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MESA, Ariz., Nov. 2, 2011 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] celebrated delivery of the first AH-64D Apache Block III multi-role attack helicopter to the U.S. Army today in Mesa. The Block III Apache begins a new era in combat aviation by delivering advanced technologies and capabilities to benefit soldiers and battlefield commanders.
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Boeing will produce 51 AH-64D Apache Block III helicopters for the Army under Low Rate Initial Production. The Army's acquisition objective stands at 690 Apache Block III aircraft. In addition, a growing number of defense forces worldwide have contracted for, or are considering, upgrading to or adding the Apache Block III to their rotorcraft fleets.
The Apache Block III incorporates 26 new technologies designed to enhance the aircraft's capabilities. The improved drive system features a new split-torque face gear transmission that increases power capability to 3,400 shaft horsepower. The new composite main rotor blade accommodates that power increase, resulting in improved aircraft performance with increased payload. Integrating the T700-GE-701D engine with the enhanced digital electronic control unit and other drive system technologies results in an increase in hover ceiling altitude at greater gross weight on a 95 degrees Fahrenheit day.
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Friday, November 4, 2011
íœMÄ°T ENGÄ°NSOY
ANKARA '' Hí¼rriyet Daily News
Turkey's TAI and Italy's AgustaWestland have a good chance of winning a bid to jointly produce 30 helicopters for South Korea, an official tells the Daily News
This file photo shows an A-129 helicopter, manufactured by AgustaWestland. The Italian company and Turkey's TAI offers the T-129, a version developed for the Turkish military, to South Korea. The T-129 has been shortlisted by the Asian party. Hí¼rriyet photo
A team of Turkish and Italian companies is seeking to win a South Korean contract for 30 attack helicopters worth $1 billion with the group's T-129 gunship, a senior Turkish procurement official said Nov. 2.
“South Korea's competition is a major one for at least 30 gunships and the T-129 has been shortlisted among a very small number of candidates. It has very good chances to become the winner,”said an Ankara-based defense analyst.
The partnership is between Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Italy's AgustaWestland, which presently is co-producing 59 T-129s, a Turkish version of the Italian company's A-129 Mangusta International, for the Turkish Army.
A senior TAI team went to Seoul last month to discuss a possible deal for the attack helicopters, the procurement official said.
AgustaWestland won a Turkish contract in 2008 worth billions of dollars to jointly build with TAI 50 T-129s for the Turkish Army.
Following intensified attacks by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) against Turkish targets in the summer of 2010, Ankara signed another contract with AgustaWestland for the production of nine additional T-129s for the Army. Those nine attack helicopters are planned to be delivered to Turkey by the end of next year.
Turkey and Italy said the T-129 would be exported to allied and friendly countries. South Korea is the first known third country interested in buying this chopper.
Separately, the arms-selling body of the Pentagon on Oct. 28 notified the U.S. Congress that it intends to sell three AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters to Turkey, whose Army uses these gunships effectively against the PKK. These choppers are due to arrive from the inventory of the U.S. Marine Corps. If no congressional opposition comes by Nov. 13, the sale will automatically be approved.
Turkey earlier this year signed a multibillion-dollar contract with the U.S. Sikorsky Aircraft for joint production with TAI of more than 100 T-70 military and civilian utility helicopters, a Turkish version of the U.S. company's S-70i Black Hawk International.
TAI also plans to produce a light utility helicopter, weighing less than 5,500 kgs, with an international partner to be selected next year.
Turkey also signed a $400 million contract with the U.S. Boeing to buy six CH-47 heavy lift helicopters, the first in the inventory.
Turkey and South Korea are major political allies since Korean War in the early 1950s and have boosted defense cooperation over the past 10 years. Turkey is manufacturing howitzers under South Korean license.
They also are jointly building a basic trainer aircraft for the Turkish Air Force. A South Korean company is providing Turkey with technology transfer and know-how for the manufacture of Turkey's first national battle tank. TAI and South Korea are discussing possible cooperation for the construction of a joint fighter aircraft in the 2020s.
But a team from Turkey's procurement office and the German HDW shipyards are competing with South Korea's Daewoo to win a $1 billion Indonesian contract for at least 2 Class-209 submarines.
16:18 GMT, December 7, 2011 ORLANDO, Fla.
Lockheed Martin delivered the first Modernized Day Sensor Assembly (M-DSA) upgrade prototype units to the U.S. Army for use on the Apache attack helicopter.
Five System Design and Development (SDD) Laser Rangefinder Designators (LRFDs) were recently delivered to the Army under a three-year contract awarded to Lockheed Martin in September 2008 to modernize the Apache's Day Sensor Assembly.
The LRFD is the chief targeting aid for the Apache, establishing the range to the target for accurate weapon aiming. For the HELLFIRE II missile, the LRFD designates the aim point with a laser spot. Additionally, the M-DSA LRFD adds an eye-safe laser for safe training exercises.
"Delivery of these five SDD lasers proves the wisdom of our approach to modernizing the rest of the TADS/PNVS," said Dr. Wayne Hudry, U.S. Army Apache Sensors deputy product manager. "As the first critical component of the upgrades coming for the M-DSA, the LRFD provides an improved tactical laser that supports future weapons, as well as an eye-safe laser that provides soldiers the capability to train like they fight."
The first phase of the upgrades is being performed to mitigate obsolescence and enhance the system's performance, as well as to increase the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) system's ability to fully accommodate future weapons.
A second phase includes upgrades to the visible color sensor, laser spot tracker, inertial measurement unit and day sensor structure assembly and adds a laser pointer/marker compatibility. This effort recently completed a successful critical design review in its SDD contract.
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07:09 GMT, December 8, 2011 CONTRACTS
ARMY
The Boeing Co., Mesa, Ariz., was awarded a $141,318,475 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the services in support of 30 Apache AH-64D attack helicopters for Taiwan. Work will be performed in Mesa, Ariz., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30, 2017. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-09-C-0147).
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The Boeing Co., Mesa, Ariz., was awarded a $7,518,959 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the logistics support services for the AH-64D Apache low rate initial production. Work will be performed in Mesa, Ariz., with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2014. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-09-C-0161).
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December 30, 2011
By Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Troth, 1st CAB Public Affairs
FORT RILEY, Kan. (Army News Service, Dec. 30, 2011) -- A new helicopter is coming to the Block. The 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, is the first unit in the Army to have their entire fleet of Apache helicopters replaced with the comprehensively upgraded Apache (AH-64D) Block III beginning in February.
"There are new components to the aircraft -- new head tracker, a new helmet and new flight pages," said Lt. Col. Edward Vedder, 1st Attack Reconnaissance Bn., commander. "It takes some getting used to."
The Apache Block III incorporates 26 new technologies designed to enhance the aircraft's capabilities including an updated communication system, engines, transmission and drive shaft. The composite rotor blades have also been reworked to make them more efficient and produce more lift.
"It doesn't take additional skills to fly it, but the aircraft is significantly different," said Vedder.
Because of these differences the 1-1 pilots are going back to school and receiving three weeks of training at Boeing's facility in Mesa, Ariz., where the aircraft is manufactured. The pilots get 28 hours of academics, 24 hours in the new simulator and 8.5 hours flying in the Block III helicopter. Maintenance test pilots get an additional 22 hours of academics and three additional hours in the aircraft.
"The training is packed into a busy three-week schedule," said Shawn Hopan, the training lead for Boeing's Apache program manager's office. "We only train currently qualified Apache pilots."
Even for the experienced pilots like Vedder, who has flown Apaches since 1995, the new Block III took some getting used to.
"A Block II, it has a certain level of power when you pick it up. This is totally different," explained Vedder, who has flown in all three predecessors, including the AH-64A and the AH-64D Longbow -- Block I and block II, to the Block III. "When you pick this aircraft up you are going to immediately feel the power difference and when you go into forward flight it wants to go about 150 MPH.
"It has a lot of power and is by far the most powerful and most impressive of them all," he said.
While at the Mesa facility the pilots not only became qualified on the new Apache, but also got to meet the Boeing people who designed and are building the aircraft.
"It is an excellent opportunity to come out here and learn and see everything, (to) get to see the other side where the aircraft came from," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shawn Witt. "You get to see the people behind the scenes, who put in a lot of time and energy so that we can have this piece of equipment in order to do our job."
The new Apache has a couple added features which will allow Witt and other Apache pilots to do their job in inclement weather. The helicopters now have the capability to fly in weather conditions that previously would have grounded them.
"In the past if we had to get somewhere we had to wait for the weather to clear. Now we have capability, much like the Black Hawks and Chinooks, to launch aircraft and fly in the clouds," Vedder said. "The Block III has an instrument package that rivals a 747. It is fantastic and very intuitive to fly."
But the new Apache has the ability to do something the 747 cannot.
"The Block III is able to communicate with unmanned aircraft, the pilots are able to see the UAV's video," Hopan said. "To my knowledge no other aircraft has this capability."
"Teaming up with the UAV is essentially another aircraft out there working with us to give us a better angle, better picture of what is happening," said Witt. "This makes for a better situation for the war fighters on the ground because we have more information."
But seeing what the UAV sees is not the extent of this new capability. With a couple taps on their computers the Apache pilots can take control of the UAV, eliminating the time needed to tell the UAV operator where the pilots need the UAV to "look."
"It's an extra workload for us, but it is very workable and manageable," said Witt. "It is a really good system that they have worked out here for us."
Vedder and Witt were two of the first 10 Apache pilots who went through Boeing's class on the Block III. Five were from 1-1, while the others were from Fort Rucker, Ala.
The "Gunfighters" have 70 Apache pilot slots and there are an additional 15 Apache pilot slots in the CAB. They all need the training before they can start flying the new aircraft.
Seventy-five of these pilots will get their training at the Mesa facility, while the rest will be trained at Fort Riley by a mobile training team later in 2012. This training schedule will ensure that all Apache pilots in the brigade are trained on the Block III before their next deployment.
"The Block III gives us the ability to get where we are needed very fast, much faster than we ever have before. And, with the integration of the UAV sensor we can be more informed when we show up to provide lethal effects in support of the ground forces," said Vedder." It is really going to change the game for attack aviation."
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