US Approves Sale of 12 Bell UH-1Y to Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is looking to update its fleet of military helicopters with a deal worth $575 million. Approved by the U.S. State Department, the Czech Republic is set to receive 12 Bell Helicopter UH-1Ys.
The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress Oct. 11 of the foreign military sale, which includes the UH-1Ys, as well as 25 of General Electric’s T-700 401c engines, 13 Honeywell GPS systems and 12 M240 machine guns.
“The Czech Republic intends to use these helicopters to modernize its armed forces and strengthen its homeland defense and deter regional threats,” the State Department said in a statement. “This will contribute to the Czech Republic’s military goal of updating its capabilities while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other NATO allies.”

Private company procures Bell 407GT light attack helo for use in Africa, the Middle East

Bell Helicopter has sold its first 407GT light attack and armed reconnaissance platform to BBM Inc to perform a variety of security missions in the Middle East and Africa.
Bell Helicopter did not disclose how many of the armed 407GTs are to be acquired, but the private company procured 16 unarmed 407GX helicopters, on which the 407GT is based, earlier this year. According to Bell Helicopter, the helicopters will be used in undisclosed countries for missions including law enforcement and homeland security.
BBM Inc describes itself as "spearheading [a] variety of capabilities to support a wide array of mission profiles in the Middle East, Africa, and around the world"
On its website, it lists a number of capabilities that it provides, including Air Solutions; Helicopters. Besides the 407GX and 407GT platforms, BBM Inc's helicopter solutions comprise the Bell 428, Huey II, and Bell 212 platforms. The company also provides fixed-wing aircraft (including the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules), unmanned aerial vehicles, a range of armoured and soft-skinned vehicles, naval vessels (including mine sweepers and patrol boats), as well as body armour and night vision goggles.
First revealed in March 2013, the 407GT is derived from the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior in service with the US Army. It is fitted with the Garmin G1000HTM 'glass' cockpit and can be equipped with electro-optic/infrared sensors, as well as light weapons and precision-guided munitions.
janes

US Clear AH-1Z Sale To Pakistan

US State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Pakistan for 15 AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopters and AGM-114R Hellfire II Missiles and associated equipment.
This proposed sale will provide Pakistan with a precision strike, enhanced survivability aircraft that it can operate at high-altitudes. By acquiring this capability, Pakistan will enhance its ability to conduct operations in North Waziristan Agency (NWA), the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and other remote and mountainous areas in all-weather, day-and-night environments. Pakistan will have no difficulty absorbing these helicopters into its armed forces.
The principal contractors will be Bell Helicopter, Textron, General Electric, Boeing and Lockheed Martin in Bethesda. There are no known offset agreements proposed.
dsca

US Navy planning to get its own V-22 Osprey fleet

The US Navy says it plans to obtain its own fleet of 44 V-22 Ospreys, taking possession of eight a year starting in 2020.
The decision to replace the aging fleet of C-2A Greyhound cargo aircraft with the tilt-rotor hybrid was made in an internal working document drafted earlier this year that laid the groundwork for funding.
The Navy V-22 Joint Program Office expects to issue a contract for development of a Navy variant in fiscal 2016 with production beginning in fiscal 2018.
Operating as a basic transport aircraft, the Navy variant will be virtually the same as the Marine Corps MV-22, but will add an extended-range fuel system, high-frequency radio and public-address system.
Navy pilots currently train alongside their Marine counterparts to develop a knowledge base for the aircraft. The Osprey already operates off Navy carriers.
The sea-service is the latest entity at home or abroad to enter the market for the V-22 Osprey. The Marine Corps has obtained more than 200 Ospreys to replace aging CH-46E Sea Knight assault support helicopters and has a requirement for 360. Air Force Special Operations’ aircrews have 33 with a requirement of 50.
The aircraft has performed admirably under fire in Iraq and Afghanistan and in humanitarian operations in the Philippines, despite safety concerns that plagued the platform early in its development.
The Japanese government plans to add as many as 17 tilt-rotor aircraft by fiscal 2018, most likely the V-22 Osprey. Israel has also expressed interest.
stripes

Mexico to Buy 15 Bell 407GX for its Air Force

Bell announced the sale of 15 Bell 407GXs to the Mexican Air Force (FAM) with deliveries to begin this year. The aircraft will be configured for a variety of parapublic missions.
The FAM have been operating Bell helicopters since 1973 with the delivery of a Bell 206-B, and their fleet currently includes a Bell 412EP, Bell 212 and Bell 206.
The Bell 407GXs will be operated by the 111th Air Squadron based at the Military Airbase in Zapopan, Jalisco.
textron

Bell Boeing V-22 Tests Forward-fired Rockets

V-22 Osprey manufacturer Bell Boeing V-22 successfully tested its forward-firing capability last month at the US Army Proving Ground in Yuma, Arizona.
Company officials said the test showed the V-22 can be armed with a variety of forward-facing munitions and can hit targets with a high degree of reliability. That will reduce the Osprey’s reliance on forward arming and refueling points, which are sometimes necessary to supply short-range attack rotorcraft in support of V-22 operations.
The company released a 12-second video which shows a rocket firing with a puff of smoke.
Forward-facing weapons and armor protection are among several quick-turnaround upgrades that US Special Operations Command is pursuing after three Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) Ospreys were shot up over Juba, South Sudan, a year ago, a program official said in May.
defensenews

Iraq Seeks Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters

The US DSCA announces an official export request from Iraq for a 5-year continuation of contractor logistics support for its Bell 407 (T-407 and IA-407), OH-58, and Huey II helicopters. This will include maintenance support, personnel training and training equipment.
The principal contractor will be Bell Helicopter.
A very similar announcement with an identical contract number was issued on Dec 18/13, which referenced DSCA Foreign Military Sales case IQ-B-UDZ, and had only half of the funds committed. This looks like an amendment.
defenseindustrydaily

US Army Slowly Nears Apache, Black Hawk Replacements

In July, the US Army will make its first big decision on how to proceed with the ambitious, decades-long developmental project to replace up to 4,000 Apache and Black Hawk helicopters by the mid-2030s.
Four contractors are working on demonstrator and technology projects under the Joint Multi-Role (JMR) program, which will eventually develop the baseline requirements for the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) effort.
The teams will submit their work to the Army in June for evaluation, after which the number of competitors will likely be whittled to two that will build actual demonstrator aircraft that will fly from 2017 to 2019.
After the flight tests and technology development, JMR will go away, and the FVL program will kick off with a request for proposals open to all comers who think they can meet the specifications developed under the JMR program.
Teams led by Bell Helicopter, Sikorsky Aircraft and Boeing, AVX Aircraft, and Karem Aircraft are working to make it past the July make-or-break point.
Sikorsky-Boeing team and AVX are developing plans for coaxial-rotor technologies, while the teams led by Bell and Karem have said they are developing tilt-rotor designs.
Specifications include a design that would be capable of performing both medium utility and attack missions, with a 230-knot cruising speed, and of hovering at 6,000 feet in 95-degree temperatures.
defensenews

Japan and Singapore on the list to buy V-22 Osprey

Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan are seeking a variety of helicopters, including the V-22 Osprey, to offset China’s maritime threat.
Japan and Singapore have expressed interest in the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey.
For Japan, China’s recent agitation over the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands has raised fears China might attempt to seize the islands by force.
This has put Japan’s Defense Forces on notice: Improve range and capacity in its vertical-lift capability or risk losing the Senkakus, and possibly part of the Ryukyu Island chain, to China.
Japanese defense industry and government reports indicate the country is looking to procure 17 V-22s within the next five years.
Singapore is on the list to buy V-22s . The problem for Singapore is how to use Osprey to its full potential.
Singapore does not have an expeditionary force capability, though the military participates in regional humanitarian and disaster relief missions.
defensenews

Israel could double V-22 order

Israel could double the size of a potential order and buy 12 V-22 Osprey and form part of a plan to preserve production of the tiltrotor aircraft for several more years.
The US Department of Defense notified Congress on 14 January that Israel had requested a potential sale of six V-22s.
But the Israeli government has requested information from the manufacturer for an order of twice that amount, according Bell.
The possibility of extending the Israeli deal could prove critical for Bell Helicopter’s ongoing efforts to preserve V-22 sales well beyond 2015.
The initial six aircraft expected to be ordered by Israel are not additional orders. They will instead be taken from six orders currently assigned to the US Marine Corps.
A second multiyear contract signed last year includes orders for 99 more V-22s and 23 options. One option has already been exercised to replace an aircraft.
Moreover, Japan has budgeted to buy 17 V-22s in a long-term spending plan released last month.
Longer-term, the Navy also is still looking for a replacement for the C-2 Greyhound. The service originally committed to buy 48 HV-22s, but a contract hasn't been signed. But one of the deficiencies of the V-22 for naval service has been an inability to carry the container that transports the Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-600 engine for the Lockheed Martin F-35B.
flightglobal

Israel requets sale of 6 V-22B Block C

The Government of Israel (GOI) has requested a possible sale of 6 V-22B Block C Aircraft, and and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support
The principal contractors involved with this sale will be Bell and Boeing.
This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded.
dsca

Bell unveils V-280 Valor mock-up

Bell Helicopter revealed the first full-scale mock-up of its V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft in Washington DC.
The model allows Army procurement officers to see firsthand Bell’s answer to the Army’s request for an aircraft under the Joint Multi-Role (JMR)/Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programme.
The V-280 will have a composite fuselage made by Spirit AeroSystems, a large-cell carbon-core wing, fly-by-wire controls and a V-shaped tail.
It also incorporates lessons the company learned from its V-22 Osprey tiltrotor, which Bell produced in partnership with Boeing.
The V-22 is used by the US Marine Corps and US Air Force.
flightglobal

Turkey Pushes T-129 Gunships for Pakistan, but US Could Scupper Deal

Turkey is aggressively lobbying to give T-129 attack helicopters to Pakistan to replace its aging AH-1F fleet and is prepared to agree to generous terms with cash-strapped Pakistan to do so.
However, the US could sink the deal and make a counteroffer of helicopter gunships to Pakistan that could be too good to refuse.
Pakistani media reports state a deal with Turkey could lead to local production of the T-129 at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), but speculation that preparations are already underway to build a new helicopter production facility there could not be confirmed.
Turkey made its latest push during Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Sept. 16-18 visit to Turkey for the Third High Level Cooperation Council meeting. Sharif was given a demonstration of the T-129’s capabilities and a potential deal was discussed.
Turkish officials confirmed talks have “matured to a certain extent,” and Turkey remains committed to any possible deal, not only for financial benefits but also potential strategic gains.
Azerbaijan is reportedly looking to buy 60 T-129 helicopters. Jordan’s King Abdullah, who was in Turkey in March, visited Turkish Aerospace Industries, co-maker of the T-129, and examined both the helicopter gunship and Turkey’s first locally-developed drone, the Anka.
Despite Turkey’s hopes, however, the US might try to tempt Pakistan with a deal for the AH-1Z Viper helicopter.
No one at the defense section in the US Embassy would comment on the matter, but details were confirmed by sources in Pakistan familiar with the deal.
Pakistan has been awarded US $300 million in foreign military financing for FY2013-2014, which could be used to procure the Viper attack helicopters, made by Bell.
defensenews

Iraq -Bell 412 EP Helicopters

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Iraq of 12 Bell 412 EP helicopters and associated equipment, parts, training
and logistical support for an estimated cost of $300 million.
The Government of Iraq has requested a possible sale of 12 Bell 412 EP helicopters equipped with Star SAFIRE III EO/IR systems, PT6T-3DF engines, KDM-706 Distance Measuring Equipment, KNR 634 VOR/LOC with MB/HSI, MST67A Transponder, Artex C406-1HM Emergency Locator Transmitter, Wulfsberg FlexComm II C5000 System with Synthesized Guard, KTR-908 Very High FrequencyRadios, NAT AA-95 Audio System, 660 Weather Radar, AAI Radome, Night Vision Imaging System (NVIS) Compatible Cockpit Lighting, SX-16 Nightsun, spare and repair parts, support equipment, publications and technical data, personnel training and
training equipment, site surveys, U.S. Government and contractor technical assistance, and other related elements of program and logistics support.
dsca

US Navy Eyes C-2, H-60 Replacement Programs

A Sikorsky-Boeing team is expected to submit a proposal for the US Army's Future Vertical Lift initiative that may include counter-rotating co-axial main rotors and a pusher propeller, as in this concept from the team. Similar technologies could be included in a future US Navy MH-XX helicopter.
The Sikorsky H-60 Seahawk helicopter and Northrop Grumman C-2 Greyhound carrier-on-board delivery (COD) plane are longtime stalwarts of US Navy operations. The 35 Greyhounds constantly shuttle passengers and cargo to and from the fleet’s aircraft carriers, while some 460 H-60s of various models carry out a wide range of missions.
Both aircraft types will become due for replacement, and the way ahead for each has yet to be determined.
The newest C-2A dates from 1990, and the service is planning to award a replacement contract in 2016. Among the contenders are an updated version of the C-2A from Northrop, and a COD version of the Bell-Boeing MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.

defensenews

Boeing to get order for 99 V-22 Ospreys from US Navy

The U.S. Navy plans to sign this week a five-year contract valued just under $6.5 billion to buy 99 new V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft built by Boeing Co and Bell Helicopter, the program's manager said in an interview on Monday.
Marine Corps Colonel said the multiyear contract, the second one signed for the program, covers the period from fiscal year 2013 through 2017 and includes options for 22 additional aircraft. He said the government's decision to sign the five-year agreement underscored its confidence in a program that had once been threatened with cancellation.
reuters

Bell V-280 Valor Selected for Army’s JMR-TD Program

Bell Helicopter, announced that the Bell V-280 Valor, its third generation tiltrotor design, has been selected by the U.S. Army for the Joint Multi-Role (JMR) Technology Demonstrator (TD) program. The Army is expected to award JMR-TD contracts by September 2013, with first flight scheduled for 2017.
textron

Australia shortlists contenders for military helicopter training deal

Australia has shortlisted three contenders for a contract to provide its military with rotary wing training.
The three parties selected to contest Canberra's Air 9000 Phase 7 requirement are Eurocopter's local unit, Australian Aerospace; Boeing/Thales; and Raytheon/Bell.
A final decision is likely by the middle of 2014, and the DMO calculates the project value at A$1 billion ($960 million).
flightglobal

Bell V-280 Valor -- The Future of Vertical Lift Takes Flight

The Bell V-280 Valor, Bell Helicopter's third-generation-tiltrotor, offers the U.S. Army the highest levels of maturity and technical readiness. With its U.S. Army-centric design, the Bell V-280 has the capacity to perform a multitude of missions with unparalleled speed and agility. The Bell V-280's clean sheet design reduces complexity compared to previous generation tiltrotors, with fewer parts, as well as non-rotating, fixed engines. The Valor delivers the best value in procurement, operations and support, and force structure, providing increased maintainability, component reliability and systems designed to reduce operational and support costs.

Boeing developing Osprey aerial refuelling kit

Boeing is working on developing a roll-on/roll-off aerial refuelling kit for the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey because of interest expressed by the US Marine Corps and US Special Operations Command.

flightglobal