Rotor Torque

Teams led by Australian Aerospace (EC135), Boeing Defence Australia (EC135) and Raytheon Australia (Bell 429) will now go forward to submit final proposals under AIR 9000 Phase 7 to meet the future rotary-wing training needs of the Australian Defence Force. Most notably left off the shortlist is AgustaWestland, which had teamed with CAE and BAE Systems.

Army and Navy students are set to be trained from 2016-17 in Nowra, NSW under the framework of the HATS project, which is valued at up to $1 billion. The new system will include light twin-engine helicopters, plus synthetic training devices.

According to a statement from Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Dr Mike Kelly, the introduction of the AIR 9000 Phase 7 training system will see the retirement of 40 Kiowa helicopters operated by Army and 13 Squirrel helicopters operated by Navy.

“This new joint training system will overcome the broadening gap in training systems required for the advanced operational helicopters to be operated by the future ADF, including 22 Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters, 47 MRH 90 Multi Role Helicopters, 24 Seahawk Romeo maritime combat helicopters and seven CH-47F Chinook medium-lift helicopters,” the ministers stated.

The government is expected to select the successful HATS contractor team by mid-2014.

Heli Charters merges with Nautilus Aviation

Townsville-based Nautilus Aviation is merging with Heli Charters to create what has been described by the new entity as north Queensland’s “largest and most professional” aviation charter group. Effective May 31 Heli Charters was rebranded as Nautilus Aviation.

The new business, owned by Melbourne-based businessman Chris Morris, will hire an additional three pilots and will acquire a Bell 407 to bring its total fleet to eight aircraft across bases in Townsville, Cairns and Horn Islands.

Heli Charters was sold to Morris by company founder Steve Spinaze in April.

MH-60R training milestone achieved

The first Australians have complete their initial MH-60R Romeo qualifications, marking a milestone in the AIR 9000 Phase 8 project.

LCDR Simon Lam, LCDR Joshua Carey and LEUT Timothy Clerke form the MH-60R test team embedded into the DMO to support the introduction of the Romeo. Lam and Carey recently completed their MH-60R NATOPS Evaluations with HSM 40 at Naval Air Station Mayport, Florida.

The pair began their training with other aircrew from NUSQN 725 in early March. After a significantly compressed nine weeks of accelerated study, computer-based learning, simulators and flights they completed their final evaluation on May 15. This now means they are the first Australians qualified on MH-60R, being acquired to replaced S-70B-9 Seahawks under the AIR 9000 Phase 8 program.

The team will now absorb the aircraft’s mission and weapon systems before relocating to Patuxent River in Maryland, the heartland of the US Navy’s Test community. They will join USN Test Squadron HX 21 to support testing of the Australian-configured MH-60R, with the unified aim to deliver the first Australian aircraft in December this year.

Their NATOPS achievement is a significant milestone in the ultimate delivery of the MH-60R back to Australia and will go a long way to ensuring there is an integral systems and airframe knowledge at a flight test level embedded in the RAN.

Avlite donates helipad lighting to RACQ RACQ

CareFlight Rescue’s Toowoomba helipad has been fitted with a solar-powered helipad lighting system to enhance crew safety and efficiency during night operations. One of Queensland’s busiest helicopter rescue bases facilitating some 80 per cent of the more than 500 missions operated annually by CareFlight, the Toowoomba base accepted the lighting system as a donation from Avlite Systems.

CareFlight’s night missions are currently completed with the help of high-tech night vision goggles and a spotlight mounted adjacent to the helipad, but the new compliant lights will serve to greatly enhance this process.

Avlite Systems’ manager of helipad and obstruction lighting, Kenny Gardner, said he hoped the donation reflected and recognised the great work CareFlight does in the community.

“As an Australian solar aviation lighting manufacturer, we wanted to donate a set of our solar-powered helipad lights for use in Toowoomba to assist CareFlight in enhancing their facilities,” Gardner said.

Eurocopter UK receives sup-port contract for upgraded RAF Puma Mk2s

Eurocopter UK has been awarded a three-year support contract for the 24 RAF Puma Mk2 helicopters being upgraded by the company under the life extension program awarded in 2009.

To date, eight have completed the process that enhances the Puma’s operational capabilities in combat, troop transport, load movement and humanitarian operations, and extends the helicopters’ operational lifetime to at least 2025.

Improvements include the use of new Makila 1A1 turboshaft engines that considerably increase performance, a full glass cockpit incorporating modern avionics and a flight management system, a digital automatic flight control system and a secure communications suite, defensive aids and ballistic protection for crew and passengers.

National Police Agency of Japan acquires four new Eurocopters

Eurocopter Japan has signed contracts with Japan’s National Police Agency for four helicopters, comprising an EC155 B1 for the Hyogo Prefectural Police, an AS365 N3+ for Hiroshima Prefectural Police and EC135 P2Es for the Osaka and Fukuoka Prefectural Police forces.

NPA currently operates 29 Eurocopter light-twin and medium-class helicopters for crime prevention, investigative search and security patrols, as well as other public service missions such as lifesaving operations and transportation.

Four futher flight test CH-53Ks ordered

Sikorsky has been awarded a US$435 million contract to build four production-representative CH-53K heavylift helicopters for the