Germany to send WS-61 Westland Sea King helicopters to Ukraine
Germany has committed to sending Ukraine six of its 21 retiring WS-61 Westland Sea King multirole, amphibious helicopters.
SNC offers Sierra Force for UH-1N replacement programme
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has submitted its Sierra Force helicopter in its final bid and proposal to replace the US Air Force’s (USAF) UH-1N Huey fleet, the company announced on 23 July.
Sierra Force is a multi-mission aircraft that uses a modernised and remanufactured UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter.
SNC will purchase divested UH-60A helicopters from the US Army and convert its exterior and interior to upgrade it to a UH-60L model.
The Sierra Force helicopter production plan includes acquisition of UH-60A helicopters through the US Army’s Blackhawk Exchange Support Team programme in Huntsville, Alabama and A-to-L conversion by the Corpus Christi Army Depot in Texas. Upgrade, missionisation and delivery activities will be conducted at SNC’s Huntsville facility.
The A model has a lower price-per-unit to purchase, but once the conversion to an L model is complete, Sierra Force will be a new aircraft. The Sierra Force UH-60L will be equipped with two new General Electric Aviation T-701D engines and a glass cockpit and avionics suite. The metal airframe of the Sierra Force will provide the aircraft a longer service life with low maintenance costs.
Tim Owings, executive vice president of SNC’s Integrated Mission Systems business area, said: ‘Our proposal is based on an open system where the government owns most of the intellectual property and will not be locked in with SNC for the 40-year programme period. This translates into cost savings for the government over the course of the programme.’
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