October 15, 2021 | International, Aerospace
New products featured at NBAA-BACE 2021 - Skies Mag
Skies caught up with six companies at the 2021 NBAA convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, who have launched new products in the past year.
November 11, 2019 | International, Aerospace
UAE cleared for CH-47F Chinook buy
By: Aaron Mehta and Jen Judson
WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department has cleared the United Arab Emirates to purchase 10 CH-47F Chinook cargo helicopters, with an estimated price tag of $830.3 million.
The potential deal was announced Thursday on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, or DSCA. Such notifications are not guarantees of final sale; should the request be approved by Congress, quantities and dollar figures can change during negotiations.
This request represents the 10th Foreign Military Sales request from the UAE since the start of fiscal 2017, for a total approximate worth of $10.5 billion.
It is also the first Foreign Military Financing request cleared by the DSCA since the Trump administration declared a regional emergency in order to get several weapons packages pushed through Congress despite opposition on Capitol Hill, leading to bipartisan criticism of the move.
The UAE bought its first lot of CH-47Fs — 16 aircraft for estimated total of $2 billion — in 2009.
Boeing said earlier this year that it was relying on foreign military sales, including “30 helicopters or less” to the UAE, to shore up a delta between the production of its Block I version of the F-model and its Block II version.
The company needs FMS deals like the one with the UAE even more now that the U.S. Army is planning not to buy the Block II version for the active force. The service still plans to produce Block II aircraft for Army special operators.
Top Army officials have said they are working hard to mint FMS deals to help make up for the huge production gap left open following the service's decision to not buy Block II F-models for the active force.
But Boeing told Defense News that it expected FMS deals would not lessen the blow and, so far, none of the anticipated sales are for Block II versions.
The UAE's order, according to Boeing, was not for Block II, and the only other possible F-model sale to the United Kingdom is for extended range versions of the Block I version.
It is unclear which countries might actually be interested in Block II aircraft, but the service won't be ready to offer those to foreign customers until after the variant's qualification testing is completed in 2021.
The proposed sale “will expand the UAE's helicopter fleet,” per the DSCA announcement. “Further, it will enhance the UAE's operational and defensive capabilities to better defend U.S. and UAE national security interests in the region, and increase the UAE's contributions to any future joint or coalition efforts requiring helicopter support.”
In addition to the helicopters themselves, the proposed package would include 26 T55-GA-714A engines; 24 embedded global positioning systems with inertial navigation system; 20 M134D-H mini-guns; and 20 M240H machine guns, as well as various transmitters and other equipment. Up to 10 U.S. government or contractor representatives will be needed in the UAE to help prepare the Chinooks for operations.
Primary work will be done at Boeing's Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, facility, Honeywell Engine's Phoenix, Arizona, location, and Science and Engineering Services in Huntsville, Alabama.
https://www.defensenews.com/global/mideast-africa/2019/11/08/uae-cleared-for-ch-47f-chinook-buy/
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October 30, 2019 | International, Aerospace
Indra provides the Spanish Army with the most advanced helicopter simulator in Europe
October 25, 2019, Spain - Indra, one of the leading multinational technology and consulting companies, has delivered the most advanced helicopter flight simulator in Europe to the Spanish Army. It is the NH90 training system, which contributes to the training of pilots of the three army corps and has been installed at the Héroes del Revellín base in Agoncillo (La Rioja, Spain) as part of the Helicopter Simulation Center (CESIHEL) of the Aviation Academy of the Spanish Army (ACAVIET). The official reception of the system took place this morning in an act chaired by the General Director of Armament and Material (DIGAM), Admiral Santiago Ramón González, in the presence of the Logistic Support Command Chief of the Spanish Army (JEMALE), Lieutenant General Ramón Pardo de Santayana, various Army commanders, and the General Director of Indra, Ignacio Mataix. The NH90 simulator is Indra's new "crown jewel" in simulation. With its launch, the company strengthens its position in the global military simulation market that has grown steadily in recent years and in 2017 generated around 10.8 billion dollars. Indra is positioned ahead of its competitors as a candidate to meet the training needs of the 13 countries and 18 users who have the NH90, both in Europe and the rest of the world. The use of synthetic training systems is essential in preparing pilots of an aircraft equipped with the most complex systems, greatly reducing training times and increasing safety while lowering costs. Indra's simulator recreates with maximum fidelity and realism all the missions in which a military pilot can participate. It has been specially designed for tactical training. On board, pilots can prepare for real operations before carrying them out in their deployments. Remote virtual network training This new system will be integrated into the Army's simulator network, allowing its pilots to carry out joint training missions with other helicopter simulators found in other army bases such as the CH-47D Chinook, the AS532 Cougar, the EC135 or the EC665 Tiger attack helicopter. This means all the pilots will share the same scenario and can train together, regardless of being separated by hundreds of kilometers. The new system represents a decisive commitment to innovation and development of proprietary technologies by the Spanish Ministry of Defense. It ensures top-quality training for pilots of this multipurpose helicopter, the most advanced of its kind in the world, as it is an aircraft designed to carry out missions ranging from tactical transportation and medical evacuation, to special operations, and naval, antisubmarine and electronic combat. About Indra Indra (www.indracompany.com) is one of the leading global technology and consulting companies and is a technology partner for the key business operations of its clients worldwide. It is a leading global supplier of proprietary solutions in specific segments of the Transportation and Defense markets, and a leading company in digital transformation and Information Technology consulting in Spain and Latin America through its subsidiary, Minsait. Its business model is based on a comprehensive offer of its own products, with an end-to-end approach, high-value and a high innovation aspect. In 2018 financial year, Indra achieved revenue of 3.104 billion, with 43,000 employees, a local presence in 46 countries and business operations in more than 140 countries. View source version on Indra: https://www.indracompany.com/en/noticia/indra-provides-spanish-army-advanced-helicopter-simulator-europe