U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z Zulu

[Otterotor]

AH-1Z first flight anniversary

In my opinion:
Congratulations are in order to the United States Marine Corps helicopter flight crews for seventeen years (6205 + 4 leap year days = 6209 days) of mishap / accident free operation of their AH-1Z Viper Helo with original design main rotor (identical part numbers fly on UH-1Y Venom).

First Flight 7 December2000, Reported Accidents: 0

Original design initiated November 1996, clean sheet, rotor components designed (including main rotor yoke, cuff, blade, mast, rotating controls, main transmission, tail rotor driveshafts, intermediate gearbox, ninety degree gearbox, tail rotor rotating controls, tail rotor mast, tail rotor hub and blades), parts fabricated,fatigue test machines designed and fabricated along with composite tooling designed and fabricated (unique thick laminate technology), one or two of each main component fatigue tested, aircraft assembled and flown, all in approx.four years. No prototypes, 4 of the 5 test aircraft were DD-250’d (delivered, four of five test aircraft self-deployed simultaneously East Coast to West Coast USA at termination of Flight Test effort, 8:00 A.M. May 9th 2006) to the customer as production aircraft, with the fifth being shot up in live fire testing on west coast.

Main Rotor Hub Redesigns: one (1) initiated & pursued by OEM Bell Helicopter for approximately ten years (2002 to 2012) (and $80 mil) with no results to show for it. Zero redesigns completed, implemented or incorporated.
The Marine Corps has more-than-made-up the loss of approximately $80 million spent on the unproductive (0.00 results) effort to redesign the H-1 Upgrade main rotor with financial returns on the unused pre-determined & assigned airframe attrition rate of 1.00% per annum for the AH-1Z Viper (@ approximately$26 million / copy).

OORAH! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!