Defence has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to industry for the proposed acquisition of a Special Operations Helicopter capability to complement the MRH-90 Taipans now about to enter service with Army’s 6th Aviation Regiment at Holsworthy.
Army’s requirement is for sufficient numbers of helicopters to maintain 16 on line at any given time, and Defence has asked interested bidders for their own estimations on the number required to achieve this. Industry has until November 2 to respond to the RFI, with the overall timeline expected to include a Request for Tender (RFT) in the fourth quarter of 2019 and entry into service in 2022.
“The project is considering a wide range of procurement options, based around a light helicopter as the major system,” notes Acting First Assistant Secretary of CASG’s Helicopter Division, Brigadier Jeremy King and Major General Kath Toohey, Head of Army’s Land Capability, in the cover letter. “The acquisition strategy is developmental and is subject to Government approval.”
The RFI calls for a proven light commercial or military off the shelf helicopter (COTS/MOTS) which is already in service and able to be rapidly transported aboard the RAAF’s C-17A Globemaster aircraft. The helicopter must be optimised for operations in dense urban environments and capable of being fitted with “simple” electro-optic sensors (EOS) and weapons. Four helicopters are required to be uplifted by a single C-17, and while the RFI does not specify a desired size or weight, it must be capable of accommodating two pilots and four troops sitting on the cabin floor. In a letter to industry back in July, MAJGEN Toohey and CASG Helicopter Systems Division’s First Assistant Secretary Shane Fairweather discussed a helicopter in the four-tonne class.
The primary role for the new helicopter is air assault by small teams of Special Forces troops, mandating a fast-roping system which can rapidly deliver Special Forces whilst the helicopter is hovering outside ground effect (OGE). Secondary roles include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), fire support and general utility and the helicopter must be capable of rapidly reconfiguration for these roles.
The main operating base will be at Holsworthy but Defence is also considering the establishment of a permanent detachment (referred to as the ‘Independent Detachment’ in the RFI) at another location, which is yet to be decided. The requirement for 16 helicopters is derived from the requirement to have four permanently on line at Holsworthy, four at the Independent Detachment and two simultaneous deployments, each of four helicopters.
Likely contenders include Airbus Helicopters (H145M), Bell (B407GT), Boeing (AH-6i), Leonardo (AW109 Trekker), MD Helicopters (MD530G) and Northstar Aviation (B407MRH Lightning).
For more details regarding Land 2097/4, see the October 2018 issue of ADM.