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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 1520.PDF
Directory: military rotorcraft AS565UB Panther AS532AL Cougar EC725 Cougar Tiger 1,460 4,300 2,338 9,000/9,350 4,610 11,000/11,200 5,445 5,925/6,000 - 10.2 13.68 11.94 18.7 15.6 19.5 16.2 15.8 13 645/845 155/145 792/923 150/139 776/1,165 165/145 839/1,282 -/150 800/1,300 10,000 8,596/3,773 15,223 9,196/5,413 11.319 7,244/1,719 16,400 - - 1,375 1-2/8-10 1,962* 1-2/25 - 1-2/29 5,555 2/0 3,968* or 2 x TM Arrius 2B2 2 x TM Arriel 2C 2xTM Makila 1A1 2 x TM Makila 2A 2 x MTR390 633 851 1,819 2,100 1,285 *HCP Military customers accounted for 51 % of Eurocopter's $2.61 billion in revenues, and 50% of its $2.56 billion in orders, last year. Both total revenues and military sales are expected to increase this year and next as deliveries of Tiger combat helicopters and NH Industries NH90 naval and tactical transport helicopters get underway. Eurocopter offers military versions of most of its wide range of commercial helicopters. These include the Fennec range of light multirole helicopters, which comprises the single-turbine, six-seat AS550C3, armed versions of which are available; new single-turbine, seven/eight-seat EC130B4; and the twin-turbine AS555, available in armed, naval and utility versions. Eurocopter is also court ing military customers for the smaller EC120B light helicopter, with China's army expected to acquire over 50 licence-built HC120sfrom Hafei Aviation Industry. The EC635 is the military version of Eurocopter's EC135 light twin-turbine helicopter. Kuwait ordered two EC635s for government transport missions in 2000, but in 2002 Portugal cancelled a contract for nine aircraft, citing delivery delays, and in 2003 Malaysia selected AgustaWestland's A129 LUH over the EC635 for an 11-aircraft order. The last of nine EC635s for the Jordanian air force was delivered in 2004, some for special-operations use. The AS565 Panther is the military version of the AS365 Dauphin intermedi ate twin: the Mexican navy ordered two AS565MB naval versions, plus eight options, in 2003, for coast guard, counter-narcotics, SAR and troop-transport missions. In 2003, Eurocopter delivered four AS332C1 Super Puma Mk2 medium twins to the Greek air force and two AS532AL Cougar Mk2 military versions to the Slovenian air force. Deliveries of the improved EC725 are scheduled to begin late this year, against a 10-aircraft launch order from French special forces, for combat SAR missions. Derived from the Cougar Mk2, the EC725 has a stretched cabin, five-blade composite main rotor, uprated engines, glass cockpit and inte grated avionics. Deliveries of series-production Tiger combat helicopters to France began in 2003, with deliveries to Germany to start this year against orders from each for 80 aircraft. France's Tiger HAP has a 30mm gun turret and Mistral air-to-air mis siles; Germany's Tiger UHT has mast-mounted sight and Trigat anti-armour missiles. Australia has ordered 22 Tiger ARH armed reconnaissance helicopter versions, with gun and Hellfire missiles. Deliveries begin in December and 18 will be assembled in Australia. Spain has selected the Tiger HAD - with gun and both Mistral and Trigat mis siles - with 24 aircraft to be assembled by Eurocopter Spain for delivery from 2007-8. Spain's ITP will help develop the helicopter's 14% more powerful MTU Turbomeca Rolls-Royce MTR390 Enhanced turboshafts, which will also power HAD versions for the French army. Eurocopter have begun conceptual design work on a heavylift transport heli copter to meet the emerging requirements of France, Germany and other European countries for an aircraft to replace the Boeing CH-47 and Sikorsky CH-53. The European company's calls for co-operation with US industry have so far fallen on deaf ears. HINDUSTAN AERONAUTICS www.hal-india.com Dhruv 5,500 13.2 162/135 660 14,765 India's Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) scored its first export success with the indigenously developed Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) in 2003, with the sale of two aircraft to the Royal Nepalese Army. Series production of the Dhruv medium twin, and deliveries to the Indian army, navy air force and coast guard, began in 2001-2. HAL and Israel Aircraft Industries formed a joint ven ture last year to market and support the international version of the ALH, which has Israeli avionics and systems. The Dhruv was demonstrated to the Chilean 2/12 2,600 2 x TM TM333-2B2 1,080 armed forces in July, and Israel may buy the helicopter for VIP transport mis sions in a reciprocal procurement tied to India's purchase of Israeli airborne early warning systems. HAL developed the Lancer light-attack derivative of the Cheetah (Aerospatiale SA315B) in the late 1990s, and is now developing a version of the Cheetah re-engined with the Dhruv's Turbomeca TM333 turboshaft to improve high-altitude performance. KAMOV www.kamov.ru Ka-28 Ka-29 Ka-50 Black Shark Ka-52 Alligator 12,000 - 11,500 - 9,800/10,800 - 9,700/11,300 7,700 - 15.9 - 15.9 - 14.5 16 14.5 146/135 800 151/130 750 162/148 520/1,100* 162/148 450/1,160 -16,400 -. -/12.100 16,400 -/13,800 18,000 -/13,800 19,700 Russia's Kamov, part of the RSK MiG group, is close to securing its first export customer for the Ka-52 Alligator, with reports that Yemen is finalising a $150 mil lion order for 12 of the two-seat, coaxial-rotor combat helicopters. And, despite selecting the Rostvertol-built Mi-28N to replace its Mi-24 combat helicopters, the Russian air force plans to acquire 12 Ka-52s for command and control duties. The Ka-52 is a deritative of the single-seat Ka-50 Black Shark with side-by- side seating. Another version of the helicopter, the Ka-50-2 Erdogan with tandem seating and Israeli avionics, was offered jointly by Kamov and Israel Aircraft Industries in Turkey's now-defunct attack-helicopter competition. The Ka-50/52 is expected to be a contender again in the re-opened Turkish competition for 50 off- the-shelf combat helicopters. The Ka-52 has also been offered to South Korea. The Indian navy ordered Ka-28 naval helicopters and Ka-31 ship-based air- 3/0 2 x Klimov TV3-117VMA 2,200 2/16 2 x Klimov TV3-117VMA 2,200 1,800* 1/0 2 x Klimov TV3-117VMA 2,200 'Weapon load 2/0 2,500 2 x Klimov TV3-117VMA 2,200 borne early-warning helicopters in January as part of $1.5 billion arms deal with Russia that included the mothballed aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov. Nine Ka-31 s were delivered by mid-year. Chile, meanwhile, is evaluating both the Ka-31 and the Ka-29 combat transport version. The South Korean air force has begun taking delivery of seven Ka-32 civil variants, equipped with Israeli avion ics, for SAR missions. Kamov is continuing protracted development of the conventional-rotor Ka-60 Kasatka intermediate twin-turbine helicopter. The 6.5t gross-weight Ka-60, which has a largely composite airframe and a fan-in-fin tail rotor, is powered by two 1,500shp Rybinsk RD-600V turboshafts. Klimov VK-1500Vs will also be offered. Two Ka-60 prototypes have been built, one as the Ka-60U variant that Kamov says is intended to become the Russian army's basic training helicopter. www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 17-23 AUGUST 2004 37
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