The US Army says it needs extra funding to complete the safety enhancement programme (SEP) modification of its fleet of Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warriors, which was successful in sustaining the scout helicopter during the war in Iraq.
Many of the SEP improvements have been accelerated in recent months and were rushed to the field to support around 120 scout machines in Iraq. These include fitting engine barrier filters (EBF). As a result, the army says it has not had to replace one engine and during March achieved a 95% mission-capable rate.
The US Army has 375 Kiowa Warriors in service, which it intends retaining long after its remaining fleet of older OH-58A/Cs is retired in 2004/5. The army has funding to upgrade 304 machines by 2005 at a rate of 28 helicopters per year and has an unfunded requirement to modernise another 57 to sustain the fleet until the Boeing Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche begins to arrive in 2009.
The SEP also equips the OH-58D with cockpit airbags and crashworthy seats. Other improvements have been made for combat service in Iraq, including adding an engine infra-red suppressor and integrating enhanced position location reporting systems and the Grenadier-Brat battlefield identification system.
Source: Flight International
