Installation must wait until 2011, as Kawasaki prepares helicopters for testing and transport duties

Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) has begun test flying the first of 11 KHI-01 airborne mine countermeasures (AMCM) helicopters, but the installation of the mission suite has been delayed until next decade.

Industry sources say KHI is not scheduled to begin mission equipment integration work until 2008 and installation of the EDO Organic Airborne and Surface Influence Sweep (OASIS) system is not due to begin until 2011.

Development initially was scheduled to start this year and KHI-01s were to be outfitted with OASIS from 2008. The delay will force the Japanese navy to take delivery of the first four KHI-01s in basic transport configuration. The first KHI-01, which had its maiden flight in the UK in February at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil manufacturing site, arrived in Japan late last month.

The aircraft has already been flown from the port of Nagoya to KHI’s factory at Gifu, where communications equipment will be installed and further test flights will be conducted. Delivery to the Japanese navy is scheduled for next March. KHI will also assemble all future KHI-01s at Gifu. Local assembly on the first two helicopters, including one for AMCM and one for Antarctic support, is set to begin by year-end and be delivered in 2007. KHI will integrate OASIS on the KHI-01 without any assistance from AgustaWestland.

The Anglo-Italian manufacturer is trying to sell OASIS-equipped EH101s to other countries, but its second AMCM customer will have to cover the integration costs because KHI’s development work, set to begin in 2008, will not be exportable. New York-based EDO began OASIS development work for the US Navy’s Sikorsky MH-60S fleet in 2002 and the system is scheduled to become operational this year. Sources say Japan is blaming the delay in outfitting the KHI-01 with OASIS partly on a delay in the US government releasing the necessary data. But they say Japan was also willing to agree to the delay because of budget constraints and lower than expected utilisation of its current AMCM fleet.

Japan has pushed back Sikorsky MH-53 retirements until 2011 and this was only possible because the aircraft in recent years have been flying less than expected.

BRENDAN SOBIE/SINGAPORE

Source: Flight International