LockMart wins US unmanned cargo helicopter
Lockheed Martin has been selected as the winner of the US Army/Marine Corps Autonomous Technologies for Unmanned Air Systems (ATUAS) program for an unmanned cargo delivery helicopter with an unmanned version of Kaman’s K-Max helicopter. The Army Aviation... [Continue reading]
Frank Robinson retires
Robinson Helicopter Company founder Frank Robinson has announced that he has resigned as president and chairman of the light helicopter manufacturer. The 80 year old Robinson had intended to retire in January this year, but stayed on to oversee the development... [Continue reading]
429 on tour
Bell’s new 429 light twin helicopter is currently on a two week sales tour of Australia where it is being demonstrated to various potential Defence, EMS, police and private customers. Bell 429 demonstrator aircraft N10984, which features a standard... [Continue reading]
Black Hawk lands after Mayday in East Timor
An Army S-70 Black Hawk helicopter operating in East Timor as part of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) which experienced problems during a training exercise on August 12 successfully made a safe landing after the pilots made a Mayday call. According... [Continue reading]
MRH 90 project manager wins award
Commander Peter Ashworth has won the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) Canberra Branch’s Biennial Award for Excellence in Aviation for his work leading Project Air 9000, which is acquiring the Eurocopter MRH 90. “All nominations received for... [Continue reading]
Boeing Army helo support extended to Holsworthy
Boeing Defence Australia has signed a $13.3 million change proposal with the Commonwealth to bring Kiowa helicopter maintenance at Holsworthy near Sydney into its Australian Army Aviation Training and Training Support (AATTS) contract. The deal will... [Continue reading]
Bristow wins Apache Energy work
Bristow Helicopters Australia has won a $50 million deal to provide helicopter support services to Apache Energy’s drilling and production operations in northwest Western Australia. The three year plus options contract will see Bristow BK 117s, S-76s... [Continue reading]
Helicopter surf rescue for NSW south coast
The Sydney based Southern Region Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter is extending its coverage of aerial beach patrols to include the NSW south coast beginning this summer. In April, the rescue helicopter service’s major sponsor, Westpac Banking... [Continue reading]
French Tigers log 1000 hours in Afghanistan
The French army’s deployment of three Eurocopter Tiger HAPs to Afghanistan has logged its 1000th flight hour in theatre. The aircraft were deployed by the French army’s 5th Combat Helicopter Regiment in August 2009 to support the French combat search... [Continue reading]
Canadian CH-148 contract re-baselined
The Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone helicopter program for the Canadian Forces has been renegotiated for a second time after continuing software development delays meant an interim capability delivery target for later this year is unlikely to be met. Twenty-eight... [Continue reading]
Sikorsky X2 reaches 225kt
Sikorsky says its X2 technology demonstrator unofficially broke the world speed record for helicopters on July 26 when it reached 225kt (417km/h) during a one hour flight. The speed beats the official record of 216kt recorded by a Westland Lynx in 1986,... [Continue reading]
