Originally Posted by
NutLoose
I must admit I am surprised they haven't gone for a commonality of fleets but the US services are renowned for not going down that route. The Lakota seems to be doing well and I would have thought there must be some commonality between spares. It's just a shame the US seems to have lost the plot in development and seem to have sat on their hands relying on last generation designs while the rest of the world have moved on.
The replacement for TH-57, as a project involving NAVAIR and the training command is over 10 years old.
Cost as a variable is a rule in re acquisition programs that is not allowed to be ignored. The Navy has gotten away cheap for over three decades on an FAA waiver for the instrument bit with the TH-57, but discovered some years ago that they were not going to be able to rely on that anymore. When confronted with the bill, or real costs on a number of models, the back channel I got was that various people balked at having to actually pay for a capability that is required in the training syllabus.
Been a few years since my old buddy was involved in that program, so I am not sure what has gone on since ... but little to be happy about seems to me the way it's been playing.
A single engine trainer seems to me the better idea, in terms of cost to operate, given how good engine reliability has become. I am of course biased, since I learned on TH-57 and Huey's, so I developed that "where is my next landing field" attitude while flying since it was drilled into our heads. A bit of paranoia is healthy, among helicopter pilots, eh?