UH-1 replacement hits major snag

The Air Force attempt to replace their UH-1N fleet has run into another snag. Initially the plan was to award a no bid contract for UH-60s, but congress pushed, making the Air Force bid it out.

In the RFP for the replacement, the requirement is to carry 9 troops and weapons, in an armored helicopter, at 135 knots, for 3 hours or a minimum distance of 225 miles, using an existing design to keep costs down. The response came back from the industry that they have nothing existing that meets the requirements.

As a result, the Air Force has slipped the program to allow for Non Developmental Integration of required equipment to bring existing platforms up to the standard required.

www.defensenews.com...

a reply to: Zaphod58

The 'snag' they ran into was the Osprey.

TILT

Thought they retired all the Hueys years ago when they switched over to the crashhawks .

Had many fun and memorable rides on the Hueys .

a reply to: VengefulGhost

The Air Force didn't. They use the UH-1 for the missile fields. The security forces use them to move around.

a reply to: Zaphod58

that is some list they got there. i cant click the link now but does it say how much they have to spend on this?

a reply to: penroc3

So far they've requested $2.5B over 5 years. They're looking at up to 84 aircraft.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: VengefulGhost

The Air Force didn't. They use the UH-1 for the missile fields. The security forces use them to move around.

they were the only smart ones then . Hueys not only were dependable but could take a beating and keep flying .
Be nice to see them bring them back .

a reply to: Zaphod58

it will be interesting to see if they can keep it on budget 2.5B seems very reasonable

a reply to: penroc3

Helicopters tend to be a lot cheaper than fixed wing. From reading, it shouldn't take a huge modification to get a few existing helicopters to spec. They might make budget.

Thought they were going for a larger version of the Raider?

a reply to: Blackfinger

That's the Army FVL program. The AF was going to take UH-60As and modernize them to the L standard i think it was.

Sounds very much like the debacle we have with our defence force here.Army V Airforce..

And here comes Sikorsky. They just announced they are offering up to 84 HH-60Us, which already meets the 9 troop requirement.

www.flightglobal.com...

Bell announced that the UH-1Y missed the speed requirement by 3-7 knots. They would have had to replace the engine, with the engine in the Blackhawk and Apache which would have missed the delivery deadline.

Can they upgrade Blackhawks with next gen hardware?

originally posted by: VengefulGhost

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: VengefulGhost

The Air Force didn't. They use the UH-1 for the missile fields. The security forces use them to move around.

they were the only smart ones then . Hueys not only were dependable but could take a beating and keep flying .
Be nice to see them bring them back .

It has been many years since I last unassed a slick. They were durable and relatively simple. As I remember, bullet holes in the rotors could be patched with tape or quickset epoxy. Holes in the fuselage provided extra breathing air. Metal plates under the pilots seat [plus helmet storage plus sandbag] protected the most important parts from small arms ground fire. Dustoff was the favorite of many who needed it.

An easy change to the RFP would allow the Huey to be used.