The H160 medium twin helicopter’s second prototype made its first flight today at Airbus Helicopters' headquarters in Marignane, France. This also is the first H160 powered by the Turbomeca Arranos, a 1,100- to 1,300-shp turboshaft that made its first ground run in 2014. The Arranos will be the production standard; the first H160 prototype is flying with a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210Es.

The first H160 had accumulated more than 75 hours of flight testing by the end of last year. This allowed the company to open the flight envelope and validate some of the helicopter’s features and handling qualities, according to Bernard Fujarski, who is heading the program. Three flying prototypes will be involved in the development program, along with two integration testbeds dubbed the dynamic helicopter zero and the system helicopter zero. The schedule has slipped to the right, as the second prototype's first flight was previously pegged for 2015, but Fujarski is still planning entry into service for 2018.

The order book will open this year for the H160. An all-new assembly line, with a greater level of automation, will be inaugurated in the second half of this year.

The U.S. Army has begun primary training for helicopter pilots using the Airbus UH-72A at the 110th Aviation Brigade, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, Ala. Forty students began academic work on December 10 and air work on January 11 in what will be a 22-week course that sees them graduate with an instrument rating. The Army is transitioning its basic training and basic combat skills training flying from a combination of the Bell TH-67 Creek and OH-58A/C Kiowa Warrior to the UH-72A over the course of the next four years. This year, 25 percent of students will train in the Airbus and the number will climb by 25 percent annually as the fleet grows to 204 from the current 61 and the Bells are retired.

The Army’s switch to the UH-72 in the primary training mission was not without controversy or its critics. Col. Kelly E. Hines, commander of the 110th, explained how training on the new helicopter is organized and what advantages it presents, what remains the same and what is different. 

The ground school remains the same save some of the content. “It’s the same type of classes as when we were flying TH-67s, with the same time frames for basic and advanced instruments,” Hines said. “A lot of the systems are much more modern than what we had in the TH-67s or the OH-58s so the students are learning more of what this generation is meant to learn. Today’s students are much more computer savvy than us ‘old guys,’” but otherwise, he said, “nothing is different save that as a dual engine it is safer. We don’t have the single-engine type failure thing to worry about.”

Practice on the Ground

Simulators are also part of the mix early on, and that wasn’t the case with the TH-67. “Currently with primary training on the TH-67, the first time you do anything is when you sit in the aircraft, take off and go fly around. You get no simulation before getting in the aircraft,” Hines said. With the UH-72, students get simulator time first. Right now students have access to three level-B simulators. That number will soon grow to five and there is a plan to switch over the level-D simulators in the near future. During the course of their training students will receive 37 hours in simulators. “The way the LUH [UH-72] works is that you do the simulations a little bit before flying so the students see how it works and know how to start it without having the added stress of taking it up into a hover and taking off,” Hines said. “They don’t practice hovering in the simulator but they practice traffic patterns. Hovering in a simulator helps, but it’s not as realistic.” He added that students do take it off from the ground in a simulator. In addition, they do emergency procedures training in the sim before they sit in the aircraft. They learn how to operate systems, how to tune radios, how to load flight plans and so on.

Learning in a twin-engine machine provides an added margin of safety, Hines said, and provides a smoother transition to the Army’s war-fighting machines. “They’re not having to do autorotations all the way to the ground as we did in TH-67s or a lot of the run-on landing stuff that we had to teach with the older aircraft. We still teach the EPs [emergency procedures] as far as autorotations from altitude but they recover before they touch the ground. It prepares them better for the advanced aircraft they go to after initial training. The Black Hawk, Chinook and Apache are all dual engine. A lot of the instrumentation crosses over and systems management is much better this way, as is habit transfer when they go to war-fighting helicopters.”

Training in the UH-72 improves continuity, Hines said. It allows students to stay with the same airframe and the same instructor longer, instilling confidence and ensuring the quality of instruction.

“What has changed is that the student will continue to fly the LUH all the way through what we call basic combat skills. Before that we were flying TH-67s until the students were finished with instruments, and then they would have to learn how to fly an OH-58A/C, a post-Vietnam-era aircraft, with basic combat skills–mostly low level and operating in remote fields,” Hines said. 

Students also receive NVG training in the UH-72 as opposed to in their advanced aircraft, which is how it used to be done, and the new way is safer and saves money, Hines said. “The current plan now is when they go into basic combat in an LUH they will actually get to fly NVGs at that point so that they will be NVG qualified. It will reduce the advanced-helicopter hourly requirement, which saves a little bit of money and time because it transfers over.”

Students also get to stay with the same instructor longer. “The student will begin with an IP [instructor pilot] on day one and he can keep that IP all the way through advanced instruments,” Hines noted. “We used to fly the student with one IP for contact and another for instruments. The reason I like this is that the IP who knows his students better, their weaknesses and their strengths, and can either tailor the package or techniques or, if a kid is doing better, advance him a little faster. Previously a TH-67 contact IP couldn’t teach instruments at all. Now if an IP sees his students are progressing at a better pace he can start introducing more advanced stuff earlier. Conversely, if a student needs more help on something he’ll know that and be able to work it in.”

Hines said he and his staff will be monitoring these first training classes closely and will not hesitate to make any necessary course adjustments. He said the four-year transition plan gives them ample time to tune the program. “We began looking at how we were going to do this a couple of years ago. It made sense not to try and do the transition all at once, so we would have time to look at the first class and see if there were bugs and make whatever adjustments we need to. We’re watching this class closely to see where efficiencies are gained, or where there are places we may need to add hours. We really won’t know that until we have had a couple of classes go through.”

Civil helicopter deliveries at Bell Helicopter Textron won’t really take off until next year, after the new Bell 505 Jet Ranger X light single enters service late this year and the super-medium 525 Relentless is certified early next year. Thus, shipments this year will be mostly flat, just as they were last year, Textron chairman and CEO Scott Donnelly said yesterday during a fourth-quarter investor conference call.

Bell delivered 175 civil helicopters last year, three less than in 2014, while military rotorcraft shipments numbered 48, compared with 61 in 2014. Donnelly expects the helicopter division’s 2016 revenues to be about $3.4 billion, on par with last year and down from $4.25 billion in 2014. Profits also slid by $129 million, to $400 million last year. Bell’s backlog at the end of last year was $5.2 billion, up $76 million from late September.

Donnelly anticipates that the two new helicopter models will bring solid growth to Bell in the coming years. Flight-test efforts for both the 505 and 525 are on pace, he said, with the former expected to obtain FAA approval in the fourth quarter and deliveries starting immediately afterward. The Bell 525, which will make its public debut in early March at Heli-Expo 2016, is currently undergoing single-engine testing and will start certification testing in the spring.

A high-level commission tasked with studying the size and mixture of forces of the U.S. Army has recommended the Army National Guard keep some AH-64 Apache attack helicopters rather than relinquish its fleet to the regular Army as proposed under an October 2013 aviation restructuring initiative (ARI). The commission’s compromise plan would be more costly than the ARI; to offset those costs it proposes maintaining two instead of four UH-60 Black Hawk battalions in the Guard and reducing annual procurement of UH-60s by five to 10 helicopters.

The National Commission on the Future of the Army released its report on January 28, a year after Congress established it in the Fiscal Year 2015 defense authorization act. The eight commissioners—four appointed by President Obama and four by Congress—met for the first time last April.

It is expected the commission’s report will play a role in upcoming budget debates in Congress. The House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on tactical air and land forces plans to discuss it on February 10, Breaking Defense reported.

The commission was especially asked to evaluate the Army’s proposed ARI, a cost-cutting plan contained within the Fiscal Year 2015 budget proposal that evoked strong protest from the Army National Guard, which is controlled by the states. The ARI proposes that the Army transfer some of its Black Hawks to the Guard; the Guard in turn transfers all of its Apaches to the Army. In response, the National Guard Bureau presented an alternative plan that enables the Guard to keep some Apaches.

While the ARI is a “well-crafted” plan that holds down costs, it “results in a lack of strategic depth, providing for no war-time surge capability in the Army National Guard. It also does not support the Total Force Policy” of unifying the regular Army and its reserve components, the commission found.

The commission recommends maintaining 24 Apache battalions, comprised of 20 regular Army battalions as the ARI proposes, and four Army National Guard battalions. The Army battalions would each be equipped with 24 attack helicopters; the Guard battalions would each have 18.

The plan assumes that 24 additional Boeing-built Apaches will be remanufactured from AH-64D models to E models at a cost of $420 million. Operating costs would increase by $165 million with the added expense of the Guard’s Apache battalions and of retaining a “forward-stationed” combat aviation brigade (CAB) in South Korea. The Army plans to eliminate that 11th CAB and fulfill its requirements in South Korea on a rotational basis.

Additional costs from the commission’s plan would be offset in part through a “modest slowdown” in the annual procurement of Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky-built Black Hawks. The plan does not affect UH-60L to V conversions that provide the Black Hawk with a digital glass cockpit. The Guard would have two Black Hawk battalions instead of four under the ARI, resulting in a 3 percent overall reduction in operational Black Hawks.

The commission did not make recommendations on the ARI’s proposal to retire all Bell OH-58 Kiowa Warrior scout helicopters or the Army’s plan to use the twin-engine Airbus UH-72A Lakota as its helicopter primary trainer.

Some think tanks found the commission’s report to be deficient. The report “is a politically correct document that focused more on trying to paper over serious disputes among the three components of the Total Force—active, National Guard and Reserve—than on doing the right thing,” wrote Daniel Goure of the Lexington Institute. The commission’s “fundamental goal was political in nature: ensuring One Army,” he added. “In this it may have been successful, recommending to keep some number of Apaches in the National Guard. But it did so by dividing up the baby and increasing costs for the Army.”

Airbus Helicopters plans to deliver the first upgraded H225 heavy twin (formerly known as the EC225e) at the end of this year. In the cockpit, the optional Rig’N Fly GPS-navigation-assisted software program aims to make oil rig approaches safer, thanks to a reduction in pilot workload. The system, which is retrofittable, has just been EASA certified.

The helicopter's mtow is being increased from 24,229 pounds to 24,581 pounds, allowing an operator to carry an additional fuel tank. As a result, the radius of action can be pushed to 300 nm with 10 passengers.

However, Airbus Helicopters is no longer planning to integrate the improved Turbomeca Makila 2B engine into the H225; instead it is keeping the current Makila 2A1. The 2B would have enabled a 1,200-pound payload increase, but the plummeting oil price and the resulting sharp fall in heavy-helicopter sales—there were only two H225 orders placed last year—changed the game. The decision not to pursue the development of the Makila 2B to power the H225 was made by Airbus Helicopters, in coordination with Turbomeca, according to the engine maker.

The Makila 2B has no other application and its development has come to a stop.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's (D) office announced a deal earlier this week that would force the city's five existing helitour operators using the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, located near Wall Street on the East River, to curtail flights by 50 percent by Jan. 1, 2017. Reductions will begin in April, with an elimination of all Sunday flights followed by further cuts of 20 percent each in June and October (the bookends of the busy summer/fall tourist season) from the baseline of these same months in 2015. The remaining 10 percent cut will come in January next year.

The operators had been facing a total ban from the New York City Council, and de Blasio's compromise was seen as a way of keeping the New York City helicopter air tour industry viable in the face of growing community opposition to anecdotal helicopter noise complaints. Operators offering helitours from the Manhattan heliport include Liberty Helicopters, Helicopter Flight Services, Manhattan Helicopter, New York Helicopter Charter and Zip Aviation.

“It was just basically an ultimatum provided to the air tour operators,” Helicopter Association International president Matt Zuccaro told AIN. “The mayor runs the city of New York, and he decided, 'This is it. This is basically what I am offering you and I expect you to comply.'”

Former Sikorsky Aircraft president Jeffrey Pino has been identified as one of two victims in the fatal crash Friday afternoon of an F-51D Mustang in Maricopa, Ariz., 35 miles south of Phoenix. The second victim has not yet been identified.

A retired Master Army Aviator, Pino joined Sikorsky in 2002 following 17 years at Bell Helicopter. He was named president of the Stratford, Conn.-based helicopter manufacturer in 2006, and during his tenure oversaw an extensive product development effort that included introduction of the X2 semi-compound rotorcraft technology demonstrator, the recipient of the 2010 Collier Trophy.

Pino also spearheaded Sikorsky's 2011 minority stake in very light jet manufacturer Eclipse Aerospace, with initial reports suggesting the company would also assist Eclipse with production. Sikorsky parent company United Technologies (UTC) later pulled back from those plans.

After retiring from Sikorsky in 2012, Pino most recently served as vice-chairman for personal VTOL developer XTI Aircraft. The founder of that company, David Brody, called Pino “a true leader, pioneer and industry legend.”

Pino owned the P-51 Mustang, “Big Beautiful Doll,” since early 2014, and that October made a successful gear-up landing in the airplane following trouble with its left main gear. The aircraft resumed flying last August, according to Pino’s Facebook page.

The Rostvertol division of Russian Helicopters (Stand J53) is here in Singapore promoting products from its military and civilian lines. On the military side, there’s the new dual-control version of its all-weather Mi-28NE Night Hunter combat rotorcraft. Developed from experience and combat applications involving the Mi-35 series (in service with more than 20 countries’ armed services), the Mi-28NE is touted for its enhanced maneuverability. It can perform advanced aerobatics, the better to evade missile attacks. The Mi-28NE, along with its stablemate Mi-35M were demonstrated for the first time at last August’s MAKS-2015 show near Moscow.

The Mi-28NE’s missions include destroying armored surface vehicles, as well as low-flying aerial targets such as ground-attack aircraft, unmanned aerial systems, and other helicopters. Other missions include surveillance and target designation. The Mi-28NE’s weapons suite includes Ataka air-to-ground “smart” munitions; Igla heat-seeking air-to-air missiles; and S-8 and S-13 unguided rockets. A 30mm gun mount is also available.

The helicopter also includes armor protection for the cockpit and vital systems, capable of turning aside 12.7-mm and 20-mm armor-piercing ammunition. To further improve combat survivability, the Mi-28NE doubles redundancy of its vital systems, including adding engine controls to the second cockpit seat. It also includes the S28 on-board defense complex, which includes protection against: infrared self-homing missiles; hostile electronic armament controls and active reconnaissance technology; laser irradiation, and the ability to identify the type, location and range of the source.

Improvements on the latest Mi-35M model include an upgraded guided weapons suite: a swiveling nose-mounted NPPU-23 double-barrel 23mm canon; an ATGM missile system operating Shturm or Ataka missiles, B8V20 rocket pods for 80mm S-8 rockets; and up to two underslung UPK-23-250 gun pods operating 23mm canon. The Mi-35M has an S35 on-board defense complex for defense against guided missiles with self-homing sensor heads.

Due to sanctions against Russia, the Mi-35M has been re-engined with Russian-built VK-2500-02 engines. For the same reason, other Russian-built elements are incorporated into the latest version of the combat helicopter. It operates a new pilot’s sight (identical to the one on the Mi-28NE) and other components formerly supplied by manufacturers in countries where Russian Helicopters is no longer permitted to do business.

Civil Helicopters

Civil rotorcraft are also on the menu at Russian Helicopters’ Rostvertol corporate plans. The heavy-transport Mi-26T2 is the latest iteration of a legacy airframe platform. New features give the mammoth rotorcraft more utility, focused on all-weather and night operations. For a start, the crew requirement is reduced to three from five (excepting an eternal sling operator).

Modern avionics boost the mission capability of the Mi-26T. Five multifunction LCD displays (with electromechanical backups) greatly enhance crew situational awareness. An onboard video system monitors sling operations. A digital autopilot reduces pilot workload, while collision-avoidance and ground-proximity-warning systems improve safety and add utility. Missions that would have been too risky without these features can now be performed routinely.

The passenger/cargo area is heated and air-conditioned for creature comfort, but also to allow the helicopter to carry temperature-sensitive payloads. Those payloads are now easier to load and unload thanks to the Mi-26T2’s upgraded floor and traversing equipment. Crews can now safely and securely moor aviation cargo pallets for added safety during flight.

The upgraded Mi-26T is now better suited to several of its core missions. They include personnel transport; bulky cargo operations (including external sling missions); emergency evacuation and medical transport; building and construction (placing heavy materials and components, such as heating and air-conditioning components); firefighting; logging; and more. The Mi-26T2 can even carry its own supplemental fuel supply and refueling equipment to set up autonomous operations in remote locations.

Boeing and India’s Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) recently announced a joint venture that will manufacture aerostructures–initially for the AH-64 Apache helicopter. This followed a promise made by Boeing Chairman James McNerney when he visited India last summer. He spoke of partnerships and wanting to keep the initiative of manufacturing in India to continue, with Boeing as an involved partner. “I want to play,” he said.

In July, the two companies announced a strategic aerospace partnership to support the “Make in India” movement and collaborate on integrated systems-development opportunities, including unmanned aerial vehicles. The facility will be located at Hyderabad where TASL already has a components factory, and another facility where it manufactures cabins for Sikorsky’s S-92 helicopters. An industry official said that with 110 of the cabins delivered, Tier 1 supplier TASL is expected to draw on its experience as it works to supply materials for Boeing fuselages.

McNerney said Boeing was “much closer to having final assembly [of] Apache or Chinook helicopters [in India],” and AIN has found that India is likely to get some contracts for the Chinooks as well as Boeing’s MD helicopters division.

Rahul Gangal, partner, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, told AIN, “This move signifies the increasing strength of India as a global supply hub in aerostructures. It also puts TASL in the next league of global aerospace Tier 1s.”

Boeing is furthering its commitment to accelerate its partnership with India, said Chris Chadwick, President and CEO, Boeing Defense, Space & Security. Sukaran Singh, managing director and CEO of TASL said in a statement that the company has the added advantage of taking on manufacturing and assembly of both aircraft and helicopters, “making it well-positioned for large-scale systems integration work in India’s aerospace and defense sector.”

Other Tata group companies, Tata Advanced Materials Ltd and TAL Manufacturing Solutions, have delivered power and mission equipment cabinets and auxiliary power unit door fairings for the P-8I long-range maritime surveillance aircraft and floor beams for the Boeing 787-9. 

These photos show two helicopters that might not be serving in the Malaysian armed forces–if the country’s defense budget had been larger. At the top is a smartly painted Sikorsky S-61A-4 Nuri (Malaysian for “parrot”) that the Malaysian Army took over from the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) last year. It is one of 44 that the RMAF received nearly 50 years ago. They were partially replaced in 2012-13 when the RMAF acquired 12 new EC725 Caracals from Eurocopter. But 28 of the long-serving Nuris are being retained–16 by the RMAF and 12 that are being transferred to the Army. With an average 14,000 flying hours logged, Malaysian defense officials say this fleet can fly on for at least another 15 years. Their avionics are being upgraded by AIROD, the leading Malaysian MRO. 

An unusual adaptation of the Eurocopter AS555 Fennec, bottom, that has been flying with Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) since 2004. It is equipped with a Telephonics 1500 maritime surveillance radar, a FLIR, and a door-mounted machine gun (Telephonics is here at Stand Q87). A naval officer toldAIN that six were acquired when it became clear that the RMN could afford only six of the more capable AgustaWestland Super Lynx Mk300 naval helicopters. That machine has more powerful radar and weapons. But the officer said the Fennecs have served well, with an AIS datalink and a radar that can track-while-scan 22 targets. 

Canadian simulation and training provider CAE has a stake in the future of Brunei, as the Southeast Asian nation seeks to diversify its economy from a concentration on oil and gas. The two are joint venture partners in a state-of-the-art multipurpose training centre (MPTC) that supports commercial and military flight training, not only in Brunei but throughout the region.

Located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, and surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, Brunei Darussalan (the “abode of peace”) is a tiny nation of some 420,000 people that gained independence from the UK in 1984. Today, 67 percent of its GDP is derived from the oil and gas sector, which has left it vulnerable to the global decline in oil prices.

Brunei is not unprepared for upheaval though; under its long-term Wawasan–or Vision–2035 strategy, the young nation aims to achieve a diversified, sustainable economy. “Perhaps it’s an even stronger wake-up call,” Harris Ibrahim, head of foreign direct investment with the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB), said of the oil price crash. “But initiatives have been in place for the past four or five years.”

Drawing foreign direct investment is a major thrust of Brunei’s economic strategy and helped lay the groundwork for Montreal-based CAE’s presence in the country. The nation allows 100-percent foreign ownership of companies, but CAE has entered into a joint-venture partnership with the Brunei Ministry of Finance to establish the MPTC, with the parties owning 60 percent and 40 percent, respectively. The BEDB owns the facility and leases it to CAE. The center employs 35 people and represents an investment of $102 million.

“This is a showcase for CAE for sure–not only the facility, but the business model,” said Peter Redman, general manager for Asia Pacific with CAE Defence and Security. Redman was among CAE and Brunei government executives who hosted reporters at the training center last week.

Built in 15 months, the Brunei MPTC started training pilots in September 2014. It houses a CAE Pilatus PC-7Mk II flight training device (FTD) the Royal Brunei Air Force uses to screen and train aspiring student pilots; a 3000 Series full-motion simulator for the Sikorsky S-92 medium twin-engine helicopter, which serves multiple offshore helicopter operators; and as of this fall a Series 3000 simulator for training Brunei air force S-70i Black Hawk pilots. The center also houses a training center for emergency management trainees that supports the Brunei National Disaster Management Centre and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

CAE is no stranger to the Asia Pacific region; it has aviation training centers at Seletar Aerospace Link in Singapore as well as in Kuala Lumpur, the Philippines, Japan, Korea, China and Bangalore. But Brunei is the company’s only multi-purpose training center in the region focused on the offshore and military markets.

Kevin Speed, Brunei MPTC general manager, traced CAE’s involvement with the nation to the Brunei Darussalam International Defence Exhibition held in 2009. There, CAE learned of and ultimately won a ministry of defence contract to provide a national modeling and simulation system. “That was the start of us having boots on the ground” in Brunei, he said.

The Royal Brunei Air Force’s 2011 order for 12 Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawks–now all delivered–presented another opportunity. But the first customer to sign a contract to use the facility was Brunei Shell. The energy company “was looking for an option other than traveling all the way to North America or potentially Aberdeen (Scotland) at the time to train on the S-92. They were really looking for a local solution. All of those pieces came together for a win-win business case,” Speed said.

The Level D S-92 simulator was certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency in May 2014, followed in succession by the Brunei Department of Civil Aviation, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Australia and the Civil Aviation Administration of China. While Brunei Shell is its anchor customer, China Southern Helicopter uses the simulator most. Other customers include Bristow Helicopter Australia, CHC Helicopter Australia, S-92 operators in Thailand and Korea and the Royal Thai Air Force, attesting to the regional appeal of the $15 million machine.

The PC-7 flight training device passed ministry of defence acceptance in May 2014 and became operational that November. The air force uses four PC-7 turboprops for ab-initio pilot training; the FTD helps it screen out students who will not make good pilots and further train those who have the appropriate skills without the expense and risk of using the aircraft. The course syllabus is completed with a ratio of 60 percent simulator sorties and 40 percent actual flying sorties, according to the air force.

Student pilots who plan to fly Brunei’s CN-235 twin-engine transports undergo fixed-wing multi-engine training at Tamworth, Australia, or in the UK. Those planning to fly helicopters graduate to the Bell JetRanger for advanced rotary-wing training.

Ultimately, Brunei’s helicopter pilots will graduate to the Black Hawk. The S-70i simulator that will hone their skills was undergoing test and integration work in Montreal at the time of the press tour. CAE plans to ship the $20 million machine this summer and to begin training with it by October, providing Brunei and the region with a sophisticated new capability.

Helicopter sales last year and this year in the Southeast Asia Pacific region reflect a downturn, according to Airbus Helicopters. In China, last year’s flurry of sales cannot offset the effects of the slowing economy, which are already being felt.

There was an overall contraction of the civil and “parapublic” (e.g. air ambulance) market in 2015, Philippe Monteux, Airbus Helicopter’s head of the region, told AIN. Airbus excludes the following Asian countries from the region: China, Japan and South Korea, which the company has regrouped in what it calls the  “North Asia” region.

Monteux was speaking before Airbus disclosed its financial performance for 2015, but he could already say the trend was a 15- to 20 percent reduction in units–with roughly the same reduction in value. Nevertheless, Monteux believed his company’s market share, at above 50 percent, was intact. “We are not expecting a strong recovery in 2016,” he added.

China’s economy and its impact on the region has been a factor, he said. Regulation has an impact, too–“opening the airspace to helicopters is not going as fast as we could expect,” Monteux said. This is the case in a number of countries–India, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia, for example. Tensions in the region do not support hopes for an accelerated expansion of available airspace, Monteux explained.

Low oil prices are having a huge impact on medium- and heavy-twin helicopter sales. Single and light-twin sales have been decreasing, and are suffering from the overall economy. The emergency medical service (EMS) market, for instance, is not taking off in Southeast Asia because it is often difficult to secure funding or refine the business model, according to Monteux.

In the long term, Airbus expects the Southeast Asia Pacific market to grow, driven by different factors, such as the need to replace aging fleets in the more advanced countries and new markets burgeoning. Last year, the region accounted for approximately 20 percent of the global market 

Strong Foundation in China

Speaking of China, Norbert Ducrot, Airbus Helicopters’ senior v-p for North Asia, remained optimistic. “Even with the slowing economy, we believe that our strong foundation and footprint in the country will enable us to continue making good progress,” he said.

Airbus Helicopters last year signed major deals in Greater China. Hong Kong’s Government Flying Service (GFS) ordered seven H175s, becoming the launch customer for the 16,500-lb twin-engine helicopter in a public services configuration. The operator will use it for search and rescue, EMS, fire-fighting and law enforcement operations, as well as land and maritime border security patrols.

A newly formed lessor, CM International Financial Leasing Corp., Ltd. (CMIFL), is to acquire 100 H125s and H130 Ecureuil light singles over five years. The initial firm order, for 10 rotorcraft, calls for deliveries to start in 2016. CMIFL plans to offer the light singles to operators with accompanying “financing solutions.”

Shandong Province-based HEMS999, an air ambulance operator that is part of the MIT Group, ordered seven H130s. HEMS999’s ambition is to operate the country’s first provincial HEMS network covering traffic accidents.

In the same province, Airbus Helicopters and Sino-German Ecopark, a firm located in Qingdao, have signed a letter of intent to build an H135 final assembly line. Sino-German Ecopark has committed to build at least 100 examples of the light twin over the next 10 years.

Airbus Helicopters has several partnerships in Asia for civil product development. With China’s Avicopter, the H175/AC352 is a 50-50 joint program. However, while the H175 is in service, the first AC352 prototype has yet to fly.

In Japan, Airbus has been working with Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) for the last 40 years on the BK117/H145 program.

Airbus Helicopters’ Singapore training facility features Dauphin SAR simulator

In Singapore, Airbus Helicopters has a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility with an emphasis on AS365 Dauphin heavy maintenance and upgrades. A training center accommodates a full flight simulator for the AS365N3/N3+ Dauphin versions. The simulator’s search-and-rescue capacity is a unique asset worldwide, Philippe Monteux, Airbus Helicopter’s head of the region noted, with pilots coming from as far as France and the U.S. The training center also houses a H120 flight training device.

Airbus Helicopters Looks to a New Dawn for its Military Business

The relationship between Airbus Group Australia Pacific (formerly Airbus Helicopters) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has not been an easy one. The Australian government sparked controversy when it selected both the Airbus Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) and the MRH-90 troop transport to replace/modernize its helicopter fleet.

The purchase of the Tiger through Project 87, was thought to bring a new level of capability beyond the existing Bell Helicopter OH-58 Kiowas and UH-1 Iroquois-based “Bushranger” gunships. But many in the Army wanted the “low risk” option of the Boeing AH-64D Apache and to simply upgrade the existing Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks that were well liked by the Army.

Nevertheless, Airbus (then Eurocopter) made its argument very persuasive by promising that 18 of the Tigers would be assembled by a locally established subsidiary, Australian Aerospace.

There is a catalogue of well documented problems with the Tiger and the MRH-90. For one, the Australian government stopped payments in June 2007 after the company failed to meet contractual deliveries regarding helicopters and delays to training.

The National Audit Office report in 2006 had already been critical of Airbus. After a 53-month delay, the MRH90 aircraft achieved its Australian Military Type Certificate (AMTC) and Service Release in April 2013.

At The Future of Military Rotorcraft conference held at the beginning of London’s Defence and Security International (DSEI) exhibition in London last summer, Rear Admiral Tony Dalton, Head of Joint Systems Division at the Australian Department of Defence, stated that the MRH-90 was “five years behind schedule now and it’s probably going to finish seven years behind schedule.”

Now, however, the Australian government has signed up to a mid-life upgrade (MLU) for its 22 Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters (ARH) alongside the French, German and Spanish militaries. The Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (French acronym OCCAR) will be working with Airbus Helicopters to frame capability updates for what will be the Tiger Mk3.

During an interview in December at the main Airbus Helicopter site at Donauwörth in southern Germany, chief executive Wolfgang Schoder said that he understood why Australia has not been satisfied historically but underlined that “times have now changed.” He explained: “They are now confident in the new agreements [and] over how we have improved the situation. The performance-based maintenance has significantly improved the availability and the rate of effort of the ARH.”

The formation in April 2015 of a joint support center combining personnel from both Airbus Group Australia Pacific and the government’s Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) at Brisbane Airport was designed to improve the flow of engineering, supply support and technical services to the military.

One of the results of the incorporation of Airbus Helicopters into the Group was to move away from the “home nation” concept (Germany, France, Spain, Brazil) that many considered had created a two-tier level of customer service within the organization.

Schoder said that the appointment of Anthony Frazer as chief executive of Airbus Group Asia Pacific (an ex-Major General and one-time head of the Helicopter Systems Division within the DMO) would help the two parties re-establish a close relationship going forward. He added that when the Australian Army holds its exercises, “they have an extremely high rate of availability. I think we have turned in the right direction in Australia.”

However, others are still watching the situation carefully. During the Dubai Airshow in October, Keith Flail, vice president of global military business development for Bell Helicopter, hinted that his company was monitoring the Australian government’s position regarding the ARH Tiger and would be quick to offer its newest AH-1Z Viper as an alternative should the opportunity arise.

New Kid on the Block

The first customer in Asia for the civilian-to-military role H145M helicopter is Thailand with a total order of 11 aircraft (five for the Royal Thai Navy and six for the Royal Thai Army). The H145M is the military successor of the EC645T2.

A version of the H145 is already used extensively by the U.S. Army as the UH-72A Lakota. Scott Tumpak, H145M program manager, said that the Army had already received around 350 UH-72As with another 75 still to go.

The aircraft was purchased on the understanding that it would not be used in combat zones although several have been deployed in the southern states to conduct Mexican border security missions using an MX-15 electro-optical turret.

While the Thai helicopters are likely to be used in a less benign environment (Tumpak cannot reveal the specific missions they have been bought to fulfil), the 15 being delivered to the German Bundeswehr for use by the KSK Special Forces Command have been equipped for robust operations.

The KSK mission package includes: fast-roping capability, with a variation in that there is an electrical release in the cockpit which can negate the need for a crewman in the rear if a full load of special force soldiers is required; a cargo-hook rated to 1600 kg, allowing two people on the same line; military seats and sniper belt, which is a stabilization device; and floats.

The first two H145MLUHSOF, as the German Army has designated them, were delivered in December 2015 and will be operated by Helicopter Wing 64 in Laupheim, Germany. The following two will be ready in March with the full order of 15 will be with the customer by the end of 2017.

According to the Bundeswehr, the total cost of the acquisition was €200 million ($217 million), which included electronic self-protection systems, ballistic protection and conversion kits for use over water.

Stallion Hopes

Airbus Helicopters is eager, though not completely guaranteed, to play a major role in the replacement of the German Air Force’s CH-53G/GS/GA Stallion heavy transport helicopters. The German government wants the replacement schedule accelerated, to begin starting in the early 2020s.

Although there used to be a project that would have been driven by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it fizzled out some time ago due to lack of development funds from any of the European member states.

So that really leaves only two contenders, either a national adaptation of the “off-the-shelf” Boeing CH-47F(+) Chinook, or waiting for the new-design Sikorsky CH-53K to be certified. However, that would mean making room in the production line along with aircraft earmarked for the U.S. Marine Corps–which has been waiting a long time for the replacement to its own aging CH-53E fleet.

Schoder commented: “It is clear that this [selection] will not be a new development. But the German government wants a fast procurement with low risk–which can be off-the-shelf, but filling the requirements of the Bundeswehr and making it compliant with German certification rules.”  He talked of Airbus Helicopters adding value to any German model and also dangling the carrot of part-sourcing from German suppliers to tempt the government.

“Can we add value? We are in permanent discussions with both Sikorsky and Boeing–both are aware that for such a major helicopter program in Germany, Airbus will be ‘interested’ in supporting its German customer.”

With few, if any, prospects for more Tiger orders, and the NH-90’s reputation mired by late deliveries, the H145M, like its civil counterpart, looks to be a low-risk prospect for future military customers who do not require an all-out battle wagon. The replacement of the German Air Force’s CH-53s would substantially underwrite Airbus Helicopters’ military business for many years to come. 

Bell Helicopter is here in Singapore displaying several rotorcraft, including: the new 407GXP; a 429 light twin with executive interior; a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor; a 505 mock-up with full interior; and the super-medium twin 525 “Relentless” cockpit simulator– the first time the 525 simulator has been displayed in Asia.

Bell has an ongoing campaign to show its technological leadership, according to the company’s new CEO, Mitch Snyder. “You’ll see increased emphasis on innovation. I mean that in terms of leaps in technology not just incremental movements in products, processes, and services,” Snyder told AIN.

Bell (Stand Q01) continues to do well in the Asia Pacific market, said Patrick Moulay, Bell senior v-p sales and marketing. Moulay pointed to several recent wins for Bell in the region including a $3.2 billion deal with Fuji announced in July for 150 UH-X helicopters for the Japanese Ministry of Defense. The new helicopter will be based on the Bell 412 EPi. 

Japan also ordered the V-22, which represents the first foreign military sales of the tiltrotor. Overall, orders from the region were up 10-15 percent in 2015 compared to a year ago, Moulay said, and he characterized the region as a “continued growth market for us.

“We have not seen any slowdown, whatsoever. China has had its ups and downs this past year, but it has been a pretty good year for us in China as well. Asia is a focus for the company. It is where we see some of the biggest long-term potential, and that is where we want to focus in the coming years.”

Moulay said the workhorse 412 medium twin continues to be popular in the region, with eight delivered last year to the Philippine Air Force, ahead of schedule. “We see much more potential for the 412 in countries like the Philippines and Indonesia, and we see more requests coming our way. It is particularly suited for those emerging markets like Vietnam, Myanmar, and Thailand,” he said.

Moulay also sees a growing market for the 407GXP thanks to its new high/hot capabilities. “We just sold the first GXP into India and completed the first demo tour through Asia. It helped us show customers how the GXP can perform at high altitudes. For many years the perception from the market has been that the [Airbus H125] has been the best performer in high altitudes, but frankly, with the GXP we believe that we have a better aircraft now for our customers’ high-altitude missions.”

Moulay said Bell is looking at innovative ways to support its customers worldwide, including moving away from the “simple sale of spare parts” to “a more turnkey solution where we stand alongside our customers during the lifecycle of the product.” Moulay said Bell would be making a specific announcement on programs in this regard later this year. “We want to get closer to a guaranteed cost of operation, a guaranteed DOC [direct operating cost],” he said.

The executive added that Bell’s Singapore maintenance hub, established two years ago, is up and running with all the necessary certifications from country aviation authorities in the region. He said Bell is contemplating establishing a training academy there, modeled after the one the company established recently in Valencia, Spain. “We definitely want to have a training center in Asia, closer to our customers,” he said. 

Bell is making good progress on its new helicopter programs, he explained–highlighting the 505 light single and the 525 super-medium twin.

Jet Ranger X

Bell is now aiming to have its new short-light single Model 505 Jet Ranger X certified in the first half of this year and plans a very fast production ramp up that could grow to 200 helicopters per year by 2018, according to program manager David Smith. Through the first week in December, Bell held 354 letters of intent for 505s.

“We feel very confident that we will be able to sustain 200 aircraft a year [production] for a considerable period of time even in this market,” Smith told AIN. He added that some accessory kits for the aircraft are already in flight test. “We’ve got the first round of kits mostly mature and in certification testing, many are installed on the third test aircraft and include Htaws, synthetic vision, a second VHF com, ELT, and standby altimeter.

“Those are very close to being certified. There are a slew of kits just behind that including HF antennas and a second integrated navcom, and we are working with the makers of autopilot systems and emergency floats.”

Smith continued: “Our corporate customers really like to fly over water and many of them are used to flying with autopilots that make flying cross-country more comfortable and manageable. Those are areas we are really focused on, and our follow-on kits will meet the customers’ needs coming right out of the factory.” Air conditioning will be available on all factory deliveries and can also be retrofitted, he added.

525 Testing “Ahead of Plan”

Test flying of the new super medium Bell 525 Relentless twin is “ahead of plan” according to Larry Thimmesch, vice president of the 525 program. He said a second 525 flight test vehicle (FTV2) joined the effort late last year and that the program remains on track for certification in 2017. Eventually there will be five test aircraft.

Through the end of last year Bell held 75 letters of intent from customers, the majority coming from the offshore energy services industry. Bell has yet to formally release a price for the aircraft, however.

Enstrom's lone flight-test TH180 prototype, N180TH, was substantially damaged during a hard off-airport landing on a Menominee, Mich. residential street after losing power late Friday morning. The test pilot walked away and was evaluated at a local hospital for minor injuries.

The helicopter hit tree tops and a power pole on the way down, substantially damaging the main rotor system and the skid landing gear. However, the cockpit and fuselage remained largely intact and upright. The helicopter came down approximately 1,800 feet short of the approach end of Menominee Airport's Runway 32. Wind at the time was reported from the northwest at 9 to 12 knots, gusting to 21 to 23 knots.

The TH180 had logged 49 hours since making its first flight on February 6 last year. Certification had been anticipated later this year. A second flight-test aircraft is under construction, and Enstrom president Tracy Biegler told AIN that its completion will be “expedited.” Conceived as a robust, low-cost training aircraft priced at less than $400,000, the TH180 is powered by a Lycoming HIO-390 piston engine.

The Malaysian Army is the launch customer for the latest version of the MD530 Scout attack helicopter made by MD Helicopters in the U.S. Deliveries of six MD530Gs will start in the fourth quarter and be complete by the end of the first quarter 2017. The MD530G has a beefed-up landing gear to support a maximum gross takeoff weight (MGTOW) of 3,750 pounds, allowing additional fuel and weapons.

In Malaysia’s case, AIN understands that the weapons will include a Dillon Aero M134 minigun, which is believed to be a key reason for the buy. The Malaysian Army already operates 10 Finmeccanica (formerly AgustaWestland) AW109 helicopters armed with a side-mounted gun. But the new fleet of MD530Gs will be operated in Sabah, East Malaysia, which has faced significant security issues.

“We are extremely proud that our innovative aircraft will play an integral role in the Malaysian Army Aviation’s mission to be a critical force multiplier,” said Lynn Tilton, chief executive officer of MD Helicopters. The company said it was offering a comprehensive logistics support and training package.

The MD530G made its first flight in 2013 and did live-fire weapons testing the following year. It includes advanced avionics, a forward-looking infrared sensor, guided and unguided rockets, as well as the gun.

Bell Helicopter (Stand Q01) has received the first Bell 407GXP order from India. The aircraft was purchased by Premair, a Delhi-based charter operator. It will be outfitted for corporate and VIP transport and delivered later this year. Premair, a unit of Afimac Associates Private Limited, will thus become the first operator of the model in the country. Derived from the Bell 407GX, the Bell 407GXP features an additional 50 pounds of payload capability and a 500-hour extension on its transmission TBO.

The airframer also announced it delivered a Bell 412 EPI to the government of Uttar Pradesh, India in December. The aircraft will be used for VIP transportation throughout the region. The upgraded EPI offers an advanced flight deck.

Bell Helicopter (Stand Q01) signed a teaming agreement here Tuesday with BAE Systems Australia to promote and support the AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter in that country. Bell is eyeing a potential Australian requirement, following that country’s dissatisfaction with its fleet of 22 Airbus Helicopter Tigers. BAE Systems will oversee maintenance and sustainment, and do training.

The agreement also includes the UH-1Y Venom utility helicopter which, like the Viper, is in service with the U.S. Marine Corps. Lisa Atherton, executive vice-president of military business for Bell Helicopters, noted that both machines were designed for marine as well as overland operation, and able to withstand corrosive saltwater environments. “Countries acquiring the aircraft now will gain the strategic advantage of interoperability with the U.S. Marine Corps,” she said.

“We are one of Australia’s leading total aircraft sustainment providers,” said Steve Drury, aerospace director of BAE Systems Australia (Stand M79). “We have been maintaining rotary-wing aircraft for more than 20 years,” he added.

The Australian Army has articulated an “upgrade or replace” policy for its Tigers, and the forthcoming defense White Paper is expected to allocate funding. They are not currently deemed suitable for deployment onto the navy’s two Canberra-class amphibious assault ships.

Bell Helicopter signed contracts to supply four Bell 429 twin-engine helicopters to two Indonesian government agencies. On Thursday at the Singapore Airshow, the helicopter manufacturer announced purchase agreements with the Indonesian National Police and with PT Carpediem Mandiri for the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation, each for two 429s.

Bell contracted with PT Carpediem Mandiri, a private general trading company focused on vehicle rentals, to provide helicopters for the transport ministry’s flight calibration department. Fitted with a system from Aerodata, of Germany, the helicopters will perform instrument calibration for helicopter ground instrument landing and departing systems at airports, heliports and helipads throughout the region.

Helicopter leasing company Waypoint Leasing announced this week that it is opening offices in Brisbane, Australia, and Cape Town, South Africa, to cover the Australian and Africa/Middle Eastern regions, respectively. “These are important, growing markets and we are further expanding our global reach to better serve our customers,” said Waypoint senior vice president of sales and relationship management Clark McGinn.

The Australian branch will open in April under the leadership of vice president of sales and relationship management Chris Wakefield. Waypoint has already delivered five helicopters to several operators in this region. Wakefield, who joined Waypoint in January and previously worked at CHC Helicopter’s aviation finance department, said there are “strong opportunities” to provide customized leasing for operators in Australia.

Waypoint’s Africa/Middle East office will open in the second quarter led by director of sales and relationship management Con Barber. The company currently has 12 aircraft leased to operators in Africa.

For the first time, the Helicopter Association International’s Heli-Expo will be held in Louisville, Ky., a new city for the world’s largest rotorcraft show. The main exhibition days for this year’s Heli-Expo are March 1-3, but the show begins with HAI Professional Education Courses at the Kentucky International Convention Center on February 26. Arrivals of helicopters for the exhibits begin on February 27 and will wrap the following day.

“We are ahead quite a bit on hotel room reservations from last year,” said HAI president and CEO Matt Zuccaro, although the challenges facing the oil and gas industry have caused some slowing of helicopter activity, including cutbacks in orders of new rotorcraft. More than a month before the opening of Heli-Expo, he added, “We’re pretty much matched with previous shows in terms of key indicators: pre-registrations and course registrations and exhibitor square feet. We’re hoping to keep up the trend for the last four or five years, where each show was better than the previous one.”

Zuccaro is well used to questions about why HAI selected Louisville for this year’s show, and he is enthusiastic about the choice. “When you look at cities like we do, we look at what environment it has, what kind of activities does the host city provide and how much of a partner it is. Louisville has been phenomenal in hospitality with us and our members; it rolled out the red carpet. [The venue is] an excellent convention center, with everything we need in terms of physical structure, the show floor plan and protocols and the meeting space.

“Louisville is full of exciting venues and restaurants,” Zuccaro said, and as it is the host for the annual Kentucky Derby at the Churchill Downs racetrack, “I think we can take comfort that they can handle Heli-Expo. [Many members] say their main motivator is going places they haven’t been before. There’s quite a buzz, and people are excited. You’re going to love it. We got to love it these last couple of years. The city grows on you, and people are unbelievably hospitable.”

The theme of this year’s Heli-Expo is celebrating the champions of vertical aviation, and attendees are invited to do so at the annual Salute to Excellence Awards Dinner on March 2 at 7 p.m. at the Louisville Marriott Downtown. AIN’s own R. Randall Padfield (who retired at the end of 2014) will be there to accept the Lightspeed Aviation Excellence in Communications award.

As always, Heli-Expo is all about education, and there is no shortage this year of courses, including manufacturer technical briefings and the free Rotor Safety Challenge. This year there are 63 challenge education events, most just an hour long, but also some in-depth sessions that are longer. Those who attend at least six challenge events will receive a certificate of recognition. Most of the sessions take place March 1 and 2, but two events on February 29 are included: the HAI Safety Symposium–Usable Solutions for Your Safety Problems; and the Safety Directors Forum with senior NTSB and FAA managers–The Impact of Recent Accidents on the Helicopter Industry.

UAS Integration in Focus

While Zuccaro expects some interesting announcements from helicopter manufacturers, new technology is a key focus for this year’s Heli-Expo, especially the burgeoning unmanned aerial systems (UAS) industry. There is a general session on UAS, to be held March 2 at 8:30 a.m., and plenty of UAS-related exhibitors.

“We support the technology,” Zuccaro said, “and we believe that helicopter operators are going to be one of the largest UAS operators. The logic to that is that UAS vertical-lift-mode vehicles are in fact going to interface with, complement and replace helicopters. Who better to understand vertical reference than helicopter operators? A lot of our members are developing UAS capabilities, and they are actively out there selling these services.”

A key issue for HAI is that recreational users of these devices are flying them in airspace that is typically where rotorcraft work. “We’re the ones at 500 feet and below doing all these missions,” he explained “We’re trying to promote educational programs for recreational users so they understand they are an aircraft operator and entering into an airspace environment and that they are aware of the rules and safety considerations.”

Zuccaro added, “This is a watershed moment for the helicopter industry. Not only UAS but there are already tests under way with production helicopters without a pilot, flying cargo, external loads and firefighting. The concept of drones is definitely part of our future. We’re looking to embrace it but also consider the safety implications.”

Also on the safety front, Zuccaro expects the Heli-Expo show to stimulate discussion of HAI’s new accreditation program, the Accredited Program of Safety (APS). This is a voluntary service for HAI members. HAI worked with the International Business Aviation Council to build an overlay suited to the helicopter industry on top of the International Standard for Business Aviation Operations (IS-BAO).

“In the helicopter industry we have almost 55 missions that we do,” he said, “and each standard has to be defined for each mission. It’s not one standard; they’re all unique.” HAI helped developed these standards, and APS participants receive accreditation for the missions they fly. Accreditation will involve pre-qualification of the operator and going over the audit protocol via the Internet and on the telephone, followed by an audit in the field. “We’re hoping it contributes to enhanced safety and a reduction in accidents,” he said.

The APS program has generated keen interest, according to Zuccaro. “The operator has the flexibility to choose which mission it wants to be assessed in. Our responsibility is to come up with an auditor appropriate to the missions. We are mentors to our members, and we are going to work with them and assist them to achieve these standards.” Auditors will have to be IS-BAO recognized, and HAI is setting up an auditor-training program. “It’s a member service,” he explained. “We’ve established fixed pricing for audits. We are sensitive, and we know what it takes to turn rotors. We want to minimize the economic impact on operators to do this. It’s not a program developed as a revenue initiative for HAI. It’s a member service. We’re just trying to cover costs.”

The APS program fits with another recent initiative, Land and Live, which has seen growing success in encouraging helicopter pilots to land safely away from airports and heliports when conditions warrant. “People have told us they did that, and everything worked out fine,” Zuccaro said. “We noticed an increase in pilots doing safety landings for weather.” In one case a Black Hawk crew landed on a farm because of weather and ended up invited for dinner and to stay overnight until the weather cleared. “That’s what it’s all about,” he said. “This is good stuff, and we’re getting strong support from the industry.”