Lockheed Martin UK awarded Thales UK an “intention to proceed” contract to upgrade the acoustics system of in-service EH101 Merlin HM Mk1 helicopters operated by the Royal Navy. Worth £27 million ($50 million), the contract covers 30 aircraft with an option for eight more.
Rotorcraft
News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tiltrotors and unmanned air vehicles.
November 27, 2006 - 5:37am
Pratt & Whitney WSK PZL-Rzészow has inaugurated a new facility at Rzészow, Poland to assemble and test F100-PW-229 engines powering the country’s 48 F-16 fighters. The first engine was completed at the facility just before the Farnborough show.
November 27, 2006 - 5:33am
AgustaWestland (Outside OE2) here announced that the Mexican government has ordered five A119 Koala single-turbine and three A109S Grand twin-turbine helicopters. They will be used in civil protection and emergency medical service roles, among others.
November 27, 2006 - 5:05am
Sikorsky Aircraft yesterday announced plans to develop two new versions of its H-60 Black Hawk aimed at sales outside the U.S.: the International Black Hawk and the Armed BattleHawk.
November 27, 2006 - 5:01am
PZL-Swidnik’s W-3A Sokol helicopter received its type certificate from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) last month. The company initiated the procedure, it said, because several European operators are using the 14,000-pound mtow, twin-engine helicopter for firefighting. Sokols are currently flying firefighting missions in Spain, Portugal and Italy.
November 27, 2006 - 4:47am
Citic Offshore Helicopter Co. Ltd. (COHC), the largest helicopter operator in Asia, and Eurocopter announced here in Farnborough the signing of a contract for two EC 225 helicopters.
November 27, 2006 - 4:39am
PZL-Swidnik last month handed over the 500th airframe–an AW139–it has produced for AgustaWestland. The Polish company builds all the fuselages and tail booms for the AgustaWestland A109E Power, A109S Grand, A109 LUH and A119 Koala helicopters and is a risk-sharing partner with AgustaWestland on the AW139. Last year the company delivered more than 100 airframes to AgustaWestland.
November 22, 2006 - 6:50am
The NTSB has asked the FAA to require MD Helicopters to conduct tests to “enable the full analysis” of all critical loads for tension-torsion (T-T) straps installed in the notar anti-torque fan of MD 500N, 600N and 900 rotorcraft. The recommendations stem from the Safety Board’s ongoing investigations into two nonfatal accidents involving MD 900s in 2004.
November 16, 2006 - 11:50am
Sikorsky and China Aviation Industry Corp. II (AVIC II) recently struck a deal to jointly develop and build civil helicopters. The companies will also explore establishing AVIC II subsidiary Changhe Aircraft Industry as a second production source of S-76 fuselages.
November 16, 2006 - 6:57am
India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), headquartered in Bangalore, has brought two examples–one civil production aircraft and a military prototype–of its indigenously designed Dhruv helicopter to show here at Farnborough International.
