Stewart Penney/LONDON
The past year brought some consolidation to the rotorcraft industry and conclusions to notable competitions. Meanwhile, significant procurement battles loom over the next 12 months, particularly in Europe.
Finmeccanica and GKN have agreed to merge their Agusta and Westland helicopter business units, furthering the consolidation drive within an industry that has promised much rationalisation, but delivered little since the formation of Eurocopter in 1992.
It remains to be seen if the four major US players - Bell, Boeing, Kaman and Sikorsky - become three, or if some bit players are swallowed up. Boeing has, however, sold its commercial line to Netherlands based RDM, under the MD Helicopters branding. Popular with military and paramilitary customers, the product line includes the Explorer and MD520N.
Russia's rotary-wing specialists, Kamov and Mil, are desperately seeking exports to fill production lines at a time when domestic orders are unlikely due to the country's ravaged economy. Despite such financial woes, Kamov - now part of the MAPO conglomerate alongside the MiG design bureau - did manage to fly its Ka-60 utility machine for the first time.
Boeing's AH-64D Longbow Apache emerged the victor in Singapore's attack helicopter competition. Contests in Australia and Turkey are due for resolution this year. Project Air 87 in Australia is a fight between the Agusta A129 Scorpion, Apache and Eurocopter Tiger. In Turkey, the same three are battling for a potential 100 aircraft order against the Bell AH-1Z King Cobra and Kamov Ka-50.
Poland wants attack helicopters in place of its cancelled Huzar programme and is expected to seek bids in October or November. Meanwhile, the list of contenders in Japan's search for a combat helicopter includes the usual suspects plus a version of the indigenous Kawasaki OH-1 scout.
France and Germany have, after some delay, signed the production contract for a first batch of Tigers, but the NH90 programme involving the same countries, plus Italy and the Netherlands, awaits political production go-ahead. The first WAH-64 Apache for the UK Army Air Corps has reached GKN Westland for final assembly, while Boeing - which kept hold of its military helicopter business - continues to upgrade US Army AH-64As to Longbow radar-equipped AH-64Ds. The Netherlands has received its first AH-64Ds and is working up its first squadron. Once formed, the initial Apache unit will convert from leased AH-64As to -Ds.
Four Nordic nations - Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden - will try to match their diverse requirements to replace Kawasaki/Vertol KV107s, Sikorsky S-61 Sea Kings, GKN Westland Lynx and Mil Mi-8 Hips in transport, search and rescue, anti-submarine warfare and shipborne roles. Potentially the order could be for 100 machines, if the four nations can select a single type large enough to fulfil their transport needs but not too big to fit on naval vessels. The size of the order and the participant nations' demands for offset work could lead to the creation of a Nordic final production line.
Canada is poised to launch a competition to replace its elderly Sikorsky CH-124 Sea King fleet in a return to a battle thought settled in the early 1990s when the EH Industries EH101 was selected to replace the Sea Kings and even older Vertol CH-114 Labrador SAR machines. The contract was overturned when a new government came to power. EHI was subsequently awarded a contract for 15 SAR-dedicated EH101s.
Now teams are forming to fight the competition to provide about 35 naval machines, with EHI linking with Boeing to supply the mission system. Lockheed Martin Canada will perform a similar function for Sikorsky, offering the S-92. Turkey has an on-going requirement for heavylift helicopters, initially for eight aircraft. A follow-on buy is a possibility. The battle is between the Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion and the Boeing CH-47 Chinook.
Austria is expected to buy up to 12 transport helicopters following mountain avalanches in February this year that exposed the nation's lack of such aircraft. Selection lies between the Sikorsky UH-60, EH101, Eurocopter Cougar and the NH Industries NH90. Portugal seeks a similarly sized helicopter for fishery protection and SAR tasks.
Continuing backlash from the Asian economic crisis, as well as other conditions in South America, mean that the large potential market for helicopters in these regions will remain untapped for now. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela all require transport helicopters but only Venezuela seems remotely close to an order.
Source: Flight International
