AgustaWestland
North America, along with Bristow Group, Doss Aviation and Rockwell
Collins, officially announced today at Sea-Air-Space 2015 that they
are in discussions to develop a turn-key solution to address the rotary-wing
pilot training needs of U.S. military and government customers.
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The
solution would provide for total life-cycle support and management,
centered around the U.S.-built AW119 helicopter, the best-in-class single-engine
aircraft well-suited as a versatile platform for pilot training. The
services-based support solution would include provision of training
helicopters, simulators, ground instruction, fleet management and maintenance
of the aircraft.
This support model offers a distinct advantage to military and government
customers in that they no longer have to incur the significant costs
associated with acquiring this new technology fleet, nor the infrastructure
to support it.
“This solution will lift the financial burden of buying and ease
the burden of supporting commercial aircraft for government and military
customers with pilot training needs,” said Robert LaBelle,
CEO of AgustaWestland North America. “It will allow them to
focus their vital resources on core military missions instead of investing
unnecessarily to recapitalize a total end-to-end pilot training system.
With the contribution of other consortium partners, this solution will
also capitalize on AgustaWestland’s experience in delivering turn-key
support and training solutions on a global basis in both the commercial
and government markets,” LaBelle said.
“Bristow understands the complex nature of government and
military customer requirements,” said Jonathan Baliff, Bristow
Group President and CEO. “At a time when governments face
increased pressure for efficiency and risk management, we can provide
outstanding, world-class service that delivers value for money. Bristow’s
reputation for safety leadership and our experience in managing one
of the world’s largest helicopter fleets includes providing training
and support services to military and paramilitary customers in several
regions of the world, including for the UK search and rescue (SAR) contract
on behalf of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency. Together with our
consortium partners, we can bring state-of-the-art aircraft with advanced
technologies, our industry-leading operational capabilities and training
experts to deliver the best possible solution for our customer.”
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“The
solution would be custom designed in partnership with the customer,”
said Randy Davis, CEO of Doss Aviation. “Each component could
be scaled to the customer’s needs.”
“The training solution leverages our proven experience in
providing helicopter avionics, training and sustainment to the U.S.
Government and other militaries,” said Charles Hautau, Senior
Director, Rockwell Collins.
The four companies developing the solution are leaders in their respective
industries with extensive experience in pilot training, fleet management,
operations and maintenance. AgustaWestland is one of the world’s
most innovative manufacturers of rotary-wing aircraft, training, and
support solutions. Bristow Group is a global leader in fleet operations,
maintenance, and pilot training, including the world-renowned Bristow
Academy. Doss Aviation is a U.S. leader in fixed and rotary-wing pilot
and flight training for the U.S. Army and Air Force. Rockwell Collins
is a global leader in avionics equipment, flight simulation systems
and services.
The AW119 is a modern helicopter built and assembled at AgustaWestland’s
U.S. facility in Philadelphia, PA.
The prospective solution set was announced today at the U.S. Navy League’s
Sea, Air, Space exposition in Washington, D.C. The solution has been
briefed to the U.S. Navy to address its future helicopter pilot training
needs. |
