Boeing Chinook MH-47G Helicopter

Following the tradition of naming U.S. Army Helicopters after American Indian tribes, the CH-47 Chinook was named after the Chinook Indian People of the Pacific Northwest in present day Washington and Oregon States.

In 1960 Boeing purchased Vertol Corporation, then the world's largest independent manufacturer of helicopters. As Boeing Vertol, the company focused on tandem-rotor helicopters and was responsible for the development of the successful CH-46 Sea Knight which first flew in 1961. Despite the success of the Sea Knight, the US Army was still seeking a heavier transport helicopter, and ordered an enlarged derivative of the CH-46. This led to what ultimately would become the CH-47A Chinook, which first flew in 1962.

The Boeing MH-47G is the "Special Operations" variant of the Chinook. It has many of the features of the modern CH-47FF, but differs from its Sister model with the incorporation of combat systems designed to make the helicopter more survivable on missions deep into enemy territory, at night and while flying at low level. It is primarily used for the insertion, extraction and resupply of Special Forces troops while in service with the US Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOC). The first new-build MH-47G helicopter was delivered to the U.S. Army in September 2014.

Campaign:  #160 Special Operations Aviation Regiment, (160th SOAR)