AgustaWestland AW139

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Ma la lobby LM-Sikorsky resta in agguato ...

With the US Air Force’s UH-1N recapitalisation programme heating up, Sikorsky announced its plans to bid the HH-60U Black Hawk for the Huey replacement.

Sikorsky and its parent company, Lockheed Martin, would add 84 HH-60Us to the USAF’s existing inventory of three U-model Black Hawks, according to a 28 February Sikorsky press release.

Fonte: FlightGlobal ... Sikorsky pitches HH-60Us to replace USAF Hueys ...

 

Sembra che, come nella competizione T-X, si stia ripetendo, anche in questo caso, la sfida fra Boeing e Lockheed Martin ...

 

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Ancora in merito all'offerta di LM-Sikorsky ... secondo James Drew dello Aerospace Daily & Defense Report di AW&ST ...

 

... Lockheed Pitches HH-60U ‘Ghost Hawk’ As Huey Replacement ...

 

Ho paura sarà dura , molto dura ... anche perchè l'USAF, in passato (nonostante parecchi sbandamenti), aveva espresso 'simpatia' nei confronti dell'elicottero nazionale ... e, come purtoppo ben sappiamo, la lobby LM-Sikorsky non è affatto da sottovalutare ...

 

Intanto ... slitta di alcuni mesi la pubblicazione della RFP definitiva ... Helo: Anyone? Anyone? ...

Modificato 4 Marzo 2017 da TT-1 Pinto

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I vantaggi offerti dal '139' ... secondo Boeing ...

‘The Huey replacement is of vital importance to the Air Force, and the MH-139 is the right solution for those missions’, said Judy Fedder, director of Global Sales & Marketing, Boeing Integrated Logistics.

‘The fact that the AW139 is being built today on an active production line will speed it to meet the time-critical demand following the competition.’

‘This Northeast Philadelphia-built aircraft is sized to meet US Air Force requirements and offers more than $1 billion in acquisition and lifecycle expense savings over 30 years when compared to competitor aircraft’, added David Koopersmith, vice president and general manager, Boeing Vertical Lift.

Fonte: COMBAT AIRCRAFT ... HH-60U and MH-139 compete for ‘Huey’ replacement ...

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Pakistan ... un cliente affezionato ...

 

04-08-2016 ... http://www.leonardocompany.com/en/-/aw139-pakistan-1...

 

20-02-2017 ... http://www.leonardocompany.com/en/-/aw139-pakistan-2...

 

28-03-2017 ... http://www.leonardocompany.com/en/-/aw139-pakistan-3...

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Sostituzione degli UH-1N dell'USAF ... il capo dello STRATCOM protesta ...

The head of US Strategic Command targeted the Air Force’s acquisition process for repeated delays on replacing the aging UH-1Ns that defend the nation’s nuclear missile fields, saying the slow process has been “unacceptable.”

Fonte: AFA ... Hyten: UH-1 Replacement Delays Unacceptable ...

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Repubblica Ceca ... nuove prospettive per il '139' ...

The Czech Ministry of Defence may spend up to 12 billion koruna (U.S. $480 million) to acquire about a dozen new helos for the country’s armed forces.

The ministry initially aimed to spend only 6 billion krona on the procurement, but it is currently evaluating a proposal to double the deal’s value, according to sources close to the deal.

“The ongoing market research activities are entering their final phase.

No decision has been taken so far by the leadership of the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff,” Petr Medek, spokesman for the MoD, told local business daily Hospodarske noviny.

The leading contenders for the deal reportedly include two U.S. and two European industry players, and the offered aircraft include Sikorsky’s UH-60 Black Hawk, Airbus Helicopters' H145M, Bell’s UH-1Y and Leonardo’s AW139.

Fonte: DefenseNews ... Czech Defence Ministry eyes $480M helo deal ...

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Repubblica Ceca ... l'ottimismo di Leonardo ...

"The AW139M is fully compliant with the [defence ministry's] request for information and subsequent request for additional data," says Leonardo Helicopters managing director Daniele Romiti, who points to the model's weapons carriage capabilities and full icing protection system.

Noting that "the value of the AW139M-based offer is compliant", he adds: "To meet the need for a further programme budget reduction, this offer includes even more attractive conditions for initial training and support.”

The company's proposal includes significant local industry involvement, including from LOM Praha, Leonardo says.

Fonte: FlightGlobal ... Leonardo's AW139M targets Czech opportunity ...

 

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La sostituzione degli UH-1N dell'USAF ...

Lunga è la strada verso la RFP definitiva ...

The Air Force on April 19 issued another draft request for proposals for a new helicopter to replace the aged UH-1N fleet, which provides support to ICBM fields and transports VIPs.

The new draft incorporates industry input, and the service is still hoping to put out a final version this summer.

The service had to delay the RFP earlier this year, when it was found that none of the potential offerors could, with an “off the shelf” solution, meet its threshold requirements for the aircraft.

Fonte: AFA ... USAF Tries Again on Huey Replacement Draft Request ...

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Dopo un piccolo problema tecnico che aveva guastato, a fine Febbraio, la presentazione alla stampa dello MH-139 ... https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/aw139-bid-for-huey-replacement-kicks-off-with-a-glit-434751/ ... Leonardo è riuscita a portare felicemente in volo i giornalisti ...

Nonostante ciò ... permane lo sconcerto riguardo la posizione dell' USAF che si ostina a mantenere le specifiche relative al defunto programma CVLSP ...

Boeing and Leonardo Helicopters, along with their rotorcraft competitors, are baffled by the US Air Force’s requirements for the UH-1N Huey replacement programme but are pressing ahead with a bid based on the MH-139, a militarised version of the commercial AW139 medium-twin.

From Boeing’s perspective, the protracted Huey replacement programme is playing out like a repeat of the cancelled Common Vertical Lift Support Platform programme, with one mission set driving high speed, endurance and payload requirements.

The air force has hung onto stringent requirements set out in the CVLSP programme, including the ability for the helicopter to hover at 6,000ft in temperatures up to 35°C (95°F), but the helicopter industry has struggled to meet those standards, JD Clem, Leonardo helicopter division USAF director, told reporters this week at Leonardo’s AW139 facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Still, the service has not given up on requirements they set out years ago in CVLSP, he adds.

Fonte: FlightGlobal ... Boeing puzzles over UH-1N replacement requirements ...

[engine]

 

Fonte: FlightGlobal ... Leonardo's AW139M targets Czech opportunity ...

 

 

Se si tratta di sostituire anche il MiL 24, gli elicotteri proposti sembrano leggerini.

Lo AW-139 ha dalla sua un volume maggiore in cui si possono installare varie cose tra avionica , ECM , armamenti o spazio per i soldati.

L'ottimismo di Leonardo ha buone basi , parlando dal punto di vista tecnico.

 

Il problema è l'adattamento di un elicottero , pensato, in origine , per impieghi non militari.

La militarizzazione dovrà consistere soprattutto nei motori e nella protezione passiva; se la cosa funziona lo sviluppo è aperto a molte possibili versioni.

 

Per quanto riguarda l'Italia , l'Esercito in particolare, ci sono un bel po' di vecchie macchine da dismettere . UN AW-139 militare potrebbe farlo ed affiancare lo NH-90, che è stato ordinato in quantità insufficiente per rimpiazzare tutta la flotta elicotteri medio-leggeri anziana.

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Alla buonora !!!

 

Dal sito dell'AFA ...

 

USAF Releases Final Huey Replacement RFP ...

The Air Force on July 14 released its final request for proposals (1) to replace the UH-1N fleet that patrols the service’s nuclear missile fields.

The proposal calls for responses by Aug. 28, with a contract award expected in spring 2018.

The service is looking for an initial operating capability as early as 2020.

The Air Force has repeatedly released draft RFPs, as recently as April (2), after industry told the Air Force it could not meet requirements with an “off the shelf” solution.

The Air Force wants to buy 84 helicopters, with the bulk of the fleet providing security for Air Force Global Strike Command, though they also will be used for transporting VIPs.

—Brian Everstine

(1) ... https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=f1b5044f080c37b63521aebb42b04d25&tab=core&_cview=1 ...

(2) ..... http://www.airforcemag.com/DRArchive/Pages/2017/April%202017/April%2021%202017/USAF-Tries-Again-on-Huey-Replacement-Draft-Request.aspx ...

A UH-1N prepares to land and drop off 790th Missile Security Forces Squadron Tactical Response Force airmen April 14, 2016, outside a launch facility in the F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., missile complex.

The Air Force recently released its final request for proposals to industry to replace the aging helicopter fleet.

Air Force photo by SrA. Brandon Valle.

Si aprono le scommesse su quale concorrente vincerà la gara ...

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HeliVert AW139 ...

HeliVert completes final assembly of the 15-passenger, five-blade AW139 at its National Helicopter Building Center in Tomilino near Moscow.

The first aircraft assembled under the HeliVert joint venture between Russian Helicopters and Leonardo lifted off in December 2012.

Leonardo also completes final assembly of the AW139 in the U.S. in Philadelphia, and Boeing recently selected the type - rebranded the MH-139 - to compete for an 84-helicopter U.S. Air Force requirement.

Photo: James Drew/AW&ST

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Se c'è Boeing alle spalle , allora le possibilità di vincere sono buone , anche per non dare tutto a Sikorsky / Lockheed .

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Se c'è Boeing alle spalle , allora le possibilità di vincere sono buone , anche per non dare tutto a Sikorsky / Lockheed .

 

Vero ... ma fino ad un certo punto.

In più di un'occasione pezzi grossi dell'USAF hanno espresso le loro simpatie verso il Black Hawk tentando di far passare un suo acquisto diretto.

Se la presente competizione si tiene è perchè vi sono state pressioni politiche in tal senso ... ma ho l'impressione che si tratti soltanto di un'operazione di facciata.

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Secondo Boeing ...

... Boeing MH-139 Helicopter Could Save Air Force More Than $1 Billion ...

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Chissà se le " teste di Halloween " ( = zucche vuote ) del Pentagono lo capiscono.....

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Chissà se le " teste di Halloween " ( = zucche vuote ) del Pentagono lo capiscono .....

 

Più che del Pentagono ... direi dell'Air Force ... i cui 'papaveri', da tempo, hanno fatto capire che le loro preferenze sono indirizzate su Sikorsky ...

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The Czech Republic has shortlisted bids from Bell Helicopter and Leonardo Helicopters for a 12-unit requirement for multirole rotorcraft.

Prague's defence ministry says it has accepted offers from both the Italian and US goverments for the procurement.

It now intends to "assess and evaluate" both offers, it says.

Fonte: flightglobal.com ... Czech Republic shortlists UH-1Y and AW139 for helicopter acquisition ...

 

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Magari gli americani , per abbassare il prezzo, modificheranno qualche UH preso dai musei o da Davis-Monthan .

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La competizione relativa alla sostituzione dei vecchi UH-1N che supportano le basi degli ICBM sparse negli stati settentrionali degli USA, cui Boeing partecipa proponendo lo MH-139 di AW, si ingarbuglia sempre di più ogni giorno che passa ...

 

https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/02/20/lockheed-filed-a-pre-award-protest-of-the-air-forces-huey-replacement-competition-heres-why/

 

https://www.verticalmag.com/news/six-things-know-sikorskys-air-force-protest/

 

http://aviationweek.com/defense/sierra-nevadas-force-hawk-getting-under-sikorsky-s-skin

 

In precedenza ...

 

http://aviationweek.com/defense/snc-enters-huey-replacement-competition-force-hawk

 

http://www.janes.com/article/75282/snc-pitches-force-hawk-as-usaf-huey-replacement

 

http://www.aviationtoday.com/2017/10/23/can-garmin-cockpit-defend-ballistic-missile-fields/

 

 

 

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Sostituzione degli UH-1N ... Il programma continua a non decollare ... e l'USAF si vede costretta a fare qualche aggiornamento tappabuchi ...

Air Force Global Strike Command has provided fuel and armament system changes to current UH-1N Huey helicopters in use in the service's missile fields to help the aging aircraft do its job as the replacement program continues to languish in source selection and a Government Accountability Office protest, the head of US Strategic Command said Tuesday.

The Air Force is in the middle of source selection of the UH-1N Huey Replacement program, but Sikorsky has filed a pre-award protest with the Government Accountability Office on the selection process.

STRATCOM boss USAF Gen. John Hyten told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that his "frustration" with the program "won't go away."

He said he has been working to "try to get a helicopter in the hands of the folks at the missile fields for more than a decade."

Fonte: airforcemag.com ... USAF Upgraded Hueys to Address Operational Risk as Replacement Program Slows ...

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Dal 'Daily Report' dell'AFA del 12 Aprile 2018 ...

Il generale Rand ribadisce il suo ottimismo ...

Rand Expresses Confidence that UH-1N Replacement on the Way ...

Gen. Robin Rand, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, Wednesday expressed confidence the planned replacement of UH-1N helicopters, which guards US nuclear missile fields, will proceed, despite delays.

Rand told a House Armed Services Committee hearing last month (*) a request for proposals for the new helicopter had been released and he hoped a source would be picked by the end of the summer.

Speaking to an AFA-sponsored, Air Force breakfast Wednesday, Rand acknowledged that he has some concerns about the possibility of further delays to the contract award, but said he hoped it would be later this summer.

“Everything expires, otherwise we’d still be flying B-17s and P-51s. So, it’s time,” said Rand, noting that although other commanders have talked about replacing the Vietnam-era helicopters, he is the first “that can say we have dollars allocated” for the program.

“So it’s going to happen,” he said, “and that is something that I take great comfort in knowing, that we’ve been able to move the ball right inside the five-yard line.”

- Steve Hirsch

 

(*) ... il precedente (23 Marzo 2018) ...

 

Rand Hopes UH-1N Replacement Contract Will be Awarded by Summer’s End ...

Air Force Gen. Robin Rand, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, said Thursday he hopes the Air Force will pick a source for replacement of the Vietnam-era UH-1N Huey by autumn.

Gen. John Hyten, head of the US Strategic Command, last year criticized repeated delays on replacing the helicopters, which defend US nuclear missile fields.

In Thursday testimony before a House Armed Services subcommittee, Rand said the request for proposals for the replacement has been released and he said he hopes the “source selection will come before the end of the summer.”

In an unusual move, Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, filed a pre-award protest with the Government Accountability Office in February, alleging the Air Force’s insistence on owning the intellectual property rights “are inconsistent with the RFP and contrary to law.”

The service now is prohibited from awarding a contract until the protest is resolve; the GAO has until May 23 to make its decisions.

- Steve Hirsch

 

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Tre mesi fa ... Sikorsky aveva presentato una protesta ...

... airforcemag.com ... Sikorsky Files Pre-Award Protest with GAO Over Upcoming UH-1N Contract ...

Ora ... il GAO la respinge ...

GAO Rejects Sikorsky’s Pre-Award Protest of the UH-1N Replacement Program ...

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, is “reviewing” its “options” after the Government Accountability Office dismissed its pre-award protest of the Air Force’s UH-1N helicopter replacement program, allowing the service to move forward with source selection.

“We remain confident the Sikorsky HH-60U offering is the strongest, most capable and only technically compliant solution for the UH-1N Huey replacement program,” company spokeswoman Melissa Chadwick told Air Force Magazine in an emailed statement.

“We remain committed to supporting the Air Force and providing them with a proven, in-production military aircraft for the critical no-fail mission of protecting our nation’s nuclear missile silos and supporting the continuity-of-government mission.”

Lockheed’s highly unusual decision to protest before USAF awarded a contract, was based primarily on concerns related to intellectual property rights.

Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said the service planned to award a contract for "up to 84" replacement helicopters by the end of the fiscal year.

"The Air Force remains committed to delivering a UH-1N replacement as soon as possible. UH-1Ns are one part of a multi-layered ICBM defense system," said Stefanek.

"DOD will continue to take actions necessary to mitigate UH-1N capability shortfalls. Our nation's nuclear deterrent remain safe, secure, effective, and ready."

- Amy McCullough (AFA Daily Report - 5/23/2018) .....

 

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Ed ora si parla di rinvio ...

The Air Force had planned to award two contracts this summer for major aircraft competitions, but one of them — the UH-1N Huey replacement — may slip into fall, the Air Force’s top civilian said Tuesday.

For the UH-1N Huey replacement, the service had planned to decide among three competitors sometime in June. However, a pre-award protest by Sikorsky denied by the Government Accountability Office last week resulted in a delay of contract award to the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2018 — or sometime before Oct. 1, Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said in a statement.

Fonte: defensenews.com ... Another Air Force aircraft contract got delayed. Here are the details. ...

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La cosa era già stata annunciata nello scorso autunno ...

Questa azienda vorrebbeo dunque acquisire vecchi UH-60A dismessi dall'Esercito, ricondizionarli e trasformarli in UH-60L per poi cederli all'USAF ...

... SNC will acquire divested UH-60A helicopters and transport them to Corpus Christi Army Depot, Texas, for inspection and A-to-L-model conversion.

Once released to SNC, Bailey said the aircraft will be sent back to a Huntsville, Alabama, facility where it will undergo additional upgrades, installation of the Garmin cockpit display, and additional missionisation before being delivered to the USAF.

Fonte: janes.com (300 of 523 words) ... Sierra Nevada utilising army’s Black Hawk exchange programme for UH-1N replacement ...

Ulteriori informazioni qui ... verticalmag.com ... GAO provides more details on Sikorsky’s Air Force protest ...