International interest in the potentially large Bell UH-1H upgrade market is being revived, thanks in part to an emerging Thai military requirement to extend the life of more than 100 helicopters.
The Thai army is looking at options to upgrade its 96 UH-IHs, while the Thai air force has a potential need to modernise up to 20 aircraft. The South-East Asian nation has dispatched a four-man team to the USA to gather data to define a set of requirements.
At the last count, Thailand's pending programme had attracted the interest of 13 companies. They are understood to include the Airwork-led Helipro/Global team, Bell, Dornier, Elbit, Hunter - teamed with BAE Systems - Israel Aircraft Industries, Singapore Technologies and Sabreliner, teamed with US Helicopter.
Bell, with Ozark-based US Helicopter, is enjoying success in Latin America, having supplied UH-IH Huey II upgrade kits to Colombia, and has proposed deals in Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico and Peru. "We're evaluating [Thailand] to see if we can do it ourselves, or in conjunction with others," says Bell president Terry Stinson.
The Huey II upgrade includes an uprated Honeywell T53-703 for improved hot-high performance, coupled with a Bell 212 transmission, tailboom and wider-chord blade. In Thailand, where financing is limited to $60 million, Bell faces strong competition from lower-cost solutions.
Helipro claims its Huey 703, featuring the same improved turboshaft, combined with a tractor tailrotor, tailboom strake and density-altitude pitch compensator, costs half the price of the $2.2 million Huey II package (Flight International, 8-14 February). The Huey 703 has yet to be fully certificated, though, say competitors.
Beyond Thailand and South America, other possible UH-IH upgrade opportunities have been identified in Jordan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and Turkey. "This market was absolutely dead flat for two years, but is now coming back and we're taking a much more serious view of it," acknowledges Stinson.
Source: Flight International
