Ridley Park Facility Faces Closure Risk Amid Chinook Budget Cuts

Boeing's Ridley Park facility in Delaware County, Pennsylvania is facing an uncertain future due to potential budget cuts for the CH-47F Block II Chinook helicopter program.

The plant employs around 3,700 people and ranks among the county's largest employers. According to Jim Rugh, president of United Aerospace Workers Union Local 1069, the facility has enough work to last four years, but the immediate concern centers on the fiscal 2027 federal budget.

U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon says that the proposed cuts effectively eliminate funding for the conventional Block II program, and Congress has repeatedly restored Chinook money after proposed cuts in the past.

Rugh argues that annual political rescues don't provide the long-term stability Boeing needs to plan ahead, and that the Army must place larger, multiyear orders to sustain production and reassure workers.