The UK has merged Royal Navy and Royal Air Force future support helicopter programmes into a single requirement. The Ministry of Defence is now analysing operational requirements for a common joint medium lift rotorcraft with an in-service date of 2008.
The result of marrying the RN's Future Amphibious Support Helicopter (FASH) programme and the RAF Future Support Rotorcraft (FSR) project could be a requirement for over 40 aircraft.
The RN had already sought responses to a request for information from potential bidders interested in FASH. Bell-Boeing with the V-22 tiltrotor, EH Industries with the EH101 and Sikorsky with the S-92 are among those which responded. The FASH programme would have entailed the purchase of about 15 aircraft.
Although the way ahead is not clear, it appears the MoD will seek to maintain the timescale intended for the FASH programme, with an invitation to tender around 2001 and first deliveries to replace the RN's Westland Commando Sea King HC4s in 2006.
After that, a rolling programme to replace RAF Puma HC1s and Sea King Mk 3 search and rescue (SAR) variants would get under way. The original intention of the FSR project had been to start replacing Pumas in 2010, although no date had been set for pensioning off the SAR Sea Kings.
With the operational analysis still under way, a Boeing-led team was in London to brief MoD officials on a study by the UK's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency and TRW to assess the V-22's potential to meet UK vertical lift requirements.
Boeing says the study showed that, in the three deployment scenarios it evaluated, the V-22's survivabilty allows it to deliver more combat power faster, more effectively and with fewer combat losses than with helicopters. It also indicates that the V-22 could cover other roles for the UK, including those of airborne early warning, inflight refuelling and strategic self deployment.
News of the decision to merge the two programmes emerged as the UK officially inaugurated its new tri-service Joint Helicopter Command on 5 October, bringing together the country's support and attack helicopter assets.
Source: Flight International
