U.S. Special Operations Command orders more MH-47G helicopters from Boeing
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U.S. Special Operations Command issued a $877 million delivery order to Boeing on November 20, 2025, for additional MH-47G Block II helicopters, extending production activities through late 2030.
On November 20, 2025, the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) awarded a delivery order valued at $877,742,891 to Boeing for the procurement of more MH-47G special operation helicopters, with most manufacturing activity scheduled to continue until November 2030 under contracting activity at MacDill Air Force Base. This new order follows a sustained sequence of procurements that already include new-build and remanufactured MH-47G Block II, which remains the Night Stalkers’ principal heavy assault helicopter.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
U.S. special operations forces, such as the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), rely on the MH-47G Chinook for insertion, extraction, resupply, and additional specialized roles in demanding environments. (Picture source: 160th SOAR)
This new contract is part of a wider sequence of modernization actions that began with a July 2018 indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract valued at $26.9 million for the production of MH-47G Block IIs. In June 2019, another contract valued at $194 million directed the delivery of several MH-47G Block IIs, and the first Block II helicopter reached the U.S. Special Operations Command in September 2020. In June 2021, the U.S. Department of State approved a foreign military sale of fourteen Block II Chinooks to the United Kingdom valued at 578 million dollars. The U.S. Army subsequently ordered two additional CH-47F Block IIs in October 2022, while, in December 2023, the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC) awarded Boeing a $271 million contract to produce six remanufactured MH-47G Block IIs. In March 2025, the USASOAC issued a new contract for five remanufactured MH-47G Block II helicopters valued at $240 million with deliveries beginning in 2027. These awards brought the total number of MH-47G Block II aircraft under contract to fifty-one and remain aligned with plans to complete the full USASOAC Chinook fleet by early 2030.
The MH-47G is the current special operations variant of the CH-47 Chinook, derived from earlier MH-47D and MH-47Es but incorporating updated electrical and hydraulic lines, monolithic-framed fuselage structures, and long-range fuel tanks integrated into enlarged sponsons sometimes described as fat tanks. Earlier MH-47D helicopters were CH-47D airframes with added engine control improvements and refueling probes, while MH-47E helicopters introduced more powerful T55-L-714 engines, enhanced fuel capacity, integral tanks, and additional avionics. With nicknamed the Night Stalkers, the MH-47G performs heavy assault tasks such as insertion and extraction of special operations forces, resupply missions, static ground refueling points known as fat cow operations, and serving as an airborne command and control node during complex missions. To date, the MH-47G is the only U.S. Army helicopter able to sustain special operations in the higher mountainous regions of Afghanistan and therefore supported tasks at altitudes that restricted other aircraft. Like other Chinook variants, the MH-47 additionally supports vehicle loading through a rear ramp.
Powered by two Honeywell T55-GA-714A turboshaft engines, each delivering 3,529 kilowatts (≈ 4,734 hp) and fitted with IES-47 infrared exhaust suppressors designed to lower the infrared signature during low-level and night operations, the MH-47G can reach a top speed ranging between 259 and 315 km/h, depending on the configuration. With a maximum gross weight of 24,494 kilograms, the helicopter can carry 7,828 liters of fuel, yielding a mission radius of 630 kilometers under typical profiles, while additional provisions for in-flight refueling extend, of course, mission duration. In terms of dimensions, the MH-47G’s fuselage measures 15.9 meters in length, with an overall length of roughly 30.18 meters when rotors are unfolded; its rotor diameter of approximately 18.8 meters further helps the MH-47G for heavy internal and external loads. Speaking of which, cargo handling is supported by a rear ramp, a belly hatch, and side openings with bubble windows, while a starboard side forward door is fitted with a rescue hoist for personnel recovery, to manage fast loading and unloading.
The cockpit of the MH-47G uses a night vision goggle-compatible glass digital layout with five multi-function displays and two control display units, all integrated through the Common Avionics Architecture System shared with the MH-60M and other U.S. Army fleets. The avionics suite includes a digital moving map display, dual MIL-STD-1553 digital data buses, the AN/ASN-137 inertial doppler navigation system, the CP-1516/ASQ automatic target handoff system, the AN/ASN-149(V)2 GPS receiver, and a Rockwell Collins AN/ARN-149(V) direction finder. The sensor package contains the AN/ZSQ-2 electro-optical system with forward-looking infrared and day cameras mounted in a chin turret to support low-altitude operations in adverse visibility. Additional capability is provided by the AN/APQ-174B multimode radar and the more current AN/APQ-187 Silent Knight radar, both offering terrain following, terrain avoidance, and weather detection modes, all displayed on cockpit screens. Communications equipment includes an AN/ARC-220 high-frequency radio, an AN/ARC-201D single-channel ground and airborne radio, four AN/ARC-231 radios with two satcom-capable units, several jam-resistant AN/ASN-145 AHRS radios, the MTX Blue Force Tracker, and the AN/APX-123 identification transponder, while a digital intercommunication system links all crew positions.
Defensive equipment of the MH-47G includes the Common Missile Warning System, the Suite of Integrated Radio Frequency Countermeasures, the AN/AVR-2B laser warning receiver, and XM216 dark flares that remain invisible to the unaided eye during deployment. Armament consists of two M134 7.62 mm electrically operated miniguns mounted at the forward port and starboard cabin openings and two M240D 7.62 mm belt-fed machine guns mounted in rear cabin windows, forming four operational gun stations. The MH-47G is equipped with multiple insertion and extraction systems, including the Fast Rope Insertion Extraction System for rapid deployment, the Special Patrol Insertion and Extraction System allowing up to eight personnel to clip onto a single rope, rope ladders deployed from the belly hatch, and an electrically powered rescue hoist above the forward door. A personnel location system is also integrated to locate downed aircrew using compatible emergency beacons.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
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U.S. Special Operations Command issued a $877 million delivery order to Boeing on November 20, 2025, for additional MH-47G Block II helicopters, extending production activities through late 2030.
On November 20, 2025, the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) awarded a delivery order valued at $877,742,891 to Boeing for the procurement of more MH-47G special operation helicopters, with most manufacturing activity scheduled to continue until November 2030 under contracting activity at MacDill Air Force Base. This new order follows a sustained sequence of procurements that already include new-build and remanufactured MH-47G Block II, which remains the Night Stalkers’ principal heavy assault helicopter.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
U.S. special operations forces, such as the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), rely on the MH-47G Chinook for insertion, extraction, resupply, and additional specialized roles in demanding environments. (Picture source: 160th SOAR)
This new contract is part of a wider sequence of modernization actions that began with a July 2018 indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract valued at $26.9 million for the production of MH-47G Block IIs. In June 2019, another contract valued at $194 million directed the delivery of several MH-47G Block IIs, and the first Block II helicopter reached the U.S. Special Operations Command in September 2020. In June 2021, the U.S. Department of State approved a foreign military sale of fourteen Block II Chinooks to the United Kingdom valued at 578 million dollars. The U.S. Army subsequently ordered two additional CH-47F Block IIs in October 2022, while, in December 2023, the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC) awarded Boeing a $271 million contract to produce six remanufactured MH-47G Block IIs. In March 2025, the USASOAC issued a new contract for five remanufactured MH-47G Block II helicopters valued at $240 million with deliveries beginning in 2027. These awards brought the total number of MH-47G Block II aircraft under contract to fifty-one and remain aligned with plans to complete the full USASOAC Chinook fleet by early 2030.
The MH-47G is the current special operations variant of the CH-47 Chinook, derived from earlier MH-47D and MH-47Es but incorporating updated electrical and hydraulic lines, monolithic-framed fuselage structures, and long-range fuel tanks integrated into enlarged sponsons sometimes described as fat tanks. Earlier MH-47D helicopters were CH-47D airframes with added engine control improvements and refueling probes, while MH-47E helicopters introduced more powerful T55-L-714 engines, enhanced fuel capacity, integral tanks, and additional avionics. With nicknamed the Night Stalkers, the MH-47G performs heavy assault tasks such as insertion and extraction of special operations forces, resupply missions, static ground refueling points known as fat cow operations, and serving as an airborne command and control node during complex missions. To date, the MH-47G is the only U.S. Army helicopter able to sustain special operations in the higher mountainous regions of Afghanistan and therefore supported tasks at altitudes that restricted other aircraft. Like other Chinook variants, the MH-47 additionally supports vehicle loading through a rear ramp.
Powered by two Honeywell T55-GA-714A turboshaft engines, each delivering 3,529 kilowatts (≈ 4,734 hp) and fitted with IES-47 infrared exhaust suppressors designed to lower the infrared signature during low-level and night operations, the MH-47G can reach a top speed ranging between 259 and 315 km/h, depending on the configuration. With a maximum gross weight of 24,494 kilograms, the helicopter can carry 7,828 liters of fuel, yielding a mission radius of 630 kilometers under typical profiles, while additional provisions for in-flight refueling extend, of course, mission duration. In terms of dimensions, the MH-47G’s fuselage measures 15.9 meters in length, with an overall length of roughly 30.18 meters when rotors are unfolded; its rotor diameter of approximately 18.8 meters further helps the MH-47G for heavy internal and external loads. Speaking of which, cargo handling is supported by a rear ramp, a belly hatch, and side openings with bubble windows, while a starboard side forward door is fitted with a rescue hoist for personnel recovery, to manage fast loading and unloading.
The cockpit of the MH-47G uses a night vision goggle-compatible glass digital layout with five multi-function displays and two control display units, all integrated through the Common Avionics Architecture System shared with the MH-60M and other U.S. Army fleets. The avionics suite includes a digital moving map display, dual MIL-STD-1553 digital data buses, the AN/ASN-137 inertial doppler navigation system, the CP-1516/ASQ automatic target handoff system, the AN/ASN-149(V)2 GPS receiver, and a Rockwell Collins AN/ARN-149(V) direction finder. The sensor package contains the AN/ZSQ-2 electro-optical system with forward-looking infrared and day cameras mounted in a chin turret to support low-altitude operations in adverse visibility. Additional capability is provided by the AN/APQ-174B multimode radar and the more current AN/APQ-187 Silent Knight radar, both offering terrain following, terrain avoidance, and weather detection modes, all displayed on cockpit screens. Communications equipment includes an AN/ARC-220 high-frequency radio, an AN/ARC-201D single-channel ground and airborne radio, four AN/ARC-231 radios with two satcom-capable units, several jam-resistant AN/ASN-145 AHRS radios, the MTX Blue Force Tracker, and the AN/APX-123 identification transponder, while a digital intercommunication system links all crew positions.
Defensive equipment of the MH-47G includes the Common Missile Warning System, the Suite of Integrated Radio Frequency Countermeasures, the AN/AVR-2B laser warning receiver, and XM216 dark flares that remain invisible to the unaided eye during deployment. Armament consists of two M134 7.62 mm electrically operated miniguns mounted at the forward port and starboard cabin openings and two M240D 7.62 mm belt-fed machine guns mounted in rear cabin windows, forming four operational gun stations. The MH-47G is equipped with multiple insertion and extraction systems, including the Fast Rope Insertion Extraction System for rapid deployment, the Special Patrol Insertion and Extraction System allowing up to eight personnel to clip onto a single rope, rope ladders deployed from the belly hatch, and an electrically powered rescue hoist above the forward door. A personnel location system is also integrated to locate downed aircrew using compatible emergency beacons.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
