THE GERMAN NAVY is expected to place an order for seven new Westland Sea Lynx helicopters by the end of June, delaying a decision on upgrading its current 17 aircraft at least until early 1997.
GKN Westland Helicopters says that the upgrade will bring the navy's older Lynx up to the operational standard of the new aircraft, but the most cost-effective upgrade may differ from the new helicopter.
Discussions on the upgrade programme are to begin in the second half of this year, once the precise specification for the new helicopters - to be delivered in 1998 - is known. The contracts will include an as-yet-unspecified industrial-offset deal for Germany.
GKN Westland head of customer operations Tim Brookman says that the new machine will be close to Super Lynx standards, equivalent to the Royal Navy's HAS8 - offering the German navy a multi-role-helicopter option.
German Lynx have been geared mainly to anti-submarine warfare. New and upgraded aircraft will have the option of a British Aerospace Sea Skua anti-ship missile, although there is no formal requirement for this yet.
GKN Westland says that the Sea Skua would make German machines more adaptable to the type of out-of-area operations increasingly required of NATO armed forces.
The helicopters will serve on four soon-to-be-delivered Type 123 frigates, and three later Type 124s. Both vessel types replace older destroyers, which have no helicopter capability.
GKN Westland believes that there is also potential for a later upgrade of on-board systems on the helicopters, which the navy plans to keep operational until 2015, when they will be replaced by naval versions of the NH Industries NH90.
Source: Flight International
