User:Born2flie/Bell ARH-70
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The Bell Helicopter Textron ARH-70 is a U.S. Army Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH), with a crew of 2 and optimized for urban combat. Currently in development, it will replace the Army's aging OH-58D Kiowa Warrior recon helicopters. It takes over part of the mission that the abandoned RAH-66 Comanche would have been responsible for. It is built with off-the-shelf technology and is based on the Bell 407.
[edit] Development
The U.S. Army had lost over 30 of its 368 OH-58D aircraft through accidents and combat losses, many in Iraq. So, with no aircraft left in the inventory for replacement, with the OH-58D's themselves built from aging Vietnam-era airframes, and following the cancellation of the RAH-66 Comanche, the Army issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the ARH on December 9, 2004[1]. In a polar opposite to the long development cycle and high costs of the Comanche, the ARH was to use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology and reach operational status in 4 years. The goal: to have an operational unit of 30 helicopters and 8 trainers ready by September 2008.
Two companies submitted bids:
- Boeing proposed the upgraded version of the MH-6 Little Bird, the MH-6M Mission Enhanced Little Bird (MELB), currently in service with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. The current production of the aircraft made the proposal a significant favorite to minimize any development concerns, although it was questionable whether or not MD Helicopters Inc. (MDHI) could ramp up production to meet the contract's demands. To alleviate this concern, Boeing offered itself as the prime contractor with MDHI as a very critical subcontractor.
- Bell Helicopter Textron proposed an update of the OH-58D concept in a militarized version of the Bell 407, utilizing a more powerful Honeywell HTS900 turbine engine and the Bell 427 tail assembly. With Bell's existing Army supply chain for the OH-58, their proposal would capitalize on existing support infrastructure, a major consideration.
On July 29, 2005, a contract for 368 helicopters was awarded to Bell.
[edit] External links
- Official Bell ARH webpage
- Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter - Globalsecurity.org
- Urban Conflicts Shape New Recon Helicopter
Comparable aircraft
Designation sequence
- Military
- Bell Helicopter Textron
See also
- US Helicopter Armament Subsystems
- U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command
- U.S. Army Light Utility Helicopter Program
