Committee asks for more data on bids from Australian Aerospace and Sikorsky
A source selection on Australia's Project Air 9000 military helicopter fleet-rationalisation programme is not expected until late July, after a key defence acquisition committee asked to be given additional data before endorsing any purchase recommendation.
The Defence Capability and Investment Committee had been scheduled to consider the project at its 15 June meeting, but instead requested more analysis of competing bids from Eurocopter subsidiary Australian Aerospace and from Sikorsky.
The deferral means a recommendation is unlikely to go before the Australian government until defence minister Robert Hill returns from annual defence co-operation talks in the USAin early July.
Australian Aerospace is offering 40 MRH90s, a variant of the NH Industries NH90, to meet the combined Air 9000 Phase 2/4 requirement, while Sikorsky is promoting 48 UH-60Ms. Twelve of the latter will be new-build aircraft, with the remaining 36 to be remanufactured from the Australian Army's current S-70A-9 Black Hawks.
Australian Aerospace has revealed plans to create 400 jobs in the Australian aerospace sector and new investment worth up to A$60 million ($41.4 million). This will build on investments worth A$30 million and the creation of 220 jobs after Eurocopter's Tiger was chosen as the army's armed reconnaissance helicopter. Its proposed industry programme includes the transfer of composite tailrotor blade manufacture and some composite fuselage parts to Australian companies for both the Air 9000 aircraft and the global NH90 helicopter programme.
The MRH90 is baselined on the German army's NH90 tactical transport helicopter, which is expected to be certificated by mid-2005. Australian Aerospace proposes initial deliveries to Australia from mid-2007.
The Australian Aerospace bid team for Air 9000 also includes Raytheon Australia, Thales and its Australian subsidiary ADI, and Kellogg Brown & Root. A further 24 companies have been identified as potential suppliers of subsystems, maintenance and support, and as secondary suppliers for the global NH90 programme.
If the team wins, Raytheon will be responsible for the proposed upgrade of the Royal Australian Navy's Sikorsky S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopters under Air 9000 Phase 3, and for the disposal of the army's S-70A-9s. Australian Aerospace says this will ensure that its bid is not restricted by US controls on access to military-owned intellectual property carried by the Sikorsky aircraft, and will ease the negotiation of export control certification.
PETER LA FRANCHI / CANBERRA
Source: Flight International
