The US Air Force received its first of 50 production-standard CV-22 Osprey tiltrotors from Bell Boeing in mid-September. To achieve initial operating capability with Special Operations Command as a deep insertion and extraction platform in 2009, the CV-22 will have only around 20% avionics commonality with the US Marine Corps’ MV-22. The USAF version will enter a period of operational utility evaluation in mid-2006.
Source: Flight International
Austria has signed for a dozen new Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawks to replace its ageing Bell 212 transports.
The Indian navy has formally retired its small fleet of Sikorsky UH-3H ‘Sea King’ helicopters from service.
The delivery of a remanufactured CH-47F Chinook in the latest Block II standard marks a milestone in the US Army’s strategy to modernise its aviation fleet.
