Internationale Helicopter ontwikkelingen

Gestart door Harald, 01/03/2017 | 13:48 uur

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Harald

#275
08/03/2019 | 09:24 uur


MDHI reveals new MD 969 Combat Explorer helo

MD Helicopters Inc (MDH) has revealed a new military derivative of the twin-engined MD 902 Explorer, dubbed the MD 969 Combat Explorer.

The MD 969, which was showcased at the HAI HELI-EXPO event in Atlanta, Georgia, on 5 March, shares the same basic outer mould line as its civilian stablemate and retains the no-tailrotor (NOTAR) configuration of the baseline helicopter.

Where the MD 969 differs most from the MD 902 is in the provision of four munitions hardpoints mounted on an integrated weapons plank. The helicopter at HELI-EXPO was displayed carrying a mix of rocket pods and 12.7 mm heavy machine gun pods, while a promotional video released by MDHI showed it fitted with AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and 7.62 mm door-mounted Gatling-guns.

Other features include a composite fuselage and a digital 'glass' cockpit with three Genesys Aerosystems integrated IDU-680 multi-functional displays (MFDs) and one Macro-Blue tactical display, while the 173 cubic feet cabin volume allows for the carriage of up to six combat troops.

Speaking at the event, MDHI CEO Lynn Tilton reportedly said that the company is pitching the MD 969 at the US Army's upcoming Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) requirement, which is part of the service's wider Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programme. As such, it will be powered by the Improved Turbine Engine Programme (ITEP) powerplant (selected as the General Electric T901-GE-900 in February, but currently subject to a protest from rival bidder Advanced Turbine Engine Company [ATEC]) that will be fitted to the FARA helicopter, as well as the US Army's current fleet of Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk and Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters.

"My personal focus this year is bringing this 969 to the marketplace. This will be a lethal machine, filling the missing space we have in the attack market," Tilton said.

https://www.janes.com/article/87041/mdhi-reveals-new-md-969-combat-explorer-helo

Meer info :
https://www.mdhelicopters.com/md-helicopters-introduces-the-md-969-combat-aircraft-at-hai-heli-expo-2019.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESF13ZN4yG4

Sparkplug

#274
07/03/2019 | 14:08 uur
U.S. Army Orders Elbit Common Helmet Mounted Display System (voor CH-47F en UH-60L/M/V)

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2019-03-07/us-army-orders-elbit-common-helmet-mounted-display-system

A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

#273
02/03/2019 | 14:31 uur
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

#272
16/02/2019 | 11:46 uur
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

#271
15/02/2019 | 09:53 uur
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

#270
08/02/2019 | 09:48 uur
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

#269
06/02/2019 | 12:37 uur
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Harald

#268
06/02/2019 | 09:20 uur
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

#267
05/02/2019 | 15:03 uur
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

#266
02/02/2019 | 09:49 uur
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/
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

#265
26/01/2019 | 10:04 uur
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

#264
23/01/2019 | 21:39 uur
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/
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Harald

#263
22/01/2019 | 12:10 uur
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

#262
18/01/2019 | 10:39 uur
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Parera

#261
18/01/2019 | 01:58 uur
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 ]
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