Posted on 07/26/2006 7:51:05 AM PDT by Zakeet
A new bird soon will be flying over Fort Hood.
While negotiations are ongoing on how much the UH-60M Black Hawk utility helicopter might cost the Army, the West Fort Hood-based Operational Test Command is set to try out the helicopter this fall.
Pilots with the 21st Air Cavalry Brigade began training on the helicopter last week, and the first tests are scheduled to begin in October, said Lt. Col. Chip Lunn, product manager from Redstone Arsenal, Ala., who is coordinating the tests with the local command.
The version is a solution to needing an upgraded helicopter but not having enough money to design one from scratch, Lunn said. The result is a more powerful aircraft that should be safer because of added capability.
The aircraft has been fitted with more powerful engines and redesigned rotor blades. The blades turn down slightly at the tip to provide more lift. The extra power will allow more passengers and cargo to be carried after heavy armor is added to protect the helicopter from bullets and other battlefield hazards.
The helicopter's computerized controls also give the pilots a better idea of what is happening on the ground, Lunn said. Rotating dials and manual switches in the older models' cockpits have been replaced with digital displays and buttons. The digital controls take up less space than the older version, and pilots can now see out the bottom of the cockpit.
Improved communications systems connect pilots with ground troops, commanders and joint forces. The new version also has an automatic hover system that allows pilots to maneuver more safely in the harsh Middle East environment where dust often causes zero visibility.
"When landing, dust won't be the factor it used to be on hover," Lunn said.
The new version also contains a system that records flight information on computer cards that can be used to determine maintenance needs. Maps and other information also can be loaded onto cards that can be read by computers in the helicopter.
Construction changes, such as using one large part instead of several smaller parts in the frame, were designed to make the helicopter more "crash-worthy," Lunn said.
Testing this fall is to be completed by 35 operational missions that "run the gamut of what the Black Hawk does," said Maj. Dave Cheney, assistant project manager for the test, who also is from Redstone Arsenal.
Most of the tests will be done in garrison. A two-week field test exercise is planned in the Brownwood area of operations, Cheney said.
A simulator featuring the new cockpit and capabilities of the UH-60M model has been installed near Hood Army Airfield. The simulator is designed to be taken to the Middle East to maintain pilots' training.
Lunn declined comment on the expected cost of the helicopter because negotiations with its manufacturer, Sikorski, are not complete. An article posted on Military.com last week said the Pentagon plans to spend $20 billion to upgrade the Army's Black Hawk fleet to 1,800, which will consist of the UH-60M models and newest UH-60L models.
Contact Emily Baker at ebaker@kdhnews.com
Perhaps she will grow it into a responsible position.
Emily writes well.
Looks like they have put more lipstick on the pig. I mean the Hawk, of course.
ping
BTW, nice article. Facts, to the point, no pontification.
Please tell your daughter tha Sikorsky is spelled like so.
Excellent article. I used to be a reporter myself and got a spin more than once in fire service helicopters.
It's well written, very readable. She'd better look out, lots of goodlooking guys at Fort Hood. :^)
Unnngh. Here I am saying I used to be a reporter myself and didn't catch the Sikorsky mis-spell.
Em will probably kill me for saying this, but that is a distinct possibility -- especially considering the fact she is an intelligent and attractive blond and the Army is loaded with handsome, "healthy," young, single men.
Father's tend to worry about this kind of stuff.
Thought you were talking about the comic book characters. Boy, that ages me.
Ping...
Me too!
Yikes a journalist that can actually write a cogent article! You must be very proud. Thank you!
I just wonder if the US military is investigating the "fanwing" aircraft. It is a British invention that uses what looks like grain harvester blades, or an encased paddlewheel, for lift.
Aerodynamically, it should be better all around than a helicopter. Quieter, heavier lift capability, higher efficiency and easier maintenance. It is also VTOL.
I gather DARPA has invested some money into it, but the Brits are just very slow in development, unlike US aircraft manufacturers. Also, their design, which looks somewhat like a light aircraft, may not be optimal.
But all told, the design looks so promising, I could imagine a large one capable of carrying a Stryker over a distance.
18 posts and no pics?!
How do you spell "that"?
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