PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - U.K. May Drop Helo Life Extension, Advance Medium-Lift Craft
Old 3rd Jun 2009, 17:15
  #7 (permalink)  
Hilife
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Land of the Angles
Posts: 359
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This isn’t about Heavy Lift, so Chinook out of the equation.

Regarding Medium Lift, I’m stunned that anyone would even suggest the AW149.

IF both LEP’s are cancelled in favour of New (And why would you invest £400m+ on 40 year old platforms for an 8-10 year extension when a fleet of proven and capable new delivery ships with a 40-year useful life ahead of them could be purchased on the saved LEP money alone?). And knowing of the fast approaching OSD, likely the MoD will be looking at a relatively quick and risk free solution, so why gamble on a paper helicopter?

IF the MoD goes for New, then the platform has to be a low risk, low (ish) cost, battle proven, OTS solution and that’s not the AW149.
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