Fri, May 10, 2013
Says No Existing Helicopter Meets Requirements For OH-58 Replacement
The U.S. Army has once again delayed a decision on whether to replace its aging fleet of OH-58 Kiowa Warriors or embark on a program to refurbish the Vietnam-era aircraft.
Army officials said Wednesday that they will delay a the decision, which had been expected last December, until sometime this summer at the earliest, and it may not come before fall.
Reuters reports that helicopter industry executives are not feeling very confident about their prospects, given comments by Army officials described as "disparaging" about "off the shelf" helicopters currently available. The Army's military director of acquisition Lieutenant General William Phillips told a Senate Armed Services subcommittee that "(w)e didn't find a single aircraft that was out there that could meet the Army's requirements. So if we were to go forward with an armed aerial scout, it would essentially be a development program." He said he now expects that a decision might be made around mid-summer.
Lt. General James Barclay, Army chief of staff for budget issues, told the SASC subcommittee that the service plans to proceed with upgrades to cockpit displays, sensors, and other aspects of the Kiowa Warrior no matter what direction the Army goes on a replacement aircraft. Army leaders had hoped to have already announced a competition for the replacement aircraft, but are unsure whether they can afford to do so given the current budget environment.
(Kiowa Warrior OH-58F image from file)
More News
Light Gun A handheld directional light signaling device which emits a brilliant narrow beam of white, green, or red light as selected by the tower controller. The color and type of>[...]
"The journey to this achievement started nearly a decade ago when a freshly commissioned Gentry, driven by a fascination with new technologies and a desire to contribute significan>[...]
Aero Linx: JAARS, Inc. For decades now, we’ve landed planes on narrow rivers and towering mountains. We’ve outfitted boats and vehicles to reach villages that rarely se>[...]
"Our driven and innovative team of military and civilian Airmen delivers combat power daily, ensuring our nation is ready today and tomorrow." Source: General Duke Richardson, AFMC>[...]
Aircraft Conflict Predicted conflict, within EDST of two aircraft, or between aircraft and airspace. A Red alert is used for conflicts when the predicted minimum separation is 5 na>[...]