MH-60R helicopter from HMAS Warramunga performs deck landing manoeuvres on board HMAS Canberra. (Defence, POIS Christopher Szumlanski) Defence has announced three ADF helicopters, including a Seahawk and Taipan, remain on “heightened readiness” to fly night time search and rescue missions in NSW. The state’s emergency services have already received 1,200 calls for help and conducted 65 rescues in...
Sikorsky eyes Eastern Europe for Black Hawk sales amid Russia's war in Ukraine – Jane's
09 May 2022 by Gillian Rich Sikorsky sees foreign military sales helping continue Black Hawk production as Eastern Europe rethinks its Soviet helicopter fleets. (Lockheed Martin)Sikorsky expects to have the 5,000th UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on its production line in the fourth quarter of 2022, and the company said that foreign military sales (FMS) could help keep the line running while the US...
Setback For Airbus-Led Consortium: After 20 Years Of Frustration, Norway Goes The Australia Way & Dumps Its Rotorcraft – EurAsian Times
Norway has terminated its two-decade-old contract with an Airbus-led consortium of European aircraft and defense manufacturers, NATO Helicopter Industries (NHI), to acquire 14 NH90 medium-lift helicopters, citing 20 years of frustration with the delays, errors, and time-consuming maintenance.“Regrettably we have reached the conclusion that no matter how many hours our technicians work, and...
From the Magazine: NZDF EXPERIENCE WITH NH90 HELICOPTERS – APDR – Asia Pacific Defence Reporter
After some initial problems, the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) has become the first air force user to have any of their NH90s reach 2,000 hours flight time, while also now being highly satisfied with their performance. The NH90 helicopter, operated by No 3 Squadron, at Ohakea Air Base on the North Island, enables the RNZAF to fulfill a wide range of operational commitments ranging from...
Australian government party announces major helicopter purchase – Aviacionline
–The website of the Liberal Party, which leads the coalition that governs Australia, announced the acquisition of 12 new MH-60R Romeo helicopters for the Navy and 29 AH-64E Apache Guardians for the Army.According to the Liberal Party website, the Romeos and Apaches will be delivered from 2025.The contract for the 12 MH-60Rs will be worth 2.5 billion Australian dollars (approximately USD 1...
From the Magazine: ARMY AVIATION TRANSITIONING FROM EUROPEAN TO U.S. HELICOPTERS – APDR – Asia Pacific Defence Reporter
The quick summary is that the ADF will spend more than $10.5 billion in the next few years moving from the Tiger ARH and Taipan MRH to Apache AH-64Es and Blackhawk UH-60Ms. An unkind assessment is that the Army are in the process of replacing perfectly good helicopters with a lot of life left in them for older generation machines for reasons that are sometimes opaque and that have never been...
Norway Permanently Terminates NH90 Operations And Contract – The Aviationist
The Norwegian government has decided to immediately halt all operations with the NH90 helicopters and to terminate the contract with the manufacturer NHIndustries. In a statement released by the Ministry of Defence on June 10, 2022, delays, errors and time-consuming maintenance are mentioned as the cause of this abrupt decision that put an end to the programme after 20 years.“Regrettably we have...
Norway Is Done With Its Unreliable NH90 Helicopters, Wants $500M Back – The War Zone
In a dramatic move protesting the rotorcraft’s abysmal operational availability, Norway has canceled its contract for NH90 helicopters and has immediately and permanently grounded its entire fleet. Norway also wants back the $500 million it paid manufacturer NHI Industries for the 13 helicopters in its fleet, in addition to interest and other expenses.Thirteen of the 14 NH90 helicopters on...
Analysing the timing of Defence's Taipan decision – Australian Aviation
An Australian Army MRH90 Taipan helicopter from the 5th Aviation Regiment flies over the town of Cloncurry, Queensland. (Defence/CAPT Carolyn Barnett) Why has the Commonwealth government suddenly decided to retire the Taipan fleet after years of well-documented trouble? Last week, the Commonwealth government confirmed plans to purchase up to 40 Sikorsky-built UH-60 Black Hawks to replace the...
These restaurants in KL, PJ offer poon choi delivery for Chinese New Year 2022 – Lifestyle Asia Kuala Lumpur
Save yourself the trouble of making poon choi at home by ordering it from these restaurants in KL and PJ for Chinese New Year 2022. A cultural and gastronomic vestige of the late Song Dynasty, poon choi is an indispensable part of Chinese New Year. Not unlike yee sang, thanks to the intermingling between various Chinese clans in Malaysia, poon choi has become a dish to savour for most during...