Helicopters

‘I cried when I heard about it. The Cobra means so much to the students she has inspired and the veterans that maintain her,’ Stephen Seymour, executive director of Celebration Freedom Foundation.

On Dec. 14, 2019, a drunk driver caused half a million dollars worth of damage after crashing into a Cobra attack helicopter that flew in Vietnam and Desert Storm and was later used by a veteran’s charity, according to police. 

According to Daily Mail, the driver, Thomas Andrew Anderson, 37, of Harrisburg, North Carolina, was arrested for DUI. There were no injuries.

He ‘thought he was on the expressway by the airport when they were really in a parking area’, according to Trooper David. Anderson is said to have told police that he ‘consumed way too much alcohol’. 

‘This is what an impaired driver has done to a multimillion-dollar aircraft. Make sure you have a plan in place if you plan to consume alcohol and for heaven’s sake, don’t be like this guy,’ Trooper David says in the video.

The Cobra was flown by the Celebration Freedom Foundation (CFF), a charity started by retired military leaders in 1999. The helicopter has seen 100,000 students in visits to 150 local schools since 2014.

Stephen Seymour, executive director of CFFnand two-time Purple Heart recipient Seymour, said: ‘He hit the aircraft and steered off the landing gear she sits on.

‘Annie served in the United States Army from 1967 to 2001.

‘She did five years in Vietnam. She did the Persian Gulf war and she got taken out by a drunk driver. 

‘It’s going to take a lot of hard work from our veterans and our volunteers and it’s going to take a lot of resources to put this aircraft back into the condition where I can get her back out there doing her job.’

He added: ‘I cried when I heard about it. Annie means so much to the students that she has inspired and the veterans that maintain her.’  

The aircraft had been on display in front of the office building at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, the CFC said in a release.   

The Bell AH-1 Cobra is a two-blade, single-engine attack helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It was developed using the engine, transmission, and rotor system of the Bell UH-1nIroquois. A member of the prolific Huey family, the AH-1 is also referred to as the Huey Cobra or Snake.

The AH-1 was the backbone of the U.S. Army’s attack helicopter fleet but has been replaced by the AH-64 Apache in Army service. Upgraded versions continue to fly with the militaries of several other nations. The AH-1 twin-engine versions remain in service with the United States Marine Corps (USMC) as the service’s primary attack helicopter.

A technical malfunction that led to a fire in the engine caused the CH-53 Yas’ur to come down near Kibbutz Beit Kama.

On Nov. 26, 2019, a Heyl Ha’Avir (IAF, Israeli Air Force) CH-53 Yas’ur crash-landed in the Negev desert in southern Israel. According to Scramble Magazine, a technical malfunction that led to a fire in the engine caused the CH-53 (serial 042) to come down near Kibbutz Beit Kama.

All crew members were able to escape the helicopter uninjured.

All CH-53s of the IAF are based at the Tel Novnair base (Israel). The Israeli workhorses are assigned to:

114sq The Night Leaders Squadron
118sq The Nocturnal Birds of Prey Squadron
Unit 669 CH-53 2000

On Oct. 26, 1969, the IAF received the first of the CH-53 “Sea Stallion” heavy-lift transport helicopters. These helicopters, named Yas’ur in Hebrew, which have known brilliant successes and painful losses, are capable of carrying dozens of troops and bringing them to the combat zone, loading stretchers from the battlefield, and even taking part in electronic warfare mission operations.

Over the many years in which the big helicopters have served in the IAF, the CH-53 helicopters have undergone several improvements that have extended their lifespan, allowing them to continue flying safely for many years past the manufacturer’s instructions while adjusting their operational capabilities to the current warfare. Project” Yas’ur 2000″, which took place during the 80s and 90s, gave helicopters the possibility of flying safely until the millennium, and project “Yas’ur 2025” extended the lifespan of the helicopters until at least 2025. “Even though it arrived in the IAF many years ago, it is a helicopter that still does good work and contains the most advanced systems around”, explains Captain A’ from the “Nocturnal Birds” squadron.n“It does everything a helicopter can do. It’s impressive seeing this ‘beast’ taking to the air and hovering all over again”.

The IAF is currently evaluating the successor of the Yas’ur, this could become the CH-53K King Stallion or the CH-47F Chinook. Unit 669 is also known as the Air Force Aeromedical Rescue and Evacuation Unit.

Photo by “Behind the News” and JP

The Tigre attack helicopter and Cougar military transport collided mid-air while they were supporting ground forces engaging insurgents near the borders of Burkina Faso and Niger.

Thirteen French soldiers were killed when an Aviation Légère de l’Armée de Terre (ALAT, French Army Aviation) EC665 Tigre attack helicopter and an AS532UL Cougar transport helicopter accidentally collided during an operation against jihadists in Mali on Nov. 25, 2019, the French president’s office said.

The Tigre and Cougar collided mid-air while they were supporting ground forces engaging insurgents near the borders of Burkina Faso and Niger.

Various news outlets initially mentioned the NH90-TTH Caiman, a different type of transport helicopter, also in use by the ALAT in Mali. ALAT SA330 Puma and EC725 replayed to Mali to be more complete.

According to Scramble Magazine, the helicopters belong to the 5 Régiment d’Hélicoptères de Combat (5 RHC), normally based at Pau/Pyrénées (France) and were deployed in support of Operation Barkhane to Bamako/Sénou (Mali). The crew members and passengers are from a mix of units of 5 RHC, 4e Régiment de chasseurs de Gap, 93e Régiment d’artillerie de montagne de Varces and 2e Régiment étranger de génie de Saint-Christol.

Among the dead was the son of centrist Senator Jean-Marie Bockel, the politician told the AFP news agency.

“These 13 heroes had only one goal: to protect us,” President Macron wrote in a tweet. “I bow my head to their loved ones and comrades.”

The accident took place in the Menaka region of southeastern Mali. In this area, the Malian armed forces and Operation Barkhane troops have been conducting anti-terrorist operations for weeks against armed groups harassing garrisons and spreading terror among local populations.

In 2013, France deployed thousands of troops to Mali after Islamist militants seized huge parts of the north.

France now has 4,500 troops deployed to support the forces of Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Chad against Islamist militants.

Another French soldier, Brig RonannPointeau, was killed earlier this month after an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near his vehicle.

In total, 38 French soldiers have been killed in Mali since the country first intervened.

Photo Credit: ALAT

The first reports mentioned that the rotors of the AH-64D Apache clipped a mountain ridge in Logar Province (east Afghanistan).

The two crew members of a US Army AH-64Dnattack helicopter were killed after their Apache crashed in Afghanistan, US the Department of Defense told on Nov. 20, 2019.

“The cause of the crash is under investigation; however, preliminary reports do not indicate it was caused by enemy fire,” Resolute Support said in a statement.

However, the US DOD said there are no indications that the US Army helicopter crashed due to enemy fire. The first reports mentioned that the rotors of the Apache clipped a mountain ridge in Logar Province (east Afghanistan).

Initially, the Taliban claimed to have shot down a CH-47 Chinook helicopter in Logar province in the east of the country.

“The Taliban statement is false… there is no indication at this time the helicopter was shot down,” a Resolute Support spokesperson told The Defense Post.

The U.S. operates several helicopters in Afghanistan, including the Chinook, the AH-64 Apache, and the UH-60 Black Hawk.

The service members’ names are being held until 24 hours after their next of kin are notified, in accordance with U.S. Defense Department policy.

Noteworthy the latest accident involving a US Army helicopter in Afghanistan before the AH-64D crash that happened on Nov. 20, took place in the night between May 24 and 25, when a CH-47F Chinook was completely destroyed after a crash landing in Helmand province.

Passengers and crew aboard the helicopter were injured and the Chinook had been totally destroyed during the landing.

“Both Afghan and US personnel were injured,” Colonel David Butler, a spokesman for US Forces Afghanistan, said. “Nonhostile fire or enemy contact involved.”

Photo by U.S. Army

The AW101 was operating with the Horizon-class destroyer Caio Duilio.

On Nov. 6, 2019, at 6.00 pm an AW101 helicopter belonging to the Italian Navy crashed during a training flight.

According to Naval News, the helicopter was operating with the Horizon-class destroyer Caio Duilio.

During the accident, all six helicopter crew members survived and no one was injured.

The reason for the crash is under investigation.

The AW101 is a medium/heavy platform capable of performing multiple tasks including Anti-Submarine and Anti-Ship Warfare, Air-Naval Operations Command and Control, Search and Rescue (SAR), and Maritime Patrol/Assault.

The helicopter operates off three CT7-8E engines, with a two-engine cruise option to extend the endurance of the multi-role platform to provide unparalleled performance in all environments.

The versatility of the AW101 platform permits customers to configure the helicopter for a wide range of primary and secondary roles. Designed with sophisticated avionics and mission systems, coupled with long-range and endurance, it provides operational persistence for all missions. This mission flexibility makes the AW101 the most advanced, versatile, and capable multi-role helicopter available today.

The AW101 design harnesses technologies from the forefront of an industry that is fully integrated throughout the avionics and mission suite to deliver exceptional situational awareness, rapid tactical assessment, and ultimate mission effectiveness.

Extensive redundancy in structures, avionics, and critical systems, combined with a three-engine configuration and proven 30-minute run-dry transmission capability, ensures the highest standards of safety. An advanced defensive aid suite, ballistic protection, and weapons ensure survivability in high-threat environments.

The AW101 provides customers with greater mission flexibility thanks to a comprehensive range of equipment that enables the platform to be configured for swing role operations. The large sliding door and rear ramp ensure rapid personnel ingress/egress and equipment loading/unloading.

Photo by Italian Navy via Naval News

Through the U.S. Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program, RAIDER X is the out-front platform in the Service’s revolutionary approach for rapid development and delivery of game-changing technology and warfighter capabilities, equipped for the most demanding and contested environments.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, on Oct. 14, 2019, introduced RAIDER X, its concept for an agile, lethal, and survivable compound coaxial helicopter, specifically designed for securing vertical lift dominance against evolving peer and near-peer threats on the future battlefield. Through the U.S. Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program, RAIDER X is the out-front platform in the Service’s revolutionary approach for rapid development and delivery of game-changing technology and warfighter capabilities, equipped for the most demanding and contested environments. RAIDER X enables the reach, protection, and lethality required to remain victorious in future conflicts.

“RAIDER X converges everything we’ve learned in years of developing, testing, and refining X2 Technology and delivers warfighters a dominant, survivable, and intelligent system that will excel in tomorrow’s battlespace where aviation overmatch is critical,” said Frank St. John, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems. “The X2 Technology family of aircraft is a low-risk solution and is scalable based on our customers’ requirements.”

RAIDER X draws on Lockheed Martin’s broad expertise in developing innovative systems using the latest digital design and manufacturing techniques. Sikorsky’s RAIDER X prototype offers:

• Exceptional Performance: The X2 rigid rotor provides increased performance including; highly responsive maneuverability, enhanced low-speed hover, off-axis hover, and level acceleration and braking. These attributes make us unbeatable at the X.
• Agile, Digital Design: State-of-the-art digital design and manufacturing is already in use on other Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky production programs such as CH-53K, CH-148, and F-35, and will enable the Army to not only lower the acquisition cost but enable rapid, affordable upgrades to stay ahead of the evolving threat.
• Adaptability: Modern open systems architecture (MOSA)-based avionics and mission systems, offering “plug-and-play” options for computing, sensors, survivability, and weapons, benefiting lethality and survivability, operational mission tailoring, and competitive acquisitions.
• Sustainable/Maintenance: Designed to decrease aircraft operating costs by utilizing new technologies to shift from routine maintenance and inspections to self-monitoring and condition-based maintenance, which will increase aircraft availability, reduce sustainment footprint forward, and enable flexible maintenance operating periods.
• Growth/Mission Flexibility: Focused on the future and ever-evolving threat capabilities, X2 compound coaxial technology provides unmatched potential and growth margin for increased speed, combat radius, and payload. This potential and growth margin further enables operational mission flexibility which includes a broader range of aircraft configurations and load-outs to accommodate specific mission requirements.

The nationwide supply team that Sikorsky has comprised to build RAIDER X will join company leaders today to introduce RAIDER X during the annual conference of the Association of the United States Army in Washington, D.C.

“RAIDER X is the culmination of decades of development, and a testament to our innovation and passion for solving our customers’ needs,” said Sikorsky President Dan Schultz. “By leveraging the strength of the entire Lockheed Martin Corporation, we will deliver the only solution that gives the U.S. Army the superiority needed to meet its mission requirements.”

With RAIDER X, Sikorsky introduces the latest design in its X2 family of aircraft. To date, X2 aircraft have achieved/demonstrated:

• Speeds over 250 knots
• High-altitude operations over 9,000 feet
• Low-speed and high-speed maneuver envelopes out to 60+ndegrees angle of bank
• ADS-33B (Aeronautical Design Standard) Level 1 handling qualities with multiple pilots
• Flight control optimization and vibration mitigation

“The power of X2 is game-changing. It combines the best elements of low-speed helicopter performance with the cruise performance of an airplane,” said Sikorsky experimental test pilot Bill Fell, a retired Army pilot who has flown nearly every RAIDER test flight. “Every flight we take in our S-97 RAIDER today reduces risk and optimizes our FARA prototype, RAIDER X.”

The development of X2 Technology and the RAIDER program has been funded entirely by significant investments by Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin, and industry partners.

As the following video explains RAIDER X, is an agile, lethal, and survivable compound coaxial helicopter, specifically designed for securing vertical lift dominance against evolving peer and near-peer threats on the future battlefield.

Photo by Sikorsky / Lockheed Martin

Bell 360 Invictus’s next-generation rotorcraft is designed to provide attack, reconnaissance, and intelligence to shape the tactical environment and deliver operational overmatch in highly complex multi-domain operations.

Bell Textron announced a new rotorcraft, the Bell 360 Invictus, as the company’s entrant for the U.S. Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) Competitive Prototype program on Oct. 2, 2019. Bell’s innovative approach to designing the Bell 360 Invictus combines proven low-risk technologies with advanced processes to deliver soldiers an affordable, agile, and lethal solution to win on the modern battlefield. The Bell 360 Invictus meets or exceeds all requirements as laid out under the FARA contract.

“The Bell 360 will deliver advanced battlefield situational awareness, as well as lethal options, in support of the maneuver force at an affordable cost,” said Vince Tobin, executive vice president of Military Business at Bell, in the company news release. “The multi-domain fight will be complex, and our team is delivering a highly capable, low-risk solution to confidently meet operational requirements with a sustainable fleet.”

The Bell 360 Invictus’ design emphasizes exceptional performance using proven technologies to fulfill the Army’s FARA requirements at an affordable cost and on schedule. One example is the Invictus’ rotor system. This design is based on Bell’s 525 Relentless rotor system, which has been tested and proven at speeds in excess of 200 Knots TruenAir Speed (KTAS). By incorporating proven designs and the best available technologies from commercial and military programs, Bell delivers a low-risk path to a FARA program of record. 

This advanced aircraft will have a transformative impact through next-generation flight performance, increased safety, and greater operational readiness—all to deliver decisive capabilities.

Some of the key 360 Invictus features include:

• Lift-sharing wing to reduce rotor lift demand in forwarding flight, enabling high-speed maneuverability
• Supplemental Power Unit increases performance during high power demands
• Robust articulated main rotor with high flapping capability enabling high-speed flight
• Fly-by-wire flight control system—synthesizes technologies, reduces pilot workload, and provides a path to autonomous flight
• Speed: >185 KTAS
• Combat radius: 135nm with >90 minutes on station
• Achieves 4k/95F Hover Out of Ground Effect (HOGE)
• Armed with a 20 mm cannon, integrated munitions launcher with the ability to integrate air-launched effects, and future weapons, as well as a current inventory of munitions
• Provisioned for enhanced situational awareness and sensor technologies
• Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) enabled by a Digital Backbone from Collins Aerospace

Robust design integrating lifecycle supportability processes early to ensure high OPTEMPO availability in multi-domain operations

Design-as-built manufacturing model and digital thread-enabled tools to enhance affordability, reliability, and training throughout the lifecycle of the aircraft.

“Bell is committed to providing the U.S. Army with the most affordable, most sustainable, least complex, and lowest risk solution among the potential FARA configurations while meeting all requirements,” said Keith Flail, vice president of Advanced Vertical Lift Systems at Bell. “360 Invictus is an exciting opportunity for us to continue our support of Army modernization. This is the next solution to ensure soldiers have the best equipment available for the multi-domain fight.”

Bell has decades of experience providing attack and reconnaissance aircraft to the warfighter, such as the Kiowa Warrior, which delivered high reliability and availability through more than 850,000 flight hours. The Bell 360 Invictus design builds from that legacy, Bell’s commercial innovations, and the success in the development and manufacturing capabilities required for Future Vertical Lift (FVL) as part of the Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstration (JMR TD) over the past six years.

Photo by Bell

At the time of the mishap, the Black Hawk was flying out to recover a soldier with a heat-related injury on the training ranges at Fort Polk, Louisiana.

On the morning of Sep. 26, 2019, a US Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, killing one soldier and injuring three others aboard the aircraft.

As Kim Reischling, a Fort Polk spokeswoman, told Army Times the three injured soldiers are in stable condition.

At the time of the mishap, the Black Hawk was flying out to recover a soldier with a heat-related injury on the training ranges. The UH-60 was part of the 1-5 Aviation Battalion, which is a FortnPolk-based unit.

“One of their biggest missions on Fort Polknis was to fly medevac, and they were on their way to pick up a routine injury out in the training area,” Reischling said. “There are accidents out there, minor ones, soldiers get overheated, soldiers sprain their hands, stuff like that.”

She added that the cause of the mishap is unknown at this time.

“We have personnel from Fort Rucker, the Army Aviation Safety Center, who are en route here to Fort Polk to begin the investigation,” Reischling pointed out.

Family members of the deceased soldier were notified this morning. The soldier’s identity will be released tomorrow.

The incident comes a few days after an AH-64D Apache attack helicopter in southern Germany hit power lines during a routine training flight outside the village of Linden, north of Frankfurt.

There were no injuries during that incident.

Photo by U.S. Army

With AURA Program the USMC is taking advantage of all the work manufacturers are already doing for the US Army’s FRLAA which aims to replace the Black Hawk.

On Sep. 16, 2019, the US Marine Corps (USMC) issued a Request for Information (RoI) to the industry for a next-generation aircraft to replace the UH-1Y Venom and AH-1Z Viper helicopters.

With the Attack Utility Replacement Aircraft (AURA) program, the USMC is planning for a “concept advancement contract” with multiple manufacturers between 2020 and 2023, with a full replacement of the Viper and Venom by the Attack Utility Replacement Aircraft (AURA) around 2030.

As explained by Helis.com, with AURA the USMC is taking advantage of all the work manufacturers are already doing for the US Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FRLAA) which aims to replace the Black Hawk.

Noteworthy, the Marines are pushing forward the Army request with a combat radius without refueling of 450 nautical miles (830 kilometers) and a cruise speed of 295 knots (540 km/h). As pointed out by Lieutenant General Steven Rudder, USMC Aviation deputy commandant, these higher requirements are to allow the new aircraft to keep up with the MV-22B Osprey currently in use by the service.

Another important part of the request is for both the attack and utility variants to have much commonality (the current AH-1Z and UH-1Y share more than 80% of the parts).

The Industry responses for the RoI are scheduled for December this year and the main candidates are supposed to be based on the Bell V-280 Valor and the 1 Defiant.

The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) is the USMC/Navy agency in charge of the future acquisition.

Photo by U.S. Marine Corps, Bell, Sikorsky/Boeing

The country has issued a request for information for 29 airframes to replace the Australian Army’s existing Tiger attack helicopter.

Australia has issued a request for information (RFI) for 29 airframes to replace the Australian Army’s existing tiger attack helicopter.

Under the Land 4503 program, the first 12 new rotorcraft must achieve initial operating capability (IOC) by 2026.

According to the RFI Australia wants to purchase 29 “proven and mature, off-the-shelf” armed reconnaissance helicopters of which five will be used for training operations. Initial operational capability of twelve helicopters (one squadron) is expected by 2026, with full operational capability from 2028.

The new helicopter must be of a size that fits in a C-17A Globemaster III for easy transportation to a deployment location, it is necessary that it can operate from the Australian Navy’s landing helicopter dock vessels, and it is requested that the new helicopter be able to work together with Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) as Australia is replacing its fleet of Textron RQ-7 Shadow 200 tactical UAS and is acquiring the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper.

Australia selected the current fleet of 22nEurcopter/Airbus Helicopter Tigers in 2001, and the final Tiger was delivered (eighteen were built with Eurocopter Australian at Brisbane) to the Australian Army ten years later. The helicopters are based at Oakey (Qld) with the Army Aviation Training Centre, School of Army Aviation, and at Robertson Barracks-Darwin with two operational squadrons, 161 and 162 Reconnaissance Squadrons, as part of the 1st Aviation Regiment. Due to all kinds of issues, helicopters became fully operational only by 2016, and the first sea-borne ops by April 2019.

Scramble Facebook News Magazine assesses that only the Bell AH-1Z Viper and the Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian could compete in the RFI. A note that the Viper uses the same engines as the MH-60Rs with Aussie service (standardization) and the Apache is a forerunner with the Boeing Airpower Teaming System (manned-unmanned teaming, MUM-T) that is developed for operations with UAS loyal wingman operations. This BATS/MUM-T is focused on joined operations with the Boeing P-8A Poseidon, E-7A Wedgetail, and the Lockheed-Martin F-35A Lightning II, aircraft types in use with the RAAF.

Noteworthy the Apache and the Viper are currently deployed to Australia and are taking part in exercise Talisman Sabren2019 (TS19). So both types can be observed during realistic operations by the Aussies from nearby.

Photo by Bidgee via Wikipedia U.S. Navy