British Aerospace Australia (BAeA) has teamed with South Africa's Denel Aviation to offer the CSH-2 Rooivalk attack helicopter for the Australian Army's Project Air 87. Formal agreement was reached between the two companies at the end of last month.
The Army is looking for an armed helicopter to replace its two squadrons of Bell 206 Kiowa reconnaissance helicopters.
BAeA is pursuing a host of defence aerospace projects with the South African armed forces. With industrial participation and development a key element in the selection process, the BAe tie-up with Denel is viewed as a signal of the company's willingness to address these issues.
The Rooivalk is being offered with the Kentron Mokopa semi-active laser-guided air-to-surface missile to meet the requirement within the request for proposals for a precision-guided weapon. The Matra BAe Dynamics Mistral infrared short range air-to-air missile is being proposed as a self-defence weapon.
The CSH-2 is in competition with the Agusta A129 Mangusta, the Boeing AH-64 Apache and the Eurocopter Tiger. Sikorsky and Kaman have also considered bidding for the contract with a modified UH-60 Black Hawk and SH-2GSuper Seasprite, respectively. Tenders for the competition close on 6 August.
While the Australian Army has not specified a tandem cockpit aircraft, there is an acknowledged reluctance within the Australian Defence community to adopt a widebodied helicopter.
Other teaming arrangements known to be under discussion include Agusta with Tenix Defence Systems. Tenix has recently acquired the remaining Australian assets of BTR Aerospace, including Hawker de Havilland Victoria.
Source: Flight International
