Thanks for the article Jonathan.
via DefenseNews.
Governments worldwide are wanting multi-role aircraft. If you can have a transport that can also swing into the role of attack helicopter, or more precisely assault helicopter then you have a winner. Why Sikorsky is leaving a potential worldwide winner on the bench is beyond me. Especially when the basic design is viewed by the uniformed as being long in the tooth.
via DefenseNews.
WARSAW — The Peruvian Ministry of Defense has awarded an order for 24 Mi-171Sh helicopters to Russian defense export company Rosoboronexport. The contract is estimated to be worth US $500 million, according to the information obtained from a source close to the deal by local daily Kommersant.Not too surprising. The Peruvian govt is a big time buyer of Russian military equipment. What does surprise me...and to be honest annoys me more than a little is the fact that Sikorsky has the fabulous BattleHawk that the USN is all but putting into service and they're failing to advertise it.
The aircraft are scheduled to be delivered from 2014 to 2015, with the first batch of the helos expected to be supplied by Dec. 9, 2014. The new copters are to be used by the Peruvian armed forces in operations to counter drug trafficking and terrorism, the Russian newspaper reported.
The defense company will supply the helos along with a flight simulator and related equipment. Under the contract, a helicopter maintenance and repair center is also to be opened in Peru in early 2016.
In 2010, the Peruvian defense ministry ordered six Mi-171Sh copters and two Mi-35P helos from Russia. The aircraft were delivered by the end of 2011.
Based in Moscow, Russia, Rosoboronexport is a subsidiary of state owned defense giant Rostec, which comprises some 663 companies. The Mi-171Sh is manufactured by the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant.
Governments worldwide are wanting multi-role aircraft. If you can have a transport that can also swing into the role of attack helicopter, or more precisely assault helicopter then you have a winner. Why Sikorsky is leaving a potential worldwide winner on the bench is beyond me. Especially when the basic design is viewed by the uniformed as being long in the tooth.
As a sidenote. Why can't they fit that 20mm under the fuselage of the MV-22? If it can fit under a UH-60 then it certainly should be able to be fitted to the MV-22 in the nose area.
