Paul Derby
As the world's helicopter manufacturers descend on Farnborough this week, they will be training their sights on a series of potentially lucrative contracts for attack helicopters.
Top of the agenda will be the Turkish air force's requirement for up to 150 combat helicopters - a deal which is estimated to be worth $3 billion.
Bids for the programme are on the table, with five combatants doing battle for the contract. Boeing will be offering the AH-64 Apache, while Bell is pushing its Zulu Cobra, a four-blade AH-1W variant with new avionics and systems.
Russian helicopter design bureau Kamov has altered the Ka-50 Hokum, while Eurocopter is pitching the Tiger. A venture linking Agusta of Italy with Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and offering an upgraded Agusta A129 Mangusta completes the list of bidders for the programme.
Expected
Turkey is expected to announce a shortlist by the end of the year with a final contract award being made by mid-1999.
One of the questions which remains to be answered is which missile Eurocopter will be able to offer on the Tiger. This follows a budget cut announced by the French Ministry of Defence that will prevent the establishment of a manufacturing base in France for the long range Trigat laser guided anti-tank missile.
Meanwhile, an Australian Defence Force project to replace its fleet of Bell 206 Kiowa utility helicopters with up to 30 armed reconnaissance machines offers a further A$1 billion ($613 million) carrot for competing bidders.
Singapore is now evaluating offers for its planned fleet of eight new attack helicopters. Prime contenders include the Apache and the Tiger.
It is understood that Denel declined to offer the CSH-2 Rooivalk, deciding instead to concentrate on placing the aircraft with Malaysia.
On the commercial front, industry analysts will be looking to Bell Helicopter Textron for a possible announcement of a new addition to its family of helicopters this week.
The US manufacturer may be set to announce a successor to the 206 light turbine which has been under strong challenge from the new Eurocopter EC120.
Challenge
Bell's planned acquisition of Boeing's MD500/600 light helicopters was seen as a means of meeting this challenge, but the deal was blocked by the US Government's Federal Trade Commission in June, forcing Boeing to put its civil helicopter lines back on the market. A buyer has yet to be announced.
The other option for Bell might be to throw the wraps off a successor to the 412 medium twin. Any launch in this arena would place the machine in direct competition with the Sikorsky S-76 and Eurocopter's new 155 in the long-range, 12-seat class.
Demand
The move would seem to make sense with the current boom in demand for helicopters designed for executive use. Other markets would include off-shore oil and some search and rescue missions.
Bell is also expected to announce additional sales for its 609 civil tiltrotor which is due for first deliveries in late 2001.
The long-awaited show debut of the Boeing Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche will add extra spice to the helicopter line-up.
Source: Flight Daily News
