I wouldn't hold out for the BFA.
The Labor vandals will delay that for the next 5 years with a new White paper. (I didn't see any funding for it)
The H models have been on borrowed time for awhile but to have no Airlift replacement for both the Caribou and now H model herc and the lack of capability the MRH 90 is providing is nothing short of pathetic and makes a mockery of any claim Labor has to being able to provide any guidance in Defence or anything else really except more Deceit and debt.
All this to provide more cash handouts for plasma screens...
I imagine the H model Fltengs will get the same treatment the Bou Fltengs got too.

There had better be a pretty big p*ss up for the departure of the H model :sad:

Feelers have been sent out for a possible UH-60M buy...stay tuned!

BFA is coming...C-130H may have been offered up to seal the deal...

UH60M? You gotta be kidding....
 

With -$5Billion in the defence budget, and DMO programs already getting slashed, there ain't no money for yet another helicopter program.
The MRH90 is a great aircraft - don't believe the BS. I've flown it lots, I know it well. The hassles are minor, just blown out of proportion by Army senior sirs with their noses out of joint because we didn't buy more Blackhawks.
This aircraft isn't going away, so get with the program and make it work.

MRH90 Floors +
 

Floors have been redesigned (with significant input from Australia) to provide a stronger upper layer. "Baselined" to Super Puma floor specs. It will add about 30Kg to the aircraft. Will be rolled out in product aircraft pretty soon, with a retrofit of the remainder. Tiedown pattern has also been improved. Floors? Tick.
Engines - revised procedures to prevent high temperature restarts. Improved intake screens. Rolled out very soon. Engines? Tick.
Windscreeens - protective film (which has been "field tested" in Australia to work, by he way) plus improved installation procedure that reduces stress transfer from composite airframe to the glass. Windscreen? Tick
And so it goes on......There is a "innovative" gun solution in the pipeline - watch this space.

S-70B-2's are no longer supportable, even as utility aircraft. That's why there was such an unreasonable haste to replace them, resulting in the SH60R decision.

Is this airframe/engines/systems or avionics. There was a proposal from Sikorsky to take then back and refurb them. How could this be. Many other countries still fly the S-79-B.

It's a great idea to by 24 x R's however using the basic S-70B airframe engines etc a small fleet of utility cabs could be used. The same argument re old and unreliable was used when we replaced the Wessex with the Sea King in ASW etc. The old girls soldiered on quite well ;later. When I was on Melbourne we had two Wessex for Perdo and other duties always seemed to be 100% on the go.

Bluegreen- :D:D:D

You said it!

Ok, Ok, Ok
I have to take a hit on the BFA decision...however
1. There will still be a over 4 year capability gap between the withdraw of the H Model (and Bou) in terms of Airlift. Here is hoping the MRH 90 is being sorted out as well(we are trusting you BluenGreen!!!!).
2. The funding isn't in the budget.
I'm not sure as to why it is to be based at Ric. I would have thought at least Amb or Tvl co-located near the Army would have made sense with the Js remaining in Ric. I would have thought that would have been in keeping with a need/desire to move North as well.
All in all, thank goodness the deal has finally been 'done'. Even better if the US finds some money and comes back to it as well.

Obvious that C-130J and C-27J live together. Same avionics/engines/props etc etc. The backoom boys an girls can support both types.

It's primarily core avionics systems. To keep the S-70B-2 going for much longer would require fitting a new avionics system into an old airframe, and we all know how well that works ! Re-roling the Wessex occurred in a much simpler time - that decision would not have withstood today's risk management or airworthiness processes.

Bluegreen

Wasn't advocating dumping the MRH, just passing on what I have heard. Might just be for leverage to get Eurocopter to lift their game. I agree the MRH is a better long-term prospect...if only the Euros could deliver half-decent manuals and airworthiness paperwork.

Agree - manuals are not good and customer service has to date been poor.

In the civil world upgrades of avionics g0 on every day without major dramas. It seems the the defence will not buy and"off the shelf" solution for almost anything.

By the way in our archaic ways I don't recall too many Wessex losses caused due to re-rolling the aircraft.

Done properly things work eg. The Chinooks from A thru D in some cases

I only had one ride in a RAN Wessex, and it crashed !!

Av upgrades easy for simple transports - e.g 2 ka350 sqns with vastly different setups.

Tac aircraft with weapons/radar/sensors/link is a different story. Sea sprite was way more than that again.

the issue with the s-70b's is not to make it a combat chopper but a simple hack. bit like the squirrel..

S-70B-2 "upgrade" to Utility cab
 

The core avionics issues are just that - core. It has little to do with sensors or weapons, but basic flight management systems. Many of the components that make up the avionics in this aircraft are now, or soon to become, unsupportable. The only way to make these cabs useful for fleet utility would be to undergo significant work (=lots of $'s). Even then you will still have old airframes. Bringing in the Romeos will not address the Fleet Utility issue - they are not built for that and cannot readily do ANY utility tasks.
Looks like the MRH90 will be busy at sea.

Bluengreen

Good to hear that a few fixes have been devised. I'm still not convinced it will work for Army (though I hear from Navy mates that they are happy) but I hope it does. The same issues affecting the Seahawk also apply to Blackhawk. Right now BH availability is dwindling to the point where currency training (not just for aircrew, remember, their whole job is moving soldiers) and deployability is severely restricted. The MRH is not coming on quickly enough to fill the gap and is not yet up to speed.

WRT battlefield airlifter, I think it's fair to say that we have little to no tactical airlift/airdrop capability anymore. Our sharp end is becoming very blunt indeed...

i see the Tigers have been grounded
 

"The army's $2 billion Tiger attack helicopter fleet has been grounded after fumes seeped into the cockpit on one aircraft.


Defence last night gave no date when the 22 choppers would resume flying."