ARIE EGOZI / TEL AVIV
Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and BAE Systems have discussed potential co-operation to compete for the upgrade of Mil Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters for four central European Visegrad nations.
The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia plan a joint upgrade of up to 115 Mi-24s. The package is expected to cost around $5.5 million a helicopter, including the production of two prototypes.
IAI's Mi-24 upgrade package is based on the Tamam Helicopter Multi-mission Optronic Stabilised Payload (HMOSP), which provides a day/night observation and targeting capability using television and infrared sensors. HMOSP also has automatic target tracking.
The Israeli package also includes a helmet-mounted display and a digital moving map, rearrangement of the fore and aft cockpits, an integrated self-protection suite and a preflight data and mission data-handling systems.
BAE has been working on a deal to upgrade Mi-24s to NATO standard with Canada's Kelowna Flightcraft. The proposal includes changes to the communication, navigation and weapon systems, and also aims to enhance pilots' situation awareness, introduce night/adverse weather operational capability, and improve survivability by adding jamming, warning, chaff and flare dispenser systems.
Other companies expected to bid for the Visegrad upgrade include France's Sagem and South Africa's Advanced Technologies and Engineering.
Source: Flight International
