Integrated Review - Changes to Rotary Fleet

[rampant]

A bit more on the Leonardo bid


For those who don't twitter:

Order suspected to be 30+ cabs
Replacing Puma, Bell 212 & 412 as well as Dauphin
Initial cabs built Italy, remainder and all export production 149s to be built at Yeovil thereafter.

 

[Cyberhacker]

Order suspected to be 30+ cabs
Replacing Puma, Bell 212 & 412 as well as Dauphin

The infighting over who operates it has already started...........

 

[Bad CO]

Order suspected to be 30+ cabs
Replacing Puma, Bell 212 & 412 as well as Dauphin
Initial cabs built Italy, remainder and all export production 149s to be built at Ye

That's an interesting piece of information. There are two variants of Dauphin in service; a pair of contractorised aircraft that provide ship to shore for FOST and some that operate from a sleepy military base in the Welsh Marches but occasionally make it as far as London. I assume it is the latter that are in the frame?

 

[rampant]

That's an interesting piece of information. There are two variants of Dauphin in service; a pair of contractorised aircraft that provide ship to shore for FOST and some that operate from a sleepy military base in the Welsh Marches but occasionally make it as far as London. I assume it is the latter that are in the frame?

View attachment 560387

Not sure which, this is what industry are saying however. Those ones might not be on the chopping block or be replaced by a different platform altogether. Still early doors though, have to wait and see what else emerges and who else is going to enter a proposal. Leonardo have been quick out of the blocks, and the production line proposal ties in well with the desire to build British.

 

[PhotEx]

That's an interesting piece of information. There are two variants of Dauphin in service; a pair of contractorised aircraft that provide ship to shore for FOST and some that operate from a sleepy military base in the Welsh Marches but occasionally make it as far as London. I assume it is the latter that are in the frame?

View attachment 560387

and with precisely no AW149 sales in Europe to hide in the background noise of, you may as well paint them dayglo Orange with ‘Super Secret SF‘ on the side in 4’ high neon letters.
see the old A109’s painted up white to hide in plain sight as very common VIP helicopters.

 

[Raven2008]

A bit more on the Leonardo bid


For those who don't twitter:

Order suspected to be 30+ cabs
Replacing Puma, Bell 212 & 412 as well as Dauphin
Initial cabs built Italy, remainder and all export production 149s to be built at Yeovil thereafter.

Ummm the 412 is different as it’s 84 Sqn and comes under COMR provided by Cobham and the Contract is soo to be up for grabs.

Likewise the AAC Bell 212 are COMR provided by Cobham for jungle support in Brunei and other taskings

cheers

 

[PhotEx]

. Leonardo have been quick out of the blocks, and the production line proposal ties in well with the desire to build British.

Except Wasteland, aka Leonardo are Italian.

 

[Bad CO]

Ummm the 412 is different as it’s 84 Sqn and comes under COMR provided by Cobham and the Contract is soo to be up for grabs.

Likewise the AAC Bell 212 are COMR provided by Cobham for jungle support in Brunei and other taskings

cheers

Unusually, the Hereford Dauphins are (or certainly were) Military Owned Civilian Registered. This mean that they were maintained to civilian procedures and operated under a limited military release. They've been in service for approx 12 years so are unlikely to be anywhere near the end of their life.

They don't carry many troops though which has always been an issue with them.

 

[Raven2008]

Unusually, the Hereford Dauphins are (or certainly were) Military Owned Civilian Registered. This mean that they were maintained to civilian procedures and operated under a limited military release. They've been in service for approx 12 years so are unlikely to be anywhere near the end of their life.

They don't carry many troops though which has always been an issue with them.

Umm like the previous Agusta A109A (two of which were booty kindly donated by the retreating Argie invasion force lol) and they were maintained by Sloane Helicopters) serve a purpose of not being too big and enough to carry a response team. Look like and merge like civvy helos. Whtas slightly bigger than an AS365N3 going up the food chain, a Sikorsky S-76C or Leonardo AW139.

They would not be used for anything like infiltrating likes of Iraq or Syria or Libya

Hell did they not use Scouts in the good old days of Lewis Collins etc

cheers

 

[Lindermyer]

see the old A109’s painted up white to hide in plain sight as very common VIP helicopters.

Somewhat spoiled by the legal requirement to have ARMY emblazoned down the side

 

[Bad CO]

Somewhat spoiled by the legal requirement to have ARMY emblazoned down the side

No they didn't!

 

[alfred_the_great]

FOST dauphins are civvy owned and contracted. Bond IIRC.

 

[Lindermyer]

No they didn't!

View attachment 560396

Sorry wife called me away - should have said military registration and at one time - Army emblazoned down the side** -

My apoligies written i haste as i tried to finish the post before swmbo started.

** Caveat in response to your riply viz Army emblazoned - im sure I recall images thus but I wonder if ive got confuse and made that up

Edit for clarity im not attempting to disagree or dispute yourself (you would know better than me) - Simply correct my origional post that i hit send on half cocked

 

[Bad CO]

Sorry wife called me away - should have said military registration and at one time - Army emblazoned down the side** -

My apoligies written i haste as i tried to finish the post before swmbo started.

** Caveat in response to your riply viz Army emblazoned - im sure I recall images thus but I wonder if ive got confuse and made that up

Edit for clarity im not attempting to disagree or dispute yourself (you would know better than me) - Simply correct my origional post that i hit send on half cocked

Actually they might have had Army on them at some point during the 20+ years they were in UK service.. Definitely not towards the end though!

 

[rampant]

Here's the Jane's article stemming from the earlier tweet

Leonardo encouraged by UK commitment to new medium-lift helicopter and national industry

Leonardo is encouraged by the UK government’s recent announcements that it is to recapitalise the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) medium-lift helicopter fleet, at the same...

www.janes.com

LockMart looking to pitch Blackhawk

 

[jagman2]

Here's the Jane's article stemming from the earlier tweet

Leonardo encouraged by UK commitment to new medium-lift helicopter and national industry

Leonardo is encouraged by the UK government’s recent announcements that it is to recapitalise the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) medium-lift helicopter fleet, at the same...

www.janes.com

LockMart looking to pitch Blackhawk

Is the H225M not simply a modernised Super Puma?

 

[alfred_the_great]

We’ll take the -60 please...

 

[Himmler74]

We’ll take the -60 please...

Bin wildcat?

 

[alfred_the_great]

Bin wildcat?

I don’t think it’s for wildcat: gazelle, puma, dauphin and the random small ones in belieze.

 

[Himmler74]

I don’t think it’s for wildcat: gazelle, puma, dauphin and the random small ones in belieze.

It’s not, however the SH60 instead of the UH60 would be a smart move, folding blades, tail, salt proof, easily deplorable on floaty things, some come with probes if needed. Wing mounted weapon stations for brimestone etc.

A couple on the back of a T26 or T45 with some SF would come in very handy.