Internationale Helicopter ontwikkelingen

[Harald]

Leonardo Helicopters UK prepares for AW149 battle



With the battle for the UK's New Medium Helicopter well underway, the question is, can it meet an in-service date of 2025 and what are the implications for UK plc?
With the UK's New Military Helicopter (NMH) Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) expected in the coming weeks, many pundits are asking if the aircraft can meet the stated in-service date (ISD) of 2025.

Three companies have declared an interest in the NMH programme so far: Airbus Helicopters with its H175, Sikorsky with the S-70M and Leonardo Helicopters offering its AW149.

The race is now on for bidders to win the hearts and minds of the military user community, procurement officials and politicians before the winner is selected.

https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/air-warfare/leonardo-helicopters-uk-prepares-for-aw149-battle/

[Harald]

Italy completes deliveries of HH-139B CSAR helos


The Italian Air Force received its last HH-139B on 31 January 2022. The first helicopter (shown here) was delivered on 30 November 2020

The Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana: AMI) has received the last of the 17 Leonardo HH-139B helicopters that it had ordered for combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) duties.

Speaking to Janes on 9 February, an AMI spokesperson said that the 17th helicopter was delivered on 31 January 2022, about 14 months after the first HH-139B helicopter.

"The AMI now operates a fleet of 30 HH-139 helicopters, including 13 HH-139As, which were delivered between 2012 and 2014, and 17 HH-139Bs, which were delivered between November 2020 and January 2022," the spokesperson said.

Procurement of the new HH-139Bs was approved in December 2019 for a total budget of EUR408 million (USD453 million) including training, documentation, and support. A formal order was then placed in late March 2020 to Leonardo for EUR311.3 million to be spent between 2020 and 2024, including initial support and training services.

The HH-139-series helicopters will operate alongside the service's six HH-101A in the CSAR, medical evacuation, fire-fighting, and slow-mover interceptor roles.

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/defence/latest/italy-completes-deliveries-of-hh-139b-csar-helos

[Harald]

Second AW-169M LUH built, equipped with fixed skids landing gear and new winglets.

CSX82048 c/n 72002
04/02/2022

https://twitter.com/aplace2land/status/1489665620840964098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1489665620840964098%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=



Leonardo developing skids for AW169

Leonardo is test flying a prototype AW169 equipped with skids in preparation for the launch of a kit that will be available for both military and commercial markets.

"Skids provide a further option for the global market leveraging the outstanding versatility by design and growth potential of the AW169," said a Leonardo spokesperson in an emailed response for comment.

"The addition of skids to the available customized options of the AW169 is intended to meet market needs in both the military and public service domains."

The skids will provide a third landing gear option for AW169 operators, following existing retractable wheeled landing gear, and fixed wheeled landing gear.

They will be offered as a certified kit for military and commercial customers. Skid-configured AW169s have already been ordered for military and homeland security duties in Italy, the spokesperson added. The Italian Army's AW169 LUH multirole helicopter will have skids, they confirmed.

The Italian LUHs are expected to be delivered in 2023, The spokesperson said other operators have also asked for skids, and the kit may be available earlier than that.

https://verticalmag.com/news/leonardo-developing-skids-for-aw169/

[Harald]

LEONARDO AW169M LUH HELICOPTERS FOR AUSTRIA

Leonardo and the Italian Secretariat General of Defence have signed an Acquisition Contract for AW169M LUH helicopters for Austria.

Press Release, Rome, 13 January 2022: Leonardo and the Directorate for Air Armaments and Airworthiness of the Italian Secretariat General of Defence / National Armaments Directorate signed yesterday [12th] the Acquisition Contract for the supply of AW169M Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) to the Austrian Ministry of Defence. The contract, valued at 346 million EUR, was signed in the framework of the Italy-Austria Government-to-Government (G2G) Agreement. It is aimed at reinforcing the bilateral collaboration between the two countries and establishing a strategic partnership in the rotorcraft sector, with Austria looking at Italy and the AW169M LUH programme for the replacement of its ageing fleet of Alouette III aircraft, which have been in service since the 1960s.

The programme envisages the delivery from Leonardo's Vergiate final assembly plant (Northern Italy) of 18 helicopters – six AW169 in the 'B' variant, 12 in the 'MA' advanced multirole variant with integrated mission equipment and weapon systems – plus a comprehensive and customised support and training package. The helicopters will be able to carry out a wide range of missions supporting Austrian defence requirements and the national community, such as troop transport, combat operations, disaster relief and emergency response, fire-fighting, mountain rescue and MEDEVAC. The first AW169M LUH is expected to be delivered before year end and all helicopter' deliveries are expected to be completed by 2026. The contract also includes options for a further 18 helicopters. Austrian crews will leverage initial training delivered with the support of Italian Army's and its expertise as an AW169M LUH operator, and will also benefit from the supply of dedicated training and simulation devices.

Yesterday's signing marks the latest step thanks to the preliminary G2G document, which was signed by the Italian Minister of Defence, Lorenzo Guerini and the Austrian Minister of Defence, Klaudia Tanner on 2 December 2021. Italian Minister of Defence, Lorenzo Guerini said: "We're happy with this result which brings to a new phase of collaboration on procurement. It demonstrates the quality of Italian technology and products through international recognition. We really believe G2G is a highly effective industrial policy tool and a smart formula to support exports."

Alessandro Profumo, CEO of Leonardo, said: "We welcome the completion of the contractual phase of the G2G initiative between Italy and Austria with this latest step, which allows us to provide our contribution to supply the most technologically advanced and cost-effective solution to meet the stringent requirement set by the collaboration between the two governments. We look forward to start being an active part in the delivery of this important programme."

Gian Piero Cutillo, Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters, said: "This contract is further testament to the superior performance, unmatched latest generation capabilities and the complete support and training solutions of the AW169M to perform true multirole operations, meeting the most demanding needs of operators and for their personnel's effectiveness and safety. The type will ensure a significant leap forward for national defence and emergency response in Austria."

https://www.joint-forces.com/defence-equipment-news/50081-leonardo-aw169m-luh-helicopters-for-austria

[StrataNL]

Ik denk eerder dat hier verwezen wordt naar het totaal aan verschillende versies die er over de aardkloot kunnen rondvliegen.

Volgens mij zijn dat er wel meer dan 9.

[Enforcer]

Hebben de Duitsers 9 verschillende varianten van de NH90 rondvliegen? What the hell.

Er zit een grote opstopping in de achterkant van de logistieke staart. In heel Europa en voor vrijwel alle systemen. Veel ondersteuning (inclusief depots) zijn Just in time, Just enough ingevuld. Dit gaat jaren kosten om te fixen. Ik hoop dat we die tijd hebben.

Zo'n retrofit programma wordt in verschillende fases uitgevoerd, waardoor je automatisch meerdere varianten hebt rondvliegen. Doe dat per type NH-90 en je komt al snel op 9 varianten in de doorloop. Uiteraard hebben die Duitsers ook niet in 1 keer al hun heli's ontvangen, dus later in het productieproces hebben ze een variant ontvangen die al beter was, maar ook nog een (kleinere) retrofit moest hebben. En in de tussentijd worden artikelen ook doorontwikkeld op basis van gebruikservaring.

[Stoonbrace]

Voor ons waarschijnlijk niets maar voor de Belgen zeer interessant als vervanger van de A-109's en NH-90 TTH's.

Te laat beschikbaar

[Lex]

Hebben de Duitsers 9 verschillende varianten van de NH90 rondvliegen? What the hell.

Ik denk eerder dat hier verwezen wordt naar het totaal aan verschillende versies die er over de aardkloot kunnen rondvliegen.

[A.J.]

Germany pans NH90 and Tiger helicopters for low availability rates

Germany's fleets of NH Industries (NHI) NH90s and Airbus Helicopters Tigers are again the subject of stinging criticism for their poor operational availability, with their performance branded as "unsatisfactory".

Detailing the issues in the defence ministry's latest operational readiness report, Inspector General Eberhard Zorn says that the helicopters operated by the three branches of the armed forces collectively demonstrated a readiness level of just 40% in the year to mid-December 2021, compared with an overall figure of 77% for the country's 71 main weapon systems, or 65% for combat and transport aircraft.

Although an improvement on previous years, Zorn says, the figure is "still at too low a level" and is "unsatisfactory".

While that is in some cases explained by the continued use of legacy rotorcraft such as the navy's Westland Sea Lynx and Sea Kings, plus the Sikorsky CH-53Gs operated by the air force, Zorn singles out the army's NH90 troop transports and Tiger attack helicopters for particular censure.

"The reason for the low level of operational readiness remains, especially with 'complex' helicopters like the NH90 TTH, NH90 Sea Lion or the Tiger attack helicopter, the very time-consuming maintenance and inspection systems as well as the ongoing retrofitting measures to harmonsise the build standard," he says.

He cites the nine different sub-variants of NH90 operated by the armed forces as presenting a particular challenge to support from a logistics perspective; the need for specific spare parts, tooling and training have an "aggravating" effect, he says.

Retrofit activities on the NH90s conducted by NHI consortium member Airbus Helicopters in France have been time-consuming, he says, citing delivery delays of up to 12 months, not helped by Covid-19 restrictions.

Although maintenance timelines have reduced, says the report – halving the time taken under a previous contract – this was offset by spare parts shortages.

However, Zorn is hopeful this will improve from 2023, when a new centralised spare parts contract for all NH90 operators comes into effect.

NHI president Nathalie Tarnaud Laude recently acknowledged the manufacturer was falling short on maintenance and support provision and said it had begun a process to rectify the situation.

The German navy's NH90 Sea Lions have also shown low availability levels, but this is in part due to the programme still being in its early stages and the disproportionate impact of absences on a small fleet; Cirium fleets data records just five examples in service.

Meanwhile, the operational readiness level of the Tiger "continues to be an unsatisfactory one".

This has been driven by a "traffic jam" at repair depot level due to a lack of capacity. Efforts to reduce the backlog will begin in 2023, but will not be completed before 2026, the report warns.

A separate process to streamline the maintenance process is also in train, with steps to be implemented until 2026 to "achieve a significant increase in material readiness".

Older helicopters such as the CH-53G, Sea King and Sea Lion suffer from "age-related susceptibility to malfunctions and a difficult spare parts situation" and can only "be maintained with great effort", Zorn notes.

The only rotorcraft not to attract criticism is the Airbus Helicopters H145M – flown by both the army and air force – although the operation of the type in Africa's sandy environment did pose some challenges.

Elsewhere, Zorn offers a relatively positive assessment of the Airbus Defence & Space A400M, which he describes as the "go-to tool" during the evacuation of Afghanistan.

Up to 10 A400Ms were available during the period, from a total fleet of 35, the report says. The focus is now on improving the transport's military capabilities, it says.

However, Zorn adds: "The unsatisfactory technical product maturity of the A400M continues to result in increased maintenance costs, which clearly exceed the capacities of the air force.

"I therefore welcome that the related activities to improve the situation are now being coordinated and vigorously pursued by a steering group led by the [defence ministry] with the involvement of industry to sustainably improve the material readiness of the A400M."

Little is said about the air force's Eurofighter fleet, other than to note the overall positive trend in availability, aided by improved access to spare parts.

But it is a different story for the Luftwaffe's elderly Panavia Tornado fleet, where material readiness is "increasingly challenging" to maintain and "can only be ensured with great effort".

Repair times have also extended enormously: a 300h inspection that used to take 60 working days to complete now lasts for 180 work days, and the duration of a depot-level inspection has risen to 18 months from eight months previously.

"In addition, the risk of obsolescence that can no longer be controlled increases with every day of operation," says Zorn, noting to the appearance of cracks in the refuelling probe and components that are no longer repairable.

Germany is attempting to procure a successor to the Tornado, enabling its retirement by 2030.

Flight Global

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Eerst moet duidelijk zijn wat de Cougar vervanger moet kunnen. Overigens staat in de nieuwste Onze Luchtmacht uitgave (deze moet ik nog ontvangen) een artikel over 300 Squadron. Hopelijk geeft dit wat inzicht over de toekomst.

Puntje van aandacht: ALS de Cougar vervangen wordt, we nemen het aan, maar ik heb het nog nergens gelezen, maar ik kan natuurlijk iets over het hoofd gezien hebben.

[Sparkplug]

Maatje te klein?

Eerst moet duidelijk zijn wat de Cougar vervanger moet kunnen. Overigens staat in de nieuwste Onze Luchtmacht uitgave (deze moet ik nog ontvangen) een artikel over 300 Squadron. Hopelijk geeft dit wat inzicht over de toekomst.

[Enforcer]

Op termijn een potentiele Cougar vervanger?

Maatje te klein?

[Parera]

Op termijn een potentiele Cougar vervanger?

Voor ons waarschijnlijk niets maar voor de Belgen zeer interessant als vervanger van de A-109's en NH-90 TTH's.

[Harald]

Op termijn een potentiele Cougar vervanger?

Zou het? Vergeet niet dat de KLu liever met US materieel opereert.

Nee, lijkt me ook niet dat dit een Cougar vervanger wordt.
Mijn voorkeur zou ook VS materiaal zijn, eigenlijk eerst een Blackhawk variant ala MH-60M.

[Lex]

Op termijn een potentiele Cougar vervanger?

Zou het? Vergeet niet dat de KLu liever met US materieel opereert.