To get away from the fighter loop for a while, what about the need for a Troop Transport helicopter establishment to meet the Army's operational needs?
We have been commited to a two type model (and at the moment a "Cadre" TTH fleet), but what scope is there for manouvre in that model?
For instance why cant the LUH have a limited TTH capability?
Admittedly it would require a light medium lift rather than the EC-135 class, but then again the AIII is undoubtedly the IACs most utile aircraft and it was contemporary to the UH-1B.
Therefore I would like to suggest the possibility of using a light medium lifter like the Bell 212 or W-3W Sokol both of which are in use as light assault transports backed up by heavier more capable but less agile helicopters.
The second vital component of the fleet would be a capacious MLH capable of moving a battalion in less than forty lifts and with sufficient sling load to carry an L118 or LTV.
The problem is cost, a fleet of MLHs is likely to be over a 100m Euro.
The possibility of a gradually developed mixed fleet based on essentially the same airframe should not be overlooked though.
For instance a small number of Cougars (2-4) forms the basis of the fleet while cheaper but compatible airframes and avionics sets, Cougar-100/ IAR-330M are acquired over a 6 year period to flesh out the fleet to the point where the army can actually integrate helicopter mobility into its operational planning as something other than a negative.
We have been commited to a two type model (and at the moment a "Cadre" TTH fleet), but what scope is there for manouvre in that model?
For instance why cant the LUH have a limited TTH capability?
Admittedly it would require a light medium lift rather than the EC-135 class, but then again the AIII is undoubtedly the IACs most utile aircraft and it was contemporary to the UH-1B.
Therefore I would like to suggest the possibility of using a light medium lifter like the Bell 212 or W-3W Sokol both of which are in use as light assault transports backed up by heavier more capable but less agile helicopters.
The second vital component of the fleet would be a capacious MLH capable of moving a battalion in less than forty lifts and with sufficient sling load to carry an L118 or LTV.
The problem is cost, a fleet of MLHs is likely to be over a 100m Euro.
The possibility of a gradually developed mixed fleet based on essentially the same airframe should not be overlooked though.
For instance a small number of Cougars (2-4) forms the basis of the fleet while cheaper but compatible airframes and avionics sets, Cougar-100/ IAR-330M are acquired over a 6 year period to flesh out the fleet to the point where the army can actually integrate helicopter mobility into its operational planning as something other than a negative.
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