QUICKROUNDUP

AIRBUS HELICOPTERS

Airbus Helicopters Inc, Texas, has been awarded a $273,289,949 firm-fixed-price contract for procurement of 35 UH-72A helicopters by the US Army. One bid was solicited and one bid received. Work is expected to be completed by March 8, 2021.

Airbus Helicopters, the leader in the civil and parapublic helicopter market, has wrapped up Heli Expo 2018 in Las Vegas with orders for over 50 of the company’s wide range of helicopters for customers worldwide.

BOEING

Boeing and Hawaiian Airlines have announced on March 6, 2018 that the carrier intends to purchase ten Boeing 787-9 jets valued at $2.82 billion at list prices. Hawaiian also has purchase rights for twn additional Boeing 787s.

Boeing has been awarded a contract to modernise the US Navy F/A-18 fleet, extending the life of existing Super Hornets from 6,000 to 9,000+ flight hours. In the early 2020s, Boeing will begin installing initial updates to the aircraft that will convert existing Block II Super Hornets to a new Block III configuration. The indefinite-delivery contract is for up to $73 million. Additional follow-on contracts could be awarded over the next ten years and involves 568 Super Hornets.

CANADA

Canada has named five firms that will be considered to supply fighters to replace its fleet of CF-18s. Three European firms, Dassault, Saab and Airbus, along with two US companies, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, have all made the official fighter jet supplier list. Estimated cost is $15 billion and the aircraft expected to be offered include Lockheed Martin’s F-35, Boeing’s Super Hornet, the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale and Saab Gripen.

DRDO

DRDO has successfully flown its Rustom-2 at its Aeronautical Test Range at Chalakere at Chitradurga in Karnataka. This flight assumes significance due to the fact that this is the first flight in user configuration with a more powerful engine. All parameters were normal. Rustom-2 is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance drone which can fly up to an altitude of 22,000 feet and has an endurance of over 20 hours.

INDIA

According to the latest India Market Forecast by Airbus, India will require 1,750 new passenger and cargo aircraft over the next 20 years to meet an exponential rise in both passenger and freight traffic. To help meet this growth, India will need 1,320 new single-aisle aircraft and 430 wide-body aircraft valued at $255 billion.

INDIAN MOD

The Indian government has issued a Letter of Request