http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/68412
澳大利亞購買24架MH-60R直升機
2011-06-17
[英國《飛行國際》網站2011年6月16日報導]澳大利亞將斥資超過32億美元購買24架洛克希德•馬丁與西科斯基聯合制造的MH-60R“羅密歐”海上戰鬥直升機。這批直升機將在美國生產，並通過國外軍事貿易機制購買。
MH-60R將被用於滿足澳大利亞“天空9000”（Air 9000）需求，供應商團隊還包括CAE、通用電氣和雷聲等公司。該型直升機將替換澳大利亞皇家海軍機隊中已服役20年的16架S-70B“海鷹”直升機。
澳大利亞已同美國簽署了一份協議，首批兩架MH-60R將在2014年中交付投入測試，2015年開始投入使用。有了這24架新型直升機，澳大利亞皇家海軍將可同時為至少8艘戰艦、每艘配備1架直升機。
澳大利亞武器裝備大臣詹森•克雷爾表示：“2009年國防白皮書中要求政府為海軍戰艦裝備一新型戰鬥直升機，能夠攜帶先進反潛戰設備和空面導彈執行一系列海上任務。”
雖然與S-70B類似，但MH-60R在航電和聲納等方面獲得了大規模升級，關鍵的補充就是雷聲公司的AQS-22機載低頻聲納。澳大利亞MH-60R還將能夠攜帶雷聲Mk54魚雷、洛克希德AGM-114“地獄火”導彈和機槍。
MH-60R和NH90就這項採購專案展開了長達15個月的競爭。克雷爾稱澳大利亞政府之所以選擇MH-60R，是認為該機是對於納稅人來說價值最高且風險最小的選項。他強調美國海軍已經接收了100架MH-60R，包括作戰部署在內已經飛行了90000小時。與美國軍方的互通性是MH-60R的一個“顯著優勢”。（中國航空工業發展研究中心 褚世永）

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/06/16/358074/australia-inks-a3bn-deal-for-24-mh-60r-naval-helicopters.html
DATE:16/06/11
SOURCE:Flight International
Australia inks A$3bn deal for 24 MH-60R naval helicopters
By Greg Waldron

Australia will purchase 24 Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky MH-60R ‘Romeo’ naval combat helicopters, with the type having beaten the NH Industries NH90 in a deal worth over A$3 billion ($3.2 billion).

The MH-60R was offered for Australia’s Air 9000 requirement by a team that also includes CAE, General Electric and Raytheon. The aircraft will replace the Royal Australian Navy’s 16 Sikorsky S-70B Seahawks, which have served for 20 years.

Australia has signed a letter of agreement with the USA, with its first two MH-60Rs to arrive in mid-2014 for testing, and operations to commence in 2015. With 24 aircraft, the navy will be able to provide at least eight warships with a helicopter at the same time.

“The 2009 defence White Paper committed the government to equipping naval warships with a new combat helicopter capable of conducting a range of maritime missions with advanced anti-submarine warfare capabilities, and the ability to fire air-to-surface missiles,” said Jason Clare, minister for defence materiel.

Although the MH-60R resembles the S-70B, it provides substantial upgrades in avionics and sensors, with a key addition being Raytheon’s AQS-22 airborne low-frequency sonar. Australian MH-60Rs will also be capable of carrying Raytheon Mk 54 torpedoes, Lockheed AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and machine guns.
The deal follows a 15-month competition between the MH-60R and the NH90.

“The Australian government has chosen the Romeo helicopter because it represents the best value for money for taxpayers and was the lowest risk option,” said Clare.

He noted that the US Navy has already accepted 100 MH-60Rs, which have 90,000 flying hours including operational deployments. Interoperability with the USA is a “significant advantage” for the MH-60R, he added.

The helicopters will be produced in the USA and purchased through the Foreign Military Sales mechanism.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=6760751&c=AIR&s=ALL
U.K. Reconsiders Its Rotor Wing Strategy
By ANDREW CHUTER
Published: 9 Jun 2011 10:40      
LONDON - Britain is reconsidering its military rotor wing strategy and expects to deliver a new plan to achieve an affordable force later this year, according to the Ministry of Defence.

News that a new rotary wing capability study was underway at the Ministry of Defence emerged at a land warfare conference held in London last week when the man leading the effort, Maj. Gen. Bill Moore, said work was being conducted to deliver a coherent helicopter plan in line with the government's scheme to restructure the military, known as Future Force 2020.

Moore, the MoD's director of battlespace maneuver, is heading a steering committee that includes senior officers from the Joint Helicopter Command and others.

The revised strategy is expected to be complete by the autumn, according to a MoD spokeswoman.

The MoD said in a statement that any significant changes to the helicopter strategy resulting from the review and from a separate three-month study of all defense sectors to better match priorities and budget resources would be announced to Parliament.

"The rotary wing capability study will re-examine defence's helicopter requirement to deliver the Future Force 2020 vision set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review and ensure a balanced and affordable plan which delivers the right rotary wing force mix for defence," the MoD said.

The move comes as the government continues efforts to reduce defense budget deficits in response to severe cuts in funding over at least the next four years and the need to close a huge over-commitment in equipment spending over the next 10 years.

The rotorcraft capability work may herald cuts to helicopter procurement, but industry executives and the military here are keeping their fingers crossed that the study will result in only modest reductions across the helicopter fleet.

Requirements for equipment, training, basing and others areas will all be swept up in the study.

Civilian search-and-rescue requirements will also be looked at in the wake of the recent collapse of the SAR-H deal, which would have involved an industry consortium taking over from the military the role of running those services around Britain.

A new way ahead for providing search and rescue could emerge from the Transport Department later this summer.

The re-examination is the latest of several rotary wing studies undertaken by the British over more than a decade in an attempt to achieve coherence in what has proved a controversial area of defense operations.

The previous government was heavily criticized for a helicopter procurement policy that left the armed forces chronically short of lift capability in Iraq and Afghanistan. That problem was notionally resolved just ahead of Labour being ousted by the Conservative-led coalition in May 2010 by an order of 22 new Chinooks from Boeing plus replacement of two additional machines written off in Afghanistan.

The new government cut the plan to 12 plus 2 Chinooks and last year handed over money to Boeing to start working on long-lead items and a design review. A production order has not yet been signed but a Boeing spokesman said they expected the first aircraft to be on the assembly line in Philadelphia next year.

Britain plans to start drawing down its forces in Afghanistan ahead of a complete withdrawal of combat troops by 2015, but Moore told the Royal United Services Institute conference in London that the MoD still "needs to buy additional Chinooks to improve our lift; our lift at the moment will not allow us to do what the government requires us to do."

The MoD said in the statement it remains committed to the plan to buy 12 additional Chinook helicopters for the Royal Air Force, as well as the attrition buy of two machines.

"We are currently negotiating with industry on the main investment decision on these helicopters," the statement said.

Boeing reinforced that message, telling reporters in the U.S. on June 7 that the number of helicopters under discussion remained as advertised.

One industry executive, though, said he had heard the number may slip to single figures and a second executive said the "odds on achieving 12+2 are very long at the moment." That was denied by the Boeing spokesman.

The British plan is to reduce helicopter types to the Chinook and Apache attack helicopter from Boeing, the Wildcat and Merlin machines from AgustaWestland, and the Eurocopter Puma, which is being upgraded. The Sea King is scheduled to come out of service in 2016.

Moore said the Puma improvement was needed quickly to "drive resilience for Afghanistan".

The Sea King will exit service in 2016 and Merlin will transfer to the Royal Navy for use to lift the Royal Marines from their present battlefield lift role with the Royal Air Force, Moore said.

"We have Wildcat coming into service but we have to do something with our [Apache] attack helicopter. We have the capability sustainment program and we need to build on that, and probably need to align ourselves with the U.S. Block 3."

A replacement for the Lynx helicopter, the Wildcat is scheduled to be in service with the Army in 2014 and the Navy the following year. The machine will provide reconnaissance, troop transport and other roles in the Army while in the Navy its prime use will be as an anti-surface combatant.

http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/68403
英國調整旋翼機發展戰略（下）
2011-06-17
[美國《防務新聞》網站2011年6月9日報導]

英國前任政府由於旋翼機採購政策受到嚴厲批評，這些政策導致英軍在伊拉克和阿富汗戰場上的旋翼機長期不足。工党下臺前曾在2010年5月向波音公司購買了22架新的“支奴幹”直升機及外加2架以填補在阿富汗戰場的損失，從而解決了這個問題。

新政府將“支奴幹”的採購數量減少到12架外加2架，並于去年向波音公司支付費用以啟動數個長期專案及設計評審。儘管生產合同仍未簽定，但波音公司的發言人表示，他們預計首架機的總裝工作將與明年在費城的生產線上開始。

英國計畫在2015年在阿富汗撤除全部軍隊之前，先逐漸減少其在阿富汗的部隊，但Moore對皇家聯合軍事學院會議表示，國防部仍“需要採購新的‘支奴幹’直升機以增強其旋翼機能力，我們目前的旋翼機能力將不足以使我們完成政府指派給我們的任務。”

國防部在一份聲明中表示，他們為皇家空軍採購12架外加2架“支奴幹”新機的承諾仍然有效。

波音公司隨後確認了這個說法，於6月7日對記者表示，英國的採購數量與之前公佈的沒有變化。

儘管如此，一位工業界的官員表示，他已經聽到傳聞說採購數量將減少到個位數，另一位官員也稱，目前形勢下達到12+2的採購數量的可能性很渺茫。

英國的計畫中包括削減直升機機型數量，只保有“支奴幹”、“阿帕奇”、“野貓”、“灰背隼”和歐直的“美洲豹”升級型。“海王”直升機將於2016年全部退役。

“海王”直升機將於2016年全部退役，屆時“灰背隼”將由皇家空軍轉交給皇家海軍使用。

“山貓”直升機的換代機型“野貓”預計於2014年交付陸軍，2015年交付海軍使用。該機將承擔陸軍的偵察、兵員運輸及其他任務，而海軍則將其作為主要的反艦武器使用。(中國航空工業發展研究中心  李昊)

http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/68332
英國調整旋翼機發展戰略（上）
2011-06-15
[據美國《防務新聞》網站2011年6月9日報導]英國國防部表示，英國正在考慮調整其軍用旋翼機戰略，希望在今年晚些時候提交一份可行的新計畫。

英國國防部上周在倫敦舉行的一次關於地面戰爭的會議上表示，他們正在進行旋翼機新能力的研究，研究工作最終將形成一份合理的直升機發展計畫，以配合政府的“未來力量2020”軍隊重組計畫。

國防部戰地空間機動負責人Moore組織了一個籌畫指導委員會，其中包括聯合直升機指揮部及其他部門的一些高級官員。

根據國防部發言人的說法，新的戰略將於今年秋天制定完成。

國防部在一份聲明中表示，任何根據評估結果或防務部門對優先順序和預算資金的研究結果做出的較大的直升機戰略修改都將通報國會。

國防部稱：“旋翼機能力研究將重新檢查防務直升機需求，並在‘戰略防務及安全評估’結果中提出適合‘未來力量2020’計畫的版本，並確保該計畫能夠達到旋翼機裝備體系的合理，且經濟上可承受。”

這次旋翼機戰略的調整主要是因為軍費的削減，政府已經計畫在未來4年內大幅削減軍費開支，並在未來10年內消除裝備採購上的經費超支現象。

旋翼機能力研究工作可能意味著直升機採購經費的削減，但工業界及軍方希望只減少現役機隊的直升機數量。

研究涉及到設備、訓練、基地及其他領域。

由於SAR-H專案的失敗，民用搜救直升機需求也將進行評估，該專案原本是工業界的聯合小組從軍方接手的專案，承擔英國國內的搜救任務。

搜救能力建設的新途徑可能會由交通部於今年的夏末提出。

這次的研究是英國在10年內進行的多次旋翼機研究中最近的一次，目的是嘗試在軍用旋翼機發展這個爭議很大的問題上達成一致意見。（中國航空工業發展研究中心  李昊）

http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/68324
伊拉克訂購歐洲直升機公司的EC635軍用運輸直升機
2011-06-15
[據美國《國防工業日報》網站2011年6月12日報導]伊拉克空軍正處於緩慢建設之中，目前還沒有固定翼戰鬥機，但是已裝備了少量的直升機、運輸機和監視飛機，以確保具備有限的核心能力。伊拉克已將貝爾407直升機選做其偵察直升機，隨後還將採購AT-6B輕型渦槳戰鬥機和捷克的L-159教練機/輕型攻擊機，甚至最終可能採購美國的F-16戰鬥機。
    與此同時，直升機和武裝塞斯納小型飛機形成了伊拉克空中力量的核心，貝爾407直升機將和米-17中型直升機搭配使用，同時還裝備有少量的貝爾Huey II（休伊）直升機作為通用直升機。現在，第4種機型即將加入，即歐洲直升機公司的EC365軍用運輸直升機，該機型將在伊拉克軍隊中扮演通用型、搜索救援型和武裝偵察型直升機，使伊拉克空軍的選擇和機隊配置多樣化。(中國航空工業發展研究中心  張華)

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Iraqi-Security-Forces-Order-of-Battle-June-2011-06920/
Iraqi Aviation

Joint Base Balad is beginning its planned turnover to the IqAF:

“The Iraqi air force is one step closer to taking ownership of JBB. A trio of officers and 11 enlisted airmen arrived May 15 to in-process here. The group is part of the advance echelon team of 60 Iraqi airmen projected to arrive.”

A contract to provide a turn-key Long Range Radar 2 site for the Iraqi Air Force was let in May. This is the 2nd of 4 planned long-range ground sites planned for the Sector Operations Centers of the IqAF, and seems nearly certain to be a member of the AN/FPS-117 family.

Iraq will probably buy Czech L-159s for its armed jet trainer program. While this purchase is not yet approved by the Council of Ministers, the Czech aircraft are not as expensive as the competing offers from South Korea (TA-50), Italy (M-346), and the UK (Hawk LIFT). A deal was said to be close during the Czech Prime Minister’s late May 2011 visit to Iraq.

While unconfirmed by Iraqi sources, An-32 light transport deliveries may be accelerated:

“Antonov State Enterprise (Kyiv) may supply six light An-32 planes under a contract with Iraq ahead of schedule. Three out of the six aircraft have been already assembled in Ukraine but haven’t been accepted by Iraqi side yet, Director of Antonov Serial Plant Mykola Podhrebelny told reporter. According to him, immediately after the enterprise receives the money for the first planes, they will start assembling the three remaining and may transfer them before 2012, which is a deadline set in the contract.”

Of note, this is not the first time that the Ukrainian provider has tried to deliver these An32s. The Iraqi inspection team rejected these same 3 aircraft in the fall of 2010, when they discovered used avionics and engines had been used in violation of the contract.

Helicopters for the Army Air Corps continue to arrive. Iraqi and American officials celebrated the delivery of 2 more Mi-171E helicopters, marking the 9th and 10th Mi-171E helicopter aircraft to arrive from a 14-aircraft order. Two additional M-171Es were delivered to the base at the end of April 2011. In total, the Iraqi Army Aviation Command currently has 16 Mi-17 (legacy model Mi-171s) and 18 Mi-171E helicopters in its inventory. The remaining 4 Mi-171E helicopters are scheduled to be delivered before this fall.

2 Eurocopter EC635-T2s are reported to have arrived (Arabic post, since removed) in Iraq.

The helicopters are said to be integrated with South African Ingwe anti-tank missiles, alongside the other EC635 SAWS options of French Nexter NC-621 20mm cannon pods, and Belgian Herstal HMP-400 12.7mm machine gun pods. Any readers wondering whether all 3 countries were staunchly opposed to the removal of Saddam Hussein… the answer is yes.

Denel Dynamics’ Ingwe is a beam riding laser guided anti-tank missile, which gives it less attack flexibility than a semi-active radar homing missile like Lockheed Martin’s Hellfire or MBDA’s Brimstone. Denel Dynamics and Rheinmetall Denel Munitions are working on other Ingwe warheads, to broaden its use against a wider array of targets.

Eurocopter and South Africa’s Advanced Technologies & Engineering (ATE) flight tested the NC-621 and HMP-400 gun pods on EC635s in late 2010, as part a Stand Alone Weapon System (SAWS) package for use on a variety of helicopters, including light scout and utility machines. Denel had also targeted the EC635 platform for Ingwe missile integration, alongside Eurocopter’s A550 Fennec, and Ingwe is part of the SAWS standard kit.

http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/67995
印度“北極星”直升機模擬器通過認證
2011-06-01

[據英國《飛行國際》網站2011年5月27日報導]印度通用航空委員會通過了首個“北極星”直升機模擬器的取證。該模擬器屬於Bangalore的直升機飛行模擬訓練學院（HATSOFF），由“北極星”直升機的製造商印度斯坦航空公司（HAL）和該模擬器的開發商CAE公司合資成立。HAL稱其獲得了最高水準的D級認證。該“模擬器的駕駛艙可更換，以用於其他機型的訓練，目前HATSOFF也能夠提供Bell 412的訓練。至2012年，HATSOFF還將具備印度陸軍/空軍型“北極星”及歐直公司“海豚”直升機的培訓能力。（中國航空工業發展研究中心  李昊）

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/05/27/357273/india-certifies-first-dhruv-simulator.html
DATE:27/05/11
SOURCE:Flight International
India certifies first Dhruv simulator
By Greg Waldron

India's Directorate General Civil Aviation has certified the first simulator for the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) Dhruv helicopter.

Located in Bangalore, the simulator is operated by the Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (HATSOFF), a joint venture between HAL and American simulator developer CAE. HAL says the simulator has received level D certification, the highest possible.

"We are very proud of achieving level D certification for the world's first simulator representing the indigenously developed HAL Dhruv helicopter," said Chandra Datt Upadhyay, CEO of HATSOFF. "We look forward to welcoming the Indian Air Force and other civil operators of the Dhruv in offering simulation-based training that will undoubtedly prove to be a safe and cost-effective method for training Dhruv helicopter aircrews."

The civil/conventional Dhruv simulator cockpit can be rolled in and out of a full mission simulator. This allows cockpits of different helicopter types to share the simulator. The other cockpit available at HATSOFF is for the Bell 412. In 2012 the training centre plans to add cockpits for the Indian Army/Air Force variant of the Dhruv and the Eurocopter Dauphin.

http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/67877
加拿大CH-148“龍捲風”海軍直升機：遲到總比不到強？
2011-05-27

[據美國《防務工業日報》2011年5月中旬報導]加拿大的海軍直升機換代項目由於其漫長的專案進程而成為軍用採辦專案的教科書，但很不幸是反面教材。由於加拿大海軍的“海王”直升機逐漸老化，加拿大準備為海軍採購一型新的直升機，但由於政治分歧和考慮不周，使一個本應很簡單的現貨採購項目進行了25年，且一直被專案終止、訴訟、重新招標等各種問題困擾。最後，加拿大軍方重於決定採用西科斯基公司在H-92“超級鷹”基礎上升級的CH-148“龍捲風”，該機將部署在海軍的艦艇及基地。

S-92“超級鷹”作為一型民機取得了很大的成功。但到目前為止，加拿大是S-92的唯一一個軍方客戶，因此其需要承擔全部的系統集成和為海上使用而做的修改的費用。而在研發過程中，適配性和專案管理問題也逐漸浮現出來。

CH-148 MHP：系統及專案

加拿大的海軍直升機項目（MHP）原本選擇的方案是EH101，但由於了可靠性和成熟度的問題放棄了該方案。目前該方案命名為CH-149“鸕鷀”，用於搜救任務。

最終加拿大選擇了S-92。但到2000年為止，這個採購28架直升機的項目的費用已經增長到28億加拿大元，並於2003年增長到31億。到2010年為止，該項目費用增長到62億，且CH-124“海王”直升機仍需繼續使用以應付CH-148的延期。

S-92“超級鷹”是在H-60基礎上開發的一個重大改型。該機的複合材料使用比例比H-60有了顯著提高，並換裝了發動機，採用了後斜坡艙門構型以及其他一系列改動。該機與歐洲4國聯合研製的NFH90較為相似，巧合的是NFH90項目也一再超期。

CH-148原定於2008年11月交付，但隨後推遲到2009年1月，然後再次推遲到2010年12月。隨後，加拿大宣佈就該合同進行重新談判，將交付日期繼續推遲。目前的專案進度要求是2012年6月開始交付換裝新發動機、具備完全作戰能力的CH-148，全部28架交付完成的時間則不會早於2013年底。

過渡性的CH-148於2010年12月開始交付，但該機在4個方面存在缺陷：

●任務系統軟體

●資訊存儲轉發能力/戰術資料交換能力（其與其他友軍單位之間的自動資料鏈交換）

●任務飛行航時（比合同要求少21分鐘）

●高溫環境下的單發使用性能

其中前兩個問題可通過升級軟體及電子設備解決，後兩個問題有望在換裝了新的發動機後解決。而這些升級改進顯然還需要進行大量的試驗。（中國航空工業發展研究中心  李昊）

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Canadas-CH-148-Cyclones-Better-Late-Than-Never-05223/
Canada’s CH-148 Cyclones: Better Late Than Never?
May 18, 2011 12:10 EDT

Canada’s Maritime Helicopter Replacement Program has been a textbook military procurement program over its long history. Unfortunately, it has been a textbook example of what not to do. While Canada’s Sea King helicopter fleet aged and deteriorated to potentially dangerous levels, political pettiness and lack of concern turned a straightforward off-the-shelf buy into a 25+ year long odyssey of cancellations, lawsuits, rebids, and more. Eventually, the Canadian military settled on Sikorsky’s H-92 Superhawk as the basis of its new CH-148 Cyclone Maritime Helicopter, which will serve from the decks of Canada’s naval ships and bases.

The civilian S-92 has gone on to some commercial success. To date, however, Canada has been the H-92’s only military customer – with all of the associated systems integration and naval conversion burdens. There are also deeper questions being raised concerning both the machines’ fitness, and DND’s conduct of the program as a whole. This article covers the rationale for, history of, and developments within Canada’s Maritime Helicopter Program…

The 5-bladed EH101 had been the Maritime Helicopter Program’s initial winner, and a civilian version currently serves in a search-and-rescue role as the CH-149 Cormorant. Canadian experiences with this type have been strained, however, due to reliability and readiness issues.

In the end, Canada chose a different platform, but the ride has been rough. In 2000, program costs for 28 maritime helicopters were estimated at C$ 2.8 billion. That escalated to C$ 3.1 billion in 2003, and by 2010, the cost of purchasing, providing 20 years of in-service support for, training personnel for, and extra spending to keep the CH-124 Sea King fleet operational during project delays, had hit C$ 6.2 billion. Many of those delays arose because a project touted as an off-the-shelf buy became nothing less than the development of a new helicopter platform for the global military market.

The H-92 Superhawk platform Canada chose for its “CH-148 Cyclone” maritime helicopters is a larger derivative of the ubiquitous H-60 family that comprise most of the US Navy’s current fleet. it makes heavier use of rust-proof composite materials, and also sports uprated engines, a rear ramp, and other features that place it in a similar class to Europe’s delayed NH90 NFH model, whose schedule has also slipped until it is also expected to become fully operational around 2012-2013.

Initial specifications called for GE’s 3,000 hp class CT7-8C, but weight growth will force another engine upgrade before the final design is ready. Standard self-sealing fuel tanks can carry up to 3,030 kg of fuel, and an in-flight refuelling probe allows in-air refueling.

Emergency flotation systems under the cockpit and in the tailboom are automatically deployed and are expected to work up to Sea State 5 conditions. If they fail, or aren’t practical, a 15-man life raft is installed in each sponson.

The 17 cubic meter cabin is fitted with a cargo handling system with a centerline 1,814 kg/ 4,000 pound capacity cargo winch, floor rollers, and cargo tie-down points. A 6 foot-wide aft ramp allows easy and fast loading and unloading of cargo and troops. A 272 kg/ 600 pound capacity hydraulic rescue hoist can reportedly be added to the helicopter if necessary.

Initial CH-148 delivery was originally scheduled for November 2008, but that was moved to January 2009, then pushed back again to December 2010. In the wake of a very vague announcement about contract renegotiation and further program delays, observers began questioning whether the program’s initial dates were ever realistic, and whether even the revised dates can be depended upon. Their suspicions were justified when it was revealed that fully operational CH-148s with upgraded engines wouldn’t begin delivery until June 2012, and the full fleet of 28 won’t be delivered until the end of 2013.

Overall, the CH-148 interim helicopters accepted beginning in December 2010 will be deficient in 4 areas:

Mission system software;
Messaging functionality/ tactical data exchange capability (automated data-link exchanges of tactical data between designated units, including the ships and aircraft);
Mission flight endurance (21 minute deficiency vs. contract);
Single engine operation at high temperature.
The first 2 issues will be solved with software and electronics upgrades. The latter 2 issues are expected to be solved by uprated turboshaft engines. All of these upgrades will, of course, require extensive testing.

The basic S-92 helicopter is assembled in Stratford, CT, but key parts are made elsewhere. Industrial partners for the S-92 include:

AIDC of Taiwan (Flight deck);
Embraer of Brazil (Front of the sponsons, Landing gear, Fuel tank integration);
Gamesa of Spain (Cabin interior, Aft fuselage, Tail boom, Upper fuselage Transmission housing);
Jingdezhen Helicopter Group / CATIC of China (Vertical tail, Horizontal stabilizer);
Mitsubishi of Japan (Main cabin)
CH-148 military systems partners include:

BAE Systems (Fly-by-wire and controls system, AN/ALQ-144Av5 countermeasures system);
FLIR systems (Star SAFIRE-III surveillance and targeting turrets);
GE Aero engines (CT7-8C turboshaft initially);
General Dynamics Canada (Integrated Mission System and Sonobuoy Acoustic Processing System);
L-3 (HELRAS sonar);
Lockheed Martin (RWR/ESM (Radar warning & location identifier) based on the MH-60R’s AN/ALQ-210);
Martin Baker (Crashworthy seats);
Rockwell Collins (avionics incl. integrated cockpit and EyeHUD helmet-mounted display, Link 11 tactical datalink);
Telephonics (AN/APS-143B maritime radar)

http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/67606
土耳其航宇工業集團將開始全新的輕型雙發直升機的設計
2011-05-16

[據英國《飛行國際》網站2011年5月13日報導]土耳其航宇工業集團（TAI）總經理Muharrem Dorktasli近日公佈了其新的軍/民兩用型輕型雙發直升機的研製計畫。

TAI在伊斯坦布爾舉行的IDEF展覽上公佈了該專案，並表示，該機能夠搭載6-8名人員。在軍用方面，該機將用於替換土耳其陸軍的UH-1通用直升機，並用於訓練機組人員。

TAI希望在未來6-7年內完成該機的首飛，並將其他兩個大型項目的研製經驗用於該項目上。

這兩個項目是陸軍T129攻擊直升機研製的ATAK項目，以及T-70通用運輸直升機的總裝。後者將裝備武裝部隊、員警、憲兵及林業部門。（中國航空工業發展研究中心  李昊）

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/05/13/356563/turkish-aerospace-industries-to-design-new-light-twin.html
DATE:13/05/11
SOURCE:Flightglobal.com
Turkish Aerospace Industries to design new light-twin helicopter
By Tolga Ozbek

Turkish Aerospace Industries general manager Muharrem Dorktasli has announced plans for the company to develop a light-twin helicopter for military and civilian applications.

Revealing the new programme during the IDEF exhibition in Istanbul, TAI said the new design should be capable of carrying between six and eight people. In the military sector it is intended to replace some of the Turkish army’s Bell UH-1 utility helicopters, and also be suitable for use as a training aircraft.

TAI expects to fly the aircraft for the first time within the next six or seven years, with the effort to draw on its experience as prime contractor on two other major programmes.

The company is heading the ATAK project which will deliver T129 attack helicopters to the Turkish army, and will assemble T-70 transports for the nation’s armed services, police, gendarma and forest ministry. The programmes will respectively field developments of the AgustaWestland A129 and Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk.

“With the ATAK and general utility helicopter projects, TAI will have the capacity to design a Turkish helicopter,” Dorktasli said.

http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/67586
秘魯將在5月接收首批3架米-171Sh直升機
2011-05-16

[據法國《航宇防務》網站2011年5月11日報導]俄羅斯直升機公司開始向秘魯國防部交付3架米-171Sh直升機的工作。這些直升機將由烏蘭-烏德航空廠（UUAP）生產。
    根據2010年簽署的合同，俄羅斯將向秘魯交付6架米-171Sh軍用運輸直升機。首批三架已經由UUAP完成生產，目前正準備向客戶交付。這批直升機將通過一架安-124運輸機空運至秘魯。第二批直升機計畫在2011年下半年交付。該合同還包括向客戶提供設備和飛行/工程人員培訓。
    此次交付的米-171Sh直升機裝備了可提升作戰效能的新系統，以及允許在晝夜惡劣氣象條件下飛行的大部分系統、機組防護、無線電和其他設備。秘魯國防部計畫使用米-171Sh直升機執行包括禁毒在內的眾多工。（中國航空工業發展研究中心  褚世永）

http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/67369
VH-71項目成為後續的採辦項目參考的經驗教訓
2011-05-06

[據美國《航空週刊與空間技術》網站2011年5月4日報導]由於最初的專案需求過於嚴苛，美國的總統直升機專案從一開始就註定不會有好結果，但根據最近美國政府問責署（GAO）發佈的一份報告《國防採辦：總統直升機項目的經驗與教訓的應用》中所述，該項目可能將回歸正常軌道。

GAO在報告中稱：“一個研發項目成功的關鍵是其能夠在產品設計或用戶期望之間做出平衡。而VH-71專案從一開始就沒有為做出這樣的平衡而預留一定的自由空間。其嚴苛的性能要求（其中一些是無法變通的）在研發啟動前就已制訂，這些參數很顯然沒有考慮到客戶與製造商之間的費用、性能和進度的平衡問題。”

2009年6月，GAO宣佈，由於VH-71專案的費用已經接近30億美元，超過了Nunn-McCurdy法案規定的費用增長上限，國防部終止了海軍的VH-71總統直升機採辦項目。

GAO稱：“VH-71項目失敗的最關鍵因素，也是後來的項目最應該學習的教訓就是其糟糕的性能需求。其啟動時就是一個有問題的商業案例，並沒有執行適當的系統工程分析以獲得相應的資訊，甚至在專案啟動後數年都沒有在資源和性能需求之間做到選擇的平衡。”

GAO稱，VH-71專案的教訓表明，採辦專案需要根據原則制訂並執行基於專案分析的採辦流程，並根據專案分析結果在採辦流程啟動前明確專案中風險對專案的影響。

GAO稱，VXX項目的官員們應該已經從VH-71項目中學到了這些教訓，並已經制訂了基於專案分析的採辦流程，提起了對先期系統工程性的重視，VH-71的一個主要的教訓就是一個成功的項目必須提前在需求、費用和進度之間找到合理的平衡點。VXX專案已經制定了一個嚴格的、分4個階段的系統工程性及技術評估流程。

先期的VXX專案工作表明，他們希望這個採辦專案是基於專案分析結果來進行，專案辦公室即將公佈執行預定任務的能力需求、目前的能力缺口以及滿足其所必備的條件。

GAO稱，這次升級專案評估表明，他們對上述三個方面的問題均進行了考慮，並將採用最優的採辦方案。（中國航空工業發展研究中心  李昊）

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/asd/2011/05/04/06.xml&headline=VH-71%20Program%20Following%20Right%20Course:%20GAO
VH-71 Program Following Right Course: GAO

May 4, 2011

 
By Michael Fabey
 
 
A set of rigid requirements doomed the VH-71 program from the start, but the presidential helicopter replacement program now appears to be back on track, a recent U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report states.

“A key to successful development is the ability to make early trade-offs either in the design of a product or the customer’s expectations to avoid outstripping the resources available for product development,” the GAO said in its report, “Defense Acquisitions: Application of Lessons Learned and Best Practices in the Presidential Helicopter Program,” released this spring.

“The VH-71 program was not afforded room needed to pursue these needed trade-offs,” the report said. “Stringent performance requirements (some with no flexibility) were laid out for the system prior to the start of development and did not appear to involve significant consideration of trade-offs of cost, performance and schedule negotiated between the customer and the developer.”

In June 2009, the GAO noted, following the expenditure of close to $3 billion and a critical Nunn-McCurdy breach of the cost growth threshold, the Defense Department terminated the Navy’s VH-71 presidential helicopter acquisition program and contract because of cost growth, schedule delays and projected system performance.

“The VH-71 program’s failure to follow acquisition best practices was a critical factor in the program’s poor performance that led to its ultimate termination,” the GAO said.

“It started with a faulty business case, did not perform appropriate systems engineering analysis to gain knowledge at the right times, and failed to make necessary trade-offs between resources and requirements even after years of development.”

Program turned around

The VH-71 program’s experience, the GAO said, “validated the need to execute a knowledge-based acquisition process with discipline, confirming the danger of not replacing risk with knowledge earlier in the acquisition process.”

But the program has been turned around.

“VXX program officials seem to understand this lesson learned from the VH-71 program and appear to be establishing a knowledge-based acquisition process emphasizing early systems engineering,” the GAO reported. “One of the primary lessons they learned from the VH-71 program’s experience is that there must be an early, solid business case with a rational balance between requirements, cost and schedule. To accomplish this, they have stated that a rigorous, four-phase systems engineering and technical review process will be used.”

Early VXX program efforts, the GAO said, appear to reflect the intent to pursue a knowledge-based acquisition.

The VXX program is currently in the “materiel solution analysis phase of the acquisition process,” the GAO said, and program officials are documenting the capabilities required to perform the defined mission, the specific capability gaps that exist and the need to address them.

The GAO said its review of the updated program “indicates that it addresses all three of these areas and also appears to align with acquisition best practices.”