Iraqi Army receives last of 24 Bell 407s
Source: US Army, 23-May-13
The Army completed a significant milestone in helping to maintain stability in Iraq now that the U.S. military have departed from that theater of operations. The Project Office for Armed Scout Helicopters, along with several representatives from different organizations on Redstone Arsenal, made the eighth delivery of the Iraqi Armed-407 Bell helicopters to Iraq. Three [...]
Bell awarded $85M contract for FMS work in Iraq and Taiwan
Source: US DoD, 15-May-13
Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., Hurst, Texas, was awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee, foreign military sales (FMS) contract with a maximum value of $85,400,000 for engineering and technical support services. This FMS contract is in support of Iraq and Taiwan. Performance location and type of appropriation will be determined with each order. The bid was solicited through the [...]
Three more 407s delivered to Iraqi military
Source: US Army, 25-Jan-13
The U.S. Army Security Assistance Command with U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command and Program Executive Office Aviation facilitated and delivered three Bell 407 Scout helicopters to Iraqi Army Aviation today. This marks the sixth completed delivery of Iraqi Armed 407 Scout helicopter through Foreign Military Sales that began in 2010. “Many of the organizations [...]
Famous Lynx retires to Fleet Air Arm Museum
03-May-12
Lynx XZ720 shot up or sank five Iraqi warships in three days in January 1991 – and also came through machine-gun fire in the Falklands. The five tallies painted on the cabin door show that this Lynx has seen some action. It is, for this is one of the most battle-hardened helicopters in recent Royal [...]
Bell awarded support agreement for Iraqi Bell 407s
Source: Bell, 15-Apr-12
NOTE – We are running the Bell press release verbatim below. Bell issued their press release on 13th April, but HeliHub.com had already run the story on 9th April…. Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company (NYSE: TXT), was awarded a contract by US Army Contracting Command, Redstone Alabama for the procurement of contractor logistics support [...]
US State Dept orders three more S61T taking total to 29
Source: Sikorsky, 09-Nov-11
Sikorsky Aerospace Services today announced that the U.S. Department of State (DoS) has ordered three additional upgraded S-61 utility helicopters, bringing the total number purchased by DoS to 29 aircraft to date. Sikorsky Aerospace Services (SAS) is the aftermarket division of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. “The S-61 helicopter is known [...]
640th ASB wraps up its mission for Operation New Dawn
Source: US Army, 27-Oct-11
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – The 640th Aviation Support Battalion, a California National Guard unit deployed here in support of Operation New Dawn, is preparing to split its operations between Iraq and Kuwait before finally heading home. The 640th ASB, the only aviation support battalion remaining in Iraq, has provided aviation support to all the Army [...]
Massachusetts and Vermont Army Guard medevac crew awarded Air Medals
Source: US Army, 13-Oct-11
An “all-pro” medical evacuation crew from the 1st General Support Aviation Battalion, 171st Aviation Regiment received Air Medals for conducting two urgent air evacuations on a single day during “red weather” conditions that had grounded aircraft across Iraq. The Air Medal is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Army Lt. Gen. Frank [...]
ARINC completes modification of 22 Mi-17s for Iraq ahead of schedule
Source: ARINC, 08-Aug-11
ARINC Engineering Services, LLC, today announced it has completed the modification of 22 Russian Mi-17 Helicopters for use by the Air Force of Iraq, under a 2007 U.S. Army contract. The final two aircraft were handed over to Iraqi representatives in Taji, Iraq on June 15, six weeks ahead of schedule. Last year, ARINC Engineering Services [...]
L-3 Wescam awarded $21M contract for FLIR installation on Iraqi Bell 407s
Source: US DoD, 12-Jun-11
L-3 Communications EO/IR, Inc., Santa Rosa, Calif., was awarded on May 27 a $21,211,282 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of 22 MX-15Di forward looking infrared radar sensors with laser designator for installation on Iraqi Armed 407 helicopters. Work will be performed in Santa Rosa, Calif., and Burlington, Ontario, Canada, with an [...]
American and Iraqi pilots fly together: MEDEVAC training mission builds partnerships
Source: US Army, 07-Jun-11
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Two U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters flew in formation with two Iraqi Air Force helicopters during May on a joint medical evacuation training mission, serving to build rapport and partnerships between the two militaries. The mission allowed the pilots and crews from the two militaries to better understand each [...]
Sikorsky buys Danish Sea King fleet for S61T Iraq contract
Source: HeliHub.com, 07-Jun-11
It is a comprehensive process to sell military helicopters, but the Danish Defence Logistics Organization has now successfully sold its Sea King fleet, having already replaced them operationally by AgustaWestland AW101 Merlins in the last few years. In total, seven S-61 helicopters and accompanying spare parts and accessory packs have been sold, realising approx 40 [...]
640th ASB finds helicopter parts, saves big money
Source: US Army, 09-May-11
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – With the discovery of thousands of helicopter parts, ranging from helicopter tires all the way up to transmissions and rotary blades, the technical supply section of the 640th Aviation Support Battalion has identified and inventoried millions of dollars worth of unused parts, returning them to the supply system for use. After [...]
US Huey advisors step back, Iraqi instructors take lead
Source: US Air Force, 16-Apr-11
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – After more than five years training side-by-side with their Iraqi counterparts in the skies, U.S. Air Force UH-1 Huey instructor pilots have taken a step back as Iraqi instructor pilots take over responsibility for training their own junior pilots. Last month, the 721st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron’s two Huey instructor pilots, [...]
Alabama National Guard’s 131st Aviation Regiment to deploy to Iraq
Source: AL.com, 15-Apr-11
The Alabama National Guard’s 131st Aviation Regiment, a Black Hawk helicopter outfit based beside Mobile Regional Airport, is set to deploy to Iraq on Sunday.
Donaldson inlet barrier filters help improve Iraqi B407 performance and reliability
Source: Donaldson, 08-Apr-11
Donaldson Aerospace & Defense, a division of Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE: DCI), will provide Inlet Barrier Filter (IBF) systems and avionics bay filtration for new Bell 407 Trainers and Armed Scout Helicopters. The rotorcraft are being deployed to help increase the effectiveness of Iraq’s Security Forces. A significant aspect of the transition to full Iraqi [...]
Iraq Mi-171 advisor pilots provide training – day or night
Source: NATO Training Mission, 20-Mar-11
A dozen Iraq Training and Advisory Mission-Air helicopter pilots are working day and night to ensure their Iraqi counterparts are trained and equipped to conduct missions that will ensure safety and security within the country. At home, most of the American advisors provide security, passenger airlift and helicopter training on UH-1N and UH-1H Huey helicopters. [...]
FADEC alleged in legal case over fatal OH-58D Kiowa Warrior accident
Source: Knox News, 11-Mar-11
The suit alleges the failure of the FADEC system in an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter was a direct and proximate cause of two deaths when it crashed near Mosul, Iraq in February 2010. HeliHub.com accident page – 21-Feb-10 Bell OH-58D at Qayyarah Airfield West, Northern Iraq (2F)
ARINC awarded $41M contract for Mi-17 work in Iraq
Source: US DoD, 06-Mar-11
ARINC Engineering Services, LLC, Annapolis, Md., was awarded on Feb. 28 a $41,722,209 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for one year of contractor logistics services option for the MI-17 aircraft. Work will be performed in Iraq, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2012. One bid was solicited with one bid received. The [...]
Westar Aerospace & Defense awarded $10M contract for nine OH-58s and five B206 in Iraq
Source: US DoD, 04-Mar-11
WESTAR Aerospace & Defense Group, Inc., Huntsville, Ala., was awarded on Feb. 25 a $10,294,818 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for several logistic services for nine OH-58 and five 206B3 helicopters belonging to the government of Iraq. Work will be performed in Kirkuk Regional Air Base, Iraq, with an estimated completion date of March [...]
Boeing wins the Joseph P Cribbins Aviation Product Symposium Project Manager Award
Source: HeliHub.com, 11-Feb-11
Sit down. Take a deep breath. The US Army’s Joseph P. Cribbins Aviation Product Symposium Project Manager Award is upon us and the winner has been announced! The award from the US Army Cargo Helicopters Project Office was presented this week at a symposium in Huntsville, Alabama. Boeing’s Aircraft Modificatin Center team based out of [...]
Defense Technology Inc may protest Russian helicopter deal
Source: Reuters, 06-Feb-11
A small Alabama-based firm is gearing up to protest the Army’s plan to hand an exclusive helicopter contract to a Russian government agency, saying it can do the job quicker and cheaper if it is allowed to compete.
New heli hangar opens – largest free-span building in Middle East
Source: US Forces, 30-Jan-11
BAGHDAD – The Iraqi Army Aviation Command celebrated the construction of a 15-meter tall and 76-meter long Mi-17 helicopter hangar and maintenance facility Jan. 17 with a dedication ceremony at Camp Taji. The Mi-17 hangar, the largest free-span building in the Middle East, will provide all the space that the Iraqi Army Aviation Command needs [...]
FLIR Systems announces order for $15.8M from US Army
Source: FLIR Systems, 27-Jan-11
FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) announced today that it has been awarded a delivery order totaling $15.8 million for its Star SAFIRE® II stabilized multi-sensor systems to support the U.S. Army MEDEVAC program. The units delivered under this order will be employed on the Army MEDEVAC UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Work under [...]
Iraq Army adds four Mi-171E helicopters to inventory
Source: US Air Force, 25-Jan-11
The Iraq Army Aviation Command accepted delivery of four new Mi-171E helicopters at its headquarters in Taji, as two were delivered Jan. 16 followed two more Jan. 23. This latest delivery brings Iraq Army Aviation Command’s total inventory of Mi-171E helicopters to 14, as part of a foreign-military-sales purchase made by the Iraqi Ministry of [...]
Iraqi emergency units complete EMT training
Source: US Army, 06-Jan-11
Iraqis with the Iraqi Emergency Security Unit completed emergency medical technician training, Dec. 28, after five weeks of coursework with U.S. Army medics. Provided by the “Thunderhorse” medics of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, the training began in late November. Instruction was provided to Iraqi Police, the Emergency Security Unit and [...]
721st AEAS airmen continue Iraqi mentoring
Source: US Forces - Iraq, 05-Jan-11
TAJI — As part of American efforts in Iraq to continue strengthening a long-term partnership, Airmen assigned to the 721st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron train, advise and assist the Iraqi Army Aviation Command with all helicopter operations here. “The air advisors are applying their technical skill and knowledge in a whole new way, and it’s [...]
Vermont National Guard testing HH-60M in Iraq
Source: Burlington Free Press, 05-Jan-11
The Guard’s C Company of the 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment deployed in November with a dozen HH-60M helicopters, the latest medical variant of the Army’s Black Hawk, the military said in a report
Iraqi Army takes delivery of three Bell 407s
Source: US Army, 21-Dec-10
BAGHDAD – The Iraqi Army Aviation Command showcased the arrival of three new Bell T-407 training helicopters with a ceremony and aerial display at Camp Taji Dec. 15. “This is a landmark occasion for the Government of Iraq,” said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Scott Hanson, director of Iraq Training and Advisory Mission-Air Force, and [...]
Russia denies US reports of slip in Iraq helicopter deal
Source: RIA Novosti, 29-Nov-10
Russian helicopter deliveries to Iraq are proceeding as planned, a source in the Russian aircraft industry said on Thursday, in response to American claims that deliveries are over-budget and late.
Iraq orders seven AS350B3s for agricultural missions
Source: Eurocopter, 01-Nov-10
Marignane, France, October 31, 2010: Eurocopter today signed an agreement for the supply of seven AS350 B3 Ecureuil helicopters to the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture for crop spraying missions over vast fields of date palm trees – which provide a major source of agricultural revenue for the country. Deliveries of these single-engine workhorse rotary-wing aircraft [...]
The Global War against Terrorism drives the US military helicopter market, says Frost & Sullivan
Source: Frost & Sullivan, 12-Oct-10
Conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have laid a strong foundation for significant growth in the U.S. military helicopter market. The U.S. military continues to acquire new helicopters and implement major upgrades to its existing fleet. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the U. S. Army’s aviation command may require a sum of $61 billion [...]
11 more US State Dept S61s for Iraq and Afghanistan
Source: Sikorsky, 21-Sep-10
SHELTON, Conn.– Sikorsky Aerospace Services today announced the U.S. State Department has ordered 11 additional upgraded S-61TM utility helicopters for use in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sikorsky Aerospace Services (SAS) is the aftermarket division of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX). Earlier this year, the State Department entered into a five-year indefinite [...]
ITAM-AF supports Iraqis after Mi-17 crash
Source: ITAM-AF, 09-Sep-10
When an Iraqi Mi-17 helicopter crashed last month in Taji, killing five Iraqi Airmen, personnel from the Iraq Training and Advising Mission-Air Force moved quickly to provide a Critical Incident Stress Management team to support to the students and cadre at the joint training base. ITAM-AF has been training the Iraqi air force’s aircrews on [...]
Iraq requests $152M of logistical support for Mi-17s via US FMS program
Source: DSCA, 07-Aug-10
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress today of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Iraq of contractor logistics support for various helicopters for an estimated cost of $152 million. The Government of Iraq has requested a possible sale of two years of contractor logistics support for Mi-17 Helicopters and two years of logistics support [...]
US military builds largest clear-span building in Middle East – a helicopter hangar
Source: US Forces, Iraq, 05-Aug-10
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region District (GRD) is managing the construction of the largest clear-span building in the Middle East, here at Taji Air Force Base. This MI-17 helicopter hangar spans 76 meters long (more than 240 ft.) without any intermediate supports and stands at 15 meters tall (50 ft.). It will [...]
DynCorp sued for $10M by injured US Army helicopter pilots
Source: Bloomberg Business Week, 28-May-10
Special Ops unit members Gary Linfoot and Gregory Cooper were flying the helicopter south of Baghdad when its main rotor driveshaft failed and the aircraft crashed, according to a complaint filed in Wilmington, Delaware.
Pentagon pleased with Osprey performance
05-May-10
The U.S. military is pleased with the performance of the V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft in Iraq and Afghanistan, but is still working hard to improve its readiness, the Pentagon’s program manager said on Tuesday.
Multi National Force – West sees the last of the CH-47 Chinook
Source: US Marine Corps, 09-Dec-09
The soldiers with Company B, 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment, took their last flight from Al Asad, Dec. 1, 2009. The eight Chinooks have moved to Talil, Iraq, in support of operations for Multi-National Division – South, where Company B, 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, will put the aircraft to use.
Deputy commandant for aviation visits Marines in Iraq, discusses future
Source: Rotorhub, 07-Dec-09
There are many questions within the Marine Corps aviation community these days, including airframe transitions, future deployments and combat zone developments.
Iraq request 15 Light and 12 Medium Utility Helicopters
Source: DSCA, 21-Nov-09
The Government of Iraq has requested a possible sale of up to 15 AgustaWestland AW109s, or alternatively, 15 Bell Model 429s, or 15 EADS UH-72A Lakotas; and, up to 12 AgustaWestland AW139s, or alternatively, 12 Bell 4122, or 12 Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawks
Iraqi Air Force Expands Deployment of Guardian Mobility Tracking Services
Source: Guardian Mobility, 22-Sep-09
At Helitech today, in booth FTE 1717, Guardian Mobility announced the Iraqi Air Force has expanded its deployment of Guardian aircraft tracking solutions for its air fleet. It added an additional 60 aircraft, for a total of more than 125 aircraft – both fixed wing and helicopters
US Army’s Black Hawk Fleet Closing in on 1M Flight Hours in Iraq, Afghanistan
Source: Sikorsky, 17-Jun-09
U.S. Army Battalion Stationed in Iraq Procures Additional BrightEye Systems for Maintenance and Force Operations
Source: Cyberlux, 11-Feb-09
