Helicopters

The US Army plans to grant Boeing a multi-year contract for the production or remanufacturing of up to 600 AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters. The contract’s value is still undisclosed.

The US Army plans to grant Boeing a multi-year contract for the production or remanufacturing of up to 600 AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters.

According to a US Army notice online, the contract would consist of a five-year multi-year contract or one-year contract with options from FY2022 to FY2026. Its value is still undisclosed. As told by Flight Global, the army intends on sole-sourcing the work to Boeing and posted its plan online so as to give other potentially interested parties a chance to bid.

In 2017, Boeing and the US government signed the first five-year, $3.4 billion contract through which the Army, and an undisclosed foreign military customer, were to acquire the “E” variant of the Apache. As part of that contract, the US Army was to receive 244 manufactured Apaches, while 24 new ones were to go to the international customer.

Formerly known as AH-64D Block III, in 2012, the Guardian was redesignated as AH-64E to represent its increased capabilities. The AH-64E features improved digital connectivity, the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS), and more powerful T700-GE-701D engines with upgraded face gear transmission to accommodate more power, capability to control unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), full IFR capability, and improved landing gear. New composite rotor blades, which successfully completed testing in 2004, increase cruise speed, climb rate, and payload capacity. Deliveries began in November 2011. Full-rate production was approved on Oct. 24, 2012, with 634 AH-64Ds to be upgraded to AH-64E standard and production of 56 new-build AH-64Es to start in 2019/20. Changes in production lots 4 through 6 shall include a cognitive decision-aiding system and new self-diagnostic abilities. The updated Longbow radar has an overseas capacity, potentially enabling naval strikes.

The E model is to be fit for maritime operations. The U.S. Army has expressed a desire to add extended-range fuel tanks to the AH-64E to further increase range and endurance.

The US Army’s intention to grant Boeing a five-year Apache production contract is a significant turnaround for the company as the program hit a big snag last year. As already reported in fact, in February 2018 the U.S. Army halted the delivery of AH-64E attack helicopters because a strap pack nut on the main rotor was corroding in coastal environments. While Boeing was working on redesigning the nut since last year, the service decided to stop taking in new helicopters until the company fielded a new nut.

The nut in question holds very large bolts that subsequently hold the rotor blades on the helicopter and is a critical safety item.

Failure of the part resulted in the loss of an AH-64D and two crew members in 2016, according to the Pentagon’s director of operational test and evaluation.

Boeing met US Army conditions to restart production at its Mesa, Arizona, facility in August 2018, but the issue appeared to knock the company off its delivery schedule. In 2018, it delivered zero new AH-64 Apaches, compared to 11 in 2017. In 2018, it delivered 23 remanufactured AH-64s, compared to 57 in 2017.

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Andy Dunaway / U.S. Army

The Department of Defense is assessing whether the CH-47 can replace the CH-53K that the Marines intend to purchase.

A team from the Pentagon’s independent cost analysis and program assessment group visited Boeing last month to review data on how the CH-47 could be adapted for the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC).

The Department of Defense is assessing whether the Chinook can replace the CH-53K that the Marines intend to purchase. The assessment for an alternative came from a request from Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman James Inhofe, who is monitoring the troubled program.

As reported by Bloomberg News, a Pentagon decision to direct the Navy to buy maritime versions of the CH-47 — assuming the chopper can be converted for the rugged, corrosive environment of aircraft carriers and amphibious warfare ships — would be a blow to Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed. The Navy’s plans to buy 200 King Stallions, known as the CH-53K, were a prime motivation for the company’s $9 billion acquisition of Sikorsky Aircraft in 2015.

Bill Falk, the King Stallion’s program director, is confident the CH-53K remains the Navy’s best choice.

 “There is simply no other helicopter that comes close to the performance of the CH-53Knor that can meet Marine Corps requirements,” said.

That view was echoed by Marine Corps Lieutenant General Steven Rudder, the service’s deputy commandant for aviation, who said the King Stallion is the only aircraft with the heavy-lift capability “to meet future operational requirements.”

But Boeing’s Philadelphia plant and its 4,580 workers would receive a major boost if the Pentagon shifted direction given that the Army, in its new five-year budget plan, proposed halting procurement of 28 CH-47 Chinooks and shifting an estimated $962 million into a separate program.

Noteworthy the Pentagon review also comes just before the Navy plans to award a production contract for as many as 14 newnKing Stallions this month; so far only two of the planned 200 helicopters are under contract.

 “We have a limited amount of time to try and inform that decision as much as possible — so we have a very short window in which to do the best job we cannon this analysis,” Robert Daigle, director of the cost analysis office, said. He added that he wants to complete it in “a handful of weeks.”

However, converting the CH-47 for USMC missions would not be an easy task Daigle explained. “The analysis we have done so far doesn’t suggest that the ’47 is actually going to meet the lift that then’53K will provide so if you were going to go down the ’47 route, our current estimate says there will be an operational impact.” Pentagon officials, then Navy and Marines will have to determine whether that trade-off is worthwhile, he added.

Todd Blecher, a spokesman for Chicago-based Boeing, said in a statement that the Chinook already “conducts ship-based operations for U.S. Special Forces and international operators, and enjoys a strong reputation among all the U.S. services.  We appreciate this opportunity to discuss how it could affordably address missions and requirements beyond those for which it is normally considered.”

The Navy acknowledged in the Pentagon’s latest Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) to Congress that the King Stallion won’t meet its December target date for initial combat capability. The new tentative date is September 2021, according to the document obtained by Bloomberg News.

The Navy program office and Lockheed’s Sikorsky Aircraft unit are working in the current development phase to address 126 technical deficiencies in the chopper, according to the SAR report.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Molly Hampton / U.S. Marine Corps and Boeing

It is now time for the Mi-26T2V to be handed over to the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation for joint official tests.

The prototype of the Mi-26T2V, the upgraded version of the Mi-26 helicopter, has completed the preliminary flight tests at the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant.

The new Mi-26T2V performed its maiden flight in August 2018 and was then immediately revealed to the public during the International Military-Technical Forum ARMY 2018, that same month. The preliminary flight tests have been extremely successful, and it is now time that the machine is handed over to the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation for joint official tests, Russian Helicopters (part of the Rostec State Corporation) said.

The prototype of the original Mi-26 first flew on Dec. 14, 1977. Mil built almost 300 Mi-26 helicopters, most of which have become of age. For this reason, the Russian Ministry of Defence made a request for a redesigned, modernized version of the Mi-26.

“The customer requested that Mi-26T2V should ensure completion of tasks even in regions with complex physical, geographical, and adverse climatic conditions, at any time of the day, at equipped and unequipped routes, or even without routes, and on featureless terrain, in conditions of fire and information counteraction of the enemy,” says Russian Helicopters.

According to Scramble Magazine Facebook Page, this new Mi-26 is supposed to be able to operate in any, even the most remote, environment, in every weather type, during day and night. To allow this, the Mi-26T2V is equipped with a modern integrated NPK90-2V avionics suite, which significantly simplifies the piloting of the helicopter. The latest avionics system allows following the route in automatic mode, coming to a pre-set point, performing approach and final approach maneuvers, and returning to the main or alternate aerodrome. The helicopter is also equipped with a digital flight center, provision for the use of night vision goggles (NVGs), and new energy-absorbing seats for the crew. Externally, the Mi-26T2V carries a new airborne defense complex called ‘Vitebsk’ that not only detects a threat to the helicopter but also repels attacks.

Photo by Russian Helicopters

The pilots were flying an AH-1Z Viper as part of the Weapons and Tactics Instructor course at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma.

On Mar. 30, 2019, two aviators were killed in a helicopter crash that occurred during a routine training mission on March 30nnear Yuma, Ariz the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) announced Sunday afternoon.

In a statement that appeared on Facebook, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma officials said the pilots were flying an AH-1Z Viper as part of the Weapons and Tactics Instructor course. The crash occurred around 8:45 p.m. at the air station’s training grounds and its cause is currently under investigation,

The names of the pilots who were killed have not been released pending the notification of their families.

The AH-1Z attack helicopter provides rotary-wing close air support, anti-armor, armed escort, armed/visual reconnaissance, and fire support coordination capabilities under day/night and adverse weather conditions for the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC).

The USMC is replacing the two-bladed AH-1W with the AH-1Z, which features a new, four-bladed composite rotor system, performance-matched transmission, four-bladed tail rotor, upgraded landing gear, and a fully integrated glass cockpit. The commonality gained between the AH-1Z and the UH-1Y (approximately 85 percent) is expected to significantly reduce life-cycle costs and the aircraft’s logistical footprint while increasing maintainability and deployability. The AH-1Z is equipped with an integrated advanced fire control system and the capacity to support multiple weapon configurations.

Photo by U.S. Navy

The Huey was offered for $62,000, but the seller “will consider other aircraft and cash.”

After a completely restored F-111 cockpit crew module and a very rare Royal Air Force (RAF) Sepecat Jaguar T2 Cockpit Section, a completely restored 1966 Bell UH-1 Huey (S/N 66-1080) helicopter was available on eBay.

As the seller explained, “The helicopter has been restored to static display condition that can be placed at a museum or used for parades, it does come with transmission and rotor components but it does not include the engine, 42 deg gearbox, and shafts as they are not needed for static display. The helicopter is currently 95% completed and will be finished by the time the listing ends so, the helicopter will be sold ready for display, there will be nothing that the buyer will need to do except the installation of the blades, I will load it without blades for shipping purposes. If the buyer wants main rotor components off at the time of shipping, I will leave them removed as well or will install them back on, they are currently removed for storage purposes.”

The seller pointed out that the “helicopter is for static purposes only, most of its components are not airworthy. To include transmission, blades, main and tail rotor components.”

The Huey was offered for $ 62,000 but the seller “will consider other aircraft and cash.”

The H-1 family of helicopters, popularly known as the Huey, is the most successful military helicopter ever produced – more than 16,000 have been produced since 1956. The Huey originated from a 1955 U.S. Army contract for a medical evacuation helicopter.

CH-53K testers have discovered “airspeed indication anomalies, low reliability of the main rotor gearbox, hot gas impingement on aircraft structures, tail boom and tail rotor structural problems, overheating of main rotor dampers.”

The initial operational capability (IOC) date of the CH-53K won’t occur this December, a report from the office of the Director, Operational Test, and Evaluation (DOT&E) suggests.

Early testing has uncovered multiple design deficiencies that need to be corrected. Testers have discovered “airspeed indication anomalies, low reliability of the main rotor gearbox, hot gas impingement on aircraft structures, tail boom and tail rotor structural problems, overheating of main rotor dampers.”

As a result, IOT&E has been pushed back to early 2021.

As reported by Rotor & Wing International, the first of about 200 CH-53Ks the Marine Corps is buying from Sikorsky under a $25 billion contract was delivered in May to Air Station New River in North Carolina, where it will undergo further testing in preparation for IOC in 2019. According to Sikorsky, a second aircraft is scheduled for delivery in early 2019, and at least 22 others are in some stage of production.

Because there is a lag between program evaluations and the publication of the DOT&E report, Sikorsky CH-53K Program Director Bill Falk said many items the company anticipated in the report are already resolved.

“We remain aligned on a program plan with [Naval Air Systems Command] and the USMC to support the first CH-53K deployment in 2023-2024,” Falk, said on Jan. 31 in an emailed statement. “Resolution of technical issues is in process, with the majority already resolved.”

“Of those design items not yet closed, we have an agreed joint integrated path forward to have solutions in place to support IOT&E and the first CH-53K deployment in 2023-2024,” he added.

Flight testing is ongoing with four engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) aircraft, three system development test articles, and a ground test vehicle. Those seven flyable aircraft have flown a total of 1,212 hours as of September, according to the report.

Live fire testing has shown the King Stallion is more resistant to small arms, automatic weapons, and man-portable air-defense systems than the CH-53E it will replace.

“The CH-53K is currently on track to meet the survivability KPP but not without mitigations to address deficiencies uncovered in testing,” the report says. “This includes a self-sealing coating for the main gearbox lubrication sump, which the Navy is currently investigating. Any design changes to the aircraft design to address technical deficiencies may require additional live-fire testing to fully assess their effects on aircraft survivability. The planned Phase II live-fire testing against objective threats … has not been funded. This phase is essential for an adequate survivability assessment against operationally relevant threats.”

The CH-53K King Stallion provides three times the heavy-lift capability of its predecessor, the CH-53E. This increased payload capability can take the form of a variety of relevant payloads ranging from an internally loaded High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) or the European Fennek armored personnel carrier and up to three independent external loads at once, which gives incredible mission flexibility and system efficiency.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Molly Hampton / U.S. Marine Corps

The advanced high-speed combat helicopter should develop a maximum speed of more than 400km/h and a cruising speed of more than 360 km/h

CEO of Zhukovsky Central Aero-Hydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) Kirill Sypalo told TASS that Kamov’s chief designer Sergei Mikheyev will soon start work on building a high-speed helicopter that is based on the Kamov Ka-52.

“Sergei Mikheyev [the Kamov Design Bureau’s chief designer] plans to start work in the imminent future to create a flying laboratory of the advanced high-speed helicopter based on the Ka-52 helicopter,” he said.

According to Sypalo, the work on the advanced high-speed helicopter is proceeding in two directions. In the first area of work, some developments, such as the new layouts of blades and rotors will be installed on existing Mi helicopters. In the second area, specialists are developing a helicopter based on a new design that has been presented by the Kamov Design Bureau.

Noteworthy Russia’s Defense Ministry will get three projects of an advanced high-speed combat helicopter with a different design and aerodynamic scheme for examination. According to the Defense Ministry’s requirements, the advanced high-speed combat helicopter should develop a maximum speed of more than 400 km/h and a cruising speed of more than 360 km/h.

The first version is the classical helicopter with one main and one tail rotor. The second variant is a helicopter with a combined powerplant, which comprises the main rotor and additional lateral propellers pulling the rotorcraft forward. The third scheme is a coaxial rotor helicopter with rigid rotors and an additional pusher propeller called the propulsion propeller.

The Kamov Ka-52 Alligator is a next-generation reconnaissance and combat helicopter designed to destroy tanks, armored and non-armored ground targets, and enemy troops and helicopters both on the front line and in tactical reserves. The helicopter can operate around the clock and in all weather. The Ka-52 can provide target acquisition and designation for helicopter teams and ground troop command and control centers. It can also provide fire support for troop landings, fly routine patrols and escort military convoys.

Photo by Oleg Belyakov via Wikipedia

The SB>1 Defiant is designed to fly at twice the speed and range of today’s conventional helicopters and offers advanced agility and maneuverability

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, and Boeing provided the first look at the SB>1 Defiant helicopter.

Noteworthy the companies have developed the Defiant for the U.S. Army’s Joint Multi-Role technology demonstrator program. The SB>1 Defiant is designed to fly at twice the speed and range of today’s conventional helicopters and offers advanced agility and maneuverability. It will help inform the next generation of military helicopters as part of the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift program.

The helicopter is participating in the Army’s Joint Multi-Role-Medium Technology Demonstrator program. Data from SB>1 Defiant will help the Army develop requirements for new utility helicopters expected to enter service in the early 2030s.

Sikorsky and partner Boeing are proving the scalability and tolerability of Sikorsky’s Collier award-winning X2 Technology through SB>1 Defiant. Being developed for the U.S. Army’s joint multi-role technology demonstration program, this medium-class technology demonstrator will help inform the next generation of military helicopters.

Sikorsky and Boeing are also partnered on the medium-lift aircraft for the U.S. Government’s Future Vertical Lift program of record. The U.S. Government is expected to release the Request for Proposal for the medium-lift aircraft in 2019.

The contract will provide vital and affordable support to the entire fleet until the introduction of the replacement aircraft, the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, was awarded a performance-based logistics contract with a value of $717 million. The contract will provide supply and logistics support to the entire fleet of in-service CH-53E Super Stallion and MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters. The H-53E is a battle-proven heavy-lift helicopter that continues to support the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy in missions at home and around the world.

According to the News Release, the scope of the performance-based logistics contract includes repairs, overhauls, spares, obsolescence mitigation, and asset management services over four years. Contract performance is based on material availability metrics with additional incentives added for demand reductions, maintainability enhancements, and aircraft readiness contributions.

The expanded comprehensive arrangement will cover additional readiness-critical components, including main and tail rotor blades, main gearbox, main rotor head, flight control components, as well as accessories such as refueling probes and cargo system components.

“We expect the expanded performance-based logistics to measurably improve material availability and reduce support cost while increasing overall aircraft readiness,” said Pierre Garant, Sikorsky senior program manager, Marine Corps In-Service Programs. “Our support infrastructure and past performance-based logistics successes will result in Sikorsky continuing to reliably provide mission support critical to the warfighter.”

As the Marine Corps heavy-lift helicopter designed for the transportation of heavy material and supplies, the CH-53E Super Stallion is compatible with most amphibious class ships. With four and one-half hours’ endurance, the helicopter can move heavy equipment over rugged terrain in bad weather and at night. The MH-53E Sea Dragon fills the Navy’s need for long-range minesweeping missions in addition to heavy-lift duties. The H-53E has consistently proven its worth to fleet commanders with its versatility and range.

The contract will provide vital and affordable support to the entire fleet – expanding a reliable base of long-term sustainment as the aircraft continue to fully operate until the introduction of the replacement aircraft, the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion.

Photo by Pfc. Nicholas Guevara / U.S. Marine Corps

The cable entangled in the HH-60G’s main rotor assembly resulting in catastrophic damage and an unflyable condition

According to an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter that crashed in Iraq on Mar. 15, 2018, struck a galvanized steel cable before impacting an uninhabited desert area near Al Qaim in western Anbar Province.

The aircraft was assigned to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing.

Four flight crew members and three pararescuemen were killed in the mishap. There were no civilian injuries or damage to private property. The aircraft, valued at approximately $49 million, was destroyed on impact.

The mishap occurred during a mission to preposition a helicopter formation to a landing zone closer to the vicinity of ground operations.

The investigation concluded that the pilot misinterpreted aircraft navigation displays, which caused the formation to overfly the intended destination. As a result, the aircraft descended into an unplanned location, striking a 3/8-inch diameter galvanized steel cable strung horizontally between two 341-foot high towers. The cable quickly entangled in the HH-60G’s main rotor assembly resulting in catastrophic damage and an unflyable condition.

The HH-60G Pave Hawk is a highly modified version of the Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter which features an upgraded communication and navigation suite that includes integrated inertial navigation/global positioning/Doppler navigation systems, satellite communications, secure voice, and Have Quick communications.

The primary mission of the HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter is to conduct day or night personnel recovery operations into hostile environments to recover isolated personnel during the war. The HH-60G is also tasked to perform military operations other than war, including civil search and rescue, medical evacuation, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, security cooperation/aviation advisory, NASA space flight support, and rescue command and control.

Photo by Senior Airman Brian Ferguson / U.S. Air Force