Fury at Def Sec over Helicopter Shortage

[Modern Elmo]

Shirlely, some friendly state could wet or dry lease aerial assets to fill the gap?
MIL -8 anyone?

Problems for U.S. Russian Helicopter Order
Jun 1, 2009

By Sharon Weinberger

The U.S. Army signed off on an unusual procurement contract in December 2007: A $322-million order for 22 Russian helicopters bought through a U.S. defense company for Iraq. The contract was a rush order, designed to deliver Mi-17 helicopters in a bid to quickly reequip the Iraqi air force and allow it to perform counterinsurgency operations. But 18 months after signing, not a single helicopter has been delivered, despite full payment. The Army now concedes the contract is over budget and nearly a year behind schedule.

Such are the perils of buying Russian equipment through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) system, a unique requirement that is rapidly escalating into the billions of dollars for Iraq and Afghanistan.
Buying Mi-17s, and other Russian equipment, for the Iraqi military seems logical. The Iraqis flew and maintained Soviet (now Russian) aircraft in the Saddam Hussein era. Another important feature: Russian rotorcraft are significantly cheaper than U.S. helicopters, at least in theory.
The Mi-17 is the export designation for the Mi-8 airframe (NATO designation “Hip”), and after 40 years the aircraft still has brisk sales, with new orders from India, China, Pakistan and Colombia, among others. That has been good news for the factories that produce Mi-17s: Ulan Ude and Kazan. Just a few years ago, work at the plants had slowed to a crawl, but now even getting a slot in the production line can be a challenge.
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Problems for U.S. Russian Helicopter Order | AVIATION WEEK for U.S. Russian Helicopter Order

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Ares
A Defense Technology Blog

More Fours Sighted
Posted by Douglas Barrie at 7/8/2009 5:28 AM CDT

Activity is ramping up on the UK Paveway IV front with clearance trials underway on the Eurofighter Typhoon, and the Royal Navy’s strike wing deploying with the weapon onboard HMS Illustrious.
The UK’s Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA) 1 is being used for Paveway IV jettison tests covering a variety of stores configurations. A total of 15 drops are planned, with three carried out so far.
Meanwhile IPA7 has been flown from Manching in Germany to examine the aircraft’s handling characteristics while carrying six of the Raytheon Paveway IVs, along with AIM-120 Amraam and AIM-9 Sidewinder rounds. The aircraft is also being used for missile approach warning trials. Defensive Aids Sub-System trials are being undertaken on IPA6. ...

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