10 AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters reportedly delivered to Pakistan

[Gryphon]

Reported by Rotor & Wing International

Bell Takes Home Half-Billion Dollars in AH-1Z Work for US Marine Corps

By Dan Parsons | August 26, 2018
Send Feedback | @SharkParsons

Bell recently was awarded a contract worth more than half a billion dollars to build new attack helicopters for the U.S. Marine Corps.

The $509 million deal covers the manufacture and delivery of 29 Lot 15 production AH-1Z new-build aircraft in support of the Marine Corps H-1 upgrade program.

In addition, the contract provides for long lead material and components for an additional seven Lot 16 aircraft. Work will be performed in Fort Worth and Amarillo, Texas, and is expected to be completed in February 2021.

The Marine Corps is planning to fly both the UH-1Y and AH-1Z aircraft for the next 30 years of service, according to Col. David Walsh, the service’s H-1 program manager.

The Marine Corps plans to buy a total 349 H-1s with production scheduled to last through 2022 and will fly both aircraft at least for another 30 years when an attack/utility variant of Future Vertical Lift comes online, Walsh said at a recent event hosted by the National Defense Industrial Association.

Of a 160-aircraft program of record, the Marine Corps has fielded 158 UH-1Ys and should finish out the program this year, Walsh said. About half of the 189 Z-model Cobras the Marine Corps planned to buy have been delivered. So far, Bell has delivered all of the advanced Hueys and 96 Vipers, Walsh said. Pakistan has ordered another 12 AH-1Zs, of which 10 have been delivered.

Bell Takes Home Half-Billion Dollars in AH-1Z Work for US Marine Corps | rotorandwing.com

Pakistan Army Aviation AH-1Z Viper (786-061)

 

[Jinn Baba]

Delivered in this case may not mean landed in pak, just produced/delivered from factory.

 

[monitor]

Bell receives $510m contract for AH-1Z Viper order for Marine Corps

• 
  

• 27 AUGUST, 2018
  
• SOURCE: FLIGHTGLOBAL.COM
  
• BY: GARRETT REIM
  
• LOS ANGELES

Bell Helicopter was awarded a $510 million contract to manufacture 29 AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters for the US Marine Corps.

The contract amount will also fund the purchase of long lead materials and components for an additional seven Lot 16 aircraft, according to a notice posted on the Department of Defense’s contracts page on 23 August.

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Some 60% of production of the helicopters will be done in Fort Worth, Texas and the remaining work will be done in Amarillo, Texas. The aircraft are expected to be finished and delivered in February 2021, with the last lot of attack helicopters anticipated to be contracted for delivery in 2022.

The order comes as Bell is set to finish deliveries of the UH-1Y Venom utility helicopter to the USMC by the end of 2018.

The Venom and the Viper are based on the Vietnam-era family of Huey helicopters, the UH-1 Iroquois and the derivative AH-1 Cobra. The modern variants share 85% of their parts including a common tail boom, engines, rotor system, drivetrain, avionics architecture, software and controls.

As the USA’s purchases of H-1 AH-1Z Viper wind down, Bell has been looking to Asia and the Middle East to sustain the model’s production. The company has made foreign military sales to Bahrain and Pakistan, and is also eyeing potential sales to Japan and Thailand.

 

[YeBeWarned]

@jhungary @Oscar @Bilal Khan (Quwa) @Horus @Bilal Khan 777 @Signalian @Inception-06 any news regarding the Article ???

 

[SQ8]

Handed over but in storage pending outstanding payments I believe.

Also possible PA may want them all shipped in one go.

 

[Zibago]

Delivered in this case may not mean landed in pak, just produced/delivered from factory.

They will rot in desert like our F-16,s

 

[YeBeWarned]

Also possible PA may want them all shipped in one go.

any specific reason for that ?

 

[SQ8]

any specific reason for that ?

Save on repeated delivery costs. But as such it is difficult to see this as a likely scenario. It’s probably pending payments to the local handling contracts either with USMC or Bell which are not coming due to suspension of FMF.

 

[TOPGUN]

Oscar, bro is there any chance of these birds coming to us period ?

 

[YeBeWarned]

Save on repeated delivery costs. But as such it is difficult to see this as a likely scenario. It’s probably pending payments to the local handling contracts either with USMC or Bell which are not coming due to suspension of FMF.

honestly i thought we'd pay for them .. but that could be the reason as FMF aid is stopped

 

[SQ8]

Oscar, bro is there any chance of these birds coming to us period ?

There is, just pay the remainder that the FMF did not finance.
I think these choppers may come up during Mattis visit.

honestly i thought we'd pay for them .. but that could be the reason as FMF aid is stopped

Nope , which is why unlike many here I don’t gripe about this purchase as it was never “our” money unlike the F-16s

 

[Imran Khan]

will not trust until i see landed in multan a pic or video of sunny day at bin qasim airport

 

[khanasifm]

6 aim 9 or 16 anti tank or 4 rocket pod with 18 rockets each or 4 gunpods

Total 6 external hard points

Paa order 2 less than approved number of 15 not sure if the armament was also reduced or remained the same

Plus side aam launches can also add additional sensor such as chaff or ew related

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Sell these to any country in North America or South America and get money , add to DAM fund
These 10 units won't make much difference

These choppers are expandable if we attain them sell them if the indeed arrived

If we can recover 800-900 Million from these chopper sale Pakistan would appreciate getting money back

 

[mingle]

There is, just pay the remainder that the FMF did not finance.
I think these choppers may come up during Mattis visit.


Nope , which is why unlike many here I don’t gripe about this purchase as it was never “our” money unlike the F-16s

I hope with New Govt things will get back to normal and better. David Hale gone with very good note and I think his brief back home put Gen Dunsford along with pompeo . If Mattis comes it would be very good means whole American establishment is here in Pak.Trump he is nobody.

Sell these to any country in North America or South America and get money , add to DAM fund
These 10 units won't make much difference

These choppers are expandable if we attain them sell them if the indeed arrived

If we can recover 800-900 Million from these chopper sale Pakistan would appreciate getting money back

We will get our Helis along with other goodies things will better after these visits.