![]() ![]() In the longer term, the RAF Merlins were transferred to the Navy to support the Commando Force. The same statement announced the decision of the UK to withdraw from the NH90 programme (and by implication also eliminated the Blackhawk as too small to meet UK needs).Ĭonsequently, there was no money available for AST404, or Blackhawk, or NH90. The resultant Merlin purchase consumed all the funds that might otherwise have been used to buy a modernised medium support helicopter fleet. This was ultimately held to be a Governmental commitment (and therefore not subject to a procurement competition). G-RRTM returned to the United States and was subsequently converted to S70C Firehawk N70C.Īs part of the fall-out from the ‘Westland Affair’, a statement was made in the House of Commons on 9 April 1987 that 25 Utility EH101 would be purchased for the RAF. The Westland demonstrator ended up in Bahrain as RBAF961. (Certification of this change would also have increased cost). The fitting of RTM322 engines would probably have been beneficial in a hot, or hot and high, environment, but not otherwise (due to gearbox limits). Two aircraft were flown in the UK: ZG468 / G-17-70 was assembled by Westland from a kit manufactured by Sikorsky and G-RRTM / N3124B, which was converted to be powered by the Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 engines. Following the first Gulf War in 1991, the changes both in the political and military situations that resulted, meant that the contract for the WS-70 was not proceeded with. In the event, this part of the proposed deal failed to come to fruition. It was announced in July 1988 (reported in 1990 Janes All the World’s Aircraft) that Saudi Arabia had signed a provisional agreement with the UK government for the purchase (among other equipment) of 88 Blackhawk helicopters to be supplied by Westland. The sales and development rights offered to Westland on Blackhawk are reputed to have been more limited than had been agreed in respect of the Sea King. Any restrictions in this area would reduce Westland’s scope for world-wide export sales. The success of the Westland Sea King over many years had made Sikorsky very chary about offering the same development rights to Westland on Blackhawk. Westland-built aircraft would struggle to compete in price with FMS aircraft straight off the US production line because there would have been significant UK non-recurring costs, including learning and process approvals, to be amortised, had the programme gone ahead at any scale. There was a perception that Sikorsky would primarily want to offer standard production aircraft on an FMS basis for any overseas sales. It seems likely that the proposed deal with Sikorsky would have protected any Westland work, should Blackhawk be selected for AST404, which was seen to be the Operator’s preferred option at that time. ![]() The proposition that Westland should produce the Blackhawk helped to make the Sikorsky investment seem more logical – particularly if Westland could sell in a range of markets that Sikorsky could not, or would not, seek to enter, (Westland had successfully tailored the Sea King to individual customer requirements and extensively developed the aircraft over time).Īt the time, Blackhawk was a candidate for an RAF medium support helicopter requirement against AST404. Was this to come from Europe (as supported by Michael Heseltine as Secretary of State for Defence), or from Sikorsky? This obviously drove the need for external investment. The Thatcher government did not regard Westland a sufficiently strategic business to warrant the investment of public money to rescue it. The Westland affair arose from cashflow problems at Westland. We asked Ron Smith, former Head of Future Projects at Westland Helicopters, to solve the mystery of the the WS-70. A long time ago Britain was marketing its own variant of the H-60 Blackhawk helicopter. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |