Page 17 - World Airnews Magazine May 2020 Edition

MILITARY HELICOPTER

that could be especially at risk. Many also Smaller manufacturers, which often into a component of the defence-industrial SIKORSKY TO BUILD HEAVY-

depend on evaporating commercial sales to serve the automotive industry as well, are base,” said Mears.

supplement their defence work. most at risk, according to an analysis by Clark and Mears said they have heard from

Of 10,509 locations tracked or moni- Bloomberg Intelligence. suppliers that been adversely affected and

tored by the Pentagon’s Defence Contract “Lacking the financial wherewithal to survive may be interested in applying. But they are LIFT HELICOPTERS FOR US

Management Agency, 135 had closed at an extended downturn, a number of them will frozen until they receive Treasury’s guidance.

some point as of April 8. Of those, 49 had fail unless they get support from larger manu- The list potentially could go beyond even
reopened after an average of about 10 days. facturers or governments,” the report said. big contractors and their suppliers to include

The numbers, however, don’t reflect con- With aviation suppliers hit hard by coro- telecoms and utility companies, Clark said. ngineers at Sikorsky Aircraft Corpo-

tractors that have cut back operations - or na virus outbreaks, knock-on effects could Pentagon officials said that they worry Erati on in Stra� ord, Connecti cut are

the outsized effect of Boeing’s shutdowns. roil the defence supply chain, said Andrew that disruptions could force suppliers to

It has indefinitely halted assembly of the Hunter, the director of the Defence-In- turn to foreign investors to survive. The preparing to build seven new CH-53K King

KC-46 refuelling tanker and the P-8A Pose- dustrial Initiatives Group at the Centre for Defence Department didn’t respond to a Stallion heavy-lift helicopters and integrated

idon maritime patrol aircraft at its facili- Strategic and International Studies request seeking comment. avionics systems for the US Marine Corps

ties in the state of Washington, the initial in Washington. LOSING TECHNOLOGY under terms of a (US) $125.4 million order.

centre of the pandemic in the US. “Supply chains are like a web. When you Officials of the US Naval Air Systems

When national-security funding was have a disturbance somewhere it cans kind “It’s critically important that we understand Command have asked Sikorsky, a Lockheed

included in the stimulus package, some of ripple into other areas,” Hunter said. that during this crisis the DIB is vulnerable to Martin company, to procure long-lead

viewed it as earmarked for Boeing. The “If a company goes out of business, ev- adversarial capital,” Ellen Lord, the Pentagon’s items for seven CH-53K low-rate initial

money, however, comes with strings: com- eryone can be out of luck pretty quickly.” top acquisition official, told reporters, referring production (LRIP) lot 5 helicopters.

panies must maintain 90% of their work- to the defence industrial base. Long-lead items are sometimes difficult
force and can’t buy back their own stock or PRODUCTION SLOWDOWNS “So we need to ensure companies can stay and time-consuming to obtain and are

pay dividends to shareholders. The National Defence Industrial Association in business without losing their technology.” funded early in the aircraft design process

Publicly traded companies also have to said Pentagon contractors are experiencing Small defence suppliers could try to get to keep overall production on schedule.

give up an equity stake or warrants to the production slowdowns due to stay-at-home loans through the (US) $349 billion pool Contracts to build the actual helicopters heavy-lift transport of armoured vehicles, The CH-53K first flew in late 2015, and the

government, according to a Treasury out- orders and sick workers. the SBA oversees, but that programme has will come later.
line of the requirements. As a result, payments are delayed, been overwhelmed by demand and beset The CH-53K King Stallion is a large heavy- equipment, and personnel to support helicopter was introduced to Marine Corps
distributed operations deep inland from a
squadrons in 2018. The Marines plan to buy

Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dave though the Pentagon last month increased by glitches. lift cargo helicopter designed to replace sea-based centre of operations, Sikorsky 227 CH-53K helicopters for about $23.3 billion.

Calhoun has indicated the company won’t periodic payments to help contractors. Others may not yet know how much they the Marine Corps fleet of CH-53E heavy-lift officials said. It can lift more than 18 tons.

accept aid if it means giving the US an Samantha Clark and Zach Mears, who need because the effects of the virus are helicopters to help move marines and their On this order Sikorsky will do the work

equity stake. are tracking the rollout of the national-se- still playing out, said Robert Durbin, chief equipment from ships offshore onto attack The CH-53K will have a new engine and in Connecticut and should be finished by

curity money for aerospace and defence operating officer of the Aerospace Indus- beaches. The CH-53K is a general redesign cockpit avionics layout and will have more August 2021.

SUPPLY CHAIN companies at law firm Covington & Burling tries Association. of the CH-53E. than twice the lift capacity and combat For more information contact Sikorsky

With Boeing also halting commercial jet LLP, said a broad array of companies could “It’s a very hard decision,” he said, “whether The CH-53K sea-based, long range, heli- radius of the CH-53E. Aircraft online at www.lockheedmartin.

assembly, the stoppage cascades through its potentially benefit. or not to make a move” and seek a loan. Q copter is designed to provide three times It will use the General Electric GE38-1B en- com/en-us/capabilities/sikorsky.html or Na-

supply chain, which includes General Electric, “It’s relatively open to those businesses the lift capability of its predecessor. gine. It can operate at high altitudes, hot tem- val Air Systems Command at www.navair.

Spirit Aero Systems Holdings and Safran SA. that can make the justification that they fit Article courtesy: bloomberg.com The CH-53K will conduct expeditionary peratures, and in degraded visual conditions. navy.mil Q

HAL PLANS TO PRODUCE APACHE-LIKE
NEWS
MILITARY HELICOPTER IN INDIA
SOMERSET ARMY HELICOPTERS on is to produce a helicopter in 10 to 12 have different dimension compared to the

one for the Army and the Air Force,” Mad-
tonnes category to replace the Mi-17

n an ambitious project with strate- fleet. It will be an indigenous platform havan said on the proposed mega project.
with the potential to manufacture around

AID CORONAVIRUS RESPONSES Igic signifi cance, aerospace major 500 helicopters. It will stop import of ter) we developed from the Dhruv plat-
“Like the LCH (Light Combat Helicop-

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has
started ground work to produce a 10 more than Rs 4 lakh crore worth of plat- form, a similar variant of 10-12 tonnes
forms from foreign countries,” he said.
category can be produced to make it an

The Wildcats are undertaking Com- Royal Air Force helicopters from RAF to 12 tonne attack helicopter by 2027 Madhavan said an amount of Rs 9,600 Apache equivalent,” said Madhavan
mand and Control support which entails Odiham and RAF Benson. which will be comparable with some of crore will be required for design as well as Two twin engines would power the

ritish army helicopters based in liaisons, moving and transporting small "The twin-engine multirole helicopter the best medium-lift military choppers to produce the prototype of the helicopter. helicopters. The helicopter's blade would

BSomerset are at the forefront of groups of key personnel and small pack- is a high-performance platform with globally like the Apache of the Boeing. “If we get the approval in 2020, we will be foldable so as to allow ship deck opera-

the government's emergency responses ages of urgently required stores such as state-of-the-art systems." Chairman and Managing Director of be able to manufacture the first chopper by tions. The role of the helicopter would be

to the coronavirus pandemic. medicines. Norman Bone, chairman of Leonar- HAL R Madhavan said the aim of the mega 2027. We are looking at producing at least to support air assault, air transport, combat

Three AW159 Wildcat helicopters, The helicopters are not only operated do UK, added: “Leonardo is proud to project is to stop import of more than Rs 500 helicopters of the variant. It will be a logistics, and combat search and rescue.
based at RNAS Yeovilton, have been from Somerset, but they were also as- support the UK Ministry of Defence’s 4 lakh crore worth of military helicopters major project we are working on,” he said. Madhavan said the helicopter will have
deployed to support the UK Ministry of sembled in the county, at the Leonardo COVID-19 operations with its for the three services in the coming years. A military expert described the project a huge potential for export.

Defence’s efforts in tackling the ongoing factory in Yeovilton AW159 Wildcat helicopters as the In an interview, Madhavan said the HAL as the biggest by the HAL after develop- The Mi-17 helicopters make up the
spread of the virus. A Leonardo Helicopters spokesman country comes together to tackle has completed the preliminary design of the ment of the Tejas military aircraft. backbone of the IAF's helicopter fleet and

As the corona virus death toll in the said: "The Army Air Corps’ helicopters this pandemic." helicopter and that initial plan is to produce “We have done the preliminary design. they are planned to be phased out by 2032.

UK increases, the local aircraft are pro- will be operating out of RNAS Yeovil- The Wildcat AW159 systems include at least 500 units with the first prototype We have also been in discussion with the The HAL's product range includes a number

viding transportation in urgent response ton and will look to cover the South of a Leonardo Seaspray multi-mode elec- set to be ready by 2023 if the government Air Force and the Navy. The 10-12 tonnes of helicopter-like the LCH (Light Combat
missions across the south of England. England as required by the UK Govern- tronically-scanning (E-scan) radar, and gives the go ahead to the project this year. category will have two basic structures on Helicopter) and multi-role ALH (Advanced

ment’s response to COVID-19 alongside integrated Defensive Aids Suite. Q “One major project we are focusing similar platforms. The naval version will Light Helicopter) and Chetak choppers. Q

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