The U.S. Army is renewing and extending a Chinook production contract for its helicopter fleet, built at the Ridley Park Boeing plant, writes Kathleen E. Carey for the Daily Times.

The news guarantees 20 years of production at the plant, saving thousands of jobs.

“I am thrilled to announce the Army’s decision to recommit to Chinook modernization,” U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-5, of Swarthmore, said.

The heavy-lift Chinook has been produced in the Philadelphia region since the 1960s.

“For decades, Chinook production has been a critical regional economic engine, with multiple generations of families working at the Ridley Park facility,” Scanlon said. “With this decision, that tradition will continue,” Scanlon said.

The Army’s decision reflects its confidence in Boeing’s heavy-lift platform, said Kathleen “KJ” Jolivette, vice president and general manager of Vertical Lift, Boeing.

This is huge for Ridley Park Boeing,” said James Rugh, committeeman for United Aerospace Workers Local 1069.

The Army had decided in 2019 to delay upgrading its fleet of 425 CH-47F Chinook helicopters, but Scanlon and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (PA) worked to keep funding the Block II program, securing $1 billion to fund the Chinooks for the last four years.

Find out more about Chinook production contract and the efforts to save the Chinook program in the Daily Times.