http://www.dsti.net/Information/News/71361
OH-58替代型號項目進展出乎工業界預料
2011-10-18
[據美國《航空週刊與空間技術》網站2011年10月13日報導]美國陸軍表示，他們將于向工業界發出OH-58換代機型的方案質詢，其計畫中將包括飛行試驗部分。對於一直在等待陸軍公佈其2個階段的武裝空中偵察器（AAS）需求的選擇方案分析（AoA）研究的結果的工業界來說，軍方公佈的飛行驗證計畫大大出乎其預料。但工業界表示他們最早將于明年4月提交質詢回復。
阿古斯塔•韋斯特蘭、貝爾、波音和EADS北美分部稱，他們能夠提供原型機以進行飛行驗證，而西科斯基公司和AVX公司則可能無法繼續參與競爭，他們的方案目前仍停留在圖紙上。
AoA的結果目前還沒有公佈，但已確定將啟動一個全新的機型研製項目。但由於預算方面的壓力，陸軍無法承擔一個新項目。因此，陸軍正在考慮採用OH-58D延壽項目（SLEP）還是採用接近AAS需求的COTS（現貨產品）解決方案。
驗證工作需要陸軍投入約870萬美元，這筆資金將分給5家競標商。貝爾公司的方案是OH-58D Block升級構型，波音的是AH-6i，EADS北美分部的是AAS-72X，阿古斯塔•韋斯特蘭公司則將提供AW119或AW109中的一個。而AVX和西科斯基公司則無法提供原型機。
但陸軍警告說，這次計畫的驗證並不是競爭性飛行演示或來源選擇。驗證結果將用於完善AoA提供的結論。飛行驗證的目標是“做出一個更有依據的決定，而不僅僅只是在PPT上介紹一下”。
陸軍表示，COTS系統能夠滿足大部分的專案要求，而驗證工作需要解決的問題是“比SLEP方案所提供的能力更高的部分是否值得投入更多的資源。”
陸軍將于兩周內發佈方案質詢書，提供更多的細節。目前沒有一個現貨機型能夠滿足陸軍提出的要求，因此西科斯基公司希望用X2技術驗證機的飛行資料和S-97的仿真結果來說服陸軍。
AVX則表示他們仍在繼續共軸雙旋翼+涵道式推進風扇構型的OH-58D升級方案的設計工作。
後續的競標過程是否啟動取決於這次驗證工作後修改的AoA結論。如果確實必需，競標過程將立即啟動，但如果不是必需，陸軍則將按照原先的計畫開始OH-58D的SLEP工作。（中國航空工業發展研究中心 李昊）
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=aerospacedaily&id=news/asd/2011/10/13/01.xml
Kiowa Replacement Plan Surprises Industry
Oct 13, 2011
By Graham Warwick
Industry says it is ready to respond if the U.S. Army proceeds with plans for flight evaluations, as early as April next year, of potential off-the-shelf replacements for its Bell OH-58 Kiowa Warrior armed scout helicopter.
Announcement of plans for a flight demonstration came as a surprise to manufacturers, who were waiting for the Army to release the results of a two-phase analysis of alternatives (AoA) for its Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) requirement.
AgustaWestland, Bell, Boeing and EADS North America say they will field aircraft if the Army proceeds with the demonstration, but contenders Sikorsky and AVX Aircraft will not be in a position to participate as their aircraft are still on the drawing board.
The recently competed AoA, the results of which have not been released, determined a new-start program was required. But in the face of deficit-driven budget pressures, the Army “has taken an appetite suppressant. We cannot afford a new start,” says Maj. Gen. Tim Crosby, Army program executive officer for aviation.
Instead, the Army will look at what is available between an OH-58D service life extension program (SLEP) as the “minimum acceptable” baseline and the full AAS requirement. “What can we do with the scout we have today, or can we field a COTS [commercial off-the-shelf] solution that gets close [to the AAS requirements]?” Crosby asks.
Crosby is seeking $8.7 million in funding from the Army to conduct the demonstration. “That assumes five vendors,” he says. Bell says it will be ready with its Block 2 upgrade of the OH-58D, Boeing will field the AH-6i, EADS North America the AAS-72X, and AgustaWestland says it will participate with either the AW119 or AW109. But AVX and Sikorsky confirm they will not be able to field aircraft.
The planned demonstration will not be a fly-off or a source selection, Crosby cautions. Instead, the results will be used to refine the guidance already provided by the AoA. The goal of the flight demonstration is “to make an informed decision, and not make it solely on PowerPoint presentations,” he says.
“We believe a COTS system can meet a substantial portion of the requirement,” Crosby says. But the question intended to be answered by the demonstration is whether any capability offered above the baseline OH-58D SLEP “is worth the investment when we will have to decrement something else to afford it,” he says.
Crosby describes the demonstration as “come as you are. If you don’t have an aircraft, you don’t get to play.” But industry does not yet know what the Army wants to evaluate. A request for information is expected to be released within a couple of weeks, providing more detail.
None of the available aircraft exactly meets the Army’s requirements, and Sikorsky is hoping it will be given a chance to present flight-test data from the X2 technology demonstrator and simulations of the S-97 Raider, which is scheduled to fly in 2014.
AVX says it is continuing design work on its coaxial-rotor and ducted-fan modification of the OH-58D in the belief that the Army will follow the demonstration with an open competition to replace the Kiowa Warrior.
Whether or not there is a follow-on competition will depend on how the results of the demonstration refine the AoA guidance, Crosby indicates. “If the analysis proves out, we will go immediately into a competitive environment. If not, then we are budgeted to do the [OH-58D] SLEP as planned.”
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