Jan 24
ynaMarine Corps, News Ah-1z attack helicopter, AH-1Z Super Cobra, Bell Helicopters, H-1 helicopters, Lockheed Martin, Marine AH-1Z Cobra, Northrop Grumman, uh-1 huey, uh-1 model, UH-1Y, UH-1Y utility helicopter, US Marine Corps
Bell Helicopter delivered the 100th unit of H-1 Helicopters for the U.S. Marine Corps during a ceremony at Amarillo Assembly Center. A Textron Inc. Company, Bell Helicopter is in contract to make 349 helicopters for the H-1 Helicopter program of the Marine Corps. The H-1 Helicopter program is made up of UH-1Y utility helicopter and the AH-1Z attack helicopter.
John Garrison, president and CEO of Bell Helicopter said: “We are deeply proud to be the marine corp’s partner in these aircraft. They are among the most advanced, capable and affordable attack and utility helicopters serving today.”
The UH-1 Helicopters have a strong lineage of military service that started in the Army back in 1958. Popularly known as the “Huey,” the Marines Corps first use these during the Vietnam War in 1963, as the UH-1E. The Huey helicopters are also the foundation for the AH-1Z Cobra attack helicopters.
Bell Helicopters has the help of major supplier to make the H-1 helicopters. Northrop Grumman supplies the integrated avionics suite while Thales provides the helmet mounted sight and display system. Lockheed Martin Orlando supplies the AH-1Z target sight system (TSS), FLIR Inc. with the UH-1Y BRITE Star II forward-looking infrared sensor, the UH-1Y cabin structure is provided by L-3 Crestview Aerospace, and the T700 engines are from General Electric Aviation.
Apart from the U.S. Marine Corps, Bell Helicopter is also planning to supply their helicopters to foreign military.
Helicopters are vital in performing roles and responsibilities of the marines. Start your own fleet of helicopter models from Warplanes. Warplanes also features replica models of your favorite popular airplanes.
News Source: www.verticalmag.com
Feb 24
TynibelleNews AH-1W, AH-1W Cobra, AH-1W Cobra helicopter, aircraft model, airplane model, c-130, C-130 airplane, desktop model, F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet, helicopter crash, mahogany model, model aircraft, model airplane, model plane, plane crash, plane model, scale model, UH-1, uh-1 huey, UH-1Y, USS john c. stennis, warplanes, wood plane model, wooden airplane model
San Diego, CA. – A collision that killed seven Marines in one of the Marine Corps’ deadliest aviation training accidents in years occurred over a sprawling desert range favored by the U.S. military because its craggy mountains and hot, dusty conditions are similar to Afghanistan’s harsh environment.
Officials were scrambling Thursday to determine what caused the AH-1W Cobra and UH-1 Huey to crash during a routine exercise Wednesday night when skies were clear and the weather was mild.
There were no survivors in the accident near the Chocolate Mountains along the California-Arizona border.
It was the fifth aviation mishap since March involving the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing headquartered at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego. Throughout the Navy and Marine Corp, there have only been two other aviation training accidents in the past five years involving seven or more deaths, according to the military’s Naval Safety Center.
“It’s an unfortunate consequence of the high tempo of operations,” said retired Marine Col. J.F. Joseph, an aviation safety consultant. “They’re out there working on the edge trying to exploit the maximum capabilities of the aircraft and their tactics. Just by the virtue of that, in becoming combat ready, these unfortunately are not uncommon occurrences.”
The Marine Corps and Navy, nonetheless, stand out in their efforts to mitigate that risk and make training as safe as possible, he said.
With 17,500 Marines and sailors, including personnel stationed at Camp Pendleton and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing conducts hundreds of aviation training exercises a year so troops can get as much experience as possible before they go to war.
The number of Marines killed in the latest crash shook the military community. Chaplains and counselors were called in to talk to troops. Six of the Marines killed were from Pendleton — the West Coast’s largest base — and one was from the base in Yuma.
Their identities will not be released until their families have all been notified.
Two of the Marines were aboard an AH-1W Cobra and the rest were in a UH-1 Huey utility helicopter. They were flying in a remote section of the 1.2 million-acre Yuma Training Range Complex as part of a two-week standard training called “Scorpion Fire” that involved a squadron of about 450 troops from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
The helicopters collided near dunes at the edge of the Yuma range about an hour before the range was to shut down for the evening. Ground troops were in the area, but they were not affected, said Gunnery Sgt. Dustin Dunk, a spokesman at the Yuma base, which is a 90-minute drive from the accident site.
Part of the exercise involved having helicopters low on fuel descend to ground troops that have set up a refueling outpost, Dunk said.
He did not know if that’s what the pilots were doing at the time of the crash.
“Our training is always evolving, safety is paramount, and being prepared is paramount,” he said. “It was a very standard exercise for what we do. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family members … Our investigation will look to see what went wrong and how to correct it.”
The AH-1W carries a pilot and gunner and is considered the Marine Corps’ main attack helicopter. The UH-1Y, which is replacing the aging version of the Huey utility helicopter first used during the Vietnam War, carries one or two pilots, a crew chief and other crew members, depending on the mission.
Hueys often are used to pick up and drop off ground crews, while Cobras hover by ready to fire if the Huey comes under attack.
In other crashes in the past year, a twin-engine, two-seat AH-1W Cobra helicopter went down in September during training in a remote area of Camp Pendleton, killing two Marine pilots and igniting a brush fire that burned about 120 acres at the base north of San Diego.
In August, two Marines were ejected from their F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet as it plunged toward the Pacific Ocean. The two Marines spent four hours in the dark, chilly ocean before they were rescued. Both suffered broken bones but survived.
In July, a decorated Marine from western New York was killed during a training exercise when his UH-1Y helicopter went down in a remote section of Camp Pendleton.
Another Hornet sustained at least $1 million damage when its engine caught fire on March 30 aboard the USS John C. Stennis during an exercise about 100 miles off the San Diego coast. Eight sailors, a Marine and two civilians were injured.
In one of the worst accidents in the past five years, an AH1-W flying in formation with three other Marine helicopters on a nighttime training mission from Camp Pendleton to San Clemente Island collided with a Coast Guard C-130 airplane in October 2009, killing two aboard the Marine helicopters and seven aboard the C-130.
-baynews9.com
Sep 20
TynibelleNews ah-1 cobra, AH-1W, AH-1W Cobra, AH-1W Cobra attack helicopter, aircraft model, airplane model, F/A-18 Hornet, helicopter crash, Hornet, model aircraft, model airplane, model display, model plane, plane crash, plane model, scale model, UH-1Y, warplanes, wood model plane
An AH-1W Cobra helicopter that went down during a training exercise at southern California’s Camp Pendleton killed the two Marines onboard and set off a fast-moving brush fire on the base on Monday.
The blaze burned 48.6 hectares and was 80 per cent contained on Monday evening, a base statement said.
The 1pm wreck involved a twin-engine, two-seat AH-1W Cobra attack helicopter belonging to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, a Marine Corps statement said. It crashed in the southeast corner of the base near the community of Fallbrook.
The fire grew quickly after the crash, spreading to 20ha three hours after the helicopter went down. It was moving near the base’s border with the town of De Luz, the Marine Corps statement said.
The Marines died at the scene. Their names won’t be released until their families have been notified, officials said.
Several accidents have happened in recent months involving Marine Corps training in Southern California, including a fatal accident in July.
In August, two Marines were ejected from their F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet as it plunged toward the Pacific Ocean. The two Marines spent four hours in the dark, chilly ocean before they were rescued. Both suffered broken bones and are undergoing rehabilitation at a San Diego hospital.
In July, a decorated Marine from western New York was killed during a training exercise when his UH-1Y helicopter went down in a remote section of Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego.
Another Hornet sustained at least $US1 million ($A980,200) damage when its engine caught fire on March 30 aboard the USS John C. Stennis during a training exercise about 161km off the San Diego coast. Eight sailors, a Marine and two civilians were injured.
The Navy has said debris in the engine is the suspected cause of that fire.
-skynews.com.au
Mar 16
TynibelleMarine Corps, News AH-1W, AH-1Z, AH-1Z Cobra, aircraft models, airplane models, Bell Helicopter, H-1, helicopter, helicopter models, model airplanes, model helicopters, model planes, plane models, UH-1Y, warplanes, wooden airplane models
On Mar. 15, Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, announced that the U.S. Marine Corps’ newest attack helicopter, the AH-1Z Cobra, achieved Initial Operating Capability ahead of schedule in February.
President of Bell Helicopter John L Garrison said, ”The AH-1Z is a magnificent machine and I am thrilled that the Zulu has now been designated ready for combat.” He also said, “The partnership between Bell Helicopter and the Navy-Marine Corp team demonstrates that we are both fully committed to providing world class equipment for our warfighters.”
The U.S. Marine Corps is replacing the two-bladed AH-1W with the AH-1Z, which features a new, four-bladed composite rotor system, performance-matched transmission, four-bladed tail rotor, two additional wing stores stations on larger stub wings, upgraded landing gear and a fully integrated glass cockpit. The AH-1Z will see a 120% increase mission radius with attack payload over the AH-1W.
As part of the H-1 Upgrade Program, the AH-1Z replaces the currently fielded AH-1W. The AH-1Z will serve a primary role in assault support, offensive air support and air reconnaissance. The Zulu will play a supporting role in anti-air warfare, electronic warfare, and control of aircraft and missiles.
“Getting the AH-1Z to IOC has been a huge achievement for the entire team,” said Col. Harry Hewson, program manager for U.S. Marine Corps Light and Attack Helicopters. “Now we get to put the Zulu in the hands of the Marines and prove that it is indeed the most capable marinized attack helicopter in the world.”
The H-1 Upgrade Program offers 84 percent commonality of major component parts between the AH-1Z and UH-1Y utility helicopters. This commonality reduces lifecycle and training costs and decreases the expeditionary logistics footprint for both aircraft.
The new Zulus feature 10,000 flight-hour airframes, a new four-bladed rotor system with semi-automatic blade fold of the new composite rotor blades, new performance matched transmissions, a new four-bladed tail rotor and drive system, upgraded landing gear, and pylon structural modifications. This will help the new Zulu to achieve a 39% increase in HOGE useful load over its predecessor. The Zulu also incorporates modernized, fully integrated cockpits/avionics that will reduce operator work load while improving situational awareness while being able to carry 32% more fuel.
The AH-1Z is equipped with two General Electric T700-GE-401 series engines and greatly increased lift capability and stores capacity, giving it a significantly greater ordnance payload for future growth potential. The primary weapon system is the Hellfire missile. It is fully shipboard compatible, and capable of operating from prepared or unprepared landing sites, day or night.
“The expeditionary agility that the Yankee/Zulu package brings to the Marine Air/Ground Task Force is exactly what the Marine Corps needs as we continue to fight two wars and conduct numerous other engagements in every clime and place,” Hewson said. “I am proud to be a part of the team that is making that happen.”
-asdnews.com
Mar 10
JobelleMarine Corps, News ah-1, AH-1W Super Cobra, AH-1Z, AH-1Z Cobra, Cobra helicopter, Initial Operating Capability, Marine AH-1Z Cobra, Super Cobra helicopter, UH-1Y
The Marine Corps’ newest attack helicopter, the AH-1Z Cobra, achieved Initial Operating Capability ahead of schedule in February.
“Getting the AH-1Z to IOC has been a huge achievement for the entire team,” said Col. Harry Hewson, program manager for U.S. Marine Corps Light and Attack Helicopters. “Now we get to put the Zulu in the hands of the Marines and prove that it is indeed the most capable marinized attack helicopter in the world.”
As part of the H-1 Upgrades Program, the AH-1Z replaces the currently fielded AH-1W Super Cobra. The AH-1Z will serve a primary role in assault support, offensive air support and air reconnaissance. Cobras will play a supporting role in anti-air warfare, electronic warfare, and control of aircraft and missiles.
The new Cobras feature 10,000 flight-hour airframes, a new four-bladed rotor system with semi-automatic blade fold of the new composite rotor blades, new performance matched transmissions, a new four-bladed tail rotor and drive system, upgraded landing gear, and pylon structural modifications. The Cobra helicopter also incorporates modernized, fully integrated cockpits/avionics that will reduce operator work load while improving situational awareness and safety.
The AH-1Z is equipped with two General Electric T700-GE-401 series engines and greatly increased lift capability and stores capacity, giving it a significantly greater ordnance payload for future growth potential. The primary weapon system is the Hellfire missile. It is fully shipboard compatible, and capable of operating from prepared or unprepared landing sites, day or night.
The first deployment of the AH-1Z is scheduled for later this year with a Marine Expeditionary Unit. This will be the first opportunity for the AH-1Z and UH-1Y to deploy together. The UH-1Y is already on its third rotation to Operation Enduring Freedom.
“The expeditionary agility that the Yankee/Zulu package brings to the Marine Air/Ground Task Force is exactly what the Marine Corps needs as we continue to fight two wars and conduct numerous other engagements in every clime and place,” Hewson said. “I am proud to be a part of the team that is making that happen.”
- navair.navy.mil
Jan 25
TynibelleNews 429, AgustaWestland AW139, AH-1Z, aircraft models, airplane models, Eurocopter EC175, helicopter models, Model 412, Model 429, model airplanes, model helicopters, model planes, OH-58D, plane models, UH-1Y, V022 Osprey, warplanes, wooden airplane models
The Magellan program has been launched by Bell Helicopter to develop an unspecified new product as part of an effort to revitalize its commercial rotorcraft business.
A Bell 429 helicopter
The news is contained in a memo released by Bell Helicopter Textron Canada, which develops and assembles the company’s commercial helicopters in Mirabel, Quebec.
Bell has previously talked of following the all-new Model 429 light turbine twin by launching a new medium twin to supersede the Model 412, and potentially compete with the AgustaWestland AW139 and Eurocopter EC175.
Formerly known as Project-X, Magellan will involve both internal and external resources, says the memo from Larry Roberts, senior vice president of commercial programs.
“Magellan represents a company commitment to develop and bring to market a new and cost effective product that differentiates itself by applying an intensive effort of listening and meeting our customers’ needs into the product definition,” says the memo. “A Customer Advisory Panel – representing all of the industry segments we serve – has been created to provide input and feedback throughout our product development process,” the memo adds.
Bell launched development of the 429 in 2005 as the first member of its Modular Affordable Product Line (MAPL) family, and a year later was talking of developing the “New Medium Twin” as the second member.
The Canadian federal and Quebec provincial governments each provided C$115 million ($116 million) in repayable loans for the MAPL program, Quebec saying Bell planned a total investment of roughly C$700 million “to develop four new models”.
In 2006, the company canvassed customers on their requirements for medium twin, and in a presentation to analysts showed two notional 16- and 17-passenger configurations, but the plan was shelved in favor of upgrades to the 412.
The 429 was certificated in July 2009, just as the civil helicopter market hit a steep downturn, and only eight had been delivered by late 2010. Bell, however, expects to have delivered around 75 by the end of this year.
The company’s commercial product line has shrunk in recent years and now comprises only the 206L4 and 407 light turbine singles, 429 and 412. Aftermarket upgrades, including re-engining, are in development for the 407 and 412.
In contrast, Bell’s military rotorcraft business is booming, with production of the V022 Osprey tiltrotor, UH-1Y utility and AH-1Z attack helicopters ramping up and continued upgrade work on the OH-58D armed scout helicopter.
-aviationweek.com
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