Programm H-1
Hallo Harrier2
Das Upgrade Programm H-1 für die UH-1N und AH-1W ist zur Zeit in einer Krise. Software und andere probleme zögern sich heraus.
Laut BHT in Ft. Worth sollen die ersten AH-1Z erst im Jahre 2007 vollständig in der Flotte sein und zwar nicht 280 sondern 180. Von der guten UH-1N werden 100 zum UH-1Y umgebaut. Die Kampfkraft wird erheblich gesteigert wenn mal diese Wunderbaren Helis bei den Marines im Dienst sind.
Hier noch ein Artikel auf Englisch:
The Marine Corps AH-1W Cobra and UH-1N Huey are fine helicopters. They are spearheading the Marines combat mission in Afghanistan. But soon these aircraft will be superseded by even more effective attack and utility helicopters, the AH-1Z and UH-1Y.
The "Zulu Cobra" will have a mission radius of 126 nautical miles and can carry 16 Hellfire missiles versus 38 nautical miles and eight Hellfires for the Whiskey Cobra. Equally important, with its new composite rotor system, the AH-1Z can withstand a -5G gravitational force, thus allowing for more aggressive pilot maneuvering.
Similarly, in a hot-and-high environment, the UH-1Y will carry eight combat-ready Marines 133 nautical miles at a cruise speed of 155 knots. The N-model Huey, by contrast, cannot even perform this mission, since its useful load is limited to 3,532 pounds versus 5,930 pounds for the UH-1Y, program officials say. In addition, the UH-1N has a cruise speed of just 107 knots.
The AH-1Z first flew on December 7, 2000. The aircraft has since completed more than 170 flight hours, including flights to 220 knots and a density altitude of 10,000 feet. A year later in Fort Worth, Texas, the UH-1Y achieved its first ground turn.
Bell is scheduled to deliver four more EMD aircraft two Hueys and two Cobras to the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) in Patuxent River, Maryland, later this year. These helicopters will enter their first operational test period (OT-IIA) at NAVAIR in October. The Hueys and Cobras will be flown by pilots from HMX-1 in Quantico, Virginia, and VX-9 in China Lake, California.
The downside to the H-1 upgrade is that costs have ballooned significantly over the life of the program. Program officials say they have since gotten a handle on expenses and are rescheduling flight tests to minimize program risk and to ensure a successful OPEVAL. Consequently, a Milestone III full-rate production decision has been postponed 10 months, to August 2005, and IOC has been postponed a year, to September 2007. The Marines are procuring 180 AH-1Zs and 100 UH-1Ys.
