Helicopters – Page 6
-
News
Army special mission aviators will field V-280: SOCOM
Although no formal decision has been disclosed, procurement officials with the US Special Operations Command now confirm the army’s special operations aviation regiment will field Bell’s V-280 tiltrotor in the mid-2030s, shortly after the US Army’s conventional aviators do so.
-
News
SOCOM to extend AH-6 service life following cancellation of new scout aircraft
Special Operations Command had hoped to replace its multi-role A/MH-6 helicopter with the US Army’s next-generation Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft, whose development has since been cancelled.
-
Analysis
Strong backlog but lack of new design work paints mixed picture at Sikorsky
The company that pioneered rotary-wing aviation boasts a years-long backlog for its existing aircraft, particularly variants of the H-60, but has not yet secured a customer for a clean-sheet aircraft using Sikorsky’s proprietary X2 compound coaxial technology.
-
News
Airbus Helicopters adds to H145M backlog with six-unit Brunei deal
Brunei has ordered six Airbus Helicopters H145M light-twins for operation by the Asian nation’s air force.
-
News
Aurora advances in DARPA competition to build high-speed VTOL X-plane
The Boeing subsidiary received an additional $25 million for its fan-in-wing vertical take-off and landing aircraft being designed for the Speed and Runway Independent Technologies X-plane competition.
-
In depth
Minimum quantity sought through New Medium Helicopter tender falls further, sources indicate
The UK could buy as few as 23 aircraft through its New Medium Helicopter (NMH) contest, FlightGlobal can reveal – a dramatic reduction on the up to 44 units originally envisaged for the programme and a total that exactly matches the size of one of the four fleets the platform was meant to replace.
-
Analysis
US Army still sees need for long-range airborne troop carrier in future conflict
Although battlefield observations from the Ukraine War led the army to cancel its next-generation armed scout helicopter, the service’s senior aviation leaders say they still see a need for Bell’s V-280 Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft in future conflicts.
-
News
Sikorsky VH-92As still not carrying the US president, 21 years after replacement effort began
Last June during a business event in Connecticut, Sikorsky president Paul Lemmo said the company’s VH-92A Patriot helicopter would take over presidential transport missions flown by VH-3D and VH-60N helicopters “completely” by this spring. That still has not happened.
-
Analysis
Sikorsky powers up Raider X prototype but has no plans to fly
The Raider X prototype, built for the US Army’s now-cancelled Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft programme, features the new GE Aerospace T901 Improved Turbine Engine that will eventually be fitted into the army’s UH-60 Black Hawk fleet.
-
Analysis
Boeing eyes secondary market for older CH-47s
Following the US Army’s decision to modernise its fleet of heavy-lift rotorcraft with Boeing’s latest Block II Chinook, the company sees an opportunity to develop a secondary market for older Block I CH-47Fs, particularly among international operators.
-
News
AW101 gains more take-off power after upgrade is approved
Leonardo Helicopters has obtained regulatory clearance for an upgrade to its AW101 that gives more power at take-off.
-
News
Mothballed UK H135s arrive in Australia under five-year lease deal
A batch of five Airbus Helicopters H135s acquired by the UK and then immediately mothballed have arrived at their new home in Australia.
-
News
Boeing expects to soon deliver first Block II Chinook
Speaking at the annual US Army aviation summit in Denver, Colorado, executives from Boeing’s vertical lift division say the company has successfully flown its first Block II CH-47F helicopter and expects to deliver four examples of the twin-rotor type to the army by year-end.
-
News
Ten killed in Malaysian helicopter collision during display practice
A collision between two Royal Malaysian Navy helicopters has resulted in the death of 10 crew.
-
News
Japan searches for missing crew after two SH-60Ks lost in night ASW exercise
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force rotorcraft were carrying eight personnel when the collision happened near the Izu Islands, located to the southeast of Japan in in the Pacific Ocean, according to Japan’s Ministry of Defense.
-
News
Final assembly of first of three H160M prototypes to begin soon
Airbus Helicopters has increased the number of H160M Guepard prototypes it intends to build, with final assembly of the first of three examples set to begin shortly.
-
News
UK commits to six H145 helicopters for Brunei and Cyprus missions
Airbus Helicopters has been awarded a £122 million ($152 million) contract to supply six H145 light-twin helicopters to the UK for troop transport duties in Brunei and Cyprus.
-
News
Osprey returns to carrier flight decks under USMC recertification effort
US Marine Corps MV-22 Ospreys are once again operating from the decks of the navy’s light carrier amphibious assault ships, as the service progresses toward recertifying its tiltrotors and crews after a three-month grounding order was lifted.
-
News
Singapore H225Ms, CH-47Fs declared fully operational
Airbus Helicopters H225Ms and Boeing CH-47F Chinooks in service with the Republic of Singapore Air Force have attained full operational capability status.
-
News
US Army orders pilot proficiency training after 10 non-combat fatalities in six months
The service has ordered mandatory safety training for its rotary-wing aviation forces, after 12 non-combat crashes in the past six months resulted in 10 fatalities.