Love the way Dan Reno always tries to redirect a thread with some technical content over political shoals.
He has no technical knowledge other than what he reads here and in some magazines.
The LUH requirements were for an "off-the-shelf" platform to be used in the CONUS and perhaps AK and HI; the RFP never intended it to be deployed outside of these theaters, however ya' know what value that carries in the Armed Forces of any Country.
Obviously Reno is oblivious to the contents and history of the LUH contract, otherwise he would know how one of the "domestic" contenders managed to botch it out by providing a substandard airframe, and what the reasons behind the choice were.
The EC-145 is quickly becoming the airframe of choice for most of the US EMS programs, it is designed to fly in typical SW temperatures, IFR with and without NVG equipment (so the interior lighting is already available for NVG operations).
The MD line of products (not just the 902) is very well known for two factors:
The looks of their corporate owner and their pathetic lack of any capability to provide substantial support.
NOTAR T/R authority notwistanding, they are nice helicopter to fly, but if you canot keep them in the air and expect the government to finance your operation just for that I believe you should NOT expect to be picked as a winner.
You tell me this is another European piece of crap without any technical support I call that prejudice.
If you lack the material to attend a forum of this sort (as you've demostrated before), I suggest you stay out of it.
