BRENDAN SOBIE / SINGAPORE

Manufacturer promotes Black Hawk derivatives to meet variety of requirements

Sikorsky has offered to shift S-70 production to Taiwan’s Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) if Taipei agrees to select UH-60 Black Hawk derivatives for several of its new helicopter requirements.

Industry sources say Taiwan has so far refused to accept the unsolicited proposal because it is not ready to acquire replacements for its army AH-1W attack and UH-1H utility helicopters and is also leaning towards purchasing other types for more immediate firefighting and search and rescue (SAR) requirements.

Sikorsky has approached several foreign manufacturers over the past year to gauge their interest in producing the S-70 and UH-60L. The manufacturer is preparing to phase out production of the UH-60L and derivatives to make room for the new UH-60M and to satisfy orders for over 1,200 Ms from the US Army. It also has discussed moving S-70/UH-60L production to the Czech Republic, Poland, South Korea and Turkey, although Seoul has now been excluded because it earlier this month confirmed a decision to advance an indigenous project in partnership with Eurocopter.

Taiwan will similarly be excluded if the Black Hawk is not selected by its army. The service has long required replacements for its AH-1W and UH-1H fleets, but an anticipated acquisition of 150-plus aircraft is not expected to begin for at least another two years.

Sikorsky is trying to persuade the service, which in early 2004 received bids for an initial 30 AH-1Zs and Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbows, to consider an armed version of the S-70.

Bell last year also submitted a licence-production proposal for the AH-1Z, but Boeing will not make an industrial offer until Taipei issues a formal request (Flight International, 1-7 November 2005).

For the utility requirement, Bell plans to offer the UH-1Y, Boeing CH-47F Chinooks and Sikorsky another S-70 derivative. Taiwan’s air force already operates S-70s for SAR duties and has been evaluating Sikorsky’s S-92 against the Eurocopter EC225 for a new SAR acquisition.

AIDC, which already manufactures S-92 cockpits and AH-1Z/UH-1Y tail booms, needs new programmes for its defence division, which has struggled in recent years because of a lack of new Western procurements with offset requirements. The company has also been frustrated by Taipei’s reluctance to launch indigenous programmes.

Source: Flight International