Germany to buy 60 Chinook helicopters for over $8 billion: Committee members

Germany will buy 60 Chinook helicopters from Boeing in a package that will cost up to 8 billion euros ($8.72 billion), including necessary infrastructure for the aircraft, two members of the parliamentary budget committee told Reuters on Wednesday.

They said the committee had taken the decision to go ahead.

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The sum includes the procurement of the CH-47 heavy-lift helicopters for 6.27 billion euros, 700 million euros for service, 240 million euros for national contracts and 750 million euros for infrastructure, according to earlier information.

Germany said it planned to buy 60 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters from Boeing last year to replace its ageing CH-53 fleet. Originally, 6 billion euros had been budgeted.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz shifted policy in February 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, sharply increasing defense spending and committing 100 billion euros for the Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces.

“With the procurement of 60 heavy transport helicopters for 7.2 billion euros, we are launching one of the most important procurement projects of the Bundeswehr special fund,” Greens committee member Sebastian Schaefer told Reuters.

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