PZL-Świdnik, an AgustaWestland company, is showcasing the SW-4 Solo Rotorcraft Unmanned Air System/Optionally Piloted Helicopter (RUAS/OPH) at MSPO 2014 in Kielce, demonstrating the Company’s potential in the European UAV sector, reinforcing its position as an important centre of excellence for advanced aviation technologies and confirming its continuous commitment to innovation. The SW-4 Solo RUAS/OPH, the… Read more »
Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Oboronprom, part of State Corporation Rostec, has delivered the first consignment of four upgraded Mi-8AMTSh transport helicopters to Russia’s Defence Ministry. The helicopters were built at Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (UUAP), a Russian Helicopters company, as part of the state defence order, and have successfully completed the flight to their new… Read more »
Columbia Helicopters, Inc., a member of the American Helicopter Services And Aerial Firefighting Association (AHSAFA), has opened a new facility which will be totally focused on the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of military helicopters. The 16,000 square foot building, located at the company’s headquarters and maintenance complex at Aurora (Oregon) State Airport, will be… Read more »
India has canceled the purchase of 197 Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) worth $1 billion in which Airbus Helicopter’s AS550 was competing with Russia’s Ka-226T built by Kamov. The cancellation followed lengthy corruption investigations. See Full Story
Honeywell Aerospace (NYSE: HON) has been selected to supply Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) to the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) CH-47SD Chinook helicopters. “Our HUMS technology will provide RSAF operators with information that’s needed to keep their fleet safe and efficient,” said Mark Burgess, senior director, Defense and Space, Asia Pacific, Honeywell… Read more »
Boeing [NYSE: BA] will participate in the annual MSPO International Defence Industry exhibition in Kielce, Poland, which runs Sept. 1-4. The company will highlight several of its defense products and services including the AH-64 Apache and AH-6i combat helicopters, the KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling tanker, and unmanned aerial systems such as the ScanEagle, among other… Read more »
Airbus Group and its Divisions will showcase its portfolio of advanced helicopter, defence and security products at the 22nd MSPO International Defence Industry Exhibition, from 1 to 4 September in Kielce, Poland. The Group will have a major presence incorporating a static display for real helicopters, a hospitality area, meeting rooms and a large stand… Read more »
Defence Ministry today scrapped a scam-tainted tender worth over Rs. 6,000 crore to procure 197 light utility helicopters for Army and Air Force to replace the vintage fleet of Cheetah and Chetak choppers used to move troops and equipment to high altitude locations like Siachen. See Full Story
The Nigerian Air Force will soon take delivery of two AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters, which will be used for VIP transport duties. See Full Story HeliHub.com understands these are from the batch previously expected to be delivered to India
L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Mississippi, is being awarded a $13,744,643 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery requirements contract (N00019-13-D-0007) to provide logistics services for aircraft availability of 96 TH-57 aircraft. Services to be provided include pre-flighting and fueling of the aircraft, as well as safe for flight release for designated missions. Work will… Read more »
Poland will move the purchase of 30 attack helicopters forward by two years as part of a review of its army modernisation programme triggered by the crisis in Ukraine, Polish deputy defence minister Czeslaw Mroczek said. See Full Story
Though the US Army has yet to make a formal announcement, according to reports the Sikorsky-Boeing team and Bell Helicopter Textron have been selected for government-funded Joint Multi-Role (JMR) program technology demonstrations. See Full Story
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], in collaboration with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), successfully conducted a fully autonomous resupply, reconnaissance, surveillance and target-acquisition demonstration using its Squad Mission Support System (SMSS) unmanned ground vehicle, K-MAX unmanned helicopter and Gyrocam optical sensor. During the “Extending the Reach of the Warfighter through… Read more »
Iroquois aircraft are largely associated with the Vietnam War, but this helicopter was used in Egypt in the late 1970s for United Nations peacekeeping forces following the Arab-Israeli War until 1979, then used largely for the Australian Defence Force Helicopter School. See Full Story
U.S. attorneys have intervened in a whistleblower suit against United Technologies Corp.’s Sikorsky Aircraft Co. that alleges one of its subsidiaries used a sister company to illegally mark up replacement parts provided through a defense contract to the Navy. See Full Story
Helibras received the qualification of the Federal Revenue of Brazil to operate the system of customs clearance Express ‘Linha Azul’ as published in the Official Gazette on June. Since July 1st Helibras is the only helicopter manufacturer authorized to use the system in the country, to cater for all requirements. ‘Linha Azul’ (the ‘Blue Line’)… Read more »
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has been selected by Redstone Defense Systems to supply and integrate mission avionics equipment for a digital cockpit upgrade of the U.S. Army’s UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters. Northrop Grumman will provide a scalable, fully integrated mission equipment package for the UH‑60L cockpit and will replace the older analog gauges with… Read more »
Earlier this week, the Boeing/Sikorsky team put out a statement detailing their acceptance by US Army on the Joint Multi-Role (JMR) project, the precursor to the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programme. In the absence of any press statement from Bell, they have provided the following quotes from Keith Flail, program director for the Bell V-280… Read more »
Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Oboronprom, part of State Corporation Rostec, and United Aircraft Corporation have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop and support the Industry Controlled Other Party (ICOP) quality-assurance process in Russia. The MoU was signed today at Oboronexpo 2014 and the Engineering Technologies 2014international forum. “The goal of this MoU… Read more »
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), and Boeing (NYSE: BA) have been selected to build a helicopter for the U.S. Army’s Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator Phase 1 program (JMR TD), paving the way for the next generation of vertical lift aircraft. The U.S. Army Aviation Technology Directorate (AATD) selected the… Read more »
Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Oboronprom, part of State Corporation Rostec, announces that Kazan Helicopters has launched a new painting and finishing workshop as part of its ongoing programme of upgrade work. The new facility was opened today in the presence of the President of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov. “The construction of the new workshop was… Read more »
YEOVIL helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland is set to find out this later this month whether it can turn a storage building into an archive. See Full Story
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell said the Coast Guard should be equipped with the technology it needs to handle the “complexity of Washington’s waterways.” See Full Story
Philippine Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado has ordered the grounding of 7 Sokol helicopters following the crash of a similar aircraft in Marawi City on Thursday. See Full Story
Flight crews from 1-228th Aviation Regiment conducted deck landing qualifications on the Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate USS McClusky (FFG-41) off the Pacific coast of Honduras, August 3-4, 2014. The training, which took place approximately 20 miles off the coast, was done to qualify 1-228th Aviation Regiment pilots and crew chiefs on shipboard operations. The… Read more »
Although not naming the companies, the defence ministry has said in a statement that the bidding process involves “foreign and domestic companies offering both ready-made helicopters and components for assembly” ” See Full Story“
Russia has ordered a batch of Kamov Ka-52K ‘Hokum B’ naval attack helicopters for the Russian Navy’s Mistral-class landing helicopter dock (LHD) vessels. “See Full Story“
I. E. Pacific Inc.*, San Diego, California, is being awarded $7,877,000 for firm-fixed-price task order 0018 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62473-09-D-1657) for design and construction of an H-60 trainer facility at Naval Base Coronado. The facility will house two tactical operational flight trainers and two Naval Aircrew Training Systems. The building… Read more »
Cliffdale Mfg. Inc.,* Chatsworth, California, was awarded a $8,520,000 firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance and overhaul of the actuator, elect (OH-58D), with a minimum of 100 to be completed, up to a maximum of 1,080; this is to include 180 for foreign military sales. This is a critical safety item. Funding and work location will be… Read more »
AgustaWestlandis pleased to announce thatthe Armed Forces of Malta celebrated today the delivery of their first AW139 intermediate twin-engine helicopter during an official ceremony. The aircraft, delivered in June, will primarily be used to perform maritime border control missions. The best-in-class AW139 was selected following an extensive evaluation process thanks to its unmatched capability, performance… Read more »
The Army Aviation Facility in South Burlington saw the landing of two new pieces of equipment to help push flying into the future. Two UH-72 MEPS Lakota helicopters were flown from Meridianville, Alabama, to the facility in South Burlington during the weekend. “The Army retired the OH-58 that we had,” said Lt. Col. John Johnston,… Read more »
AgustaWestland is pleased to announce that it has signed a cooperation agreement with the Italian Air Force for training services aimed at further strengthening their already well-established cooperation through the future set up of joint training services. The agreement follows the Letter of Intent signed earlier this year in March. The partners intend to co-develop… Read more »
Yesterday saw the decommissioning of 700 (W) Naval Air Squadron (NAS) following 5 years of hard work, diligence and dedication at Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton. Last week saw all seven Royal Naval Wildcat helicopters from 700(W) Naval Air Squadron (NAS) into the sky simultaneously for the first time and today the decommissioning marks… Read more »
The Indian Air Force has grounded its fleet of around 40 Dhruv helicopters in view of the recent crash in which seven of its personnel were killed. See full story
Senior military leaders with the U.S. and Japan met with Ogasawara village officials July 28 on Chichi Jima, Japan, to discuss the benefits of the MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft for the people of Japan. The minister of defense for Japan, members of his staff and U.S. Marine Lt. Gen. John Wissler along with Japan Maritime… Read more »
AAR (NYSE: AIR) announces it has been selected by the U.S. Army to upgrade and overhaul Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) for its UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. The work will be performed at AAR’s Aircraft Component Services facility in Garden City on Long Island. The five-year contract, valued in excess of $23 million, will initially cover… Read more »
General Electric Co., Lynn, Massachusetts, is being awarded a $68,550,240 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-13-C-0132) for the procurement of 16 GE38-1B engines, closure kits, tooling, and associated systems engineering and program management in support of the CH-53K helicopter program. Work will be performed in Lynn, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed… Read more »
DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $101,947,764 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-11-C-0033) to exercise an option for organizational level maintenance and logistics support for all aircraft and support equipment for which the Naval Test Wing Atlantic has maintenance responsibility. This includes all rotary, fixed, lighter-than-air, and unmanned aircraft… Read more »
Exelis, Inc., Clifton, New Jersey, is being awarded a $190,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide Suite of Integrated Radio Frequency Countermeasure components and related services for the Technology Applications program office and CV-22 program offices. The majority of the work will be performed in Clifton, New Jersey. This contract has a five-year base period and a… Read more »
Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded $14,641,931 for cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order 0089 against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N00019-12-G-0006) in support of the V-22 aircraft for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. This order provides for the research and of engineering and technical analysis of new capabilities of the V-22… Read more »
Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Indiana, is being awarded a $29,148,390 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-10-C-0020) for the procurement of Mission CareTM support for the AE1107C engine, including flight hours, and lower power engine removals and repairs, for the V-22 aircraft. Work will be performed in Oakland, California (70 percent) and Indianapolis, Indiana (30… Read more »
Robertson Fuel Systems, LLC, Tempe, Arizona, is being awarded a $14,779,950 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-12-C-0097) to exercise an option for the procurement of two mission auxiliary fuel tank systems for the MV-22 Osprey aircraft. Work will be performed in Tempe, Arizona, and is expected to be completed in July 2015. Fiscal… Read more »
In the space of seven short months, NUSQN 725 has leapt from receiving their first MH-60R Romeo helicopters to firing the first Royal Australian Navy AGM-114 Hellfire missiles during a live fire exercise at the Atlantic Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre (AUTEC) in the United States. It was smiles all round for the entire team,… Read more »
AH-64E Apache Guardians from 1st Armed Reconnaissance Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, conducted deck landing qualifications aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5) off the coast of Hawaii, July 19, as part of the Navy’s Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2014. The deck landing qualifications, a first… Read more »
Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 displayed the MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft July 20 during the 28th Sapporo Airshow at the Sapporo Okadama Airport. The squadron is with Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force. More than 20,000 people attended the biannual airshow, which displayed both U.S. and Japanese… Read more »
HeliHub.com is having continuing success with its “Gallery” feature, recording over 18,000 images in its main Gallery, and over 315 photographers have joined as members of the Gallery. The Flickr gallery provides users of HeliHub.com the opportunity to upload their own photos, and the early success is demonstrating just how valuable this will become over… Read more »
The $27.5 million Army Aviation Support Facility is home base for 10 helicopters — six Chinooks and four Lakotas — and 75 full-time soldiers. See full story
Sadly there was a bad accident with an Indian Air Force Dhruv in the state of Uttar Pradesh last Friday, and we recorded that in our Safety data section here. The “black box” – Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) – are now being analysed in an attempt to find out what… Read more »
The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Iraq for aviation sustainment support, on-the-job maintenance training and maintenance advice and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $500 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale… Read more »
The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Tunisia for UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $700 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on July 23, 2014. The… Read more »
Boeing [NYSE: BA] today delivered the first multiyear II configured CH-47F Chinook helicopter to the U.S. Army one month ahead of schedule. The delivery was celebrated in a ceremony at the production facility in Ridley Township, Pa. “This delivery is an example of teamwork and commitment to the troops in the field,” said Col. Rob… Read more »
The Independent Review Board (IRB) has brought embezzlement charges against Harvey Jackson, the president of Local 1150, which represents Sikorsky Aircraft Teamsters at plants in Connecticut, Alabama, and Florida. The charges and investigative report are available here. Jackson is charged with using the union credit card to buy at least $13,000 worth of electronics for… Read more »
Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded $69,659,650 for cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order 0073 against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N00019-12-G-0006) in support of the V-22 aircraft for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. This order provides for the non-recurring engineering (Phase II) of the Improved Inlet Solution (IIS) for the V-22… Read more »
KAI selected as a LCH/LAH developer to tow the development of the aviation industry and strengthening of self-reliant defense simultaneously – Targets exports of 600 units, putting total sales to 1,000. – Lays the groundwork for the new growth engine along with the KF-X project in the future aviation industry. Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd.(KAI), an… Read more »
After lifting more than 4.5 million pounds of cargo and conducting thousands of delivery missions for the U.S. Marine Corps, the Lockheed Martin LMT +1.11% and Kaman Aerospace Corporation KAMN -0.50% K-MAX cargo unmanned aircraft system (UAS) has returned to the United States following a nearly three-year deployment in Afghanistan. In 2011, K-MAX became the… Read more »
MD Helicopters Inc. (MDHI), a Lynn Tilton company and leading manufacturer of commercial, air-rescue, military and law enforcement helicopters, held a ceremonial delivery of a new MD 500E helicopter for the Polk County Florida Sheriff’s Office (PCSO). The acceptance took place at the MD Helicopters booth, where the aircraft was proudly displayed at the Airborne… Read more »
Kaman Corp. (NYSE:KAMN) announced today that it will report its second quarter 2014 results after the stock market closes on Monday, August 4, 2014, and host a live webcast and conference call at 8:30am ET on Tuesday, August 5, 2014. The call will be accessible by telephone within the U.S. at (877) 703-6103 and from… Read more »
Since successfully entering service with the Royal Navy, the aircraft have been put through their paces on exercise in the Atlantic Ocean. Embarked on HMS Illustrious, the Merlin Mk2 aircraft took part in Exercise Deep Blue, simulating anti-submarine warfare, maritime patrol and casualty evacuation capabilities. The new helicopters are part of an £800 million programme… Read more »
AgustaWestland is pleased to announce that it has signed a contract with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) valued at £90 million to integrate, test and install the Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (FASGW) Heavy and Light missile systems onto 28 Royal Navy AW159 Wildcat helicopters. The contract award was announced today at the Farnborough International… Read more »
Air Force leaders announced changes to headquarters staff manning and organization today. The Air Force will create efficiencies by deactivating and realigning organizations at Headquarters Air Force, Major Commands, Numbered Air Forces and Field Operating Agencies, resulting in savings of $1.6 billion across the Air Force in the next five years. “I will work to… Read more »
AgustaWestland is pleased to announce that the new generation AW149 multirole military helicopter has been issued with military certification by the Italian Directorate of Air Armaments (ARMAEREO). The Type Certificate was signed and delivered to Finmeccanica – AgustaWestland during an official ceremony held at the Farnborough International Air Show today, in the presence of Finmeccanica… Read more »
GE Aviation and Barco’s Defence & Aerospace division have signed an MOU for collaboration in the development of a new family of open system cockpit display products, targeted at display and avionic system applications for helicopters. “This collaboration builds upon our experience with Barco in this sector and our successful delivery of cockpit display systems… Read more »
Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Oboronprom, part of State Corporation Rostec, announces that Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant has delivered four Mi-171E transport helicopters to China’s Poly Technologies, the final consignment of a contract for 48 helicopters signed by Rosoboronexport in 2012. In total under the original contract and a follow-on agreement the Chinese company has received… Read more »
Last Friday the first of three Danish EH101 Tactical Troop Transport (TTT) helicopters was deployed to Afghanistan as part of the Danish contribution to the international peacekeeping and peace-supporting operations. Earlier this year Terma made the final delivery of Electronic Warfare (EW) equipment fielded on the TTT version of the Royal Danish Air Force’ Westland… Read more »
Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. [NYSE: UTX] have been selected to help develop the Joint Common Architecture (JCA) standard for the U.S. Army’s Joint Multi-Role (JMR) Science and Technology program, an element of the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) initiative. The Technology Investment Agreement was awarded by the… Read more »
The important role of Airbus Helicopters in the ab-initio training of British military rotorcraft pilots is being marked by Airbus Helicopters during this week’s Farnborough Airshow. During the past four decades, thousands of British crewmembers have earned their wings, trained on mission scenarios and practiced their flying skills aboard Airbus Helicopters-designed rotorcraft. This activity traces… Read more »
AgustaWestland is pleased to announce the completion of a demonstration of its Rotorcraft Unmanned Aerial System / Optionally Piloted Helicopter (RUAS/OPH) to the Italian Ministry of Defence. The trials were conducted to evaluate modern remote controlled rotorcraft technology and its potential to provide enhanced capabilities for the Italian armed forces in the future. Under the… Read more »
AgustaWestland will be exhibiting an impressive line-up of eight helicopters from its commercial and military helicopter product ranges and showcasing its industry leading customer support and training services at this year’s Farnborough International Air Show. Making its first appearance at Farnborough will be a full scale mock-up of the recently launched AW109 Trekker light twin… Read more »
General Dynamics UK, in partnership with AgustaWestland, has commenced development work to modify its Tactical Processing System for integration into the AW101 Merlin Mk4. This development work is part of the Merlin Life Sustainment Programme (MLSP), a contract awarded to AgustaWestland in January 2014 to convert 25 AW101 Merlin helicopters for maritime operations. It will… Read more »
Pall Corporation (NYSE:PLL) today announced that the U.S. Army has awarded a five-year indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract to Pall Aerospace for 950 U.S. Army BLACK HAWK PUREair barrier filter elements. The PUREair barrier filters have been specifically designed using advanced synthetic dry media technology that virtually eliminates the maintenance associated with conventional oil-wetted… Read more »
Donaldson Aerospace & Defense, a division of Donaldson Company, Inc. (NYSE: DCI), has been selected to provide air filtration systems for CH-53 transport helicopters that Airbus Helicopters is upgrading for the German military. Donaldson’s products will filter cooling air for avionics bays on 40 medium-lift CH-53Gs that Airbus Helicopters is upgrading to the -53GA configuration… Read more »
Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TAI) will be participating to the Farnborough Air Show 2014 (FIA 2014) which will be held in Farnborough, UK between July 14-20, 2014 and displaying T129 ATAK and ANKA at the static area. TAI’s stand can also be visited at Hall 4 H1. “T129 ATAK” Multi Role Combat and Armed Reconnaissance… Read more »
