Breaking news
MD Helicopters delivers first six armed MD 530F scout attack helicopters to the Afghan Air Force.
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World
Defense & Security Industry News - MD Helicopters |
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| MD Helicopters delivers first six armed MD 530F scout attack helicopters to the Afghan Air Force | |||||
MD
Helicopters announced on Friday March 20 the arrival of the first six
armed MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Scout Attack Helicopters to the Afghan Air
Force in Kabul, Afghanistan. Delivered within six months from the October
2014 award, MDHI has solidified its position as a world leader in near-term
delivery of light single-engine gunships, custom-configured, to meet the
emergent and ongoing mission requirements of U.S. and Allied forces.
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 Afghan Air Force's pilots training on MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Scout Attack Helicopters (Credit: US Army) |
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“MD
500 Series helicopters have been a staple in U.S. and foreign military
fleets for decades,” says Lynn Tilton, Owner and Chief Executive
for MD Helicopters. “I and my team have worked tirelessly to
exceed the expectations of our U.S. Army and Partner Nation customers
and deliver, for the first time, a production gunship in less than 6 months
with full AWR. I am thrilled to see the Cayuse Warrior arrive safely in
Kabul to begin its service with the Afghan Air Force, and I am indelibly
proud of my team on the ground for their feat of rapid build and delivery
to meet an urgent and compelling need.” In response to the drawdown of coalition forces in the region, MD Helicopters developed a purposebuilt close attack helicopter capability that is intended to not only meet, but exceed the capability requirement identified by ISAF-A (the International Security Assistance Force-Afghanistan) for light scout attack helicopters. These MD 530F Cayuse Warrior gunships increase the fire capability of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces by nearly six-times for Fighting Season 2015. An additional six MD 530F Scout Attack helicopters will be active in Afghanistan in Summer 2015. Under the current contract, the Afghan Air Force fleet will include 17 MD 530F Cayuse Warrior gunships by early next year. The MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopter will be armed with FN HMP400 LCC (links and case collector) coaxial airborne weapon system developed by FN Herstal. The machine gun pod features .50cal FN M3P machine gun. The weapon system supports all types of 12.7mmx99mm NATO ammunition rounds. The helicopter will also be attached with Mace Aviation-developed Extended Range Weapons Wing (ER2W), which has four weapons stations and a 35 gallon internal fuel tank. |
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 Unarmed MD 530F Cayuse Warrior Scout Attack Helicopters |
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MD
Helicopters also announced on March 20 that it has been awarded a firmfixed-price
5-month contract modification for logistics support of twelve additional
MD530F aircraft. This award, valued at $31,605,244, will serve as a bridge
contract for the expanded MD 530F fleet in service with the Afghan Air
Force since 2011, and will support an aggressive increase in operational
tempo (OPTEMPO). This contract is effective with the first delivery of new MD 530F delivered on March 17, 2015, and has an estimated completion date of August 30, 2015. “The current MD 530F fleet in service with the Afghan Air Force has logged nearly 6,000 flight hours and maintained operational availability of better than 98%, since we first began providing contracted logistics support in 2011,” said MD Helicopters’ Owner and Chief Executive Officer Lynn Tilton. “This new award will allow MD to continue to support top-tier operational readiness in the face of increasing requirements from escalating threat levels.” The CLS contract provides for continuous maintenance and support services, including an initial spares support package, for the twelve (12) new MD 530F helicopters contracted through Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal in October 2014. This CLS contract is a modification to the CLS contract previously awarded to MDHI by Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal in 2011. |
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