LUH Trials to Begin Soon

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PARIS AIR SHOW: Eurocopter to send AS550 for Indian trials

Eurocopter will provide the AS550 C3 Fennec military helicopter for the trials in India's light utility helicopter competition, instead of the AS350 civilian helicopter that was tested in an earlier tender that was later cancelled.

The company has an AS550 with its weapons on display at Paris (below) and Norbert Ducrot, Eurocopter's senior vice-president for sales and customer relations in Asia Pacific, says that the flight tests for India's LUH competition could be begin shortly.

"This time, we have a military version of the Fennec that is ready to go on trial in India. We are waiting for the instructions and we expect the process to begin shortly. We do not know when a contract will be awarded but we are sure that we have the best product for India," he adds.

Industry sources say that the company is favoured to get the contract, given that Bell chose not to offer its 407 this time. Eurocopter was close to winning an earlier LUH tender, but New Delhi cancelled it in December 2007 after Bell and several other companies complained that the EADS subsidiary was unfairly favoured in the selection process. Some also said that Eurocopter did not follow the rules by using the AS350 instead of a military version of the aircraft during the first trials.

Eurocopter, however, always denied any charges of wrong-doing. It added that the AS550 was "exactly the same" as the AS350 "in terms of airframe, systems, main gear box, rotor head, blades, engine and performances". India's former defence minister subsequently exonerated the company of any wrong-doing.

India requires 197 military light utility helicopters, of which 133 are for its army and 64 for its air force. It hopes that deliveries will begin by the end of 2010 after a year-long evaluation, although this is expected to slip. The contract could be worth up to $750 million, and the companies must reinvest 30% in India under the country's offsets policy.

State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics has been asked to develop and manufacture another 187 light utility helicopters, and the company could either do this on its own or with the help of a foreign partner.

The move comes as New Delhi aims to completely revamp its military helicopter fleets by 2020. The AgustaWestland A129, Bell AH-1Z Cobra, Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow, Eurocopter Tiger, Kamov Ka-52 and Mil Mi-28 are in the contest for a 22-unit attack helicopter requirement, and anti-submarine warfare and naval reconnaissance helicopters are also sought. India has also ordered 80 Mil Mi-17-V5 transport helicopters, and continues to induct the HAL Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter.

 

[ironman]

Field Trials for 197 Light Utility Helicopters Contract to be Conducted in August 2009

Dated 21/6/2009
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India is planning to carry out field trials for procuring 197 Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) for the Army and the Air Force in August this year. "We are planning to carry out the flight evaluation trials for the 197 LUH contract in August this year but the schedule has not yet been finalised. Five vendors are expected to come up with their helicopters for the competition," Indian Defence Ministry officials told reporters.

The five contenders participating in the contract include the Russian Kazan and Mil, American Sikorsky, Italian Finnmeccanica and European helicopter manufacturers Eurocopter. The contract, expected to be worth around $3 billion, is one of the few defence contracts where the vendors are required to fulfill around 50 per cent offset obligations. The offsets clause in the Defence Procurement Procedures makes it mandatory for the companies awarded such deals to invest a certain percentage of the contract's worth back in the Indian defence sector.

In March this year, all the five companies responded to the global Request for Proposal (RFP) issued by the Defence Ministry last year. The RFP was sent to six companies, including American Bell Helicopters, but it had backed out of the race citing the high offset obligations required in the contract. The RFP was released by the Defence Ministry after it had cancelled a previous contract in December 2007 for similar type and number of helicopters.

The previous contract was cancelled by the ministry after it found that the chopper offered by Eurocopter for the field trials at that time was a civilian version whereas the company had offered a military version for the deal in its bid. The chopper engine offered in the Eurocopter's bid was also different from the one fitted in the civilian version, which participated in the trials.

"We would be sending a military version of the helicopter for the field trials for the contract," Eurocopter vice-president Rainer Farid told PTI during the Paris Air Show. The flight trials will test the performance of the choppers in different geographical locations including high altitude, desert and plains in different weather conditions.

Of the 197 helicopters to be procured under the contract, 133 will be given to the Army and the rest would go to the IAF. The 197 choppers will help the two services to replace their aging fleet of over 350 Cheetah and Chetak helicopters mostly flying in high altitude conditions in air maintenance roles there and for surveillance as well as search and rescue missions.

 

[Capt JB]

Hi Folks,

This trials will shows hows far could go the anti-France technology battle started by USA during the original competition canceled.
In fact the AS 550C3 is nothing less than the AS 350B3 - AS 550C3 being the military designation mandatory to comply with Treaty of Vienna signed by France, and therefore respected by French manufacturer.
Note Bell call Bell 407 both civil and military versions of the same aircraft..!!!

Aircraft speaking, I never flew a Dhruv, and so cannot comment about it. But, regarding AS 550C3 (AS 350B3) I flew both in hot and High conditions similar to what could be found in India, and also in high altitude cold weather. So, I can comment definitively that the competition if based on performance will be won by Eurocopter, the Turbomeca engine do not loss power at altitude, as the Allison engine does.
Now, the Bell 407 is not in the competition because Bell knows it will be behind with no chance of accusing Eurocopter for wrong doing..!!!
The final battle will be certainly between the Dhruv and the AS 550C3 both being powered by Turbomeca engines... and future will tell as final decision will be more or less a political decision...

 

[BSF]

I know that HAL Dhruv is Advanced light utility helicopter helicopter ...

Dhruv
General characteristics

* Crew: 1 or 2 pilots
* Capacity: 4-12 passengers
* Length: 15.87 m (52 ft 0.8 in)
* Rotor diameter: 13.20 m (43 ft 3.7 in)
* Height: 4.05 m (12 ft 4 in)
* Disc area: 137 m² (1,472 ft&#178
* Empty weight: 2,502 kg (5,515 lb)
* Max takeoff weight: 5,500 kg (12,125 lb)
* Powerplant: 2× Shakti turboshafts, 900 kW (1,200 shp)
Alternate engine: 2x Turbomeca TM 333-2B2 turboshafts of 746 kW (1,000 shp) each

Performance

* Maximum speed: 280 km/h (175 mph, 150 kn)
* Combat radius: 320 km (200 mi, 175 nmi)
* Ferry range: 827 km (516 mi, 447 nmi)
* Service ceiling: 6500 m (21,680 ft)
* Rate of climb: 8.9 m/s (1,771 ft/min)
* Power/mass: 329.73 W/kg (0.20 hp/lb)

======
Specifications (UH-72A)

Data from UH-72 specifications,[19] Eurocopter EC 145 data[20]

General characteristics

* Crew: 2 pilots
* Capacity: 8 troops or 2 stretchers and medical crew
* Length: 42 ft 7 in (13.03 m)
* Rotor diameter: 36 ft 1 in (11.00 m)
* Height: 11 ft 9 in (3.45 m)
* Disc area: 1,023 ft² (94.98 m&#178
* Empty weight: 3,950 lb (1,792 kg)
* Useful load: 3,953 lb (1,793 kg)
* Max takeoff weight: 7,903 lb (3,585 kg)
* Powerplant: 2× Turbomeca Arriel IE2 turboshafts, 738 shp (551 kW) each

Performance

* Maximum speed: 145 knots (167 mph, 269 km/h)
* Range: 370 nmi (426 mi, 685 km)
* Service ceiling: 18,000 ft (5,791 m)

But doesn't Dhruv bet the Bell corporation in all aspects.

or am I missing something here?

India has also ordered 80 Mil Mi-17-V5 transport helicopters, and continues to induct the HAL Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter.

Why not instead spend that money and increase HAL's Dhruv's plant so that they can make more Dhruv's ?

 

[Guba]

read the specs again before u say it beats it in all aspects,

look at the max take-off weight, also why are the lbs and Kgs mixed for the Uh-72?

trying to make your bird look better eh?

 

[BSF]

look at the max take-off weight, also why are the lbs and Kgs mixed for the Uh-72?

trying to make your bird look better eh?

I don't know...Blame wiki for that..I was looking at the power plant and service ceiling

So what exactly am i supposed to look at ?

Max takeoff weight

uh 72
3,585kg

dhruv
5,500kg

 

[sancho]

The final battle will be certainly between the Dhruv and the AS 550C3 both being powered by Turbomeca engines... and future will tell as final decision will be more or less a political decision...

Actually Dhruv can't be in the competition, cause IAF is looking for a lighter helicopter below Dhruv. Bell 407 and AS350 that was fielded before have only half the weight and a single powerplant, I believe HALs new light observation helicopter will be in the same league.


Bell 407 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eurocopter AS350 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eurocopter Fennec - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

HAL Light Observation Helicopter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not sure which other aircrafts will be in the competition but the Eurocopter Fennec will be the frontrunner.