Douglas Barrie/LONDON
Germany's parliamentary defence approvals committee will meet on 17 June to determine whether to give the final go-ahead for or an upgrade of the German navy's GKN Westland Lynx fleet.
The defence procurement committee met at the end of May, but was unable to give a final decision because certain finance documents ere not ready.
The navy is looking to upgrade its 17 Lynx shipborne helicopters, in part as a gap filler until the eventual arrival of the naval variant of the four-nation NH Industries NH90 tactical utility helicopter. The service has already ordered an additional seven new-build Lynx 88A helicopters, deliveries of which are expected to begin in July 1999, according to programme sources.
The upgrade programme is intended to bring the navy's 17 Lynx airframes up to the same 88A standard as that of the new-build helicopters.
This would include modifying the tail rotor, and installing a 360°-scan GEC-Marconi Seaspray radar, rather than the present 180¼-scan model, which supports the Matra BAe Dynamics Sea Skua short range air-to-surface missile.
The upgrade would also include the same improved navigation and communications suite, plus the ability to integrate a forward looking infrared sensor. The latter item, however, is not specified as part of the upgrade.
Signing off funding for the programme has been the focus of debate within Germany, where the upgrade has been perceived in industrial quarters as competing with spending on the NH90. The German navy will eventually take a maritime variant of the helicopter.
The projected cost of the upgrade has also grown considerably from the originally estimated DM150 million ($83 million), with German defence ministry pressuring the manufacturer to contain the cost growth.
If as is expected by Bonn sources the committee ticks off the Lynx upgrade, then the project is likely to go to contract by the third or fourth quarter of this year.
The bulk of the upgrade work on the navy's Lynx fleet will be carried by Eurocopter Donauworth, in Germany, say programme sources.
The navy is looking to keep the Lynx in service until 2015, although it would begin to take delivery of maritime NH90s in 2007.
Source: Flight International
