Il suo nome è "CRH" ..... ed è l'erede di "CSAR-X" .....

[richelieu]

Dal "Daily Report" dell' AFA di questa mattina .....

Air Force Launches Quest for Combat Rescue Helicopter .....

The Air Force issued the request for proposals to industry for the new combat rescue helicopter that it wants to replace its aging HH-60G Pave Hawks, announced service officials on Oct. 22.

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123323178

This signals "the official launch of this high priority Air Force acquisition program," states the service's release.

The Air Force plans to award the CRH contract in late September 2013, states the RFP's cover letter, posted as part of the solicitation at the Federal Business Opportunities website on Oct. 19.

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity ... 6&_cview=0

The service eyes a fleet of 112 new helicopters, with first fielding around Fiscal 2016 and deliveries into the late 2020s, according to the documents.

The CRH's primary mission will be "to recover isolated personnel from hostile or denied territory," but it will also conduct ancillary missions like civil search and rescue and medical and casualty evacuations of combatants, states the release.

Hover performance, combat radius, payload, and cabin space will be important factors in the Air Force's assessment of each bid.

The Air Force wants "a product that meets the requirement at an affordable price," states the release.

The service funded two CRH test aircraft in its Fiscal 2013 budget request.

http://www.airforce-magazine.com/DRArch ... opter.aspx

[richelieu]

Dal blog "Ares" di "AW&ST" .....

RFP Kicks Off USAF Combat Rescue Helo .....

CSAR-X is dead, long live CSAR-X – only please call it Combat Rescue Helicopter, or CRH.
In the latest attempt to replace its aging Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk combat search-and-rescue helicopters, the U.S. Air Force has released the request for proposals for CRH, providing insight into the changes made in a bid to make the program affordable and avoid a repeat of the CSAR-X debacle.

http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx? ... 1faedaf2ea

In questa competizione AgustaWestland è associata alla statunitense Northrop Grumman Corporation .....

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... 01-376639/

http://investor.northropgrumman.com/pho ... id=1735991

http://www.finmeccanica.it/Corporate/IT ... /index.sdo

Vedremo se, anche in questo caso, prevarrà la logica del buy american .....

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[struzzovolante]

Molto interessante. Certo il 101 soddisfa tutte le specifiche ma, come dici tu, vedremo quale logica prevarrà visti i precedenti.

[giragyro]

progetto interessante e competitivo , purtroppo l demolizione sistematica di finmeccanica continua ..

[richelieu]

progetto interessante e competitivo , purtroppo la demolizione sistematica di Finmeccanica continua ..

Che ci vuoi fare?
Noi Italiani dobbiamo essere "virtuosi" ..... la domanda che sorge però è: "Quanto lo sono, nell'ambito di una competizione internazionale, i nostri concorrenti stranieri?"

[richelieu]

AgustaWestland ..... è la prima azienda che partecipa alla nuova competizione (CRH) destinata a fornire all' USAF un nuovo elicottero per il ruolo CSAR .....
..... entro il 2013 l'assegnazione del contratto .....

US Air Force moves forward with CSAR procurement .....

By: Dominic Perry (London - 1 hours ago)
Source: Flight International

The US Air Force's long-running quest to replace its fleet of ageing Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopters has moved forward, after the service issued a request for proposals for the contest.

Published on the US Government's Federal Business Opportunities website on 19 October, the RFP covers the acquisition of as many as 112 rotorcraft in a deal worth up to $6.8 billion.

Bidders must submit their proposals by early January next year, with the USAF planning to award the contract by the end of September 2013.

If all options are exercised, the deal could span a total of 14 years and "will include the development, integration, production, and initial sustainment of the entire [Combat Rescue Helicopter] system" including training, says the RFP.

The document specifies a helicopter offering a combat radius of 225nm (416km), able to transport 680kg (1,500lb) of team members and equipment and including space for up to four stretchers.

The USAF's schedule calls for an initial four developmental aircraft to be delivered in 2016, with a further five units in an initial operational and evaluation configuration to arrive in 2018. Low-rate initial production will add a further 18 helicopters, with the remaining 85 units to be procured during full-rate production, assuming all options are exercised.

So far only AgustaWestland has confirmed its participation. It will team with Northrop Grumman to offer its AW101 for the competition.

Under the contest's previous guise, CSAR-X, the USAF awarded a deal to Boeing in 2006, for the HH-47 Chinook. This, and a second evaluation, were subsequently overturned by the US Government Accountability Office, before a third round of procurement was cancelled by the Obama administration.

[richelieu]

Intanto ..... AW è orgogliosa della partecipazione del '101' all' ultimo film di 007 ..... Skyfall .....



Il comunicato ..... http://www.agustawestland.com/news/agus ... ar-skyfall







Alcuni video apparsi su YouTube quando, nella scorsa primavera, il film veniva girato .....









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[richelieu]

Un video esclusivo di AgustaWestland mostra alcune fasi della lavorazione di "Skyfall" .....
..... ultimo film della serie 007 ..... starring ..... AW101 .....

Exclusive AgustaWestland video from SKYFALL Backstage ....

http://www.agustawestland.com/content/a ... ar-skyfall

[richelieu]

AgustaWestland e Northropo Grumman hanno deciso ..... di passare .....

Northrop, AgustaWestland To Skip U.S. Rescue Helicopter Contest .....

Northrop Grumman Corp and Italy’s Finmeccanica SpA have decided not to bid for a multibillion dollar contract to build 112 new combat search and rescue helicopters for the U.S. Air Force, Northrop said on Tuesday.

Fonte ..... http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.asp ... 527012.xml

..... e io chiudo .....

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[richelieu]

Ma ora riapro .....

..... perché, nel frattempo, "AW&ST", alla luce di nuovi sviluppi, ha modificato la notizia ..... ed il testo non corrisponde più pienamente a quello originario proveniente dall' agenzia "Reuters" che avevo linkato nel post precedente .....

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/12/1 ... 1V20121211

..... e c'era pure un update .....

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/ ... 5620121211

Questo è, comunque, il testo attuale .....

Sikorsky, Lockheed Left Alone on USAF CSAR Helo .....

By Reuters - December 11, 2012

Boeing, EADS and Northrop Grumman and their major partners have all decided not to bid for a multibillion dollar contract to build 112 new combat search and rescue helicopters for the U.S. Air Force.

The decision seems to leave Sikorsky and partner Lockheed Martin as the lone bidder and presumably winner.

Northrop, which teamed up with Finmeccanica’s AgustaWestland in September to bid for the revised rescue helicopter contract and a separate U.S. Navy competition for a new presidential helicopter, said the decision would not affect the team’s pursuit of the second program.

Northrop spokeswoman Margaret Mitchell-Jones said Dec. 11 that the two companies decided to skip the Air Force competition after a thorough analysis of the service’s final request for proposals, or RFP, which was published in October. Bids are due Jan. 3.

“We’ve reached this conclusion based on an extensive evaluation of customer requirements under the current RFP,” Mitchell-Jones said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Boeing also said Dec. 11 it would not submit bids based on its H-47 helicopter or the V-22 tiltrotor aircraft built with Textron’s Bell Helicopter unit for the new combat rescue helicopter.

Boeing spokesman Damien Mills said the H-47 Chinook and the V-22 “Osprey” had been proven to be the world’s most capable and cost-effective search and rescue aircraft, but their capabilities exceeded the parameters of the Air Force contest.

“While the Chinook and Osprey exceed the parameters of the USAF’s Combat Rescue Helicopter program, they are often the go-to aircraft for the U.S. Army, Marines and Air Force Special Operations Command when needing to extract personnel from dangerous situations,” Mills said.

He said the two aircraft had been used to save lives in conditions where other aircraft could not operate.

..... col relativo nuovo link ..... http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.asp ... 527012.xml ..... nella speranza che duri .....

.

[richelieu]

E già affiorano i primi sospetti di favoritismo .....

Most contractors opt out of Air Force chopper bids .....

By Andrea Shalal-Esa
(WASHINGTON | Tue Dec 11, 2012 5:09pm EST)

(Reuters) - Five big defense contractors on Tuesday withdrew from the U.S. Air Force's latest attempt to replace its aging fleet of HH-60 Pave Hawk rescue helicopters, leaving just Sikorsky Aircraft in line for a deal whose valued is capped at $6.84 billion.

Northrop Grumman Corp, which was teamed with Italy's Finmeccanica SpA; Boeing Co; Textron's Bell Helicopter unit; and the U.S. unit of Europe's EADS all said they would not compete to build 112 new helicopters for the Air Force, raising questions about whether the contest can proceed as planned.

Industry executives, speaking on background, said the Air Force bidding rules were so narrowly framed that they effectively excluded their aircraft from the competition. They said the terms favored Sikorsky's Black Hawk helicopter and would not reward extra capability offered by bigger aircraft.

An Air Force spokesman said he was unable to discuss whether competition for the contract would continue under the terms first outlined by the service in March and finalized in October.

"The Air Force is committed to a fair, open and transparent process to select a new combat search and rescue helicopter that meets the established warfighter requirements at an affordable price for the taxpayer," the Air Force's Ed Gulick said in an emailed statement.

"Once we select and announce the final contractor we will be able to openly discuss the details of the CRH (Combat Rescue Helicopter) program," Gulick said.

Sikorsky Aircraft, a unit of United Technologies Corp that has teamed up with Lockheed Martin Corp, said it still planned to submit a bid for the work. Sikorsky built the existing fleet of H-60 Pave Hawks, which are a variant of its popular Black Hawk helicopter.

Northrop, which announced a teaming agreement with Finmeccanica's AgustaWestland in September, said the two companies still plan to bid for a separate U.S. Navy competition for a new presidential helicopter using AgustaWestland's AW101.

Northrop spokeswoman Margaret Mitchell-Jones said the two companies decided to skip the Air Force competition after a thorough analysis of the service's final request for proposals, or RFP, which was published in October. Bids are due January 3.

Boeing said it would not submit bids based on its H-47 helicopter - which won the Air Force's last rescue helicopter competition, only to see the $15 billion contract canceled - or the V-22 tilt rotor aircraft built with Bell Helicopter unit.

Spokesman Damien Mills said Boeing's H-47 Chinook and V-22 "Osprey" had been proven to be the world's most capable and cost-effective search and rescue aircraft, but their capabilities exceeded the parameters of the Air Force contest.

"While the Chinook and Osprey exceed the parameters of the USAF's Combat Rescue Helicopter program, they are often the go-to aircraft for the U.S. Army, Marines and Air Force Special Operations Command when needing to extract personnel from dangerous situations," Mills said.

He said the two aircraft had been used to save lives in conditions where other aircraft could not operate.

EADS also said it would skip the competition. EADS North America Chief Executive Sean O'Keefe told Reuters in July that his company might not bid unless the Air Force dramatically revamped rules. As written, he said at the time, the rules would have knocked his company's helicopters out of the running.

The Air Force rules say no company will be considered if its total bid is evaluated to cost more than $6.84 billion.

The Air Force in 2006 picked Boeing's H-47 Chinook helicopter to replace its aging fleet of Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters, but the Pentagon canceled the contract in 2009 after multiple protests by the losing bidders.

The service released a draft request for proposals in March that was conceived as a "best value" competition, but left some industry executives concerned about whether the rules would allow them to win the bid, or make much profit if they did. It finalized the rules in October.

The Air Force revamped its approach to the rescue helicopter program to put a premium on lower costs, since it is facing huge outlays in coming years for new refueling tankers being built by Boeing, F-35 fighter planes built by Lockheed Martin and a new long-range bomber that it wants to start developing.

"The Air Force budget is under tremendous pressure," said defense consultant Jim McAleese. "The tanker, F-35 and bomber are critical priorities. Every other program must justify the incremental gain in combat capabilities relative to its cost."

In October, the Air Force said it was pursuing a "capability-based, best-value approach," with a big push to use aircraft and training systems that are already in production.

The service said its approach had been carefully reviewed by top Pentagon leaders to ensure a low-risk, executable process that "will deliver the warfighter a product that meets the requirement at an affordable price."

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Dan Grebler and Sofina Mirza-Reid)

[richelieu]

Vincere senza combattere .....

..... ovvero ..... come Sikorski (con la benedizione dell' USAF) è riuscita a rimanere sola ..... in una competizione senza altri competitori ....

Sikorsky last bidder standing in USAF's combat rescue helicopter battle ....

Sikorsky appears to be the only potential contractor willing to bid for the US Air Force's combat rescue helicopter (CRH) programme.

"Sikorsky intends to continue with its proposal to offer the air force a proven, affordable combat rescue helicopter system to perform the critical mission of saving warfighters' lives," the company says.

Fonte .... http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... le-380157/

Altre fonti ....

"Ares" .... http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx? ... a1c409e6d1

"Reuters" (via "AW&ST") .... http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.asp ... 527943.xml

Mi sto chiedendo se, per caso, Sikorsky non abbia pronta la classica proposta "che non si può rifiutare" ....
..... sto pensando infatti a quel tale elicottero "nero" che, un anno e mezzo fa, pur finendo in rottami, suscitò un gran chiasso sulle prime pagine dei giornali di tutto il mondo .....



Chissà .....

..... P.S. ..... Significativo il fatto che, questa mattina, il "Daily Report" dell' AFA (che, solitamente, è molto puntuale nell'informazione relativa all' USAF) non faccia menzione alcuna della faccenda .....

[richelieu]

Il "Daily Report" dell' AFA ha dunque riportato la notizia questa mattina in questi termini .....

Last Helo Standing? .....

A modified version of Sikorsky's Black Hawk helicopter is emerging as the leading candidate—if not the sole option—to replace the Air Force's aging HH-60G Pave Hawk fleet.

This comes after several other vendors announced this week that they wouldn't be submitting bids in the service's Combat Rescue Helicopter contest.

Boeing, EADS North America, and Northrop Grumman (teamed with AgustaWestland) all confirmed this week that they did not intend to compete for the rights to supply the new 112-airframe CRH fleet after reviewing the service's request for proposals, according to press reports.

Reuters, for example, reported on Dec. 12 that those companies viewed the RFP as favoring a vehicle like the Black Hawk and not rewarding the extra capabilities that their respective platforms might offer.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/ ... HG20121212

Sikorsky has confirmed its intent to submit an offer; the Pave Hawk is a variant of the Black Hawk.

The Air Force issued the CRH solicitation in October, calling for an "affordable" solution that leveraged "in-production air vehicles and training systems" integrated with "existing technologies."

http://www.airforce-magazine.com/DRArch ... opter.aspx

Pentagon acquisition regulations prevent Air Force officials from openly discussing the state of the competition.

Service spokesman Ed Gulick told the Daily Report on Dec. 13 that "the Air Force is committed to a fair, open, and transparent process" to select the CRH.

"To ensure this occurs, we are prohibited from releasing information while in the request-for-proposal and selection processes," he added.

Gulick was able to say bids are due on Jan. 3, and the Air Force's target date for awarding the CRH contract is next September.

The notional date for initial operations of the new fleet is Fiscal 2018, he said.

He also confirmed that the Pentagon acquisition executive has waived the need for competitive prototyping in the CRH program.

By law, major defense acquisition programs are now required to have that unless there is a compelling reason to make an exception.


"A modified version of Sikorsky's Black Hawk helicopter is emerging as the leading candidate—if not the sole option—to replace the Air Force's aging HH-60G Pave Hawk fleet after several other vendors announced during the second week of December 2012 that they wouldn't be submitting bids in the service's Combat Rescue Helicopter contest.
Here, three Pave Hawks from the 33rd Rescue Squadron at Kadena AB, Japan, travel from Kadena to Osan AB, South Korea, to participate in the Pacific Thunder rescue exercise, Oct. 10, 2012."

Air Force photo by SSgt. Sara Csurilla

[richelieu]

Contrariamente a quanto sinora sostenuto da varie fonti d'informazione .... secondo l' analista Richard Aboulafia potrebbe essere lo S-92, e non lo H-60, il modello che Sikorsky intenderebbe offrire nella "competizione" CRH ....

Although Connecticut-based Sikorsky has not said which design it will submit for the CRH program, Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group, expects the company to move forward with a modified version of its S-92 civil helicopter.

The S-92 “has never won a U.S. military competition,” Aboulafia said, and “this would be a golden opportunity.”

Fonte ..... http://www.defensenews.com/article/2012 ... |FRONTPAGE

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