GKN Westland is proposing to the UK Ministry of Defence a refuselage programme for about 100 British Army Lynx helicopters. The move is part of a wider programme to adapt the battlefield helicopter as a reconnaissance/observation machine to support army WAH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters when they enter service.
Other options being considered by the MoD include letting the Lynx fleet continue with minimal changes until the aircraft run out of airframe life late in the next decade, or proceeding with a modest airframe refurbishment.
Keith Robson, GKN Westland head of government marketing, says replacing the Lynx's fuselage would take the aircraft out of service for less time and be cheaper than a limited refurbishment.
If the MoD decides to replace the fuselage, the nose, cabin and tail boom structures will be discarded, along with the wiring looms and skid undercarriage, which would be replaced by the tricycle unit fitted to later Army Air Corps Lynx.
Other more expensive items will be retained, although the Lynx's 830kW (1,120shp) Rolls-Royce Gem turboshafts could be replaced with 1,210kW CTS800s made by the AlliedSignal/R-R Allison LHTEC joint venture.
The cockpit would be upgraded and the gearbox refurbished and, if a new engine is selected, uprated to take the CTS800's higher power. The resulting machine would have a 10,000h airframe life, an increased all-up weight and reduced support costs. The German and Danish navies have already chosen tore-airframe their aircraft.
Other likely changes include a new roof-mounted sight optimised for reconnaissance rather than for the aiming and guidance of TOW anti-tank missiles.
Source: Flight International
