IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly
Jeremy Binnie, London
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopter is set to re-enter service with the Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) after three were delivered to the kingdom on 15 August.
One of Morocco’s three new CH-47D Chinook helicopters seen in the air at Columbia Helicopters’ facility in Aurora, Oregon. (Dan Sweet/Columbia Helicopters).
The CH-47D Chinooks were spotted being unloaded from the roll-on/roll-off ship Liberty Pride (IMO: 9448114) in Tangier on 15 August.
Columbia Helicopters, the US company that refurbished the three ex-US Army CH-47D helicopters, told IHS Jane’s that its technicians would have the aircraft reassembled and flight tested for the RMAF by 21 August.
The company announced a year ago that it had been awarded a contract worth approximately USD6 million to ‘reset’ and repaint the Moroccan Chinooks.