Rotor Torque

Under Phase 8 the Ran Requires Delivery of Its First Mh-60r Romeos From Mid 2014, but Australia Has Requested Early Delivery of Some of the Aircraft. Consequently, Under Current Planning the First Two Mh-60rs Will Be Delivered in December 2013, Followed by Seven in 2014, Seven in 2015, and the Last Eight in 2016, According to George Barton, Director of Naval Helicopter Programs at Lockheed Martin’s Ms2 Business.

Lockheed Martin is Hopeful an Acquisition Contract for the Australian Romeos Will Be Signed by the End of This Year, While a Through Life Support Contract Will Be in Place by 2013. The Acquisition Contract Will Also Incorporate a Commitment That Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky Place Work With Australian Industry Under Their Respective Global Supply Chain Agreements With the Australian Government (Lockheed Martin Signed Its Gsc Agreement in January, While Sikorsky is Expected to Sign Around the Time of the Romeo Acquisition Contract).

Then Australian Industry Capability (Aic) Work Packages Will Be Negotiated Over a Three Month Timeframe Once the Acquisition Contract is Signed.

“we’ve Got an Awful Lot of Work to Do This Year With Regard to the Program,” Barton Told Australian Journalists on October 27. “we Just Completed a Through Life Support Survey at Nowra, and We Spent Two Weeks Over There Going Through the Facilities, a Site Survey Meeting With the Dmo Reps Fleshing Out the Details of Exactly What They Are Going to Want. We Have a Meeting Here in November to Discuss Some of the Development Options, and Then in December There is a Scheduled Program Review With the Us Navy and Australia. So a Lot of Work is Going to Be Ongoing Between the Two Teams and Industry Will Be Supporting Those. ”

Heliwest Awarded Qld Police Trial

Western Australia Based Heliwest Has Been Awarded a Six Month, $500,000 Trial Contract to Provide Queensland With Its First Police Helicopter.

The First Phase of the Trial Got Underway at the Beginning of November and Runs Through January. Queensland Officials Said the Helicopter Would Be Used for Everything From Vehicle Pursuits to Tracking Graffiti Offenders and Would Be Deployed Over Major Events Including Schoolies, New Year’s Eve and Australia Day Celebrations.

Heliwest Says It Will Employ a Bell 206 Longranger Fitted With a Forward Looking Infra-red (Flir) Camera and a Night Sun Searchlight, as Well as Night Vision Goggles for the Pilots and Crew.

The Machine Will Be Flown by Heliwest Pilots and Crewed by Queensland Police, and the Contract Calls for It to Fly 20 Hours a Week.

Defence Calls for Iroquois Disposal Tenders

Defence Has Called for Tenders for the Disposal of Six Ex Army Bell Uh-1h Iroquois the Government is Offering to Historical Organisations Interested in Displaying the Craft.

Priority Will Be Given to Organisations in Australia That Have a Strong Historic Connection to the Aircraft, Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare Said. Organisations Selected as Recipients Will Be Required to Pay About $10,000 in Costs Associated With ‘demilitarising’ the Helicopters. The Organisations Will Also Need to Be Approved by the Us Government Under the Terms of the Original Sale of the Helicopters to Australia.

Eleven Iroquois Have Already Been Allocated to Defence Bases Around Australia and One to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra for Static Display.

Another Five Machines Will Be Kept by the Adf as Training Aids, While Another Two Have Been Offered for Sale to National Returned Service Organisations.

The Tender Will Close on January 27 2012.

Nh90 Gets Final Config Approval

the European Version of Australia’s New Military Transport Helicopter Has Received Approval for Its Final Operational Configuration From Nato’s Helicopter Management Agency.

Eurocopter – Which Produces the Nh90 Tactical Transport Helicopter (Tth) – Hailed Thedecision as a Major Milestone and Said It Would Begin Delivering Final Versions of the Aircraft to the French Army. Deliveries to Italy, Belgium and Germany Are Set to Begin Next Year.

The Australian Version – Known as the Mrh 90 and Manufactured Locally by Australian Aerospace – Has Faced a Number of Issues Including a High Profile Engine Failure, Transmission Oil Cooler Fan Failures, Floor Panels That Don’t Meet Specifications, and Poor Spares Availability.

Just 13 of the 46 Mrh 90s on Order Under Phases 2, 4 and 6 of Air 9000 Have Been Delivered, With Defence Suspending Deliveries of the Helicopters Late Last Year While Issues With the Program Are Resolved.

Lockheed Martin Prepares for Unmanned K-max Trial

Lockheed Martin is Preparing for the Deployment of Two Unmanned Kaman K-max Helicopters to Afghanistan This Month to Begin Operating a Six Month Trial Resupplying Us Marine Corps Forward Operating Bases There.

The Contract Was Awarded Earlier This Month to Lockheed Martin Ahead of Boeing’s Competing Hummingbird Unmanned Helicopter, After a Five Day Evaluation of the K-max From Yuma, Arizona, During the Northern Summer.

“the Mission is Essentially a Flying Truck, the Objective is to Take Convoys Off the Road,” Roger Il Grande, Director of Airborne Systems for Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems & Sensors Business Unit, Told Australian Media on October 27.

The Helicopter, Originally Developed by Kaman as an Aerial Crane for Roles Such as Logging and Powerline Installations, Can Lift Up to 2725kg on Its External Hook. Powered by a Derated 1350shp Honeywell (Lycoming) T53, It Features Contrarotating Rotors and Kaman’s Signature Servo Tabs.

Unmanned, the K-max Will Be Controlled by a Pilot From a Ground Control System, Which Can Control the Helicopter to Within 10 Metres Accuracy.

Lockheed Martin Developed Both the K-max’s Unmanned Control Avionics and Ground Control Station System (Which Uses Ruggedised Laptops).

“i Hate to Say It, [unmanned] It Lifts Better Loads Better Than I Can,” Lockheed Martin Flight Test Pilot Jerry Mccawley Said.

The Pilot Seat Remains in the K-max So It Can Be Flown Optionally Manned if Necessary, and Indeed Il Grande Said That Feature Was Key to Its Quick and Successful Development Program as a Pilot Could Intervene Should the Aircraft Experience Problems During Flight Testing, Meaning No Aircraft Were Lost During Testing (a Common Occurrence for Unmanned Systems) and That the Unmanned Control Software Could Be Rewritten More Quickly.

The Helicopters – Zero Timed Former Civil K-max Airframes – Will Be Government Owned but Contractor Operator for the Afghanistan Trial. Should the Trial Be Successful, Lockheed Martin and Kaman Could Deliver Further Refurbished K-maxes Within a Six Month Timeframe, While New Build Aircraft Could Be Delivered One Year After Order (the K-max is Currently Out of Production).

Most K-max Resupply Missions Are Expected to Be Flown at Night to Minimise Its Vulnerability to Small Arms Fire and Rocket Propelled Grenades.

As Well as Its Aerodynamic Efficiency for Lifting, the Contrarotating System Has Another Advantage in a Combat Environment, Said Mccawley, in Its Low Noise Signature.

So Far, Australia Has Not Shown Any Official Interest in the K-max Capability, According to Il Grande.

First Aw169 Order for Region

the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust Has Ordered Two Agustawestland Aw169 Helicopters, the First Sale of the Type in Australasia.

According to Local Distributor Heliflite, the Aw169s Will Be Delivered in 2015 and Will Be Used for Emergency Medical Retrievals and Search and Rescue Missions.

The 4. 5 Tonne Class Aw169 is a Development of the Aw149 and Was Launched at the Farnborough Airshow in 2010. It is Due to Make Its First Flight in 2012.

Boeing Delivers First Apache Block Iii

Boeing Has Delivered Its First Ah-64d Apache Block Iii Attack Helicopter to the Us Army, Under an Initial Us$247m Contract Signed Last Year Covering Eight Aircraft.

The New the Ah-64d Block Iii Features Enhanced 1500kw T700-701d Engines, Composite Main Rotor Blades, a New Split-torque Face Gear Transmission, the Modernised Target Acquisition Detection System/pilot Night Vision System (Mtads/pnvs), and Enhanced Networked Datalinks and Communications.

The Us Army Currently Has a Requirement for 690 Block Iii Apaches, Most of Which Will Be Remanufactured From Current Ah-64ds.

Briefs

• the Atsb Has Released Its Investigation Report Into the Loss of Tailrotor Control of a Garlick Th-1f Helicopter, Registration Vh-uhd, Over the Nangar National Park in Nsw in December 2009. The Th-1f Was Engaged in Aerial Firefighting Operations in the Park When, at About 200ft Above Ground Level, the Nose of the Helicopter Unexpectedly Yawed to the Right and the Machine Descended Into Trees and Was Seriously Damaged.

The Pilot Was Seriously Injured.

The Loss of Directional Control Was Due to a Structural Failure in the Helicopter’s Tailrotor Control System, Likely Precipitated by the Failure of an Attachment Bolt.

• Helibiz Australia Recently Completed the 13th Helicopter Safari That Saw Nine Helicopters and Crews Fly Around Far North Queensland and Cape York. The Seven Day Trip Began From Helibiz at Whitsunday Airport and Visited Hamilton Island, Bowen, Ravenswood, Tully, Port Douglas, Cooktown, Thursday Island, Karumba and Adel’s Grove.