The US military has requested nearly $8.3 billion for 11 rotorcraft programmes in production or the early stages of development. A total of $6.4 billion would be used to buy 213 new or remanufactured helicopters and 16 Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotors. The funds would continue the long process of recapitalising army aviation using funds mostly diverted from the cancellation of the Boeing/Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche project in February 2003.

Bell Boeing expects more orders
© US NAVY

Bell Boeing can expect orders for another 32 V-22's

The army would receive $274 million for the first 18 Bell 407 Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters (ARH), launching low-rate initial production for a programme put under contract last year. The budget would also buy 39 light utility helicopters (LUH) for $199 million. The winner of the LUH contest is yet to be announced.

Remanufacturing programmes for the army’s legacy helicopter force also would be sustained. The budget seeks $918 million to convert 36 Boeing AH-64A Apaches into AH-64D Longbow Block IIs, $633 million to rebuild 21 Boeing CH-47Ds to the -F standard and $867 million for 38 new UH-60M Black Hawks.

Another $1 billion would be poured into research and development for two emerging vertical-lift programmes. The US Navy would receive $682 million to continue developing the Lockheed Martin/AgustaWestland VH-71A presidential helicopter, plus $363 million to support the US Marine Corps’ new Sikorsky CH-53K.

The V-22 programme would absorb more than 25% of the budget for the 11 major rotorcraft programmes. The request would allow the Marines to buy 14 new MV-22s for nearly $2 billion and the air force to purchase two CV-22s for $412 million. Another $295 million would be spent on developing new upgrades for the V-22 programme’s Block C improvement plan.

The air force’s already urgent need to replace the Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk search and rescue fleet is being accelerated. The air force is requesting an additional $850 million over the five-year spending plan to FY2011 for the CSAR-X combat search and rescue programme, which has yet to be awarded.

Source: Flight International

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