Internationale Helicopter ontwikkelingen

[DvdW]

Ik weet niet of dit in het juiste topic staat?

KIELCE, Poland — Today's surprise announcement that Poland would purchase 96 AH-64E Apache helicopters headlined the 30th annual International Defense Industry Exhibition (MSPO) here, but it was far from the only deal announced during the conference.


https://breakingdefense.com/2022/09/poland-buying-96-ah-64e-apaches-as-modernization-spending-spree-continues/?amp=1

[Harald]

Bell has proposed license production of AH-1Z with Korean Air

The South Korean Marine Corps is shopping for an attack helicopter and Bell is proposing to license build its AH-1Z with Korean Air in order to secure the contract.

The disclosure of Bell's proposal to South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) was made by People Power Party lawmaker Han Ki-ho.

Han said this was Bell's third attempt to offer license production of the AH-1Z to South Korea. He said two e-mails sent by Bell in October and November last regarding the proposal were ignored by DAPA.

While the plan is to acquire an attack variant of the KAI Marineon to meet the Marines' requirements, President Yoon Suk-yeol had said during his election campaign that he will equip the Marine Corps with "weapons with proven battle capabilities."

http://alert5.com/2022/09/07/bell-has-proposed-license-production-of-ah-1z-with-korean-air/#more-95098


https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/09/05/national/defense/Korea-Bell-Viper/20220905170417393.html

[Harald]

$503 Million FMS Contract Signed For Extra Aussie MH-60R Helos

The U.S Navy awarded Lockheed Martin a $503 million ($A730 million) foreign military sales (FMS) contract for additional MH-60R helicopters for the Commonwealth of Australia on August 30th.

The contract award follows U.S. State Department approval for Australia to procure up to 12 MH-60R helicopters and associated subsystems last year.

The 12 aircraft are being acquired for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) under Project Sea 9100 Phase 1 (Embarked Logistics Support Helicopter Capability) to replace the RAN's six MRH-90 Taipans which are being phased out due to the cost of maintenance. 

According to the then Minister for Defence Industry, Melissa Price, the rationalization of the maritime helicopter fleet will deliver operational efficiencies for the Royal Australian Navy.

"Navy already operates Romeo helicopters and using a single type of helicopter for all maritime roles offers value-for-money and significant efficiencies through the use of common maintenance, training, and other sustainment services."

The additional aircraft will also help the RAN Fleet Air Arm (FAA) generate more operational flights for shipboard deployment as the Navy's number of surface combatants expands in the coming years. 

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/09/503-million-fms-signed-for-extra-aussie-mh-60r-helos/

[Harald]

An Australian deal for 40 Black Hawks draws closer

The US has approved the sale of 40 Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to Australia, Washington DC announced on 25 August.

The notification from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) puts another nail in the coffin of the Australian Army's European helicopter fleet. The new UH-60Ms will replace MRH90 Taipans, whereas its Tigers will be supplanted by AH-64E Apache Guardians.

If all components of the proposed sale are exercised, this Foreign Military Sale is valued at $1.95 billion.

Former defence minister Peter Dutton said late in 2021: 'The Black Hawk makes perfect sense, and they are much

The US has approved the sale of 40 Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to Australia, Washington DC announced on 25 August.

The notification from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) puts another nail in the coffin of the Australian Army's European helicopter fleet. The new UH-60Ms will replace MRH90 Taipans, whereas its Tigers will be supplanted by AH-64E Apache Guardians.

If all components of the proposed sale are exercised, this Foreign Military Sale is valued at $1.95 billion.

Former defence minister Peter Dutton said late in 2021: 'The Black Hawk makes perfect sense, and they are much

https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/air-warfare/an-australian-deal-for-40-black-hawks-draws-closer/

https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales/australia-uh-60m-black-hawk-helicopters

[Huzaar1]

Ik zou na de AH64 voor NL betreft geen nieuwe gevechtsheli's aanschaffen. De drone neemt dat over.

[Parera]

Via twitter @Observer2w

De nieuwe AW-249 gevechtshelikopter

[Enforcer]

Textron Bell and Sikorsky are competing for that contract, though units won't receive the new bird until the 2030s.

https://breakingdefense.com/2022/08/upgraded-uh-60-v-black-hawk-model-completes-initial-operational-test/

En onze Cougars moeten mee tot 2034... Dan is er vast iets nieuws beschikbaar vanaf de plank en "battle proven"... 

[Harald]

Upgraded UH-60 'V' Black Hawk model completes initial operational test



The US Army's upgraded UH-60V Black Hawk successfully completed initial operational tests and evaluation, the service's aviation program office announced today.

The "V" model Black Hawk is an upgraded model of the UH-60L version and includes installation of a new digital cockpit and integrated avionics suite.

"This successful IOT&E allows the Army to make an informed decision on transitioning the UH-60V to full-rate production," Lt. Col. Howard Swanson, UH-60V Product Manager at Program Executive Office for Aviation, said in a statement. "The UH-60V recapitalized the combat proven UH-60L, applying the latest information and technology enhancements making it 'UH-60M Like' to support the warfighter."

The Army UH-60M is a more digitally integrated version of the Black Hawk, according to the Army. The Army requested $178.7 million to procure 28 kits for the UH-60V program in its fiscal 2023 budget request.

IOT&E began on July 5 with three weeks of preliminary testing, according to the PEO Aviation release, while record testing occurred between July 28 and Aug. 5. The testing took place under "realistic battlefield conditions" and five UH-60V's completed a total of 200 flight hours.

According to the release, the Army's Operational Test Command test report will be released in 30 days, while the Army Test and Evaluation Command's evaluation report is scheduled for release in December. It said going through IOT&E was a "significant milestone" on the "pathway" to full rate production, though it's unclear when that will begin.

The Army recently awarded Black Hawk manufacturer Sikorsky a contract worth up to $2.3 billion to build 120 more Black Hawk M-variants helicopters through 2026. The service is in the process of developing a rotorcraft, called the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft, to replace the Black Hawk. Textron Bell and Sikorsky are competing for that contract, though units won't receive the new bird until the 2030s.

https://breakingdefense.com/2022/08/upgraded-uh-60-v-black-hawk-model-completes-initial-operational-test/

[Sparkplug]

Additional helicopters for Czech Air Force

PUBLISHED: 20 AUGUST 2022   LAST UPDATED: 20 AUGUST 2022

As part of the Excess Defense Articles (EDA) programme, the Pentagon decided to transfer eight former US Marine Corps (USMC) helicopters, six Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and two Bell UH-1Y Venom multipurpose helicopters, to the Vzdušné síly armády České republiky (CzAF, Czech Air Force).

The helicopters will be donated to the CzAF, the Czechs will only need to pay for the costs of upgrading and delivering of the helicopters. The US Embassy in the Czech Republic emphasized that this donation is a "bonus" due to the fact that the Czech Republic donated two Mi-24V attack Helicopters to Ukraine.

According to a publication in The Wall Street Journal dated May 2022, Czechia has seven Mi-24 and ten Mi-35s attack helicopters ready for transfer to Ukraine under one important condition, the delivery of the newly ordered UH-1Y and AH-1Z helicopters needed to be accelerated.

In September 2020, the CzAF ordered four AH-1Z Vipers and eight UH-1Y Venoms. In July 2021, the Bell Textron Inc. Amarillo Assembly Center (TX) started the production of the first UH-1Y followed by the production of the first AH-1Z in February 2022. All work is expected to be completed by November 2023.

It has not been reported when the additional ex USMC helicopters will be delivered, but in the end the CzAF will have a fleet of ten AH-1Z Vipers and ten UH-1Y Venoms.


Photo by Rob van Disseldorp (Scramble Archive)

https://www.scramble.nl/military-news/additional-helicopters-for-czech-air-force

[Parera]

Bristow To Provide Schiebel Camcopter UAS Capability To UKSAR2G

Bristow, the global leader in vertical flight, has been awarded a 10-year contract by the UK Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) to deliver the Second-Generation Search and Rescue (UKSAR2G) programme. The contract includes the operational deployment of Schiebel's CAMCOPTER® S-100 Unmanned Air System (UAS).



https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/08/bristow-to-provide-schiebel-camcopter-uas-capability-to-uksar2g/

Dit zou ook in Nederland een mogelijke aanvulling kunnen zijn op de SAR capaciteit die ook geleverd wordt door Bristow.

[Sparkplug]

Airbus announces H175M Task Force



Fairford, 15 July 2022 – Airbus Helicopters has announced the first members of H175M Task  Force – the UK-based industry team created to offer, supply and support the British-produced  H175M helicopter for the UK's New Medium Helicopter (NMH) requirement.

On the opening day of the Royal International Air Tattoo in Fairford, Gloucestershire, leading  aerospace companies Babcock International, Martin-Baker, Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC)  and Spirit AeroSystems stepped forward as Strategic Partners in the new teaming.

The addition of Babcock, Martin-Baker and Spirit AeroSystems will increase the sovereign UK  elements of the Airbus proposition sourced from across the country.

Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters in the UK, Lenny Brown, said: "These agreements, signed with some of the most respected aerospace companies in the UK and internationally are a clear sign of the robustness and enduring value to the nation of our proposal.

"If selected the H175M Task Force will create hundreds of new jobs and sustain thousands  more throughout the UK rotary supply chain in the years ahead. The H175M has the potential  to reinvigorate the UK's helicopter industry by addressing an export market estimated at nearly 500 aircraft worldwide."

Defence and helicopter specialist Babcock will fulfill the critical role of support partner for the  H175M in UK service at military operating locations.

Martin Baker, at Denham, Middlesex, with more than 70 years of aerospace experience, will  provide specialist troop seating and cabin integration services.

In Belfast, Northern Ireland and Prestwick, Scotland Spirit AeroSystems, already an Airbus  partner on the CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL aircraft, will undertake extensive detailed design  and manufacturing activities on the H175M. 

In addition, Pratt & Whitney Canada, is formally partnering in the team for which it supplies and  supports the PT6C-67E turboshaft engines from its market leading family of powerplants.

Further partners and suppliers from across the UK will be announced as the bid progresses  based on the H175M helicopter to be produced at Broughton, North Wales.

Phil Craig, Manager Director of Babcock Aviation UK, said: "Babcock are extremely pleased to  be part of the H175M Task Force competing to deliver the New Medium Helicopter requirement  for the UK Ministry of Defence.

"Collaborating with Airbus as part of this strategic task force enables us to partner with industry  specialists and leverage our expertise in aerospace engineering and in-service support,  delivering resilient operational capability for the UK MoD. 

"As a people-focused organization, we look forward to investing in the future of UK Defence  and to provide sustainable, long-term employment opportunities that will benefit local  communities and the wider economy. "

Martin-Baker Director of Business Development Andrew Martin said: "Martin-Baker is proud to  have had our life saving troop seats selected for the H75M platform. Airbus and Martin-Baker  have worked together for the last 20 years and look forward to continuing this partnership."

"We are delighted to be working with Airbus Helicopters in its effort to supply the Ministry of  Defence with new H175M helicopters powered by our PT6C-67E engines," said Nicolas  Chabée, Vice President, Marketing and Sales, Helicopters at Pratt & Whitney Canada. "The  UK's New Medium Helicopter programme will be ideally served by this exceptional pairing with  proven reliability, dispatch capabilities and mission flexibility. Pratt & Whitney has a leading  presence in the UK, serving over 250 operators flying 1,250 engines that power 660 aircraft.  We understand military missions and have decades of experience powering them."

"Spirit AeroSystems is delighted to utilise its advanced composites design and manufacturing  expertise at both its Belfast and Prestwick facilities to support H175M Task Force. We've been  working for many years with Airbus, supplying key structures, including fully integrated, for  multiple commercial aircraft programmes and, more recently, on the exploration of disruptive  aircraft design. We're excited to collaborate on another new platform, and to leverage our  design-for-manufacture capability to offer innovative, cost-effective solutions for defence. We  look forward to joining other strategic partners on developing a proposal with the potential to  help shape the future of UK military rotorcraft," said Sir Michael Ryan, CBE, Vice President,  European Space & Defence, and Government Affairs, Spirit AeroSystems.

The H175M is a modern and exceptionally capable helicopter with the biggest cabin in its class,  outstanding range and endurance, and low through-life costs.

#H175M @AirbusintheUK #NewMediumHelicopter

https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2022-07-airbus-announces-h175m-task-force

[Harald]

Bell's new scout gunship looks awfully familiar

The fabled fan-favorite failure that was the RAH-66 Commanche is back- kind of.

The doomed Boeing-Sikorsky helicopter -which captured imaginations and was featured in a variety of media and video games in the 1990s and 2000s- is back from the cancel grave, at least in appearance.

..../....

https://warisboring.com/bells-new-scout-gunship-looks-awfully-familiar/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BSvbGfmLkY

[Harald]

Latest photos of Bell's 360 Invictus prototype for the Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) competition.







https://twitter.com/MBeinart22/status/1546899186800594944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1546899186800594944%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.snafu-solomon.com%2F2022%2F07%2Flatest-photos-of-bells-360-invictus.html

[Parera]

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Wat ik er uit opmaak is;

De huidige Gazelle heli's worden vervangen door H135M's. De AW-159 BRH's  (land) blijven mogelijk in dienst tot 2045 maar mogelijk worden ze vanaf 2032 (deels) vervangen door de RWUAS.

De AH-64's blijven tot 2040 in dienst waarna ze mogelijk vervangen worden door nieuwe generatie techniek. Halverwege de jaren '30 ligt de optie er om ( een deel) te vervangen of aan te vullen met onbemande systemen.

Er staat nog iets tussen 2020 - 2025 met een light attack helicopter, maar dat kan ik niet lezen.

De Bell 212, Bell 412, Puma & Dauphin worden vanaf 2025 vervangen door de New Medium Helicopter (NMH) waarvan de aanbesteding nu loopt. Mogelijk zal dit een interim oplossing zijn waarbij er vanaf 2040 gekeken wordt naar een nieuwe generatie techniek. Rond 2035 zal ook hier de RWUAS haar intrede maken voor een aanvulling op de NMH.

De huidige Mk5 /Mk6 Chinooks blijven tot 2040 in dienst waarna ze waarschijnlijk vervangen gaan worden door nieuwe generatie techniek. De recent gekochte CH-47ER (MH-47G) blijft nog tot ongeveer 2045 in dienst.

De Merlins worden geupgrade waardoor ze nog tot in de jaren '40 in dienst kunnen blijven. Waarbij ook hier vanaf 2040 gekeken wordt naar nieuwe generatie techniek & rond 2035 is ook hier de RWUAS ingepland.

De Wildcat HMA (Maritiem) worden vanaf 2035 deels vervangen door de RWUAS, op een later moment zal het systeem volledig vervangen worden door de RWUAS.

Het RWUAS is een toestel in ontwikkeling waarbij men in 2025 een concept demonstrator willen hebben en begin jaren '30 de introductie op het maritime domein en de tweede helft van de jaren '30  de land capaciteiten.

Een oude impressie (2013) van de Augusta Westland RWUAS.

[Huzaar1]

https://twitter.com/GarethJennings3/status/1544989356095639555/photo/1

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