Defense Technology International - April 2008 - (Page 28) ROTORCRAFT HEAVY-LIFT OLD RELIABLE U.S. upgrades workhorse helos with new designs and features JORIS JANSSEN LOK•RIDLEY PARK, PA. O perations in Iraq and Afghanistan demonstrate that medium- and heavy-lift transport helicopters that perform well in hot and high conditions are vital—yet are always in short supply. So despite years spent mulling the prospect of a 20-ton-payload Joint Heavy Lift transport rotorcraft, the U.S. military is going ahead with new and significantly improved versions of the venerable Boeing CH-47 and Sikorsky CH-53 transport helicopters, whose origins date back some 50 years. Sikorsky was awarded a $3-billion system development and demonstration contract for the U.S. Marine Corps CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter in April 2006—a contract that could result in production of 156 CH-53Ks to replace a roughly equal number of CH-53E Super Stallions now in service. Almost entirely new, the three-engine CH-53K, which can be refueled in flight, will have virtually the same footprint as the CH-53E but carry 27,000 lb., almost double the current payload, over 110 naut. mi. in hot and high conditions. Its gross weight will increase to 84,700 lb. from 73,000 lb. for the CH-53E. Upgrades to be incorporated in the CH53K include a Rockwell Collins avionics management system glass cockpit; flyby-wire controls; fourth-generation rotor blades with composite anhedral tips; an elastomeric rotorhead designed for low maintenance; General Electric GE38-1B engines; cargo rail locking system; external cargo-handling improvements and survivability enhancements; and reduced operation and support costs. Initial operating capability for the CH-53K is planned for 2015. The U.S. Army, meanwhile, already is adding new versions of its ubiquitous CH-47 Chinook to frontline service. These are the MH-47G for special operations and the CH-47F for the cargo fleet. Both models are in full-rate production at Boeing’s rotorcraft plant in Ridley Park, Pa., outside Philadelphia. “Army acquisition plans call for a combined total of 513 new-generation Chinooks to be produced: 452 F models and 61 G models,” says Ken Eland, Boeing’s director of CH-47F programs. Boeing also has a contract from the Netherlands for six F models, and export orders are expected from Canada, Italy, Singapore and the U.K., among other countries. In addition, Boeing was selected in November 2006 to build 141 HH-47 aircraft at Ridley Park to meet the U.S. Air Force requirement for a next-generation combat search and rescue—CSAR—rotorcraft. The decision was, however, protested by competitors Lockheed Martin/AgustaWestland, which o ered the US101 helicopter, and Sikorsky, which proposed the S-92 rotorcraft. The protest resulted in a work-stoppage order. Following a new request for proposals Features of the Boeing CH-47F Chinook transport include a new fuselage, digital avionics and better flight-control system. BOEING 28 DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL APRIL 2008 AviationWeek.com/dti http://AviationWeek.com/dti
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