The planned purchase was disclosed by Defence Minister Luke Pollard in response to a parliamentary question from MP James MacClear. The order would form a second tranche of Chinook procurement, although the ministry has not approved a final number of aircraft.
The move would follow the UK’s 2024 purchase of 14 CH-47F Block II extended-range helicopters. Those aircraft will be known in British service as H-47(ER), with delivery expected next year.
The helicopters ordered in 2024 are intended mainly to replace the oldest Chinook-family aircraft still serving with the Royal Air Force. According to the World Air Forces 2026 report cited in the article, Britain operates 56 Chinooks across several versions, including a large number of HC.6A helicopters upgraded from earlier variants.
The oldest H-47s are expected to leave service in the coming years because of age and wear. The upgraded HC.6 fleet and the newly ordered H-47(ER) helicopters are not expected to meet the UK’s full future air transport requirement on their own.
That creates pressure for a follow-on order before the middle of the next decade. Given demand on the Chinook production line, the Ministry of Defence would need to move soon to keep the planned delivery schedule within reach.
The ministry has released few details on the second tranche beyond the expected timing for initial operational capability. That milestone is planned for the middle of the next decade, placing the programme within a broader period of transition for UK rotary-wing aviation.
The Chinook plan comes alongside the New Medium Helicopter programme, under which the UK signed a March contract for 23 AW149 multirole helicopters out of a planned 44. Those aircraft are due to be delivered to the Royal Air Force between 2030 and 2033.
At the same time, the Army Air Corps is expected to begin retiring its AW159 Wildcat AH1 light helicopters from 2027. The combination of older Chinooks leaving service, medium-lift recapitalisation and Wildcat retirements points to a wider reshaping of British military helicopter capacity over the next decade.
For the Royal Air Force, the second Chinook tranche would be aimed at preserving heavy-lift capacity while older aircraft are phased out. For the Ministry of Defence, the decision will test how quickly it can align funding, production availability and long-term fleet sustainment for a capability expected to remain in service for decades.
