헬리콥터 영국, 10억 달러가 넘는 규모의 중형헬기 조달사업 개시

[위종민]

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2022/05/19/british-military-feels-out-industry-on-a-1-billion-helicopter-buy/

British military feels out industry for helicopter buy worth over $1 billion

영국이 현재 운용중인 23기의 푸마 및 벨 412, 벨 212, 에어버스 도팡 헬기를 모두 대체할 다목적 중형헬기 44기 조달 사업을 5월 18일 발표한다고 합니다.  

에어버스 H175M, 블랙호크, 레오나르도 AW146 등이 경쟁기체이며, 영국 현지업체의 중고 블랙호크 리퍼비시 제품 및 벨 텍스트론이 개발중인 525 릴렌트리스 헬기도 가능성이 있지만 사업 시기가 약간 이르다는 이야기도 있습니다. 

British military feels out industry for helicopter buy worth over $1 billion

By Andrew Chuter May 20, 03:00 AM

5-6 minutes

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LONDON — A £1 billion (U.S. $1.25 billion) competition to acquire a new fleet of medium-size helicopters for the British military was officially triggered by the Ministry of Defence this week.

The government on May 18 released procurement details to acquire up to 44 helicopters when it gave potential contenders for the contract until June 20 to respond to a pre-qualification questionnaire scoping out their interest.

The envisioned New Medium Helicopter “will provide a common medium-lift, multi-role helicopter, fitted for, but not with, specialist mission role equipment and able to operate in all environments in support of defense tasks,” said the industry solicitation

The race will see the Airbus H175 M, Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky Blackhawk, Leonardo AW146 and others make a pitch for a program mainly aimed at replacing 23 long-serving Puma machines, as well as consolidating the British support helicopter capabilities by axing smaller Bell 412, Bell 212 and Airbus Dauphin fleets.

Bell Textron with the 525 Relentless and a little known British company called AceHawk Aerospace offering second-hand Blackhawks refurbished at a site on Teeside, northeast England, are also among other possible contenders.

Officials from the U.S. helicopter maker have previously signaled the New Medium Helicopter competition might have come a little early for the new 525.

The industry questionnaire said the government envisages five bids for the requirement.

The British government’s prosperity agenda, aimed at driving up defense jobs and skills from defense procurements, will likely be a likely key factor in the procurement.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace made the point speaking in Parliament earlier this year.

“Whoever wins this [NMH] competition, it is important that they contribute to the prosperity and job opportunities for U.K. citizens. I am not interested in ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ suppliers for this,” he said Jan. 10.

Some 10 percent of the tender eval‎uation criteria will be accounted for along those lines, according to the the industry questionnaire.

Leonardo Helicopters is the long-time domestic builder here but others are looking to nullify the potential advantage the Yoevil-based company has by setting up U.K. operations of their own.

Airbus Helicopters, which has a substantial civil and military presence in the helicopter market here already, has committed to setting up an assembly site at Broughton, north Wales, where the company employs thousands of workers building wings for civil airliners.

Speaking to Defense News earlier this year, Colin James, the Airbus Helicopters managing director in the UK said: “The U.K. government with the new defense strategy have made it very clear what they are looking for, both in military terms but also in industrial terms.”

“When it comes to capability, we believe we have a very good offering with the H175M and also what they are looking for in terms of independence of operation, contribution to technical development, intellectual property creation, skills and then also making it sustainable through export,” he said.

Lockheed Martin, the third of the likely front runners for the deal, will generate U.K. involvement in its bid but is expected to offer Blackhawk S70M machines built at its factory in Poland.

That may not be the disadvantage it may have seemed at one time.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has strengthened relations between London and Warsaw, and that is reflected in the increasingly close industrial relationship with Britain securing several significant naval and missile contracts in recent months.

“We believe the S-70 Black Hawk, specifically designed to military standards and built in Poland, which has a strategic defense partnership with the U.K., would be an ideal solution for the British armed forces’ operational needs even in the toughest of operational environments,” Lockheed said in a May 19 statement.

The Ministry of Defence has put the procurement budget at between £900 million and £1.2 billion, including simulators, training and support elements.

An invitation to tender is scheduled to be issued at the end of September. The industry questionnaire doesn’t give a contract award target or a first delivery date, but it does say the contract completion should be within 84 months of signing the deal.

Wallace said earlier this year he hoped the delivery date would be mid-decade.

Andrew Chuter is the United Kingdom correspondent for Defense News.

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영국공군의 Puma는 1971년에 전력화되었는데 동체가 좁은 것이 도시 지역에서 쓰기 좋다는 이유로 24대에 Super Puma의 엔진을 붙이고 glass cockpit으로 바꾸는 수명 연장을 해서 지금까지 쓰고 있다네요.

Most importantly, the helicopter lacked power in the hot-and-high conditions typical of the Afghan summer, and in its mountains, leaving it short of lift and largely unsuitable for sustained deployment. Instead the Puma gave sterling service working with troops preparing to deploy on the various Herrick rotations, providing them with experience of helicopter operations in the relatively benign conditions of a training exercise.

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But the Puma’s continued utility was potentially great, particularly its ability to provide considerable capability with minimal footprint, which makes it ideal for operations in urban areas. It was therefore decided that a dramatic upgrade should be applied to 24 airframes, providing them with the Makila 1A1 turboshaft of the Super Puma, advanced digital avionics and more fuel capacity, among other significant changes.

https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircraft/puma-hc2/

[위종민]

북아일랜드에서 유용했을 것 같단 느낌이..

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https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/31074-uk-helicopter-replacement-tender

교체되는 헬기 수량은 영국 공군의 퓨마 HC2 23기, 벨 그리핀 HAR2 (벨 412) 3기, 영국 육군의 벨 212 5기, 도팡2 6기로 총 37기네요.

[강준구]

영국 무기 구입 전통상(?) 직도입 보다는 자국 생산(AW중 W에서)을 하면서, 비용이 급격히 올라가게 될텐데 과연 어떻게 할지 궁금합니다.
AW146은 149의 오타인거 같습니다. 도팡이나 벨412, 212 대체라면, 좀 작지만 AW-159 생각해볼만 했을텐데, 숫자 상 가장 많은 퓨마가 끼어있어서 안되나 보네요.
NH-90은 이제 안 되나 봅니다. 블랙호크의 가장 강력한 경쟁자가 될 것이라 예상됐던 시절은.. 아 벌써 20년 전이네요 ㅋㅋ

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NH90은 이름 90에서 알 수 있듯이 90년대를 위해 만든 것인데 이제 어느새 이것도 옛날 것이 되었네요. ㅎㅎ

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NHIndustries_NH90#Concerns_over_performance