Originally Posted by 9Aplus
Market may be again in oportunity to select nice good old W3A Sokols and modern SW-4
The emphasis being on old, since even the SW-4 has been flying for 14 years (and in design for perhaps 20). I don't think you can blame AW for the failure of an uncompetitive product to take the market by storm. Shame to see the AW offer rejected though, since I sincerely doubt the company will survive for long as a OEM producer of helicopters under Aero Vod (whose links with Boeing are tenuous at best after the messy L-159 divorce).
Answer from AW was bitter, some development and airframe production contracts canceled overnight. AW still owns approx 9% of Swidnik shares. AW139 and AW149 was partly developed in Swidink.
Good job AW has TAI in Turkey as a second source. I'd imagine AW will be quite relieved - given all the commitments they've been entering into recently for AW139 production & assembly, I suspect one less supplier will actually be a blessing...
Hope to see some S76D airframes there on next visit
...to China...?
I/C