US Army UH-72A trainer replacement?

[RavenOne]

This week at AUSA , somehow topic of the army looking at potentially replacing the AIrbus Helicopters Inc UH-72A trainer at Fort Novosel?

US Army exploring replacement for Airbus UH-72 as helicopter trainer

The US Army is seeking proposals from industry to reduce costs and increase efficiency in training new rotary-wing aviation, including replacing the militarised Airbus Helicopters H145s currently used for initial flight certification.

www.flightglobal.com

Any thoughts please?

cheers

 

[TomS]

Cost per hour for the UH-72 is about as cheap as it gets without resorting to something like Robinsons. My guess is they are trying to find a way to get a contractor to provide both helicopters and training and imaging that this will somehow be cheaper. I doubt it.

 

[Kiltonge]

It does seem to be a bit excessive as an initial trainer, 1400shp and 3.5 tonnes.

 

[fightingirish]

IMHO so far, here two single-engine contenders:

• Leonardo USA TH-73A Thrasher
• Bell 505

 

[TomS]

IMHO so far, here two single-engine contenders:

• Leonardo USA TH-73A Thrasher
• Bell 505

The interesting thing is that the UH-72 appears to have lower cost per hour than even the TH-73 (at least according to DoD's reimbursable rates, which are admittedly an imperfect measure).

 

[yasotay]

The UH-72 in the US Army training fleet are the most utilized helicopters in the fleet. They fly daily and the maintenance cost is increasing. Given the time it takes to go through the bureaucracy of acquiring a new platform, they have to ask for information now.
There is also the politics to contend with. If you dump ~ 200 used UH-72 on the market, Airbus won't sell as many in the market. Their production plant in Mississippi reduces work or is shuttered, etc.
I agree with TomS as to the two likely contenders but would add the likelihood that Airbus will throw in with remanufacturing or new UH-72 as an option. Bell is certainly aggressively pushing the 505.

 

[BlackBat242]

The UH-72 got the job to start with due to it being a twin-engined aircraft.
Since nearly all US Army helos are twin-engined the Army wanted a twin-engined trainer.

So I question if any single-engined offering would be chosen as its replacement.

 

[yasotay]

If the proposed helicopter is cheaper to operate than the UH-72, it is competitive.

 

[HaveVoid]

The UH-72 got the job to start with due to it being a twin-engined aircraft.
Since nearly all US Army helos are twin-engined the Army wanted a twin-engined trainer.

So I question if any single-engined offering would be chosen as its replacement.

The Army also tends to stick to its talking track right up until a major change is made. So if their thought process has evolved to seek a cheaper model, I’d expect that you’ll see an RFP come out for a single - but I wouldn’t rule non-Twins out based on their stated logic from past years.

FARA was the Army’s “#1 modernization priority” in interviews and press releases right up until they cancelled it.

 

[BlackBat242]

True.

 

[yasotay]

Army leadership has made it abundantly clear it cannot afford two new start helicopters. If it becomes urgent, then I think it will be more than a request for information, but not until then, just a market survey.