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Aviation History
1986
1986 - 0891.PDF
DEFENCE MDC and Bell team for LHX WASHINGTON D.C. Bell Helicopter Textron and the McDonnell Douglas Heli copter Company have joined forces, together with the McDonnell Aircraft Com pany, to form what they call the "LHX Superteam". The formation of the team was announced jointly by William Brown, President of McHelo, and Leonard "Jack" Horner, President of Bell, in Washington on April 9. LHX, the US Army's experimental light helicopter, will be built in two versions, scout/attack (Scat) and utility, and will replace 12 helicopter types currently operated by the US Army, starting in 1995. The US Army plans to buy around 5,000 LHX. Brown and Horner say that the combining of the expertise of the Bell and McDonnell Douglas helicopter com panies, together with the expertise—especially in cock pit technology—of McDon nell Aircraft, forms an industrial superteam which also includes Honeywell, Hughes Aircraft, Sperry, and Texas Instruments. The team headquarters will be Mesa, Arizona, site of McHelo's new headquarters and factory. The LHX programme director will be William "Randy" McDon nell, and Walter Sonneborn of Bell will be deputy LHX programme director. The rival LHX team members are Sikorsky, Boeing Vertol, and IBM. First South Korean F-16 The Republic of Korea Air Force has received the first of 36 General Dynamics F-16C/Ds, and the first batch of aircraft is scheduled to be flown to South Korea soon. The ROKAF has ordered six two-seat F-16Ds and 30 single-seat F-16Cs. k OR Super Puma beats Black Hawk in Spain MADRID Aerospatiale has fought off stiff competition from Agusta and Sikorsky to land a £100 million Spanish Ministry of Defence order for 18 AS.322B1 tactical transport helicopters, reports Gilbert Sedbon from Paris. The deal, signed in Madrid on April 4, is the first major European order for medium- lift military helicopters since Sikorsky bought into West- land and secured a place inside the European market for its Black Hawk/Seahawk. Spain's new batch of Super Pumas is destined for the flying arm of the Spanish Army, which has some 165 helicopters on its inventory. The Spanish Air Force bought 12 Super Pumas in 1981 for search and rescue duties. The first six Army Super Pumas will be manufactured in France, with first deliveries scheduled for mid-1987. The remainder will be assembled by Casa, with final deliveries to be completed by mid-1989. The contract provides for co-operation between Aero spatiale and Casa, Marconi Espanola, Inisel, Berner, Ceta, Evec, Gurmar, and Sener for the supply of components for those aircraft assembled in Spain. In return for Spain's Super Puma order, France has ordered five Casa C.212 Aviocars. Orchidee begins flight tests PARIS Aerospatiale has begun flight testing of the French Army's Orchidee helicopter battle field surveillance system for the 1990s. It will display the system to Defence Ministry and Army Officials within the next few weeks, reports Gilbert Sedbon. Aerospatiale has been appointed prime contractor for the Army's order for 20 Super Pumas equipped with the new Orchidee (Obser- vatoire radar coherent heli- porte d 'investigation des elements enemis) system. Scheduled to go into service in 1995, Orchidee comprises a 360°-scan Doppler retractable radar mounted under the fuselage of the Super Puma, providing radar coverage over a range of 150km at a height of 10,000ft. Data will be trans ferred in real time to mobile ground stations and trans mitted around the battlefield via the Rita telecommuni cations system. First 0H-58D delivered FORT RUCKER ~~ The US Army Aviation Centre at Fort Rucker, Alabama, has received its first production model of the Bell OH-58D scout helicopter. The Aviation Centre is scheduled to receive 23 more aircraft by December for the training of instructor pilots, pilots, and observers. Col John Tregasser, pro gramme manager for the US Army Helicopter Improve ment Programme (Ahip), says that the programme manage ment team members are working to hold costs to $2-5 million for each fully- equipped aircraft at full pro duction rates. The OH-58D, a modernised version of the A and C models, has a number of improve ments to enable it to detect, track, and engage targets at long ranges. Rockwell gains Hellfire deal ATLANTA ~ Rockwell has won a contract to produce the majority of the US Army's Fiscal Year 1986 procurement of AGM-114A Hellfire anti-armour missiles. Under the $130 million contract, Rockwell will manu facture 5,500 missiles, or 75 per cent of the US Army's 1986 buy. The remainder will be produced by Martin Marietta. Rockwell is prime contractor and developer of Hellfire, and competes with Martin Marietta for majority production under the Army's dual source procurement plan. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 19 April 1986 11
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