- إنضم
- 17 مارس 2012
- المشاركات
- 2,465
- التفاعل
14 مروحية لدولة شرق أوسطية
ولم يتم الاعلان عن اسم الدولة
واحتمال التوقيع الرسمي للصفقة في يوم 9 من هذا الشهر
Heli-Expo 2013: MD Helicopters receives Middle Eastern order
MD Helicopters has received an order from an undisclosed Middle Eastern country for 14 aircraft.
Speaking at the Heli-Expo 2013 exhibition, Lynn Tilton, CEO, said that the contract is expected to be signed on 9 March.
‘This morning we got great news,’ she explained to a media briefing. ‘We expect to sign the deal in country on Saturday, but they gave us permission to announce that a Middle Eastern country [will sign] for 12 530Fs and two 902s, so we really feel that things are starting.
‘We delivered 24 aircraft last year… we hope to be 40-45 this year. It depends on engines and what we can build.’
The company offers its 530F platform for defence requirements, and Tilton pointed out some recent achievements in this area: ‘We delivered military [aircraft] this year to Afghanistan, El Salvador, Costa Rica and we are delivering 12 aircraft to the Saudi National Guard.
‘For Afghanistan we were four and a half months from time of contract. The Saudi contract was [signed] in July and we delivered the first six in December, and the next six will be delivered next week.’
The company has also announced updates to its new MD 540F military helicopter, which it is offering for the US Army Armed Aerial Scout programme, including a new engine and completed live firing trials.
The first phase of live firing exercises were completed at the US Army’s Yuma Proving Ground during the week of 25 February, and is a step towards overall validation and FAA certification.
The 540F is designed to support a lightweight weapons system with four stations, and a variety of weapon types can be carried simultaneously.
The testing involved fifteen engagements with MP3 .50 calibre guns. Additional validation testing was completed on the L3 Wescam MX-10D sensor and Mace Aviation weapons platform, MD said. Subsequent weapons testing is expected later in the year with laser-guided rockets and Hellfire missiles.
The company also announced that it has selected the Rolls-Royce M250-C47E engine for the 540F.
The new engine is expected to perform in hot and high conditions while providing the power required for the weapons systems planned for the aircraft. A 5% increase in power in hot and high conditions is expected from the engine, as well as specific fuel consumption reductions.
MD said that it offers a 2% reduction in fuel consumption and 8% increase in rated take-off power at 700 shaft horsepower.
Tilton explained that the 540F is the first new aircraft that the company has released since 2005.
‘It is to some extent everybody’s wish list. We’ve kept the fuselage that we used when serving the American soldier back in 1965, and the reason we continue to work with this fuselage is because it is by far the safest aircraft.
‘Then we have built onto it everything that people have wanted. Six rotor blades from the [MD] 600, but with composite blades. We hope that this third round will bring us blades for sale by the fourth quarter. We’ve put the Rolls Royce C250 47E on this, which will give us about 8% more power, and we have the landing gear from the [MD] 600.’
Currently it has a total gross weight of 4100lb for the commercial variant, and is going through FAA certification for this. The gross weight will be higher for the military, Tilton pointed out.
‘We did have our best year ever last year…it was the most profitable year, even better than 2008 when we delivered more than 40 aircraft,’ she continued. ‘A lot of it has to do with our military contracts.
‘In Afghanistan we have the highest readiness rate in theatre with about 98% and we’re working those aircraft hard, basically training novices and going full blast. So I think we’ve been able to prove that, given the chance, this company is as good as any other in the industry.’
Tilton stressed that parts availability is key to ensuring the aircraft remain flying, adding that ‘it’s about forecasting, touching your end customer and knowing what’s coming next’.
المصدر
Heli-Expo 2013: MD Helicopters receives Middle Eastern order - News - Shephard
ولم يتم الاعلان عن اسم الدولة
واحتمال التوقيع الرسمي للصفقة في يوم 9 من هذا الشهر
Heli-Expo 2013: MD Helicopters receives Middle Eastern order
MD Helicopters has received an order from an undisclosed Middle Eastern country for 14 aircraft.
Speaking at the Heli-Expo 2013 exhibition, Lynn Tilton, CEO, said that the contract is expected to be signed on 9 March.
‘This morning we got great news,’ she explained to a media briefing. ‘We expect to sign the deal in country on Saturday, but they gave us permission to announce that a Middle Eastern country [will sign] for 12 530Fs and two 902s, so we really feel that things are starting.
‘We delivered 24 aircraft last year… we hope to be 40-45 this year. It depends on engines and what we can build.’
The company offers its 530F platform for defence requirements, and Tilton pointed out some recent achievements in this area: ‘We delivered military [aircraft] this year to Afghanistan, El Salvador, Costa Rica and we are delivering 12 aircraft to the Saudi National Guard.
‘For Afghanistan we were four and a half months from time of contract. The Saudi contract was [signed] in July and we delivered the first six in December, and the next six will be delivered next week.’
The company has also announced updates to its new MD 540F military helicopter, which it is offering for the US Army Armed Aerial Scout programme, including a new engine and completed live firing trials.
The first phase of live firing exercises were completed at the US Army’s Yuma Proving Ground during the week of 25 February, and is a step towards overall validation and FAA certification.
The 540F is designed to support a lightweight weapons system with four stations, and a variety of weapon types can be carried simultaneously.
The testing involved fifteen engagements with MP3 .50 calibre guns. Additional validation testing was completed on the L3 Wescam MX-10D sensor and Mace Aviation weapons platform, MD said. Subsequent weapons testing is expected later in the year with laser-guided rockets and Hellfire missiles.
The company also announced that it has selected the Rolls-Royce M250-C47E engine for the 540F.
The new engine is expected to perform in hot and high conditions while providing the power required for the weapons systems planned for the aircraft. A 5% increase in power in hot and high conditions is expected from the engine, as well as specific fuel consumption reductions.
MD said that it offers a 2% reduction in fuel consumption and 8% increase in rated take-off power at 700 shaft horsepower.
Tilton explained that the 540F is the first new aircraft that the company has released since 2005.
‘It is to some extent everybody’s wish list. We’ve kept the fuselage that we used when serving the American soldier back in 1965, and the reason we continue to work with this fuselage is because it is by far the safest aircraft.
‘Then we have built onto it everything that people have wanted. Six rotor blades from the [MD] 600, but with composite blades. We hope that this third round will bring us blades for sale by the fourth quarter. We’ve put the Rolls Royce C250 47E on this, which will give us about 8% more power, and we have the landing gear from the [MD] 600.’
Currently it has a total gross weight of 4100lb for the commercial variant, and is going through FAA certification for this. The gross weight will be higher for the military, Tilton pointed out.
‘We did have our best year ever last year…it was the most profitable year, even better than 2008 when we delivered more than 40 aircraft,’ she continued. ‘A lot of it has to do with our military contracts.
‘In Afghanistan we have the highest readiness rate in theatre with about 98% and we’re working those aircraft hard, basically training novices and going full blast. So I think we’ve been able to prove that, given the chance, this company is as good as any other in the industry.’
Tilton stressed that parts availability is key to ensuring the aircraft remain flying, adding that ‘it’s about forecasting, touching your end customer and knowing what’s coming next’.
المصدر
Heli-Expo 2013: MD Helicopters receives Middle Eastern order - News - Shephard
