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power

(^46) | AsiAn MilitAry review |
by Andrew Drwiega

T

he crash of a CHC Helikopter

Service Eurocopter/Airbus

Helicopters H-225 Super Puma

medium-lift utility helicopter off

the southwest coast of Norway

on 29th April 2016 which killed 13

passengers and crew, and the subsequent

grounding of the helicopter for oil and

gas operations in the area, proved a

severe set-back not only to civil sales of

this aircraft, but also affected confidence

among potential military buyers.

Therefore, it was with great relief that

the company was able to announce on

8th November 2016 that the Singaporean

Ministry of Defence had signed a $1

billion contract to buy an undisclosed

number of H-225Ms to replace its aged

fleet of AS-332 Super Pumas. Perhaps

the order for 30 H-225Ms by the Kuwaiti

Ministry of Defence on 9th August 2016

helped to persuade Singaporean military

authorities that their decision to stall the

feeT weT

While naval support helicopters remain a key element of any navy, the

development of small UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) is gaining pace

to provide supplementary capabilities, particularly for long endurance

ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) missions.

Lockheed Martin

The Royal Australian

Navy is expected to

receive a total of 24 MH-

60R helicopters. These

will replace the service’s

legacy S-70B2 rotorcraft.

Lockheed Martin

Australia has had its share of trials and tribulations in recent years regarding military helicopter

acquisitions. Fortunately, the MH-60R acquisition had gone altogether more smoothly.

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