Vertiflite May/June 2021

THE VERTICAL FLIGHT SOCIETY Industry Briefs

of the weapons while also optimizing weapon-system configurations. The test efforts began May 2019 with the first HH-60W flight. The integrated test team accumulated more than 1,100 flight test hours across six aircraft testing the full spectrum of aircraft systems. Some of the notable developmental tests included aircraft performance, communications systems, environmental tests at McKinley Climatic Lab, aerial refueling, data links, defensive systems, cabin systems, rescue hoist and live- fire of three weapons systems. The test aircraft will be modified for operational use before being transferred to their respective Air Force rescue unit. The Jolly Green II’s developmental test mission will move to the Combat Search and Rescue Combined Test Force for follow-on testing at Nellis AFB, Nevada, in 2022. Chinook Block II Delivers According to DefenseNews.com , Boeing has begun delivering MH-47G Block II Chinooks to the US Special Operations Command. As of mid-April, two of the 24 cargo helicopters had already been delivered. Meanwhile, CH-47F Block II testing with the Advanced Chinook Rotor Blades (ACRB) has proven an additional 2,500 lb (1.1 metric tons) of lift. Testing last year had found unacceptable vibrations on the ground and in flight, though the vibrations are not a safety of flight risk (see “Bad Vibrations—ACRB Development Continues,” Vertiflite , March/April 2021) and this is being addressed. The -F Block II had flown 450 hours by mid-April with ACRBs installed. Although the Army had sought to terminate the -F Block II program in order to fund development and fielding of Future Vertical Lift (FVL), Congress has continued to fund the program. “At this time, we really see no technical or programmatic challenges standing in the way of rewarding the Lot 1 production contract this fiscal year,” Heather McBryan, Boeing’s director of global sales and marketing, told DefenseNews.com. of the Kopter Group AG (originally called Marenco Swisshelicopter), Leonardo Helicopters rebranded the Kopter SH09 single-engine helicopter as the Leonardo AW09, and provided updates on the program. The third prototype (P3) has now logged more than 40 flight hours in Switzerland since mid-January in its new configuration. This includes enhancements in the main rotor head, gearbox, an extended rotor mast and a new design of the flight controls, combined with the modern Garmin G3000H cockpit. These changes have brought improved flight characteristics, performance and ease of maintenance. The next prototype, PS4, is expected to fly this year to begin certification testing, followed by the PS5. The AW09 will continue to be developed by Kopter in Switzerland by the joint Leonardo-Kopter team, but Leonardo AW09 and What Comes After On April 21, one year after it completed the acquisition

the primary production line will be at Leonardo’s plant in Vergiate, Italy. The planned US production plant in Lafayette, Louisiana, is said to be under review, according to FlightGlobal.com. In March, the company announced that the aircraft would enter into service in late 2022 or early 2023. At the press briefing for the announcement, Leonardo Helicopters’ chief technology officer Matteo Ragazzi stated that the company intended to use the AW09 as a hybrid- electric testbed for a potential future hybrid-electric- powered light helicopter.

Robinson Delivers 13,000th Helicopter

On April 23, Robinson Helicopter delivered its 13,000th helicopter, an R44, to SKY Helicopters of Dallas, Texas. A dealer since 1996, this latest acquisition puts SKY’s Robinson fleet at 27. The company was founded in 1973 by Frank Robinson and delivered its first groundbreaking two- seat R22 in 1979. Now headed by his son, Kurt Robinson, the company has delivered nearly 5,000 of its piston-powered R22s and 7,000 of its four-seat R44s, plus more than 1,000 five-seat R66 Turbines.

May / June 2021

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