Germany will purchase 60 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters from Boeing to replace its ageing CH-53 fleet, putting an end to a long-delayed decision amid the Ukraine conflict.
‘With this model, we strengthen our ability to cooperate in Europe,’ German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said in a speech to the Bundestag lower house of parliament on Wednesday, without specifying how much the helicopters would cost.
According to previous planning data, the Bundeswehr planned to purchase 45 to 60 heavy-lift helicopters for approximately 4 billion euros ($4.29 billion), with delivery scheduled between 2023 and 2029.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged in February to significantly increase defence spending and inject 100 billion euros into the Bundeswehr, signalling a major policy shift for the country after decades of attrition of the armed forces.
Scholz intends to use the 100 billion euros to bring the Bundeswehr’s weapons and equipment up to standard after decades of attrition following the Cold War’s end.
According to a draught seen by Reuters and defence sources, the lion’s share of the special funds, approximately 40 billion euros, will be spent on air capabilities.
According to German Chief of Defence Eberhard Zorn, the Chinook’s global use was a key selling point.
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