Future Lynx/Wildcat all systems go at AW
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Future Lynx/Wildcat all systems go at AW
GKN Aerospace delivered the first complete, state-of-the-art, Future Lynx Airframe to AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, on schedule, yesterday. The Company has achieved challenging technological goals for this airframe including an 80% reduction in parts count when compared with the existing Super Lynx airframe.
AgustaWestland, as the design authority for Future Lynx, has worked in partnership with GKN Aerospace to implement an effective design-to-cost methodology which has driven the product design.
Marcus Bryson, Chief Executive of GKN Aerospace comments "Our goal has been to create a highly effective operational airframe with an extremely efficient design and a truly cost effective manufacturing cycle. We have achieved this through innovations across the manufacturing process and through a close working relationship between AgustaWestland and GKN Aerospace Yeovil and our UK-based supplier team."
GKN Aerospace has made extensive use of monolithic machined components, replacing a traditional fabricated detail structure, to realise the dramatic reduction in parts count. In addition, 3 dimensional digital modelling has ensured highly accurate part-to-part assembly, whilst state-of-the-art assembly tooling has been introduced which can rotate through 360 degrees and has vertical movement for ease of access. Assembly personnel then use a stand alone wireless IT workstation to apply digital assembly instructions developed by GKN Aerospace directly from CATIA. This has eliminated the need for hard copy drawings and will enable future configuration changes to be communicated instantly and efficiently to the required personnel.
Bryson continues: "Throughout the design phase and immediately following contract award by the UK MOD, in June 2006, we placed a dedicated team of engineers within the AgustaWestland design office. This allowed a fully integrated team to develop and this has been critical to our success, and to our meeting - and in a number of cases exceeding - some ambitious goals for the new airframe. Together, our teams have done a quite remarkable job."
GKN Aerospace is responsible for supplying the complete, assembled airframe for 70 Future Lynx helicopters for the Royal Navy and Army. The Company manages the supply chain and carries out airframe assembly, which takes place at its Yeovil facility. GKN Aerospace, Yeovil, has been supporting AgustaWestland through the supply of assemblies for the Lynx family, which now includes the complete assembled airframe, throughout the Lynx programme life. For the last 7 years GKN has supplied all Lynx airframes - including for a number of successful export programmes.
AgustaWestland, as the design authority for Future Lynx, has worked in partnership with GKN Aerospace to implement an effective design-to-cost methodology which has driven the product design.
Marcus Bryson, Chief Executive of GKN Aerospace comments "Our goal has been to create a highly effective operational airframe with an extremely efficient design and a truly cost effective manufacturing cycle. We have achieved this through innovations across the manufacturing process and through a close working relationship between AgustaWestland and GKN Aerospace Yeovil and our UK-based supplier team."
GKN Aerospace has made extensive use of monolithic machined components, replacing a traditional fabricated detail structure, to realise the dramatic reduction in parts count. In addition, 3 dimensional digital modelling has ensured highly accurate part-to-part assembly, whilst state-of-the-art assembly tooling has been introduced which can rotate through 360 degrees and has vertical movement for ease of access. Assembly personnel then use a stand alone wireless IT workstation to apply digital assembly instructions developed by GKN Aerospace directly from CATIA. This has eliminated the need for hard copy drawings and will enable future configuration changes to be communicated instantly and efficiently to the required personnel.
Bryson continues: "Throughout the design phase and immediately following contract award by the UK MOD, in June 2006, we placed a dedicated team of engineers within the AgustaWestland design office. This allowed a fully integrated team to develop and this has been critical to our success, and to our meeting - and in a number of cases exceeding - some ambitious goals for the new airframe. Together, our teams have done a quite remarkable job."
GKN Aerospace is responsible for supplying the complete, assembled airframe for 70 Future Lynx helicopters for the Royal Navy and Army. The Company manages the supply chain and carries out airframe assembly, which takes place at its Yeovil facility. GKN Aerospace, Yeovil, has been supporting AgustaWestland through the supply of assemblies for the Lynx family, which now includes the complete assembled airframe, throughout the Lynx programme life. For the last 7 years GKN has supplied all Lynx airframes - including for a number of successful export programmes.
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Is it a composite Tail Boom ? , my first job out of College was working on a Carbon fibre tail boom for the Wasp/ Scout at Yeovil . One thing I vividly remember was the destructive test with bits of black stuff flying all over the Hangar. What role will the Army version be for ?.
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HEDP:
What is it about the tricycle gear that will preclude rolling landing and t/o?
Nice navy style undercarriage that will be no use whatsoever in the land rolling landing and take-off environment; is there a different one for the Army?
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It seems to be more like a navy undercarriage that I believe is not optimised for running landing or take-off but for deck ground handling on first sight. I may be wrong and stand to be corrected however albeit with a 'slender' verticle oleo it would appear to be the case. A further increase in AUM with a less robust looking oleo! Maybe it's just a temporary rig to move the fuselage around!
I see it appears to retain the less than optimum nose oleo that again, on first look, seems to retain the fact that in an impact it will crumple into the front crew space therefore poor survivability.
I see it appears to retain the less than optimum nose oleo that again, on first look, seems to retain the fact that in an impact it will crumple into the front crew space therefore poor survivability.
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I'd ask a couple of other questions- does it finally include an integral particle separator for the Gem engines?
And something other than the terrible engine management system with the speed select lever / torque matching knob that truly prevent single pilot operations?
And something other than the terrible engine management system with the speed select lever / torque matching knob that truly prevent single pilot operations?
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Nice navy style undercarriage that will be no use whatsoever in the land rolling landing and take-off environment; is there a different one for the Army?
What is it about the tricycle gear that will preclude rolling landing and t/o?
The main gear can be locked fore & aft for ground handling and shore based operations as required.
Robbo jock...According to Helicopter International ,who ran an article a couple of issues ago the intent is that it will be called Wild Cat ...if it enters service.The MoD is still strugglling with budgets and nothing is sure .
Westlands have been making aircraft that vibrate, crack and leak for so many years - why should this one be any different? The trouble is how to repair it when it does crack - if it is all composites you can't just rivet another aluminium plate on it to beef it up which is what they did to the last Lynx and the Sea King.
Other than ship-borne operations, the Lynx has no role - it's not big enough for a battlefield helicopter and the British Army have known that for years; it won't compete with the Apache as an attack helo and the cabin is too small for SAR. So more millions of taxpayers money get spent propping up AW when what we really need is medium and heavy lift helos.
Other than ship-borne operations, the Lynx has no role - it's not big enough for a battlefield helicopter and the British Army have known that for years; it won't compete with the Apache as an attack helo and the cabin is too small for SAR. So more millions of taxpayers money get spent propping up AW when what we really need is medium and heavy lift helos.
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Undercart
You may recall that the last version of the Army Lynx (Mk 9) introduced wheeled undercarriage (replacing the skids) at FLC request
(a) it makes manouvring the aircraft easy
(b) it imparts more controlled attenuation (esp in crash case)
The Mk9 wheeled u/c is a bit of a compromise (you lose some stroke compared to Mk3/8 to avoid losing centre console space).
(a) it makes manouvring the aircraft easy
(b) it imparts more controlled attenuation (esp in crash case)
The Mk9 wheeled u/c is a bit of a compromise (you lose some stroke compared to Mk3/8 to avoid losing centre console space).
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The Mk120 based in Oman have no issues with run on landings etc in the desert apart from the odd tyre change now and again. BTW they do not toe the main wheels out.
I believe the Army version will have chunkier wheels
I believe the Army version will have chunkier wheels
Nimby - I hope AW do a lot better than the Mk9 Lynx undercarriage - you can't land vertically in it because the radius arm design tries to rip the tyres off the rims as you lower the lever!! Rolling landings only to allow the tyres to scrub sideways as the weight pushes the U/c arms out. Genius
AW159 Lynx Wildcat
British Army AW159 ZZ399 Lynx Wildcat at Yeovil on 2nd September 2011 (Photo: Rich Pittman)
The Wildcat programme was developed from the Future Lynx project which originated in two 2002 when studies were made to determine the suitability of a derivative of the Super Lynx 300 to replace the existing Lynx helicopters of the Royal Navy and British Army. These requirements were known as the Surface Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft (SCMR) and Battlefield Light Utility Helicopter (BLUH) programmes, respectively. The utility transport aspect of the BLUH requirement was subsequently de-emphasised and the programme renamed Battlefield Reconnaissance Helicopter (BRH).
Both Army and Navy variants are based on a common marinised airframe with a wheeled undercarriage. The Wildcat is powered by two 1362 shp LHTEC CTS800-4N turboshaft engines, and features a new composite tailboom, tailplane, tail rotor, nose structure and avionics suite. The naval version is also equipped with a SELEX Galileo Seaspray 7000E active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.
On 24 April 2009 it was announced that the Future Lynx had been renamed AW159 by AgustaWestland and would be known in British military service as the Lynx Wildcat. The first Lynx Wildcat took the type's maiden flight from Yeovil on 12 November 2009 with initial deliveries of the type expected in 2011. The second AW159 first flew on 14 October 2010 and a third helicopter joined the flight testing programme on 19 November 2010.
The UK is to initially receive 34 AW159s for the British Army and 28 for the Royal Navy. The Army variant is to enter operational service in 2014 with the RN variant following in 2015.
The Royal Navy has commissioned its first Lynx Wildcat Fielding Squadron to be known as the 700W Naval Air Squadron (700W NAS). The Army Air Corps has formed the Wildcat Fielding Team. Both units located at RNAS Yeovilton.
Wildcat features:
Cruise: 155kts
Range: 420nm
Crew: 2
Passengers: 7
Armaments:
- Forward firing CRV7 rockets and machine guns
- Pintle mounted machine gun, e.g. FN MAG (Army) or Browning M2 (Navy)
- Air-to-Surface Missile system: Thales Lightweight Multi-Role Missile (LMM)
- Torpedoes and depth charges