How to make the Chinook fleet 70,000 pounds lighter.

Photo Courtesy Staff Sgt. Christopher Freeman

Over the years various weight-reduction strategies have been either tried or considered to make Chinook helicopters lighter - everything from thinner coatings to hollowed-out fittings. Even approaches that would result in saving just a matter of ounces were considered.

You can imagine what a breakthrough it was when modernizing the thermal acoustic blankets resulted in savings of up to 140 pounds per aircraft. That savings really adds up when you consider the entire fleet of Chinooks.

If every Chinook in the U.S. Military was outfitted with the Improved Thermal Acoustic Blanket (ITAB) the fleet would be about 70,000 pounds lighter.

That kind of savings could translate into more payload, or greater range, or less fuel consumption. A mission might even require fewer aircraft. 

What’s more, the new blankets reduce corrosion, which increases readiness, and reduces maintenance costs - meaning it saves more than just weight. It even saves time since the crew doesn’t need to string up 550 cord to keep the blankets in place!

Click here to learn more about how Cocoon’s ITAB can save you weight - as well as time and money.

The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.