USMC to receive its final UH-1Y at the end of 2018...

via Flight Global.

Bell Helicopter is set to finish deliveries of the UH-1Y Venom utility helicopter to the US Marine Corps by the end of 2018.

The USMC will continue to take deliveries of the Venom’s sister aircraft, the Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter, until 2022.

The Venom and the Viper are based on the Vietnam-era family of Huey helicopters, the UH-1 Iroquois and the derivative AH-1 Cobra. The modern variants share 85 percent of their parts including a common tail boom, engines, rotor system, drivetrain, avionics architecture, software and controls.

“This allows us to reduce our ownership costs and it reduces our footprint on board ships,” said David Walsh, programme manager for the UH-1. “Anytime you are on board a maritime ship space is at a premium.”

Story here. 

Wow.  So I guess part of my critique is proving false.  WTF am I talking about. The budget trainwreck of course.  I was high and to the right about nothing being cleared off the books and everything being pushed to the right.

With deliveries of the UH-1Y ending that means that at least one item is finished and the others can start getting knocked down.

Does that mean we're out of the woods?

Hell no it doesn't!

But it does mean that the problem is being worked which pleases me.

I can hate the plan.  I can think they're slow.  I can shout at the moon but one thing can't be denied.

They at least have a plan.

If you take the time to read the article you'll also note that they're embarking on a series of upgrades.  This also pleases.  I'm still wrapping my head around the UAV "benefit thing" but if they can actually make it possible for UAVs to be controlled from UH-1Y's then the load on the Squad Leader might be reduced a bit, he still might get that UAV support and he should be able to focus on fighting his squad and keeping his people alive instead of concentrating on being a sensor node.

I like it.

When HQMC lays out what its doing instead of having us guessing and extrapolating stuff from articles I think they'll find they have massive support just waiting to beat the drum for them.