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Aviation History
1994
1994 - 1131.PDF
COMBAT HELICOPTERS enforcement to pure defence.lt must per form reconnaissance, escort, protection and fire support. Mission packages for each role must be easily interchangeable. The Dutch Ministry of Defence is now forming an airmobile brigade to operate the helicopters. The ministry says the brigade, which will be ready by the end of 1994, "...can be brought into action as a rapid intervention unit in NATO, and in war con ditions, within the concept of general defence." ARMED HELICOPTERS Armed helicopters are "a requirement for the efficient action of airmobile units in addition to their own fire support capabili ties... and will operate over large areas against multiple targets". Finally, "they must be able to defend transport helicopters against enemy armed helicopters and ground units". Other fundamental require ments are flexibility, self-defence, an air-to- air and air-to-ground guided missile capa bility, agility and low observability. The Dutch Government is also stressing that candidates must be able to enter service in 1997, about two years after the contract is signed. The four remaining helicopters on offer all come close to, or within, this time frame. Interim solutions are expected if the chosen type misses it. The proposed versions of the Tiger and Mangusta, howev er, require another three years of development. The Super Cobra will be available but, according to the Ministry of Defence, it is an "older concept... therefore special attention must be paid to qualitative aspects". Bell is offering a modern version of the Super Cobra, equipped with a glass cock pit and called the Venom, to the UK. It is now providing the Dutch with information on the machine. Agusta has sup plied information Agustfl's Mangusta is still hovering around in search of sales The AH-64 remains the darling of the Defence Ministry on a "yet to be devel oped" version of the Mangusta. The Italian army is already using the basic model. The company's new version would provide reconnaissance, protection and escort roles on top of the fire support role of the exist ing version . Development would, however, delay availability by around 12 months. Eurocopter is offering a special export version of the Tiger which combines the French (fire support) and German (escort, protection and reconnaissance) models. Like Agusta, Eurocopter is offering the new version for deliv ery a year later than required. The company would, says the Ministry of Defence, "...have to speed up development of a number of sys tems. This involves a risk". Germany has offered the PAH-1 version of the Bo- 105 as an interim solution. The remaining candidate, the Apache, is the defence ministry's favourite. "The Apache," says the defence ministry "has been opera tional since 1986. It carries twice as much weapons as the Super Cobra, Mangusta or Tiger...this results in this helicopter being able to carry simultaneously suffi cient weaponry for each of the missions". The "C" variant of the AH-64A in service with the US Army would be available in 1997 - within the Dutch timescale. It has been offered at the beginning of the pro duction run. The defence ministry stresses the Apache's greater fire support power. This means only 12 Apaches would be required against 18 Super Cobras or Tigers. To fulfil its NATO requirement, the Dutch would only need to buy 33 Apaches rather than 40 of the other models. The UK is said to be working closely with the Netherlands on the armed heli copter requirement, and it is possible the two countries will eventually buy the same machine. "The possibility of co-operation with the United Kingdom is the subject of repeated talks between the two countries," says the ministry of defence. Both countries have been offered similar offset packages, so the choice depends on price, availability and performance. Eurocopter is playing a strong political card, however, which the Dutch Government may find hard to ignore. Ton Finking, the Netherlands' Secretary of State for Defence, told a recent meeting of senior French and German defence officials that timescale may not be as important as previ ously suggested - a clear message that the Tiger was very much in the race. One Dutch official recalls that the prior ity for the Netherlands in the decision to buy the Eurocopter Cougar instead of the Sikorsky Black Hawk was taken "on the basis of the superior offset deal from Eurocopter, and because European co-oper ation was seen as important". If this, and not capability, remains the criteria for a decision, the Apache may yet lose. The airmobile brigade is unlikely to object. "We've been waiting for so long for an armed helicopter that we will be pleased just to see a decision," says a defence min istry official. ti\ Flight International will review the UK attack helicopter requirement in the 11-17 May issue. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 27 April - 3 May, 1994 61
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