A few days ago, the General Staff of the Greek Army announced the type selection for a total of 14 new military helicopters for the Greek Air Force: The top-of-the-range AW139 model from Leonardo against the MH-60S Knight Hawk version of the S-70 series from Lockheed Martin-subsidiary Sikorsky and the H175 from Airbus Helicopters by.
At a meeting of the Council of Chiefs of Staff the decision was made to equip four of the total of 14 helicopters with particularly robust equipment specifically for picking up downed crews and compatriots from enemy territory (CSAR). The type decision itself was made relatively quickly, as the Air Force had all the necessary technical and financial information from a Request for Information (RFI) sent out in May. As a result, the proposal was recorded as unanimously approved, without any objections from the members of the Council. The Directorate General for Defence Equipment is now responsible for the necessary studies and consultations with the manufacturing company in order to obtain approval from the KYSEA (the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence), provide the corresponding funds and sign the contract for the implementation of the program – including training and support. https://militaeraktuell.at/dann-sind-wir-in-europa-ganz-vorne-dabei/ The criteria
It was required that both the cabin and key systems such as the main gearbox must be hardened with regard to ballistic protection. In addition, armament capability, a self-protection system with missile warnings and decoys, a military communication system and the Link-16 data radio system were also required. The mission requirements specified a minimum speed of 270 km/h, a radius of at least 330 kilometers with a four-person SAR crew and – based on worldwide experience in search and rescue missions – a dwell time in the target area of at least half an hour. In terms of training and support, the delivery should be accompanied by a corresponding supply of spare parts to ensure maximum availability and at least 3,500 to 4,000 flight hours per year. A complete training package with a full-motion simulator was also required.
The AW139 scored highly in terms of its purchase and maintenance costs as well as the support offered. It also reaches speeds of just over 300 km/h – a top value in its class. Its range of 1,250 kilometers and the long flight duration of up to five hours enable sufficiently long missions over Greece’s islands. The “139” can take off with a maximum weight of seven tons and – alternatively – carry up to 15 passengers with its crew of two. A further advantage is the certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to fly or return to base with just one of its two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C engines. Last but not least, the manufacturer says that the type would be cheaper per unit than all competitors because the costs per flight hour are at least 1,000 euros lower. This means that the total profit of an air force using 14 such helicopters over a period of 20 years would be estimated at 180 million euros compared to other models.
Wide distribution of the “Chosen One”
So far, all this has apparently attracted many users (most recently also Slovenia) have been convinced. The basic version of the helicopter now also selected by the Greeks is – like most types of the helicopter also used by the army manufacturer from Verigate – was first developed for civilian use as the Agusta-Westland AW139, the 1,140 aircraft in 90 countries with an accumulated 3.7 million flying hours now also include 26 air forces. A total of 500 AW139s in SAR configuration have already been sold to them, covering 53 percent of the global market. The aircraft have already completed more than one million flight hours on SAR and medevac missions. In its home country, the AW139 has been in service since January 2022 in the AMI with 17 units as HH-139B Caesar at the 15° Stormo/83º Gruppo in Cervia near Ravenna. In comparison, the (C)SAR offshoot of the S-70 Black Hawk military helicopter series has only four customers, including the US Navy with 275 MH-60Ss. The Thai Navy flies two aircraft and in April 2021 South Korea opted for twelve MH-60Rs for a good 400 million euros. They are to be delivered to the South Korean Navy (ROKN) within a year from today. The current customer is Norway, In April 2023, the six MH-60Rs were approved by the Pentagon’s DSCA.
The large H175 model from Airbus does not yet have any military customers, but it has been flying for ten civilian operators (offshore, police, etc.) since 2014. For NATO militaries (such as Greece), the fact that the Chinese offshoot AC532 from Avicopter has also been available since 2016 may be an obstacle. After all, the manufacturer has already had to emphasize that as a bidder to replace the old Puma helicopters of the Royal Air Force would never use Chinese components.
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