The US Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC) has selected operator Evergreen Helicopters, rather than Kaman Aerospace, for further civil-helicopter demonstrations of commercially operated vertical replenishment (VERTREP) of warships.
Kaman's K-MAX was used successfully to demonstrate the concept over the past two years, but the MSC says that it wants to expand the test and, late in 1996, it issued a request for proposal for a third VERTREP evaluation contract, worth $4.5 million.
To encourage competition, the MSC lowered the external cargo-lift requirement to 2,000kg to allow for a greater number of commercial helicopters to qualify. Extra capabilities desired by MSC include the ability to carry up to two pallets or ten passengers internally, but the K-MAX has no internal-lift capability.
MSC hopes to meet a projected shortfall of USN Boeing Helicopters CH-46 Sea Knights, now used for VERTREP, with commercial airlift.
For the VERTREP demonstration, Evergreen Helicopters, the McMinnville, Oregon-based commercial operator, will operate two Sikorsky Aircraft SH-3s. A 30-day orientation will be followed by a full deployment in the Mediterranean Sea aboard MSC combat stores ship USNS Saturn.
Kaman Aerospace submitted two proposals. One offer involved two K-MAX rotorcraft, while the second bid included a K-MAX and a Dauphin.
Source: Flight International
