Page 4 - Aerotech News and Review, Sept. 21 2018

BRIEFS, from 2
Emirates, Italy and France.
The first “Bright Star” exercise took place in 1980, but the
Obama administration postponed them in 2011 following the uprising that toppled longtime President Hosni Mubarak, and scrapped them in 2013 after Egyptian security forces killed hun- dreds of protesters while breaking up a mass sit-in.
Last September, Egypt held the war games with U.S. troops for the first time in eight years. AP
Saudi attack helicopter crash kills American trainer
Saudi Arabia’s National Guard says an American trainer has been killed and a Saudi trainee injured in a helicopter crash in Riyadh.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency cited a military statement on Sept. 6 saying the crash of a Boeing AH6i attack helicopter hap- pened at Khashm Al-An Airport in the Saudi capital.
It identified the American as Paul Reidy. It said the trainee was transferred to a local hospital and was in stable condition.
The National Guard said an investigation into the crash had begun.
The Boeing AH6i is a light attack and reconnaissance helicopter built by Chicago-based Boeing. It is a variant of a model used by U.S. Army Special Operations Command. AP
U.S. military announces plan to add troops in Germany
The U.S. Army Europe says it’s expanding its troop presence by adding 1,500 solders to its forces in Germany.
The military said Sept. 7 that the new unit activations are sched- uled to begin this year and that the troops and their families should all be in place in southern Germany by September 2020.
U.S. Ambassador Richard Grenell says they’ll add to more than 33,000 American troops already in Germany and reinforce that the U.S. is “committed to strengthening the transatlantic alliance and President (Donald) Trump’s promise to increase U.S. defense capabilities means the alliance is stronger today.”
Units include a field artillery brigade headquarters and two multiple-launch rocket system battalions in Grafenwoehr, a short- range air defense battalion in Ansbach, and various supporting
unites in Hohenfels and Baumholder. AP
U.S. to release $1.2 billion in military aid to Egypt
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has authorized the release of $1.2 billion in U.S. military assistance to Egypt, despite human rights concerns that have held up previous funding.
The State Department said Sept. 7 it is notifying Congress that Pompeo has signed national security waivers allowing the money to be spent. Congress has 15 days to object. The money includes $1 billion in aid for the current 2018 budget year and $195 million appropriated for 2017 that would have had to have been returned to the Treasury had it not been spent by Sept. 30.
The department said Pompeo had determined that continuing the aid is important to strengthening security cooperation with Egypt. It added that it was continuing to work with Egypt to im- prove its human rights practices. AP
Army says pilots in fatal Hawaii crash were disori- ented
An Army investigation into a fatal helicopter crash found the pilots became disoriented during nighttime training off Hawaii last year. All five soldiers on board were killed in the Aug. 15, 2017 crash.
The pilots experienced “spatial disorientation,” which is when a pilot can’t determine a current position and altitude relative to the earth’s surface, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Sept. 7. The newspaper obtained the results of the investigation through a Freedom of Information Act request.
The crash occurred off Oahu’s Kaena Point, after the helicopter and an accompanying chopper left Wheeler Army Airfield for night-vision goggle training.
The U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center at Fort Rucker, Ala., conducted the investigation. The Army is also working on a sec- ond investigation it will make public.
Chief Warrant Officer Brian M. Woeber, 41, and Chief Warrant Officer Stephen T. Cantrell, 32 were declared deceased by offi- cials in late August 2017. The Armed Forces Medical Examiner previously made the determination for 1st Lt. Kathryn M. Bailey,
26; Staff Sgt. Abigail R. Milam, 33; and Sgt. Michael L. Nelson, 30, after trace remains discovered among floating debris were matched to their DNA.
All the crew members, who were with the 2nd Battalion and the 25th Aviation regiment, died of multiple blunt force traumas, the report said.
The two Black Hawks were flying in tandem at about 1,000 feet (304 meters) and 126 mph (202 kph) when the aircraft that crashed entered a right turn.
Its nose began to slowly pitch down and the helicopter began to climb slightly. About nine seconds into the turn, the aircraft’s right bank and downward nose pitch increased until it rolled to the left.
It then abruptly rolled back to the right and descended with its nose down, the report said. It fell in the water, broke into multiple pieces and came to rest on the ocean floor about a mile west of Kaena Point. AP
Northrop Grumman begins MQ-8C Fire Scout flight tests in Mississippi
Northrop Grumman recently began flight tests for MQ-8C Fire Scout aircraft produced in Moss Point, Miss., a major milestone for the company and the region’s aerospace economy.
Northrop Grumman’s Moss Point facility is key to producing and testing the MQ-8C Fire Scout, the U.S. Navy’s newest autonomous helicopter that is bringing increased speed, endurance and payload capacity to distributed maritime operations. The U.S. Navy recently completed initial operational test and evaluation aboard the USS Coronado (LCS 4) for the MQ-8C Fire Scout, which has over 1,500 program flight hours. The aircraft is a modified Bell 407 helicopter that is produced in Moss Point and supports quality manufacturing jobs in Mississippi.
“Building on Northrop Grumman’s recent announcement of new production capabilities in Moss Point and a 40 percent increase in employment at the site, the ability to now conduct MQ-8C Fire Scout flight tests where the production occurs will bring new ef- ficiencies and effectiveness to our local operations and improve our ability to serve the U.S. Navy,” said Melissa Packwood, program director, Fire Scout, Northrop Grumman.
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September 21, 2018
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