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Aviation History
1994
1994 - 2296.PDF
MJLJfAIl/ ~L <JUPr£Si Dlli-tJfUIi/ Unfriendly environment Harsh times lie ahead for military- __ helicopter manufacturers as orders diminish with \ ™Xm W An international mix: Kamov Ka-50, Denel/Atlas Rooivalk, and McDonnell Douglas Apache each defence cut. HOWARD GETHIN AND JENNIFER PITE/LONDON The impact of defence cuts is as apparent in the military-helicopter market as anywhere else, with manufacturers competing fierce ly for orders which diminish in size with each defence review. While all the major armed forces are looking to improve their out-of-area capability the threat of budget restraints means that helicopter manufacturers face difficult times. The Bell 230 and the Swidnik Huzar are examples of less-advanced machines being offered to fulfil at least part of the role of more- capable competitors, at a much reduced cost. The extent to which this route is taken, especially by forces more used to determining procurement policy on military, rather than financial, pre-requisites, remains to be seen, although the outcome of the contest to supply the British Army's new attack helicopter, with machines of varying capability and price in the running, may give an indication of the shape of things to come. In Russia, the contest between manufactur ers for shrinking markets has also been fierce. The development of a two-seat all-weather attack variant of the single-seat Kamov Ka-50 Hokum suggests that the problems of crew workload in nap-of-the-Earth flight and tar geting were not fully overcome in the single- seat variant. Series production of the single-seat variant has yet to begin. Russian army aviation has received no new helicopters this year and its fleet, especially its Mil Mi-24 Hinds, is ageing rapidly. Mil, appar ent loser to Kamov in the attack-helicopter competition, is still developing the all-weather Mi-28N Havoc and has won army funding for further development. The Mi-28N will have a millimetre- and centimetre-wave mast-mount ed radar for target acquisition. Mil is also pinning its hopes on a Hind suc cessor, the Mi-40 assault helicopter, which incorporates technology developed for the Mi-28, but needs funding. Western manufacturers also have wavering orderbooks, as governments continue to pre varicate over the shape and size of their forces. Eurocopter faces uncertainty over the num bers to be procured of the four-nation NH90 transport and the Franco-German Tiger attack helicopter. The German Tiger requirement has been revised, to cover the armed-escort, not the dedicated anti-armour role, as originally speci fied. This change in role has placed a question mark over the strength of German dedication to procuring the long-range Trigat anti-tank missile. Germany has allocated funding for development of the system, but a follow-up purchase is not certain. The four-nation NH90 project, consisting of France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, has come under financial scruti ny by French politicians. A French withdrawal would make it very unlikely that the remaining partners would continue with the project. In the competition to power the NH90, General Electric has tested improvements to its T700 turboshaft, in the shape of an upgrad ed centrifugal compressor. The engine will be offered in competition to the Rolls- Royce/Turbomeca RTM 322. The digital flight-control system may be sacrificed as part ofa cost-reduction exercise in an effort to ensure the project's future. Competition for the British Army's Air Staff Target 428 is the focus of attention in the UK, with a decision due by mid-1995. The McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems (MDHS) AH-64 is the Army's preferred choice, and would probably be purchased as a mixed batch of AH-64D and AH-64D Longbow models. The competition for the 91 attack-heli copter order has been rekindled considerably since 1993, with the Atlas Rooivalk seeming a much more credible contender since Atlas teamed up with GEC-Marconi to offer the Brimstone millimetre-wave guided anti- armour missile system. Eurocopter is still a firm contender with its Tiger, because of revised in-service dates in the requirement and its partnership with British Aerospace. UK participation in the project as a FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 21-27 September 1994
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