The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is aversatile, twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter.Its top speed of 170 knots(196 mph, 315 km/h) was faster than utility and attackhelicopters of the 1960s and even many of today. Its primary roles includetroop movement, artillery emplacement and battlefield resupply. It has a wideloading ramp at the rear of the fuselage and three external-cargo hooks.
The Chinook was designed andinitially produced by Boeing Vertol in the early 1960s. Thehelicopter is now produced by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.Chinooks have been sold to 16 nations; the largest users are the U.S. Army and the Royal AirForce, see Boeing Chinook (UK variants).