The newest special operations MH-47G helicopter is a great tool for America’s elite warriors

On a recent trip, Sandboxx News and Stu Bradin, the head of the Global SOF Foundation, visited the 7th Special Forces Group (this author’s and Bradin’s old unit) at Camp Bull Simons and while there we got to get inside the newest special operations helicopter, the improved MH-47G Chinook.

Special Forces teams were conducting training on taking down multi-story targets. They were supported by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, The Nightstalkers, who were flying the brand new MH-47G Block II Chinook, among other helicopters.

The Nightstalkers get a lighter, better aircraft

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Aircraft Handling) 3rd Class Alexis Woods signals for a U.S. Army MH-47G Chinook helicopter from the 160th special operations aviation regiment (SOAR) to land on the flight deck of the Expeditionary Sea Base USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4) in the Atlantic Ocean, June 12, 2021 as part of exercise African Lion 2021. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Eric Coffer/Released)

The new MH-47G Block II Chinook has lighter fuel tanks and weighs 5,000 pounds less than previous versions which expands its range to 1,382 km allowing it to conduct longer missions.

The helicopter we were shown was brand new with only 250 flight hours on it. Its pilot told Sandboxx News that when a new variant is built, the original wiring is still put in the aircraft but isn’t hooked up. Then they ran the new wiring through the fuselage.

The interior of the fuselage is much cleaner now, which makes it feel roomier. The Kevlar blanket on the floor found in previous versions of the MH-47 has now been replaced by Kevlar inserts in the floor and on the sides, which will protect troops in the seats.

The MH-47G has an extendable long refueling probe in its nose that allows it to be refueled by fixed-wing aircraft.

Depending on the mission, the aircraft comes equipped with a fast rope insertion/extraction system (FRIES), a special patrol insertion and extraction system (SPIES), a rope ladder, an electrically powered rescue hoist/winch that is mounted above the starboard-side forward door, and a personnel location system (PLS).

Using its extendable refueling probe, a U.S. Army MH-47G Chinook receives fuel from a U.S. Air Force HC-130J Combat King II assigned to the 26th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron over an undisclosed location, Oct. 10, 2022. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech Sgt. Diana Cossaboom)

The cockpit comes with the standard Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS), sharing the same processing and display units as the MH-60M Black Hawk. The CAAS was developed specifically for the Nightstalkers and is now used throughout the Army.

The aircraft comes with the AN/ZSQ-2 EOSS targeting system that is also found on the MH-60 Little Bird, a forward-looking infrared (FLIR), and an electro-optical camera mounted in a bubble under the helicopter’s chin that enables the pilots to fly low at night and in marginal weather.

One of the coolest additions comes in the form of a K&N air filter which is positioned in front of the intakes and “protects the engine and prolongs its life,” the pilot told Sandboxx News.

The new MH-47G carries a pilot and a co-pilot along with three crew chiefs or gunners. It can reach maximum speeds of 259 kph. Its armament includes two M134 7.62mm miniguns located in the front of its port and starboard sides and two M240D 7.62mm machine guns located in the rear.

The new MH-47G Block II will allow Nightstalkers to conduct longer missions and better support other special operations units.

Feature Image: An MH-47G Chinook helicopter from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment creates ocean spray from the rotor-wash while conducting training with the Air Force Special Tactics Training Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fl., February 19, 2020. (Photo by Maj. Jeff Slinker/160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment)