 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
 by Stephen Carlson Washington (UPI) Sep 7, 2017
MD Helicopters has received $1.39 billion contract for the procurement of an estimated 150 MD 530F light utility helicopters for the government of Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced on Tuesday. The contract will include maintenance, support services and pilot training. Production sites and funding under the foreign military sales program will be determined by each order as it is requested. The production and delivery run is expected to run with Aug. 31, 2022. The MD 530F Cayuse Warrior is a light attack helicopter is based off of the OH-6 Cayuse observation helicopter. It can be armed with twin 50mm machineguns and Hydra 70mm rockets. The MD 530F has already been delivered to the Afghan Air Force in small numbers to help provide close-air support for ground forces, although the helicopter has encountered serious problems while operating in the environment. One pilot complained that when fully loaded it had a maximum altitude of only 8,000 ft., making it incapable of crossing many of the mountain ranges in Afghanistan. It is unarmored and there have been reports of mechanical unreliability, the .50 machine guns repeatedly jamming in action, and the lack of gunsights requiring the weapons to be aimed by tracers. The Afghan Air Force has struggled to become capable of operating independently, and is still largely equipped with a mix of Soviet-era helicopters. Light, simple to operate aircraft like the Cayuse Warrior and Embraer Super Tucano are hoped to fill the gap, but have only been delivered in small numbers so far and have been operated with mixed results.
Airbus Perlan Mission II Soars Into History, Sets New World Record for Glider AltitudeEl Calafate, Argentina (SPX) Sep 05, 2017 Airbus Perlan Mission II, the world's first initiative to send an engineless aircraft to the edge of space, made history yesterday in the Patagonia region of Argentina by soaring to over 52,000 feet and setting a new world altitude record for gliding. "We are celebrating an amazing victory for aerospace innovation and scientific discovery today, and we're so thankful to all the volunteers ... read more Related Links Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
