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| Eurocopter signs contract to retrofit 26 CH53 Bundeswehr helicopters for personnel recovery missions |
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The contract was signed in the presence of the State Secretary in the
Federal Ministry of Defense (BMVg), Rüdiger Wolf, and Eurocopter
CEO Lutz Bertling. “We thank the BWB, the BMVg and the Bundeswehr
for the confidence they have once again placed in us with this
assignment to convert the CH53, the workhorse of the German Army,, for
yet another demanding role,” stated Bertling. “This project
will quickly meet the Bundeswehr’s need for a wider CH53 GS/GE
deployment capability for national and international missions, and
especially for personnel recovery in various scenarios.”
The
contract serves the purpose of endowing the CH53 GS/GE weapon system
with the capability to locate personnel in various areas of deployment,
fly to them tactically and pick them up. To this end, a
mission-tactical workstation will be realized in the cargo bay which
can be quickly installed and removed as role equipment. The workstation
is equipped with the controls for operating the additional sensor
systems on the helicopter. These include a personnel locater system, a
broadband radio unit, a forward-looking infrared system (FLIR) and
connections to the internal and satellite communications systems.
Information is provided on two workstation displays and a mobile
display for the cockpit crew.
Eurocopter Deutschland has been
selected as the contractor with overall responsibility for the project.
The 26 helicopters covered by the contract will be modified and
delivered by 2011. The retrofit work will be carried out by Eurocopter
Deutschland at its Donauwörth plant or on Army bases. By taking
this flexible approach, the support center for Bundeswehr helicopters
at Donauwörth is once again proving its performance capability.
Eurocopter as the Bundeswehr’s CH53G partner
Eurocopter’s
support center for Bundeswehr helicopters at Donauwörth has also
been contracted to retrofit a total of 82 medium-heavy CH53G transport
helicopters to ensure continued mission capability. This involves
fixing airframe fatigue caused by use and aging to increase the
helicopters’ design life from 6,000 to 10,000 flight hours. In
addition, the retrofit will involve replacement of the entire
electrical system, which is now about 35 years old.
The
Eurocopter support center for Bundeswehr helicopters has already
completed various major orders for the CH53G transport helicopter,
working in cooperation with the BWB. One contract was for measures to
maintain airworthiness for instrument flight rules, another for the
retrofit of 20 of these aircraft to give them a greater range, night
low-flying capability and electronic self-protection for missions with
the UN and rapid reaction forces. Last year a contract for the retrofit
of 40 CH53G transport helicopters was signed, forming the core of a
“midlife upgrade” for this helicopter type, to close
existing gaps in operational capability and prepare the weapon system
for missions it will perform jointly with the Tiger and the NH90.
The CH53G
The
CH53G has been in service for over 35 years and will continue for the
foreseeable future to form the backbone of the German Army’s
missions abroad, where it is subjected to extreme conditions. Since
entering service it has not only been the cornerstone of flexible troop
and material transport by the German Army as part of its missions under
Germany’s NATO defense obligations, but has also been the central
pillar for all out-of-area operations by the German Army as well as for
other NATO forces in conflict zones from Kosovo to Kabul since the
early 1990s. It has also seen considerable service combating national
and international disasters such as forest fires and floods.
About Eurocopter
Established
in 1992, the Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter Group is a Division of
EADS, a world leader in aerospace, defence and related services. The
Eurocopter Group employs approx. 15,600 people. In 2008, Eurocopter
confirmed its position as the world’s No. 1 helicopter
manufacturer in the civil and parapublic market, with a turnover of 4.5
billion Euros, orders for 715 new helicopters, and a 53 percent market
share in the civil and parapublic sectors. Overall, the Group’s
products account for 30 percent of the total world helicopter fleet.
Its strong worldwide presence is ensured by its 18 subsidiaries on five
continents, along with a dense network of distributors, certified
agents and maintenance centres. More than 10,000 Eurocopter helicopters
are currently in service with over 2,800 customers in more than 140
countries. Eurocopter offers the largest civil and military helicopter
range in the world.
For more information, please click external link at bottom of page, or contact Eurocopter Southern Africa by clicking here
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| Christina Gotzhein |
| Thursday, 18 June 2009 |
| http://www.eurocopter.com/site/FO/scripts/myFO_publication.php?news_id=619&lang=EN |
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| LAW ENFORCEMENT SEMINAR |
| Eurocopter Southern Africa proudly supported by Carl Zeiss, Denel Aviation and Turbomeca Africa will be hosting a Law Enforcement Seminar in Cape Town |
| more... |
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| AFRICAN AEROSPACE & DEFENCE 2010 |
| African Aerospace & Defence will be hosted at AFB Ysterplaat, Cape Town from the 21st – 25th September 2010.
You can visit us in Hall 5. |
| more... |
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