But manufacturer says obtaining approval for SuperCobras will prove more difficult

Bell Helicopter is confident that the vast bulk of a US Marine Corps order for 100 upgraded UH-1Y Huey utility helicopters will be converted from remanufactured to new-build airframes this month, but says obtaining approval for about 40 of 180 upgraded AH-1Z SuperCobra attack helicopters is proving more difficult.

The company has already invested internally in non-recurring engineering work to launch a new-build UH-1Y production line in three years, converting 88 remanufacture aircraft into all-new airframes.

The USMC is unlikely to secure a commitment for its new-build UH-1Y acquisition strategy until later this month, when the US Department of Defense will reveal its budget request for fiscal year 2006. "If you look at the amount [of a UH-1N] we reuse it's 18% of the aircraft," says Kevin Connell, Bell's H-1 upgrade programme manager. "But when they take an aircraft out of the field to turn it into the remanufacturing cycle they are basically reducing the force structure until they get an aircraft back that they can use."

A different argument will be needed to attract support for converting to new-build AH-1Zs, which reuse about 60% of theAH-1W. Bell's marketing theme will focus on the likely attrition rate of the AH-1W fleet, which may cause airframe shortages during the remanufacturing process. "If you consider attrition today because of the war effort, [the new-build strategy] is something the customer absolutely needs to do to protect the force structure," says Connell. "What we are looking at is potentially 40 new-builds to be inserted somewhere in the Lot 4/Lot 5 aircraft timeframe so that we can minimise the number of aircraft that we pull out of the fleet."

Connell says the 40-aircraft proposal also would allow the USMC to sustain a minimum inventory of attack helicopters through 2020, assuming a 2% annual attrition rate.

The UH-1Y and AH-1Z are due to enter an operational evaluation phase in June. Both are on schedule to enter the testing period.

STEPHEN TRIMBLE / FORT WORTH

Source: Flight International