Rotor Torque

Eurocopter Ec 120 Flies

The five seat Eurocopter EC 120 light helicopter flew for the first time on June 9 from Eurocopter France’s Marignane site. The flight lasted nine minutes. Eurocopter is developing the Turboméca Arrius IF powered EC 120 in partnership with Singapore Aerospace and CATIC and Harbin of China. Between them CATIC and Harbin have a 24% share of the programme and are responsible for the design and production of the fuselage, while Singapore Aerospace’s share covers the tailboom, cabin doors and composite structure of the Fenestron shrouded tail rotor. Eurocopter is programme leader with 61%, and is in charge of overall design, integration and testing.

Faa Reports On Robinsons

A US Federal Aviation Administration report aimed at reducing the accident rates of the much maligned Robinson R22 and R44 light helicopters has recommended design changes, further flight restrictions and additional flight testing. The evaluation, which did not endorse the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) recommendation that the two Robinsons be grounded, instead recommended improved rotor speed control to reduce the chances of main rotor blade stalls, that the slow rotor speed warning horn activate sooner, proposes an AD that prohibits low pushover manoeuvres, and suggests that the RPM governor be turned off except for training purposes.

Havoc & Apache Fly Off

Sweden is to hold a competitive fly off evaluation between the McDonnell Douglas AH-64 Apache and the Mi-28 Havoc as part of efforts to determine if the country needs an attack helicopter force. The Swedish army funded trials will involve two AH-64 Apaches and two Mi-28s and will take place between late August and mid September. The demonstration and evaluation tests will involve day and night tactical flying and firing trials. Bell, Eurocopter and Agusta are also understood to have been asked to provide quotes for the cost of the trials. Sweden does not at this time have an official requirement for an attack helicopter, although 20 are expected to be procured later in the decade to replace the Swedish army’s 20 Heli-TOW armed MBB BO 105CB anti tank helicopters.

Racq Careflight Receives New 412

Gold Coast based RACQ Careflight has taken delivery of a brand new Bell 412 to replace its Aerospatiale AS 350 Squirrel which had been in service since 1985. The new 412 represents a significant improvement in capability over the Squirrel, allowing RACQ Careflight to carry up to four critically injured patients and a medical crew of four at the one time, and is faster and has a greater range. For the first time RACQ Careflight is also able to provide 24 hour all weather operations throughout southern Queensland and northern NSW. Bell’s Australian agent Helitech configured the 412 for its EMS role at its Brisbane base. Features of the aircraft include single pilot IFR operations, weather radar, GPS, long range fuel tanks, 275kg (600lb) external rescue hoist, Nightsun searchlight and emergency service radio system.

Western Avionics For Hind

France’s Sextant Avionique has been selected to develop a new integrated avionics suite for the modernised Mi-35 export version of the Mi-24 Hind. Sextant Avionique will lead divisions of Thomson-CSF to develop the new avionics suite which will feature LCD displays to present all flight control information, and advanced navigation, detection and fire control functions, giving the Mi-35M a night/all weather combat capability.

Canadian Helicopter Contests Near

Canada’s Department of National Defence is close to launching two military helicopter programmes, the Maritime Helicopter Project (MHP) to replace ASW Sea Kings, and the Canadian Search and Rescue Helicopter (CSH) to replace SAR CH-113s (CH-46s). The request for proposals for Canada’s requirement for 32 off the shelf maritime helicopters is expected to be issued in the next few months. Already though the Sikorsky Seahawk appears to be the favourite to meet the requirement. Sikorsky has teamed with Loral Canada (who was the prime contractor for systems integration for the cancelled Canadian EH 101 programme that was to have originally filled the contract) to offer a version of the S-70B. Other contenders are the EH Industries (Agusta/Westland) Cormorant 100 (an export version of the maritime EH 101), the Eurocopter Cougar Mk II and even the Kamov Ka-32. Canada originally planned to meet its MHP requirement with a unique development of the EH 101 which it was funding, however this aircraft was cancelled in late 1993 as the $C4.4bn cost for it and an SAR variant was considered too expensive. The current budget for the MHP is $C2bn. Candidates for the Canadian Search and Rescue Helicopter are expected to include the Sikorsky Black Hawk, Eurocopter Cougar Mk II, EH Industries’ civil certificated Cormorant 500 development of the EH 101, the Kamov Ka-32 and the Boeing CH-47D Chinook. Requirements for the helicopter include the ability to carry 10 survivors and five crew, a range of 500nm (925km) and a 120kt (222km/h) cruising speed at sea level.

Quality Certification Award For Lloyd Helicopters

Australia’s largest helicopter operator, Lloyd Helicopters, has been awarded the internationally recognised Quality System Standard AS/NZS 9002 quality standard certification. The award follows a 12 month long intensive examination of the company’s activities by Norwegian accreditation agency Det Norske Veritas, who specialises in certification of shipping and aviation companies. The agency assessed the complete range of Lloyd’s activities including operations, engineering, flight standards, training, commercial undertakings and finance and administration. The certification is an industry first, and, according to Managing Director Alan Latham was further evidence of the high quality of service Lloyd was delivering to its Australian and overseas customers. The Lloyd Helicopter Group operates 40 twin and single engine helicopters on a diverse range of helicopter operations from 14 fixed bases and on detachment throughout Australia, Thailand and the Philippines. The company is also looking at expanding its business into China and India.

Seahawk Fires Hellfires

The US Navy has conducted test firings of the Hellfire laser guided anti tank missile from a Sikorsky HH-60 Seahawk combat rescue helicopter. The firings (six in all) were conducted as part of a programme to arm a number of HH-60 and SH-60B Seahawk helicopters with the missile. Integration work of the Hellfire with the HH-60 is currently underway, while work with the SH-60B will take place next year. The USN is also looking at fitting a number of Seahawks with a nose mounted Texas Instruments forward looking infrared sensor and laser designator to give them contingency ability to fire Hellfires.

Briefs

The governments of France and Germany have signed a memorandum of understanding covering the industrialisation phase of the Eurocopter Tiger and its Trigat weapon system. Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries and trading house Okura and Company have signed an agreement with the Anglo/Italian EH industries, which covers marketing, support and, when appropriate, licence manufacture of the EH 101 in Japan. EH Industries had earlier signed a similar agreement with McDonnell Douglas Helicopters covering the USA. In other EH 101 news, Saudi Arabia and the UK are believed to be negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding covering the possible sale of ASW EH 101s. Romania’s IAR Brasov will build 96 Bell AH-1F HueyCobra attack helicopters under licence for the Romanian military, under a recently signed agreement between Bell and the Romania. Deliveries are planned to begin 1999. The US Department of Defense has awarded its Value Engineering Award for Outstanding Navy Contractor to Bell Helicopter Textron for its work on the AH-1W SuperCobra for the US Marines. RotorWay International has shipped more than 350 kits for its Exec 90 and Exec 162F kit helicopters since the company began operations in 1990. More than half have been exported outside the USA, and the company estimates that over 200 kits have been completed and are flying. Bell Boeing has pared back an extra 900kg from the empty weight of the V-22 Osprey. Flyaway costs of the Marines’ MV-22 transport has been cut down to $US33m, and ways of reaching the target unit price of $US29.4 have been identified. The first new build Hiller UH-12E3 light utility helicopter flew for the first time in May. The UH-12E3 is the first of 20 Hiller helicopters being built for the group of Thai investors who are backing new production of the Hiller series. The rate of fatal helicopter accidents in the USA during 1988 to 1992 fell by 47% compared with the previous five year period to 0.9 fatal accidents per 100,000 flying hours, according to a Flight Safety Foundation report. The Foundation says that pilot error was the major factor in 62 of the 85 fatal accidents studied, while 24 involved poor weather or visibility. Eurocopter has delivered the two BO 105CBS helicopters ordered by the Russian civil defence and emergencies ministry. The BO 105s are configured with a rescue hoist, searchlight and long range fuel tanks. The helicopter sale was the first direct helicopter sale between Germany and Russia. NSW Health Minister Andrew Refshauge has agreed to community consultation before acting on a report which recommends the shifting of the North Coast Rescue helicopter from Lismore to Coffs Harbour. The report was commissioned by the previous NSW State government and understandably met with strong opposition from the Lismore community when it was released last December. An African operated Sikorsky S-61N water taxied 30km to land when it made an emergency landing on calm seas off Namibia following the failure of one of its two engines. The four passengers and two crew were unharmed in the incident. An investigation is underway as to why the helicopter could not be flown on the one remaining engine, as it was designed to do. A Korean government plan will see 17 heliports established at major South Korean cities by July next year. The move is part of South Korean Government efforts to revitalise intra and intercity transportation by helicopter. A little bit different to Australia! Eurocopter has announced improvements to both the AS 350 Squirrel and BO 105. The AS 350B3 Squirrel is powered by a 860shp (640kW) Turboméca Arriel 2 and has the increased chord tail rotor of the AS 355N. The BO 105 LS A-3 Super Lifter will be available from later this year and features improvements to the main and tail rotors, increasing max mission weight to 2850kg (6277lb).