Leonardo TH-73 US Navy Advance Helicopter Training System

RavenOne

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Congratulations to Leonardo as Us Navy selects the AW119 as the new Advance Helicopter Training System replacing the legacy Bell TH-57C Sea Ranger,

Navy awards contract for new Advanced Helicopter Training System | NAVAIR

The U.S. Navy announced on Jan. 13, 2020 that AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corporation (Leonardo) was awarded a contract for $176.5M for the production of 32 TH-73A helicopters in support of the Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) program.
www.navair.navy.mil www.navair.navy.mil
 
Seems a pretty good decision in my humble opinion. The real trick will be in the details, like the logistics and maintenance support.
 
Grey Havoc said:
www.flightglobal.com

Airbus files protest against US Navy giving trainer helicopter contract to Leonardo

Airbus Helicopters filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) against the US Navy (USN) awarding its Advanced Helicopter Training System contract to Leonardo Helicopters.
www.flightglobal.com www.flightglobal.com
Click to expand...

Turns out Airbus was cheaper despite being a twin-engine helo. But it was assessed less qualified on several grounds.

verticalmag.com

Twin-engine Airbus H135 underbid Leonardo's successful TH-119 for Navy trainer

Pitching the twin-engine H135 as the U.S. Navy’s next training helicopter did not keep Airbus from underbidding winner Leonardo Helicopters’ TH-119 by nearly $100 million.
verticalmag.com verticalmag.com
 
Airbus caught once again at what it does best: not paying attention to Customer requirements...
Ironically this is also why Leonardo lost so much money running after the T-X contract.
Errare humanum...
 
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The UH-72 Lakota, used for primary training in the U.S. Army, is not well received with the instructor pilots. The reason for this is that it is not an aircraft to train autorotation. Also due to the hub limits of the aircraft, it is restricted to very limited slope landing parameters for training. It is unaffectionately known as "The Plastic Princess".
 
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yasotay said:
The UH-72 Lakota used for primary training in the U.S. Army is not well received with the instructor pilots. The reason this is that it is not an aircraft to train autorotation. Also due to the hub limits of the aircraft, it is restricted to very limited slope landing parameters for training. It is unaffectionately known as "The Plastic Princess".
Click to expand...

That fits. One of the lower marks for the Airbus bid for TH-XX was for autorotation.
 
And the first one has been handed over to the Navy according to Leonardo press Release

‚Philadelphia, 10 June 2021 – At a ceremony on its Philadelphia campus and under the backdrop of the Stars and Stripes, Leonardo officially delivered the first TH-73A training helicopter to the U.S. Navy earlier today. The ceremony was attended by Vice Admiral Kenneth Whitesell, commander of Naval Air Forces and Commander, Naval Air Force U.S. Pacific Fleet; Rear Admiral Gregory Harris, Director of Air Warfare Division (N98); and Captain Holly Shoger, Program Manager of Naval Undergraduate Flight Training Systems Program. Also attending the ceremony was Leonardo Helicopters Managing Director Gian Piero Cutillo and members of local, state and federal elected delegations, including Congressman Donald Norcross and Philadelphia maypr‘
 

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And now the first graduates graduate from the TH-73A course

www.navy.mil

First Student Naval Aviators begin training in New Helicopter System

MILTON, Fla. - Twelve student naval aviators at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Field in Milton, Florida, began advanced helicopter training in the new TH-73A Thrasher aircraft in early September.
www.navy.mil

cheers
 

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