Internationale Helicopter ontwikkelingen

[Sparkplug]

Design issues delay badly needed Combat Rescue Helicopter

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/design-issues-delay-badly-needed-combat-rescue-helic-455545/

UK military studies high-speed helicopter benefits

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/uk-military-studies-high-speed-helicopter-benefits-455543/

[Harald]

US Army upbeat on future armed scout contest

US Army officials say they are pleased with the quality of the bids so far received under its future attack reconnaissance aircraft (FARA) programme, with an initial contracting decision anticipated by mid-year.

Declining to be drawn on the number of competing submissions, Brig Gen Walter Rugen, the army's director future vertical lift cross-functional team, says that it anticipates, no later than June, awarding "up to six" contracts for the next development stage.

The relatively small number of contracts available would leave some bidders "disappointed" he says, potentially hinting at the size of the field.

"But I am very pleased with the response across multiple industry partners," said Rugen, speaking at IQPC's International Military Helicopter Conference in London on 5 February.

A further downselect will take place in March 2020, cutting the field to two designs; these prototypes will then face a competitive fly-off in 2023. A formal programme of record is expected in 2024.

Rugen reveals little about the requirements for FARA, but says that the proposals will need to demonstrate "advances in speed, manoeuvrability, agility, lethality and serviceability". In addition, the aircraft should have a "small form factor", of no more than 12m (40ft) wide.

No decision on the size of any potential acquisition has been made, however. "We are studying our doctrine to understand how many we would need," he says.

Conceived as a replacement for the army's retired fleet of Bell OH-58 Kiowa Warriors, the launch of FARA follows a now-abandoned move to use Boeing AH-64 Apaches teamed with Textron Systems RQ-7 Shadow unmanned air vehicles for the armed scout mission.

The U-turn followed the events in the Donbass region of Ukraine in 2014 and concerns that a future conflict would involve "more lethal state-on-state" action, rather than counter-insurgency operations.

Rugen describes that experiment in manned-unmanned teaming as "a suboptimal solution" given a future adversary's likely capabilities.

Only a handful of companies have so far declared that they are competing for the FARA contract: a combined AVX Aircraft-L3 Technologies team; Bell; and Sikorsky.

Sikorsky is pitching an aircraft evolved from its S-97 Raider technology demonstrator, says Rich Koucheravy, director of business development, future vertical lift at the US airframer.

"It will look like the configuration of the Raider," says Koucheravy, although he notes that some details of the design remain "proprietary".

He believes that the $300 million of its own money Sikorsky has so far invested in the co-axial-rotor, pusher-prop equipped S-97 – as well as another $15 million on the X-2 helicopter on which it is based – will enable it to meet the army's demanding timeline.

"We need to build a production-representative prototype by 2022 – that's a rather ambitious schedule, it is less than three years from contract award.

"It is not going to be a simple thing, but our Raider has been leading the way since 2012; we have tremendous confidence in the basic design."

Ruger confirms that an eventual production helicopter will be powered by the GE Aviation T901 3,000shp (2,200kW) engine recently selected for development under the US Army's ITEP programme.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/us-army-upbeat-on-future-armed-scout-contest-455547/

[Harald]

Australia begins SOF helo transition from Black Hawk to MRH90   (?? ... en de Aussies waren zo ontevreden over de NH90 ??)

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is "utterly focused" on developing the special forces role of the NHIndustries NH90 (MRH90 in national service) transport and assault helicopter, according to a senior official.

Speaking at the IQPC International Military Helicopter conference held from 5–7 February in London, Brigadier General Jeremy King, acting head Helicopter Systems Division at the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) said the ADF had begun the process of cross-decking the special operations forces (SOF) role from the Sikorsky S-70A Black Hawk to the MRH90.

"The first two MRH90s were delivered to the special forces regiment on [1 February], at which time two Black Hawks were withdrawn. The focus now is utterly on developing the MRH90's counter-terrorist and offshore SOF capability," the general said, adding that the process of replacing the 20 Black Hawks should be complete by the end of November 2021, when the platform will have been phased out of ADF service.

The standing up of the MRH90's SOF capabilities is part of a wider enhancement of Australia's special operations helicopter forces. In September 2018 the DoD issued a request for information (RFI) for a small SOF helicopter that can be transported aboard Boeing C-17 Globemaster III strategic transport aircraft for rapid forward deployment. As noted by the DoD, the helicopter should be a commercial or military off-the-shelf design fitted with a simple but proven intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) equipment package.

Manufacturers that have already expressed an interest in the requirement to Jane's comprise Bell, which said it is to offer its UH-1Y Venom; Leonardo, which is offering its AW109; and NorthStar Aviation, which is offering its 407 Multi-Role Helicopter (MRH).

https://www.janes.com/article/86166/australia-begins-sof-helo-transition-from-black-hawk-to-mrh90

[Sparkplug]

General Electric wins $517 million contract to build engines for Army's next generation helicopters (ook voor AH-64 en UH-60)

https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/02/02/general-electric-wins-517-million-contract-to-build-engines-for-armys-next-generation-helicopters/

[Sparkplug]

Poland courts controversy with single-source helicopter buy

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/poland-courts-controversy-with-single-source-helicop-455294/

[Sparkplug]

Change of plans: Seoul decides to start from scratch with helo competition (Als de MH-60R wordt gekozen, dan heeft Zuid-Korea een uitdaging)

https://www.defensenews.com/2019/01/23/change-of-plans-seoul-decides-to-start-from-scratch-with-helo-competition/

[Harald]

Bell Wins $439M to Produce 25 AH-1Z Attack Helicopters

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded $439,563,841 for modification P00008 to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive contract (N00019-17-C-0030).

This modification exercises an option for the production and delivery of 25 Lot 16 AH-1Z aircraft and 25 stores control units.

Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (60 percent); and Amarillo, Texas (40 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2022.

Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $439,563,841 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.

The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/199233/bell-wins-%24439m-to-produce-25-ah_1z-attack-helicopters.html

[Sparkplug]

Austria allocates funding for helicopter fleet upgrade

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/austria-allocates-funding-for-helicopter-fleet-upgra-455025/

[Parera]

PAF Eyes Purchase of Blackhawk Helicopters from Poland -- DND



SAN JOSE DEL MONTE CITY (PIA) -- Philippine Air Force (PAF) seeks to purchase Blackhawk Helicopters from Poland to further improve its capability in territorial defense and rescue operations.

In an interview during the awarding of housing units to Wounded-In-Action soldiersand Wounded-In-Police-Operations at Pleasant View Residences in barangay Graceville, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the procurement is part of the Second Horizon of the New Armed Forces of the Philippine Modernization Program along with various military aircraft and vessels.

The planned acquisition of the Blackhawk Helicopters from Poland will replace the cancelled contract of 16 units of Bell 412 EP Helicopters from Canada.

Lorenzana added that PAF has experience in operating Polish-made helicopters since the delivery of the eight units of Sokol PZL W-3 Helicopters in 2012.

Meanwhile, the official disclosed that two units of Cobra Attack Helicopters given by Jordan will be delivered in the next six months.

[Source: pai.gov.ph ]

[Sparkplug]

Marine pilot delivers first, last production-era Venom (zie ook de laatste alinea dat iets over de snelheid van de UH-1Y verteld)

https://www.dcma.mil/News/Article-View/Article/1725854/marine-pilot-delivers-first-last-production-era-venom/

[Parera]

Indonesië gaat ook voor de CH-47, 4 stuks.  En ik sta niet raar te kijken als er daarna 4 a 6 Mi-26's gekocht worden, omdat het kan en standaardisatie ze in Jakarta nog nooit van gehoord hebben.

CH-47 Chinook helicopter, reliable helicopter and helicopter combat

If nothing goes wrong in 2019, according to a source, the CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter from the US is planned to strengthen our defense equipment . The presence of Chinook helicopters to strengthen defense equipment is really needed considering that we have limited transport helicopters.

When compared to the transport helicopters that we already have, the presence of Chinook helicopters that are unique in that they are 'tandem helicopters' is indeed very striking. As a helicopter that has two main propellers, the Chinook has a length of 30 meters, a height of 5.7 meters, and can carry 55 fully armed soldiers or about 11,000 kg of goods.

Apart from that as a helicopter transport and combat, the Chinook is also armed with a number of machine guns to protect soldiers who are out or entering the helicopter. Because it can carry so many items, the Chinook as a helicopter transport is very reliable for dealing with regional or national natural disasters.

When the Aceh earthquake and tsunami struck (2004) Indonesia got a valuable lesson. Evidently, the vital role of Chinook helicopters operated by a number of countries in handling disasters accurately and accurately. Indonesia even hired 5 Chinook helicopters from the US to facilitate the handling of natural disasters in Aceh.

Encouraged by this valuable experience, in 2016 the Indonesian Ministry of Defense according to a source signed the purchase of Heli Chinook which was planned to be sent in stages starting in 2019.

Plans for the purchase of CH-47 helicopters, better known as the Chinook, were only implemented in 2016, and later the operation was handed over to the competent as part of the Alutsista. As a heavy vehicle, Chinook helicopters have very high mobility and have a personnel carrying capacity of one soldier platoon.

Some have seen the greatness of the helicopters made in the United States, among others, when acting on several natural disasters in Indonesia. At that time, a number of countries brought aid to use Chinook. When handling post-tsunami disaster in Aceh, we get help from friendly countries using Chinook. It was extraordinary, fast, and carried many people.

The discourse of purchasing a helicopter with a double engine was first revealed by one official who said that the Chinook, which was valued at US $ 30 million, would complement TNI Armaments. Although the procurement of Chinook helicopters is quite expensive, the lives of people who need to be saved are more expensive.

Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engine, tandem rotor and heavy-lift helicopter . With a top speed of 170 knots (196 mph, 315 km / h) the helicopter is faster than the attack helicopters of the 1960s. The CH-47 helicopter was one of several planes that was still in service at the production line and front, with more than 1,179 to date. Its main roles include troop movements, artillery, and supplying battlefield equipment. Has a wide loading door on the back of the aircraft and three external-cargo hooks.

This Chinook was designed and originally produced by Boeing Vertol in the early 1960s. This helicopter is now manufactured by Boeing Rotorcraft Systems . Chinooks have been sold to 16 countries with the US Army, and the Royal Air Force is the biggest user. The CH-47 helicopter is one of the toughest transport helicopters in the West.

Tugging for the transfer of technology in the process of purchasing defense equipment is generally related to a number of principles, starting from political affairs and certainly the total value of the purchase. There is something interesting about the plan to procure the heavy-duty CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter. Because Indonesia only bought four units and still requires ToT in the offset scheme .

It is estimated that the procurement of the CH-47 Chinook will use the 2016 budget, with the procurement budget per helicopter unit reaching US $ 30 million. Through several discussions and negotiations between Boeing and the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, finally in 2015, the South East Asia Boeing Regional Director , Young Tae Pak told our official that Boeing was ready to provide and meet the requirements of the offset scheme desired by Indonesia.

The defense offset in the theory is divided into two choices, namely direct offset and indirect offset . Direct offset is compensation that is directly related to the purchase transaction. Indirect offsets are often also called commercial offsets , usually in the form of buybacks , assistance in marketing / purchasing Alutsista that has been produced by the developing country, production of licenses, transfer of technology, to the exchange of offsets , even returns.

As a follow up, the Regional Boeing Southeast Asia has sent a team to PT Dirgantara Indonesia for further technical talks. As is known, Kemhan plans to buy a Chinook Helicopter to strengthen Alutsista in the ranks TNI.

This purchase is adjusted to the real threats facing Indonesia, especially the problem of handling natural disasters. Apart from Indonesia, in Southeast Asia, Chinook has long been owned by Singapore. This neighboring country encapsulates the Chinook fleet in the 127 Squadron. The Singaporean Air Force has six CH-47D units and twelve CH-47SD Chinook units. In addition, the Thai Army also uses the CH-47 Chinook. During the Vietnam War, the Chinook also became a display window for air on the side of South Vietnam. Even though Chinook bought by Indonesia is minimal, overall the Boeing contract to procure TNI Alutsista is quite tempting.

Chinook helicopters are one type of helicopter that has multifunctional advantages. Besides being able to transport military personnel in large numbers, this helicopter is also capable of carrying large quantities of logistics. In addition, this helicopter is designed to be able to transport (sling) fighter aircraft, combat ships, combat vehicles (Ranpur), to light class battle tanks. Not only that, with a large carrying capacity, many helicopters are lowered to support national needs, such as evacuation of natural disasters and activities of Search and Rescue.

In its history the Chinook began broadcasting in 1962, has been present in several variants and is operated by 22 countries with a total production of more than 1,180 units. (Dispenad / Palagan Magazine)

[Source: TNI AD / tniad.mil.id ]

[Sparkplug]

British AH Mk.1 Apache helicopters make Arctic debut

http://airrecognition.com/index.php/archive-world-worldwide-news-air-force-aviation-aerospace-air-military-defence-industry/global-defense-security-news/2019-news-aerospace-industry-air-force/january/4767-british-ah-mk-1-apache-helicopters-make-arctic-debut.html

[Sparkplug]

US Army to award first Chinook Block 2 LRIP contract

https://www.janes.com/article/85665/us-army-to-award-first-chinook-block-2-lrip-contract

[Sparkplug]

Boeing to modernize entire fleet of Spanish CH-47F Chinook helicopter fleet (van CH-47D naar CH-47F)

http://airrecognition.com/index.php/archive-world-worldwide-news-air-force-aviation-aerospace-air-military-defence-industry/global-defense-security-news/2019-news-aerospace-industry-air-force/january/4752-boeing-to-modernize-entire-fleet-of-spanish-ch-47f-chinook-helicopter-fleet.html

[Sparkplug]

Here's the first look at the Sikorsky-Boeing Defiant helicopter

https://www.defensenews.com/land/2018/12/26/heres-the-first-look-at-the-sikorsky-boeing-defiant-helicopter/

With US Army poised to choose an engine design for its helos in early 2019, GE weighs its chances

https://www.defensenews.com/land/2018/12/20/with-us-army-poised-to-choose-an-engine-design-for-its-helos-in-early-2019-ge-weighs-its-chances/