Thu, Feb 11, 2010
Medium-Lift German Military Transport Flies On Schedule
The CH-53GA medium-lift military transport helicopter
successfully completed its first flight over the Bavarian town of
Donauwörth Wednesday before a crowd of approximately 150
guests. Eurocopter test pilot Rene Nater and flight engineer
Antoine Van Gent were at the controls. This first flight came just
three years after the contract was awarded, and represents a major
milestone for the CH-53GA program, as well as for Eurocopter
Germany's support center for the German Army helicopters.
Eurocopter says that, thanks to the new upgrades, the
helicopter’s service life has been extended to 2030.
Training flights are slated for early 2011, with the first
deliveries of the retrofitted helicopters later in the same year.
The German Armed Forces will then be able to deploy the CH-53GA
with its state-of-the-art equipment for international missions
(e.g. Afghanistan).
As Senior Vice-President Ralf Barnscheidt, responsible for
German military contracts at Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH, points
out: “Over the past 30 years, the Eurocopter support center
for German Army helicopters has completed many important upgrades
on the CH-53G transport helicopter, working in cooperation with the
Bundesamt für Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung (Federal Agency for
Defense Technology and Procurement). I am extremely pleased to see
the CH53-GA flying today, as it further demonstrates the successful
cooperation we enjoy with the German Armed Forces that has enabled
us to complete the program on time and within budget.”
(R-L) Rene Nater, Ralf Barnscheidt,
Volker Bau, J.M. Billig, Antoine Van Gent, Udo
Thoennes
The CH-53G is being retrofitted so that the helicopter can be
deployed in a wide range of national and international missions.
The following major functional requirements for the CH-53GA have
been defined and embodied:
- Improved display and flight control systems via
state-of-the-art digital avionics.
- Advanced accurate navigation system and improved flight
capabilities in line with international IFR flight
regulations.
- Integration of a new automatic flight control
systemAFCS/4-axis-autopilot) with automatic hovering.
- Installation of auxiliary fuel tanks in the cabin to increase
the range to 745sm.
- Upgrade of communication equipment for joint missions with
Tiger and NH90 helicopters.
- Integration of a modular mission equipment package including
FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared), satellite communication system
(SatCom) and a cutting-edge electronic warfare system (EWS) for
self-defense and identification of threats.
Production work on the CH-53GA is scheduled to start at the
Donauwörth plant in 2011 and continue through 2013. The first
helicopters will be made available to the German Army before the
end of 2011.
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