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Post by nige on Aug 16, 2011 19:54:53 GMT 12
Also from the MoD website, acquistion projects updated as at 16 Aug. www.defence.govt.nz/acquisitions-tenders/current-acquisition-projects/helicopter-capability-agusta-westland.htmlCurrent status Helicopter NZ3401 is formally 'under acceptance' in Italy. Helicopter NZ3402 is at RNZAF Base Ohakea’s Helicopter Transition Unit. Helicopter NZ3403 is at RNZAF Base Ohakea’s Helicopter Transition Unit. Helicopter NZ3404 is at RNZAF Base Ohakea’s Helicopter Transition Unit. Helicopter NZ3405 is en-route to New Zealand. Helicopter NZ3406 is in storage at RNZAF Base Ohakea. The Flight Training Device will be ready to commence training in late 2011. |
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Post by guest on Aug 17, 2011 18:14:48 GMT 12
Interesting that there is still no comment on their web site about the three additional frames. Other than this statement in the White Paper (Chapter 5):
32. To maximise the utility of the relatively inexpensive A109s, a further three will be acquired to provide an operationally deployable output plus training.
That report was publicly released 10 months ago now. I guess the current economic situation has slowed, or stopped that plan.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 17, 2011 18:50:25 GMT 12
The then Chief of Air Force AVM Graham Lintott confirmed the purchase of the additional aircraft in December 2010 at the Ad Astra veterans lunch in Tauranga when he was guest speaker. I'm sure it will happen, it's just the paperwork might not have caught up with the actions yet.
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Post by phil on Aug 17, 2011 21:14:18 GMT 12
Quote: "Built by AgustaWestland in Italy, the A109 LUH (Light Utility Helicopter) is the first new operational aircraft that the Royal New Zealand Air Force has taken delivery of since 1970" hmm - what about the Macchi's then ? They were "new" in the early '90s, although "operational" --> meaning not "training" ? Is this what you mean ? What about the SH-2G(NZ)? They were new, operational, and the air force took delivery of them as much as the Navy did. |
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Post by silverfox on Aug 18, 2011 8:21:30 GMT 12
Does anyone know the paint colour/FS reference used for the main scheme please?
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Post by sqwark2k on Aug 19, 2011 10:04:06 GMT 12
They were always Navy assets, supported by 3 Sqn RNZAF for the techs and pilots on secondment
S2K
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Post by Ykato on Oct 26, 2011 18:56:45 GMT 12
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Post by phil on Oct 26, 2011 23:04:34 GMT 12
We had them parked up in 6SQN hangar last night, they've been conducting some trials with Canterbury.
They look like someone read the scale of the drawings wrong and made them too small. I reckon we've actually got 3/4 scale replicas of helicopters instead of real ones.
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Post by conman on Oct 27, 2011 20:10:19 GMT 12
Sounds like some SAS work as well, bit more discrete than a UH-1H !
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 27, 2011 20:39:30 GMT 12
That's for sure, two Iroquois came across here yesterday and it seemed like about five minutes form when I first heard them coiming and when they finally appeared. No wonder the NVA won the war in Vietnam.
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Post by obiwan27 on Oct 27, 2011 20:45:26 GMT 12
Not sure about that last comment Dave. The NVA were pretty badly mauled during the time the US and other forces were in combat in Vietnam. The NVA were able to turn the tide once the major troop withdrawals of US and other Forces had occurred and the locals in the South were left to defend their own country I believe.
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Post by beagle on Jan 8, 2015 21:35:08 GMT 12
The then Chief of Air Force AVM Graham Lintott confirmed the purchase of the additional aircraft in December 2010 at the Ad Astra veterans lunch in Tauranga when he was guest speaker. I'm sure it will happen, it's just the paperwork might not have caught up with the actions yet. I heard from a littler birdy that 3 additional complete airframes were purchased and have been stripped down for spares. much cheaper. |
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thax
Warrant Officer
Posts: 31
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Post by thax on Jan 10, 2015 21:57:35 GMT 12
beagle
Not true. Six aircraft were bought - five form the training/operational fleet and one was used to complement the spares pool and provide an attrition airframe. It was recognised quite early that five aircraft would pose significant operational risk if an overseas deployment was required, and the Minister at the time was quite keen on an option to buy another three aircraft. Some bright spark, however, suggested that we could acquire a different 'un-militarised' version to be used for training and use the LUH variants for outputs. This would have introduced an additional fleet (despite considerable commonality) and required the acquisition of additional equipment to support basic training (including a new simulator to match the new variant). In the end, the option was not pursued. As for future fleet expansion, who knows?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 10, 2015 22:05:53 GMT 12
Thanks for another excellent insight there Thax, it's always appreciated.
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Post by beagle on Jan 11, 2015 19:14:42 GMT 12
I thought my source was a wee bit incorrect.
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