, equipment and heavy cargo.
Boeing says the CH-47F incorporates a fully integrated digital cockpit management system, the Common Avionics Architecture System and advanced cargo-handling capabilities.
Egypt has operated Chinook helicopters for decades. Its existing fleet includes CH-47D aircraft, which are being replaced by the newer F-model under the current procurement. Boeing says Egypt currently operates 18 CH-47D Chinooks supporting its armed forces and disaster-relief efforts.
The arrival of the first CH-47F therefore marks the beginning of Egypt's transition to the newer Chinook model. Once the remaining aircraft under the 12-helicopter contract are delivered, Egypt will have an expanded fleet of newer heavy-lift helicopters for missions including troop and cargo transport, humanitarian relief and emergency operations.
The delivery also continues a long-standing Boeing-Egypt defense relationship. Boeing said the CH-47F contract continues more than four decades of cooperation with the Egyptian Air Force.
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