May 22, 2020 | International, Security
Posted on May 22, 2020 by Howard Slutsken
Leveraging its experience with fixed-wing air tankers, Coulson Aviation has unveiled its latest aerial firefighting conversion, based on the Boeing CH-47D Chinook heavy-lift helicopter.
In early March, the first Coulson-Unical CU-47 was flown from the company's Port Alberni, B.C., base to the Aerial Firefighting North American 2020 conference in Sacramento, Calif.
Featuring a 3,000 gallon roll-on/roll-off internal tank and an advanced Garmin avionics suite, up to 12 CH-47Ds will be converted into next-generation heli-tankers, in a partnership with Unical Aviation that was
announced a year ago.
“Unical provides us with the aircraft and a vast supply of parts,” explained Britt Coulson, president and COO, in an interview with Skies.
“They bought the entire Canadian Forces CH-47 parts inventory and were the largest purchaser of CH-47Ds from the U.S. Army.”
The twin-rotor Chinook is well known for its speed, size and payload. While the helicopter is often deployed on fire attack missions carrying a water bucket as an external load, Coulson wanted to give the CU-47 more flexibility and capability.
The company's engineers had already developed a 4,000 gallon Retardant Aerial Delivery System RADS-XXL for its Lockheed C-130 Hercules tanker conversions, and that tank was shrunk to create a 3,000 gallon RADS-L for the CH-47D conversion.
“It's the same overall design as the C-130. It shares most of the same hydraulic components, the same doors and the same design of a roll-in, roll-out tank,” said Coulson.
Other CH-47 internal tank systems utilize the small hook well in the centre of the helicopter as the water and retardant delivery port, but according to Coulson, that has its limitations.
“The other tank designs are plagued with flow rate issues, which means they don't pack enough punch to really get through [forest] canopies or drop in heavy timber – the hook well opening just isn't big enough.
“The lower the flow rate you have out of your tank, the slower and lower you have to fly. The problem with a big helicopter like a Chinook is if you fly too slow and low, your downwash is going to negatively affect the ground fire conditions and your drop is going to be ineffective.”
To increase and optimize the flow rate for the RADS-L, the belly of the CH-47D was modified by cutting the helicopter's lower skin and adding structure below the floor to accommodate the tank installation and a pair of drop doors, controlled by the pilots through a state-of-the-art touchscreen controller.
From the same touch panel, the pilots also control the CU-47's newly-developed retractable snorkel system to refill the RADS-L tank from water sources close to a fire's location.
Installed internally, the snorkel head sits flush with the belly when retracted, so that with no additional external drag, the helicopter can maintain its fast 140-knot cruise speed.
In a hover, the snorkel takes just four seconds to deploy and six seconds to retract, and the pilots and flight engineer can monitor the system's operation via a high-definition belly-mounted camera feed, displayed on the touchscreen controller.
“The snorkel system has exceeded our expectations and we're filling the entire tank in under two minutes,” said Coulson.
With the advanced capabilities of the Garmin avionics, the relocation of the flight engineer's panel, and the new RADS-L tank, Coulson originally believed that the CU-47 could be crewed solely by two pilots, without a flight engineer. But recent operational experience led the company to rethink that strategy.
“We realized that with a helicopter of this size, going into some of the smaller dip sites, to have an additional set of eyes looking out the side or back is valuable to the pilots. So we've de-modified the helicopter and gone back to a full-time flight engineer to provide that increased safety and situational awareness.”
Like Coulson's C-130 conversions, the CU-47 can also be tasked with night-time firefighting missions, thanks to the Night Vision System (NVS)
certification of the helicopter's avionics suite.
Wearing NVS googles, the CU-47's crew work in tandem with a fire attack “Intel” helicopter's pilots. The Intel crew uses a thermal camera to evaluate the behaviour of a fire, and if a drop is required, they take a page from military ground-attack operations. Using a laser, the Intel crew designates the target for the tanker.
“With a geo-referenced lock, the Intel helicopter can orbit, and the laser beam will stay on the same spot. It illuminates an area on the ground about the size of a car,” said Coulson.
The first CU-47 will soon be joined by a second RADS-L equipped helicopter, two CU-47's with upgraded avionics that will fly “bucket” missions, and a fifth, tank-equipped CU-47 that will deploy as a spare.
“All of our FAA testing [on RADS-L] has finished, we're just waiting for the final Supplemental Type Certificate signature,” said Coulson. “We're doing some minor cleanup to the helicopter to make sure that it's ready to go fight fires this summer.”
Howard Slutsken's lifelong passion for aviation began when he was a kid, watching TCA Super Connies, Viscounts, and early jets at Montreal's Dorval Airport. He's a pilot who loves to fly gliders and pretty much anything else with wings. Howard is based in Vancouver, B.C.
February 12, 2024 | International, Aerospace
The new order is subject to approval by the Norwegian Parliament and will come in addition to repurchasing the equipment that has already been donated to Ukraine.
November 15, 2023 | International, Land
Today, Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, on behalf of the Honourable Bill Blair, highlighted the construction of a new Air Force Expeditionary Capability facility at Canadian Forces Base Bagotville.
February 4, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence
ARMY General Electric Aviation, Lynn, Massachusetts, was awarded a $517,375,800 cost-plus-incentive-fee and firm-fixed-price contract for the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the Improved Turbine Engine Program. Two bids were solicited via the internet with two bids received. Work will be performed in Lynn, Massachusetts, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 1, 2024. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $130,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-19-C-0003). Ravenswood Solutions Inc., Fremont, California, was awarded a $39,906,590 firm-fixed-price contract for procurement of hardware components making up two FlexTrain multi-mission instrumentation systems, along with Orion software licenses. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Fremont, California, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 13, 2019. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $39,906,590 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-19-C-0018). Lockheed Martin Corp. Missile and Fire Control, Dallas, Texas, was awarded a $24,969,700 cost-plus-incentive-fee Foreign Military Sales (Japan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, Germany and Republic of Korea) contract for Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target, Advanced Capability-3 and Missile Segment Enhancement. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Dallas, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2018 and 2010 Foreign Military Sales; and other procurement, Army funds in the combined amount of $24,969,700 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-19-F-0196). Raytheon Co., Andover, Massachusetts, was awarded a $19,471,861 modification (P00026) to Foreign Military Sales (Qatar, Kuwait, Japan, Republic of Korea, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, Luxembourg, Saudi Arabia, Romania and Sweden) contract W31P4Q-17-C-0042 for Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target missile support center, missile assessments, testing, recertification, and repair activities. One bid was solicited via with one bid received. Work will be performed in Andover, Massachusetts, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2019 Foreign Military Sales; and operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $19,471,861 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was awarded a $9,020,518 modification (P00183) to contract W56HZV-15-C-0095 for Joint Light Tactical Vehicle trailers, kits, systems engineering and program management. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2021. Fiscal 2019 procurement, Marine Corps; and other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $9,020,518 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity. NAVY Andromeda Systems Inc.,* Virginia Beach, Virginia, is awarded a $41,977,403 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide engineering support services and associated engineering technical services in support of the Fleet Readiness Center South East's In-Service Support Center. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida (90 percent); Seattle, Washington (2 percent); Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (2 percent); NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, Virginia (1.5 percent); NAS Whiting Field, Milton, Florida (1.5 percent); Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, South Carolina (1.5 percent); NAS Corpus Christi, Texas (1.5 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2024. Fiscal 2019 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $5,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals as a 100 percent small business set-aside; seven offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (N6134019D0006). DRS Laurel Technologies, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is awarded a $21,537,760 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-5395 to exercise options for production of the AN/SPQ-9B radar systems and associated equipment. This modification is for the production of five AN/SPQ-9B radar systems; five combat interface kits; three digital signal processor upgrade kits; and three periscope detection and discrimination upgrade kits. The AN/SPQ-9B provides Navy ships the capability to detect and track low-flying, high-speed, small Radar Cross Section anti-ship missile targets in heavy clutter environments. Work will be performed in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be complete by April 2021. Fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); and fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $21,537,760 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin – Rotary and Mission Systems, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, is awarded $10,939,237 for cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order N00019-18-F-2684 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-15-G-0057). This delivery order provides for the management, sustainment, and upgrade of the Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System software product baseline and the required system and software documentation for the Navy and the government of the United Kingdom. Work will be performed in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania (98 percent); and Patuxent River, Maryland (2 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2020. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy); fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds; and foreign military sales funds in the amount of $10,939,237 will be obligated at time of award, $1,361,805 of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. This order combines purchases for the Navy ($8,687,257; 79.4 percent); and the government of the United Kingdom ($2,251,980; 20.6 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND The Boeing Co., Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, was awarded a maximum $39,038,317 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (PZ0003) for an existing cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (H92241-18-F-0022) for finalization of four new-build MH-47G rotary wing aircraft. This action is required to satisfy an urgent need to sustain U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) heavy assault, rotary wing aircraft in light of increased SOF operational demands. Fiscal 2018 procurement, defense-wide funds in the amount of $15,817,890; and fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement, Army funds in the amount of $23,220,427 shall be obligated at time of modification award. The funds are multiyear. The majority of the work will be performed in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania. The delivery order number is W91215-16-G-0001. U.S. Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Aurora Industries LLC,* Camuy, Puerto Rico, has been awarded a maximum $30,507,300 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for jackets, extreme cold/wet weather, GEN III. This is an 18-month base contract with one one-year option period. This was a competitive acquisition with four responses received. Location of performance is Puerto Rico, with an Aug. 1, 2020, performance completion date. Using military services are Army and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-19-D-1133). Coachys & Associates LLC,** Roswell, Georgia, has been awarded a maximum $28,390,500 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for jackets, extreme cold/wet weather, GEN III. This is an 18-month base contract with one one-year option period. This was a competitive acquisition with five responses received. Locations of performance are Georgia and Tennessee with an Aug. 1, 2020, performance completion date. Using military services are Army and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-19-D-1134). Ohio Ordnance Works Inc.,* Chardon, Ohio, has been awarded a maximum $26,141,125 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for receiver cartridge's. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. This was a competitive acquisition with four responses received. Location of performance is Ohio, with a Feb. 1, 2024, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2024 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-19-D-0050). Saft America, Valdosta, Georgia, has been awarded a maximum $7,920,163 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity contract for storage batteries. This is three-year base contract with two one-year option periods. This was a competitive acquisition with two responses. Location of performance is Georgia, with a Jan. 31, 2022, performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Columbus, Ohio (SPE7LX-19-D-0082). JLG Industries Inc., McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a maximum $7,572,265 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for atlas rough terrain forklift transmissions and diesel engines. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304(c) (1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a three-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Wisconsin, with a Feb. 1, 2022, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2022 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-19-D-0020). AIR FORCE Valdez International Corp., Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $26,262,042 firm-fixed-price modification (P00010) to contract FA8773-17-C-0002 to exercise Option II for Air Force Information Network support services. Work will be performed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia; Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado; Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland; Scott Air Force Base, Illinois; Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; and Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, and is expected to be completed Feb. 2, 2020. This modification is the result of a competitive acquisition and 11 offers were received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $26,262,042 are being obligated at the time of award. The 38th Contracting Squadron, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity. Scientific Research Corp., Atlanta, Georgia, has been awarded a $10,000,000 modification (P0009) to increase the ceiling on contract FA7037-15-D-0001 for the Digital Integration Combat Engagement program. The contractor will perform systems engineering and analysis supporting the research, development, security and accreditation, integration and evaluation of new intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensor, data link and tasking, collection, processing, exploitation, and dissemination. Location of performance will be determined on individual task orders is expected to be completed by Feb. 29, 2020. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. Acquisition Management and Integration Center-Detachment 2, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. (BAH), McLean, Virginia, was awarded a hybrid firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification to exercise Option Year 4. The face value of this action is $10,621,332.98 and incrementally funded by fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $2,655,333; and fiscal 2019 research, testing, development and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,283,307. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $49,940,116. Performance will be at Defense Information Systems Agency and contractor facilities. Proposals were solicited via the General Services Administration (GSA) Alliant Government-Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC), and only one proposal from BAH, the incumbent contractor, was received from all GSA Alliant GWAC contract holders proposals solicited (approximately 58). The current action, modification P00056, is to exercise the last option year for the period of performance of Feb. 4, 2019, to Feb. 3, 2020. Award will be made on Feb. 1, 2019, with performance to begin on Feb. 4, 2019. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity (HC1047-15-F-0005 P00056). WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES Tecolote Research Inc., Goleta, California, has been awarded a $7,718,193 firm-fixed-priced contract. The contract is to procure services for management of the Department of Defense's cost data collection repository, the Cost Assessment Data Enterprise (CADE), used by analysts to develop cost estimates for major acquisition programs. Work performance will take place primarily in Arlington, Virgina ; Goleta, California; and Tacoma, Washington. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $5,564,914; fiscal 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,216,061; fiscal 2019 Defense Acquisition Workforce Development funds in the amount of $680,218; and fiscal 2019 Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration funds in the amount of $257,000 are being obligated on this award. The expected completion date is Feb. 2, 2020. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (GS-00F-052CA). *Small Business **Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1746786/source/GovDelivery/