U.S. Army Pursues UH-72A Procurement After Lawsuit Derailment
The U.S. Army is moving forward with a plan to buy more UH-72 Lakotas after a lawsuit blocked a previous effort to add more than a dozen of the Airbus utility aircraft to its training fleet. A...
View ArticleAC&A Acquires Aerospace Composites Manufacturer Encore
AC&A, a portfolio company of the private equity firm AE Industrial Partners, has acquired EnCore Composite Structures in a deal that bolsters the company’s composites business. Terms of the deal,...
View ArticleHN for Wed., January 17, 2017, Vol. 44, Issue 2.
Newsletter Army Consolidates Apache Testing With New Missile, Other Capability Upgrades In order to concurrently test fire a new missile from the aircraft, the Army is delaying follow-on test and...
View ArticleArmy Wins Appeal Against Leonardo Lawsuit Blocking UH-72 Sole-Source Contracts
The Army has won an appeal against Leonardo’s lawsuit attempting to block its pursuit of sole-source contracts for Airbus’ UH-72 Lakota helicopters. The U.S. Court of Appeals announced its decision...
View ArticleColumbia Helicopters Receives Task Order To Continue Airlift Support In...
Columbia Helicopters has received a new task order to continue providing rotary wing airlift support to U.S. Central Command in Afghanistan. The latest deal boosts their total contract value another...
View ArticleAirbus Successfully Completes FX275 Laser-Guided Rocket Test With H145M...
Airbus Helicopters announced Jan. 31 it has successfully demonstrated the ability to fire Thales’ laser-guided rockets (LGR’s) from its H145M helicopters. The tests were conducted in Dec. 2017 at the...
View ArticleHN for Wed., January 31, 2017, Vol. 44, Issue 3.
Newsletter Army Wins Appeal Against Leonardo Lawsuit Blocking UH-72 Sole-Source Contracts The Army has won an appeal against Leonardo’s lawsuit attempting to block its pursuit of sole-source contracts...
View ArticleLockheed Martin Sikorsky Pairs With Rheinmetall for German Helo Competition
Lockheed Martin [LMT] said Feb. 6 its Sikorsky division has signed a strategic teaming agreement with Germany’s Rheinmetall to bid the CH-53K helicopter for the German Air Force helicopter competition,...
View ArticleArmy Wants New Combat Vehicles, Helicopters ‘Substantially’ Sooner Than...
The Army’s number-two civilian, who is overseeing a massive restructuring of the service’s weapons development and acquisition process, wants to push up prototyping and experimentation of new combat...
View ArticleAirbus President Accuses Leonardo Of Treachery For Again Suing Over...
Following two years of litigation that concluded and then produced a fresh lawsuit the week of Jan. 21, UH-72 Lakota manufacturer Airbus is accusing Leonardo DRS of using the courts to hold contracts...
View ArticleHN for Wed., February 14, 2017, Vol. 44, Issue 4.
Newsletter Lockheed Martin Sikorsky Pairs With Rheinmetall for German Helo Competition Lockheed Martin [LMT] said Feb. 6 its Sikorsky division has signed a strategic teaming agreement with Germany's...
View ArticleLeonardo Drops Lakota Lawsuit, Clearing Way For Airbus Army Sale
Following a loss in court on a related case and a scathing rebuke from a competing aircraft manufacturer, Leonardo Helicopters has decided to withdraw a lawsuit challenging the Army’s purchase of...
View ArticleBell Drops ‘Helicopter’ From Name In Rebranding Effort
Bell Helicopter is rolling out a new rebrand campaign, dropping the “helicopter” from its name as it looks to broaden its flight innovation opportunities. The aircraft manufacturer Bell will continue...
View ArticleState Department Approves $1.2 Billion Apache Upgrade Deal With Netherlands
The State Department has approved three foreign military sales (FMS), including a $1.2 billion deal with the Netherlands for support to upgrade 28 AH-64D Block II Apache Attack Helicopters to the...
View ArticleLeonardo Drops Lakota Lawsuit, Clearing Way For Airbus Army Sale
Following a loss in court on a related case and a scathing rebuke from a competing aircraft manufacturer, Leonardo Helicopters has decided to withdraw a lawsuit challenging the Army’s purchase of...
View ArticleSikorsky Protests Air Force’s Huey Replacement Program
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin [LMT] company, has filed a pre-contract-award protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) over the Air Force’s UH-1N Huey replacement program, saying the service...
View ArticleHN for Wed., February 28, 2017, Vol. 44, Issue 5.
Newsletter Sikorsky Protests Air Force’s Huey Replacement Program Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin [LMT] company, has filed a pre-contract-award protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) over...
View ArticleArmy Buys First Post-Lawsuit Lot Of Airbus Utility Helicopters
Free from legal shackles it has been forced to wear for more than two years, the Army has signed a $273 million deal with Airbus Helicopters for additional UH-72 Lakota aircraft. Announced March 8, the...
View ArticleArmy Spending Millions On Contract Aviation To Support Afghanistan Troop...
Army logistics units in Afghanistan are spending millions of dollars contracting heavy lift helicopters to move supplies in support of the expected 3,900 additional troops headed for that country in...
View ArticleCH-53K Completes Critical Tests With Maximum Payload Flight
Sikorsky has completed the last of its its critical flight expansion activities for its CH-53K ahead of its first delivery of the aircraft to the Marine Corps later in 2018, with a successful external...
View ArticleQatar Purchases 28 NH90 Multi-Role Helicopters, 16 H125 Training Helicopters
Qatar has agreed to a new contract to purchase 28 NH90 multi-role helicopters for its military and sixteen H125 light single-engine helicopters for training with its Armed Forces Air Academy, according...
View ArticleHN for Wed., March 14, 2017, Vol. 44, Issue 6.
Newsletter Army Spending Millions On Contract Aviation To Support Afghanistan Troop Increase Army logistics units in Afghanistan are spending millions of dollars contracting heavy lift helicopters to...
View ArticleArmy ‘Not Going To Stand’ Delays In Future Vertical Lift Next-Gen Helicopter...
The Army is committed to its search for a next-generation rotorcraft and will not tolerate cost overruns and development delays that clipped the wings of earlier attempts to build a future helicopter....
View ArticleState Department Approves $106.8 Million Helicopter Support Deal With Saudi...
The State Department has approved a possible $106.8 million maintenance support deal with Saudi Arabia to continue providing services for its Aviation Command’s aircraft fleet. The Defense Security...
View ArticleQatar Purchases 28 NH90 Multi-Role Helicopters, 16 H125 Training Helicopters...
Qatar has agreed to a new $3.7 billion contract to purchase 28 NH90 multi-role helicopters for its military and 16 H125 light single-engine helicopters for training with its Armed Forces Air Academy,...
View ArticleHN for Wed., March 28, 2017, Vol. 44, Issue 7.
Newsletter Qatar Purchases 28 NH90 Multi-Role Helicopters, 16 H125 Training Helicopters For $3.7 Billion Qatar has agreed to a new $3.7 billion contract to purchase 28 NH90 multi-role helicopters for...
View ArticleOpen Architecture Future Vertical Lift Family Will Include Advanced UAS
Aside from developing a revolutionary new family of rotorcraft, the Army’s ongoing Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program includes building a next-generation unmanned aerial system that will fly in...
View ArticleBell, Leonardo Vying For Potential Navy Training Helicopter Contract
Textron’s [TXT] Bell Helicopter and Leonardo are touting two different approaches, pitching cost effectiveness against full requirements, for a potential Navy contract to replace its fleet of training...
View ArticleMarines Seeking Foreign Buyers To Extend H-1 Production Line Out To 2030s
Having nearly fielded its planned fleet of upgraded attack and utility helicopters, the Marine Corps is seeking foreign buyers to keep the Bell [TXT] H-1 production line open past 2022. Production of...
View ArticleSpain Purchases 17 CH-47F Helicopters For $1.3 Billion
Spain has purchased 17 Boeing’s [BA] CH-47F cargo helicopters with modifications for $1.3 billion, according to a State Department notice. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of...
View ArticleAirbus Receives First Order In Latin America For H160 Helicopter
Airbus announced its first order in Latin America for the H160, agreeing to a deal for one of the medium utility helicopters with an unnamed Brazilian customer. The deal, announced April 3, was signed...
View ArticleCanada Adds $313 Million To Boeing Contract For Chinook Helicopter Logistics...
Canada has agreed to a new $313 million contract amendment with Boeing [BA] to continue providing full systems logistics and engineering support for its Air Force’s fleet of CH-147F Chinook...
View ArticleHN for Wed., April 11, 2017, Vol. 44, Issue 8.
Newsletter Marines Seeking Foreign Buyers To Extend H-1 Production Line Out To 2030s Having nearly fielded its planned fleet of upgraded attack and utility helicopters, the Marine Corps is seeking...
View ArticlePresidential VH-92A Helicopter On Track To Complete Development
Later in 2018, the VH-92A presidential helicopter program will complete an operations assessment before heading to a decision in mid-2019 on whether to proceed to the acquisition phase of the program,...
View ArticleState Department Approves $1.2 Billion Deal With Mexico For MH-60 Helicopters
The State Department has approved a possible $1.2 billion deal with Mexico for eight MH-60 Multi-Mission helicopters. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the potential sale...
View ArticleAirbus Successfully Tests MUM-T Capability With Its H-145M Helicopter,...
Airbus Helicopters has successfully completed manned/unmanned teaming (MUM-T) capability tests with its H-145M helicopter and Austrian defense company Schiebel’s S-100 unmanned air system (UAS), the...
View ArticleHN for Wed., April 25, 2017, Vol. 44, Issue 9.
Newsletter State Department Approves $1.2 Billion Deal With Mexico For MH-60 Helicopters The State Department has approved a possible $1.2 billion deal with Mexico for eight MH-60 Multi-Mission...
View ArticleLawmakers Want Army To Speed Armored Vehicle, Helicopter Upgrades
Recognizing the Army’s need to upgrade or replace its ground vehicles and aircraft for future combat, House lawmakers will ask for plans to accelerate both the modernization of its armored brigade...
View ArticleBAE Awarded $175 Million Navy Contract For More Laser-Guided Rockets
Britain’s BAE Systems was awarded a $175 million U.S. Navy award to produce 7,000 more Advance Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) laser-guided rockets, the company said May 8. This award falls under...
View ArticleCoast Guard Slammed For Being Slow To Adopt Blue Technologies
The top Republican and Democrat on a House panel that oversees policymaking for the Coast Guard on May 8 criticized the service for taking too much time to adopt new technologies for the maritime...
View ArticleLeonardo To Establish Australia Helicopter Repair And Overhaul Facility
Italy’s Leonardo concluded an agreement with Australia’s Ministry of Defence to establish a helicopter transmission repair and overhaul facility in Melbourne in late April. The facility will be capable...
View ArticleHN for Wed., May 9, 2018, Vol. 44, Issue 10
Newsletter Lawmakers Want Army To Speed Armored Vehicle, Helicopter Upgrades By Dan Parsons Recognizing the Army’s need to upgrade or replace its ground vehicles and aircraft for future combat, House...
View ArticleLeonardo, Polish Firm Collaborate In Development of New Combat AW249
Leonardo and Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) have agreed to collaborate on development of a new combat helicopter, the AW249. The 249 would meet the Polish Army’s requirement for a new combat helicopter...
View ArticleUH-60V Enters User Test With Northrop Avionics Software Delivery
Northrop Grumman [NOC] has delivered software to the U.S. Army for the UH-60V Black Hawk helicopter to enter limited user testing (LUT) ― a critical milestone leading into production. Under a contract...
View ArticleGerman Military Orders Seven H145Ms for Search and Rescue
The German armed forces, or Bundeswehr, has ordered seven Airbus H145M search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopters to replace its “obsolete” SAR fleet of Bell [TXT] UH-1Ds, which entered service in the 1970s,...
View ArticleArmy to Trim CH-47 Upgrades by 10 percent, McCarthy says
U.S. Army Undersecretary Ryan McCarthy said on Wednesday that the Army will buy 10 percent fewer Boeing [BA] CH-47F Block II upgrades than planned to fund top modernization priorities, such as...
View ArticleNo Nunn-McCurdy Breach on CH-47F Block II ‘To My Knowledge,’ McCarthy Says
Will the U.S. Army’s planned 10 percent reduction in the service’s buy of Boeing [BA] CH-47 Block II upgrades result in a Nunn-McCurdy breach–a unit cost increase of 15 percent or more? The Army says...
View ArticleArmy May Face Trade-Off Between CH-47F, Block II and AH-64E New Builds
As the FY 2020 budget season gets underway, the U.S. Army may face the issue of whether to push Congress for more funding for Boeing [BA] CH-47F, Block II upgrades or new AH-64E Apache attack...
View ArticleAir-to-Air Refueling For FVL “Increasingly Important” For Army Special...
NASHVILLE–An air-to-air refueling capability for a Future Vertical Lift (FVL) platform will be “increasingly important” for U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command, as the command seeks to...
View ArticleDownsized At-Sea RIMPAC 2020 Starts Amid Pandemic
A downsized two week-long Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise kicked off on Aug. 17 off the coast of Hawaii, limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a recorded opening message, Vice Adm. Scott Conn,...
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