Rotor Torque

In the surveillance role the AS. 355M2 will be able to use its onboard radar to detect and transmit over the horizon target coordinates for anti ship missiles such as the Exocet or Harpoon. Shipboard radar is even today still generally limited in this role by the range limitations created by its basic elevation above the sea surface. A ship based helicopter used in the targeting role and orbiting thirty to fifty kilometers from the ship can thus provide a considerable extension to this target designation aspect of radar coverage.

The Squirrel is presently in service with the navies of both Australia and Brazil though the RAN aircraft won’t be upgraded to this new configuration and will remain in the training and liaison roles instead.

Helicopter Contracts – Us Style

As the Australia Defence Force moves closer to utilising the benefits of industry in overhauling and maintaining its various systems and aircraft powerplants, consider the scope for such activity in the USA.

Aviall, who of course are also firmly established . . . in Australia, recently won a contract from the US Army to overhaul some 580 Allison T63 engines that are used in powering the Army’s OH-6 Cayuse and OH-58 Kiowa light helos. The T63 is essentially the military version of the Allison 250.

Aviall will not only rebuild and service the engines but will also reclaim used parts for future use. This latest contract follows another similar one awarded earlier in 1988 for the overhaul and support of 518 GE T700 engines from the Army’s UH-60 Blackhawk utility helicopters.

Westland to Expand Presence in Australia

Westland have teamed with local aerospace marketer, Hawker Pacific, to form a joint company under the name of Westland Pacific.

The new venture will marry the diversified manufacturing capabilities of Britain’s Westland Group with Australia’s largest general aviation marketing organisation. Westland will Mr Dave Gardner in Australia to oversee the new operation which will be used as a stepping stone to not only selling Westland helicopters in the region but to also develop additional industrial avenues for joint manufacture of components and parts associated with Westland products both here and abroad. Westland make a range of subassemblies for other manufacturers and, as joint partners in the EH. 101 Merlin programme, will also be able to better market that type, in association with Agusta, through having a regional office.

Westland have had an association with Australia since the early 1950s via Melbourne based Normalair Garrett, a company specialising in the repair, overhaul and manufacture of pneumatic, hydraulic, fuel, electrical, life support and turbocharger systems for both civil and military applications. Westland have also sold a wide range of helicopters into the region. Prime amongst these are Scouts, Wessex and Sea Kings to Australia and Wasps to New Zealand. _ In SE Asia Westland have sold helicopters to Indonesia and Malaysia and have recently won an important order for the supply of up to 12 Super Lynx naval helos to South Korea. This type is also on offer to equip our own Anzac frigates.

The Directors of both companies have stated: “The formation of Westland Pacific is the logical extension of the close relationship which has existed between the two companies over many years. Westland Group is keen to expand the avenues of market penetration for its aerospace, helicopter and various technology based products in the western Pacific while Hawker Pacific, with its extensive marketing and products support network and capability, is ideally placed to assist the Westland Group in further developing an expanded regional business base”.

Italy and Argentina Team to Develop New Utility Helicopter

Italy’s Agusta and the Argentine Air Force (which operates its own indigenous aircraft manufacturing and support capability) have joined forces to develop the Agusta A129 Utility helicopter.

This project was ideally suited to the Australian Army’s Kiowa replacement requirement as outlined by the DoD in 1986. At the time Agusta made overtures to Australia (refer p. 92 Jan 87 AA) to jointly produce this v!,lrsion of the A129. Negotiations with the federal government and local aerospace companies were unsuccessful though, largely as a result of Army’s Kiowa replacement programme being constantly redefined and finally held back in the five year plan. Investment by the partners will total $A150m with the joint agreement covering a 15 year marketing and manufacture period that Agusta see as being capable of generating at least 600 worldwide sales for the type. Though a requirement for this class of utility/recce helo already exists within the armed forces of Italy and Argentina, neither country has yet ordered the type.

Argentine industry will have the task of marketing the new helo in all Latin American countries with government support and will assemble all the helicopters destined for these markets. The agreement will also involve Argentine industry right from the initial design stage. Under the terms of the agreement the dynamic components of the A129 Utility will be manufactured in Agusta’s Italian factories while the fuselage will be produced in Argentina.

Masling Rotor Wing Expansion

Since becoming the local distributors for McDonnell Douglas helicopters, Masling Rotor Wing in Cootamundra NSW have really consolidated their position with the sale of fifteen C20R powered 500E helicopters to Pacific Helicopters in New Guinea with the first three due for delivery by the end of 1988 (refer p. 11 Sept 88 AA).

Masling also have a 500E demonstrator based in Cootamundra and those fortunate enough to attend the Bicentennial Air Show would have seen the aircraft on static display while the astronaut Pete Conrad gave an impressive flying display in the helicopter at the Australian Grand Prix.

Masling have also demonstrated their intention to support their products with the opening of a new overhaul shop for MD500 and Schweizer 300 major components with plans to expand to cover other types.

Masling have also been busy in other areas of helicopter sales with two Aerospatiale 330J Pumas also being sold to Pacific Helicopters and a Schweizer/Hughes 300C to a Sydney customer.

Aerospatiale Approval for Pacific

Pacific Aviation Pty Ltd are currently undergoing surveillance by the Aerospatial Helicopters Technical Department with a view to being appointed an approved Aerospatiale maintenance facility. This is part of Pacific’s long-term plan to provide an across the board helicopter maintenance service for all makes of helicopters in Australia.

Townsend’s Pioneering Japanese Helicopter Training Market

Townsend Helicopter Training School at Hoxton Park, Sydney has made a substantial breakthrough into the potentially vast Japanese rotary wing training market.

Back in 1986 the principals of Townsend’s, Chris and Ellena Townsend, visited Japan to investigate the possibility of training Japanese rotary wing pilots in Australia. With the congestion and geographic and ATC limitations existing in Japan combined with the very strong exchange rate in favour of the yen it seemed an exercise well worth the effort in developing further. The Japanese Government has made it official policy that helicopters will be used more widely in Japan with an expected 3,000 additional machines expected to become operational in the country over the coming five years. The trip has now paid sizeable dividends with the establishment of a sister company in Japan, Townsend Mari College at Osaka, plus the addition of a full-time theory school at Townsends Hoxton Park headquarters. This is not the first time an Australian training organisation has launched into the Asian rotary wing training environment but it is certainly another example of some good old fashioned foresight and hard work paying dividends in opening up a new and lucrative training market for Australia.