Paul Lewis/CHARLOTTE
US Army Aviation is considering accelerating full rate production of the Boeing Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche scout/attack helicopter by more than 50% in support of a wider transformation plan that calls for the early retirement of its Bell Helicopter Textron OH-58D Kiowa Warriors.
"The army is taking a look at accelerating the numbers of helicopters we acquire. We're scheduled to buy 62 per year out to fiscal year 2026. What they would like to do is increase that to 96 out to about FY2018, which saves about $3 billion and gets the aircraft to the soldiers a lot quicker," says Col Robert Birmingham, US Army RAH-66 programme manager.
Under the new aviation modernisation plan the OH-58D, the Bell AH-1 Cobra and UH-1H will be retired early to fall in line with the US Army's transformation to a lighter, digitised force. This will enable the army to free resources to accelerate RAH-66 deliveries. "If you do this, where are you going to get the pilots and mechanics from? You get them from the Kiowa Warrior," adds Birmingham.
The proposal, as well as shortening the production run by seven years, would substantially accelerate acquisition of the first 84 low rate initial production (LRIP) Comanches over three years. A full rate of 96 helicopters a year could then be achieved by 2009. "We can do it without any further capitalisation as we already have the capacity," says Jean Chamberlin, Boeing RAH-66 programme manager.
In addition Boeing Sikorsky is proposing that the army order an advance batch of 12 RAH-66s to close the gap between building 13 engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) machines and the first funded LRIP buy in 2006. The first EMD machine is due to fly in mid-2004 and the final eight development helicopters would be used by the army for training to achieve an initial operation capability by December 2006.
"This would minimise the risk between EMD and production by eliminating an 18 month gap in our line and avoid having to lay off our team. It also allows us to ramp up production quicker," adds Chamberlin.
Boeing Sikorsky in the meantime expects to restart flight testing of the second RAH-66 prototype, re-engined with the uprated LHTEC T800-801 turboshaft, by the end of the month.
Source: Flight International
