Australia has taken delivery of two additional Boeing CH-47D Chinook helicopters, bringing its total Chinook fleet to seven.

In November 2011, Canberra approved the acquisition of two former US army Chinooks following the loss of an Australian Defence Force (ADF) Chinook in Afghanistan in May 2011, minister of defence Stephen Smith said in a statement.

The two Chinooks will undergo "deep maintenance and modification" to bring them to the same configuration as the ADF's other Chinooks. The two aircraft will be delivered to the army in mid-2012.

Canberra's CH-47Ds will be replaced with seven new CH-47Fs from around 2016, he added. The seven CH-47Fs are on order.

Source: Flight International