As is well known, the Austrian Armed Forces want to replace the Alouette III with twelve new light multi-purpose helicopters and six training helicopters of the same type. The aim seems to be a so-called government-to-government deal, i.e. to buy directly from a foreign government. Nevertheless, it will of course not be possible without the involvement of the manufacturers, many details – as several managers have told us in recent years – are simply not known to well-trained government officials.
After several postponements in the past, a type decision could be made in mid-August according to Militär Aktuell information. In addition to the Model 429 from the US manufacturer Bell-Textron and the Leonardo AW169M, the H-145M, which the manufacturer Airbus Helicopters presented in Wiener Neustadt on July 28, is also being considered. We took the opportunity to talk to program director Mark Henning – an Austrian by birth – about the aircraft and its unique selling points.
Mr. Henning, let’s get straight to the point. We have known each other for several years, have you already had the opportunity to get to know our new Minister of Defense? How is the contact with the official side?
No, unfortunately I haven’t had the pleasure yet and unfortunately there is no current contact at this level. We therefore mainly follow current developments in Austria from the media. Of course we invited people here, but unfortunately nobody from the army came (*see below). However, I always say that there must be no clan liability – not even legally. Because we in the helicopter division have nothing to do with the Eurofighters, neither in terms of personnel nor location. The two business areas have nothing in common, and Airbus has a robust and transparent compliance system in place today. Eurofighter-Jagdflugzeug GmbH also unites four international manufacturers, which also have various business areas. Why is there no problem with these other companies, such as Leonardo?
About the device. Why do you think the H-145M would be predestined to replace the over 50-year-old Alouette veterans?
Because it is initially a new, but at the same time already widely introduced device. EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) type certification was granted in April 2014 after four years of development and around 300 aircraft are now flying worldwide, around 60 of which are operated by military operators, including in three of Austria’s neighboring countries (Germany, Serbia and Hungary). Hungary). Furthermore, the HELIONIX cockpit and the four-axis autopilot set completely new standards for crews. The pilot is shown all important parameters on a selected screen, while the on-board computers automatically monitor all important systems in the background and only report if there is anything relevant to the system. The H-145M – proven in the Andes and relevant for Austria’s topography – can fly up to 7,000 meters high, it is the quietest in its class and, according to an international, independent rating assessment, the “direct operating costs” of 1,113 US dollars (around 950 euros) per flight hour are significantly lower than those of the competition.
All the models under discussion are basically civilian designs. But we are looking for a military helicopter, including an armament option. What about the H-145M? How much does this option cost?
For military equipment, Airbus offers the “H-Force” modular system with four variants, which you saw demonstrated in Hungary two years ago. Option “0” does not mean that there is no armament. It refers to the entire cabling required for external loads and the installation preparation for the weapon computer. This only amounts to a few thousand euros per machine and is recommended by us for those government customers for whom this is not the main role. Building on this, packages “1”, “2” or “3” can be added or retrofitted at any time, with various barrel weapons and missiles or electro-optical/infrared sensors. The “heaviest” package adds around 25 percent to the basic price – but even a helicopter equipped in this way can be converted into a rescue helicopter in just a few minutes.
A number of local “outfitters” are also present at today’s presentation as partners of Airbus-Helicopters. Who do you have on board?
We have five Austrian partner companies on board that have won awards in their niche or sector: Scotty, SchiebelFire Kraft, AMST and AAT. These companies cooperate with us on satellite connections, drone control, simulators and emergency medical equipment. I would also like to point out that the Austrian aviation industry, with around 5,500 employees and an export share of 95 percent, generates around 1.8 billion euros per year. According to the Austrian Chamber of Commerce and the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure , the Airbus Group accounts for around 500 million euros of this.
Today you also presented the new “showpiece” from Airbus Helicopters, the H-145M with a new five-bladed rotor. What are the benefits of this modification? I guess, above all, fewer vibrations …
No less, actually none at all. It feels like being in an airliner, but with the five-blade rotor we were able to achieve a payload increase of 150 kilograms without further airframe modifications. In “our world”, that’s a huge leap. Due to the great global success of the H-145 series, Airbus Helicopters decided to integrate a new and revolutionary main rotor design in 2016. The aim was to increase the payload and provide unrivaled flight comfort for the crews. This latest model no longer has a classic rotor head and can actually transport more than it weighs empty (note: empty weight 1,895 kilograms, payload 1,905 kilograms). After successfully completing all flight test campaigns, the EASA only granted us type certification for the five-bladed rotor on June 16 of this year. Since then, various operators have already ordered the corresponding conversion for 83 aircraft.
*) According to Armed Forces spokesman Michael Bauer, it is “clear that we do not take part in any company presentations during an ongoing procurement process. An overview of the products available on the market is known to our experts anyway.” We received a similar response from the minister’s office: “If we do, then we will not buy directly from the manufacturer, but from governments, i.e. we are aiming for a so-called ‘government-to-government deal’.” This presentation by a manufacturing company was therefore irrelevant; the minister had experts who were already informed accordingly.
Click here to the other articles in our series “5 questions to” and here for further news about Airbus Helicopters (Airbus Defence and Space).
