Honeywell wins $249M Chinook deal

Honeywell International was awarded a $248,926,416 U.S. Army contract on May 20 for maintenance and overhaul of the CH-47 Chinook’s T55 engine, according to the Pentagon’s daily contract notice. The award is a firm-fixed-price contract and is intended to “ensure sustained mission readiness and prevent a gap in maintenance and overhaul supply,” the notice said. Honeywell is based in Phoenix, Arizona, according to the award listing. The work is scheduled for completion by May 19, 2029. ### What exactly did the Army buy? The Pentagon’s May 20 contract notice described the award as maintenance and overhaul work for the CH-47 Chinook T55 engine. The notice did not break out engine quantities, repair locations or annual funding tranches in the excerpt that was publicly posted, but it did specify the contract type as firm-fixed-price and the total value as $248,926,416. (war.gov) The CH-47 Chinook is powered by Honeywell’s T55 family of turboshaft engines. Honeywell said in a 2023 release that more than 1,000 CH-47 helicopters powered by T55s are operated by military and civil customers worldwide. ### Why does the T55 matter to the Chinook fleet? (war.gov) Honeywell said its latest T55-GA-714A configuration produces nearly 5,000 shaft horsepower for the Chinook. The company said the engine family has logged about 12 million operating hours on Boeing CH-47 and MH-47 helicopters and that the first T55 delivery to the U.S. Army dates to 1961. (honeywell.com) Honeywell has also been promoting a T55-714C upgrade path for the Chinook. On its aerospace site, the company says the 714C is a 6,000-shaft-horsepower-class engine that is 20% more powerful and uses 8% less fuel than the current T55, with installation designed as an upgrade during overhaul. (honeywell.com) ### What does “sustainment” mean in this case? The May 20 award notice said the contract is meant to avoid a gap in maintenance and overhaul supply. In practice, that means the Army is paying for the work needed to keep in-service engines repaired, returned to the fleet and available for operations rather than buying only new engines. (aerospace.honeywell.com) Honeywell’s own Chinook engine materials describe overhaul as a point where maintainers can incorporate upgrades and feedback from Army users. The company says its upgrade kit is designed to be installed during overhaul and cites maintainability, durability and reliability as selling points for the T55 line. (war.gov) ### Is this a new relationship or part of a longer program? Honeywell has been tied to the Chinook engine program for decades. The company said in October 2023 that the U.S. Army Foreign Military Sales office was managing an order for 41 T55-GA-714A engines to support South Korea’s CH-47F procurement. Honeywell also said at the time that the T55 remained the powerplant for the global Chinook fleet. (aerospace.honeywell.com) That history helps explain why the latest award centers on overhaul and sustainment rather than a new engine competition. The Army’s public notice names Honeywell directly for the work on the existing T55 engine base installed across CH-47 aircraft. ### What happens next? May 19, 2029 is the listed completion date in the Pentagon notice, giving the Army and Honeywell a three-year window for the overhaul and maintenance effort. (honeywell.com) The next public updates are likely to appear through future Pentagon contract notices, Army budget documents or Honeywell disclosures tied to its aerospace business. (war.gov)