Stewart Penney/LONDON
Austria's ministry of Defence expects to select a medium-lift helicopter within the next month, but is no further forward with its fighter selection because of political delays after last October's elections.
The MoD will decide between the Eurocopter AS532UC Cougar and the Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk, having eliminated two other contenders, the EH Industries EH101 and NH Industries NH90.
Austria needs the machines to replace six elderly Agusta AB204s and augment 24 Agusta AB212s. The helicopters form the backbone of the country's airlift, supporting the Austrian army's 7 Infantry Brigade which is tasked with air mobile operations. The new machines and the AB212s will be required to airlift a battalion of the 7 Brigade in no more than two waves. Along with the need to replace the AB204s, avalanches in the Austrian Alps in February last year highlighted the shortfall in Austrian helicopter support and propelled the programme to the top of the political agenda.
Austria is to order nine aircraft and take options on three, if a deal can be worked out within budget. Delivery is required as quickly as possible, but the MoD believes the first aircraft will arrive 18-24 months after selection.
Both proposals include the supply of interim machines to be used for aircrew and engineer training. The MoD says that, until contract negotiations are completed, it is not known whether these will form an initial batch of the nine aircraft or whether they will be returned after new aircraft are delivered.
The Black Hawk appears to have the edge, as the requirement specifies a transport machine that can be armed - the S-70 can be fitted with a range of weapons, but the Cougar is more restricted.
Austria's fighter competition has been in suspension since the start of last year's elections and talks on the shape of a coalition government remain unresolved.
Austria has in the past evaluated the Lockheed Martin F-16C/D, the Boeing F/A-18C/D, the MAPO MiG-29, the Dassault Mirage 2000-5 and the Saab/BAE Systems Gripen.
Source: Flight International
