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Russian Aircraft Purchase Draws Congressional Ire

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(Jan. 7) – In December 2007, the Pentagon gave a no-bid contract worth more than $300 million to ARINC, a Maryland company, to buy 22 Russian helicopters that were urgently needed for Iraq's nascent military. Two years later, even after all of the money has been paid out, none of the helicopters have been delivered, the costs have increased and it's unclear when, if ever, the helicopters will be delivered.

Now, the Pentagon's quiet purchase of nearly a billion dollars worth of Russian helicopters for Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan is drawing fire from Congress. Democrats and Republicans are is questioning the military's rationale for buying the foreign equipment and blasting the price paid for aircraft that are traditionally cheaper to purchase and maintain.

And cheaper may not be the case now.

Contracts obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show considerable difference between the base price of the helicopters from Russia and the price paid through the U.S. government to ARINC, the prime contractor. The Russian subcontractor, Airfreight Aviation, offered the Russian helicopters for about $7.9 million each. ARINC then sold the helicopters, with Western modifications, for a unit price of between about $12.5 million and $13.5 million. Delivery delays increased the price even more.

"We find it disturbing that the cost per unit has gone up significantly compared to nine years ago," a Senate aide familiar with the issue told Sphere.

Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., blasted the deal last month in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Dodd complained that the Russian equipment was bought in a way that "rewards foreign companies with single-source contracts" and does not provide adequate oversight of the deals. "In sum, the United States has spent over $800 million of taxpayer funds on Russian airframes without ever conducting an analysis of alternatives or considering other airframes for the mission," Dodd wrote. The letter was co-signed by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.

Connecticut is home to American helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky.

Richard Shelby, a Republican senator from Alabama, another state with a substantial helicopter industrial base, demanded in a separate letter that the Pentagon stop purchasing Russian helicopters until a thorough analysis could be conducted. He also criticized the Iraqi deal, noting that "the $345 million U.S./Iraqi acquisition contract is nearly a year behind schedule and the cost of airframes has skyrocketed."

The Pentagon has acknowledged difficulties associated with buying Russian equipment, but defends the purchases for Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan as the most appropriate aircraft for these countries, which have experience operating Russian helicopters.

Pentagon officials speaking on background have said the delays and cost increases are the partly the result of getting the U.S. State Department to agree to allow the integration of Western equipment on foreign aircraft, which requires sharing technical details with the Russians. ARINC, in the meantime, has been given a contract for an additional 10 helicopters for Afghanistan. Those helicopters also have not been delivered yet.

The Pentagon's policy on buying Russian helicopters is complicated by another factor: the U.S has sanctions placed on Russian's arms export agency, Rosoboronexport, for allegedly selling weapons to Iran. Those sanctions, in theory, prevent the U.S. government from buying any military equipment from Russia.

To get around the sanctions, the Pentagon sought and received a waiver specifically allowing it to buy Russian helicopters, creating the bizarre situation whereby the U.S. government is exempting the only major military equipment it buys from Russia.

Buying Russian helicopters has always been a tricky business for the U.S. government. During the Cold War, the U.S. quietly bought Russian equipment, including helicopters, in order to test the Soviets' military capabilities. Such purchases often required dealing with gunrunners and arms smugglers.

The CIA has also bought Russian helicopters to operate for its own clandestine air wing, including for its 2001 Jawbreaker operations in Afghanistan that helped bring down the Taliban. Two people involved in those helicopter purchases – an Army official and a contractor – were brought to trial and sent to prison in 2007 in connection with that deal.

Over the past several years, many of the Pentagon's purchases were handled through an obscure office in Huntsville, Ala., known as the Threat Systems Management Office, which specializes in obtaining foreign equipment for simulation. But as the contracts for Iraq and Afghanistan mounted, so did the problems.

In one case, VIP Russian helicopters bought to transport Afghan President Hamid Karzai – and equipped with flat-panel TVs and leather chairs – had to be sent back to the company that bought them and modified when they proved too heavy to fly safely.

Part of the confusion is rooted in the ad hoc nature of the purchases: The United States has bought Russian helicopters for Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan using a variety of appropriated funds intended to quickly help U.S allies. Last year, President Obama ordered the delivery of four Russian helicopters to Pakistan in response to a high-level request from the country.

A Pakistani official later criticized the helicopters, saying several of the aircraft were unflyable.

ARINC, which has previously declined to comment on the Iraq contract, did not respond to questions about the current status of the helicopters. The Dubai-based Russian subcontractor, Airfreight Aviation Ltd., which is responsible for buying and modifying the helicopters, did not respond to e-mailed questions.

The Army and the Pentagon were not able to provide any comment about the contract or the congressional queries by publication time.

In the meantime, Congress is still waiting for an answer. Language inserted in the recently signed 2010 defense spending bill requires the Pentagon to report on its plans for purchasing more Russian helicopters for Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing," the Senate aide said. "We'd like to see better oversight."
Pentagon's Purchase of Russian Aircraft Draws Congressional Ire - Sphere News
 
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The S-70A helicopter is the export version of the multi-mission Black Hawk developed by Sikorsky.

The UH-60 Black Hawk has been operational in the US Army since 1978, and variants of the Black Hawk are operational or have been ordered by 25 international customers: the Argentine Air Force, Royal Australian Army, Bahrain, Brazil, Brunei, Chile, Colombian Air Force, Egypt, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan Self Defence Force, Jordan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, People's Republic of China, Royal Saudi Land Forces Army Aviation Command, the Turkish Jandarma, Spain, The Philippine Air Force, Taiwan, and Thailand.

More than 2,000 H-60 variants are in service with the US Military and more than 600 exported.

"The S-70A helicopter is the export version of the multi-mission Black Hawk."S-70A / UH-60 orders

In July 2006, Saudi Arabia requested 24 UH-60L helicopters. In June 2007, Columbia ordered 15 UH-60L helicopters. In June 2007, Bahrain became the first international customer for the UH-60M, with an order for nine helicopters for the Royal Bahraini Air Force. In June 2007, Brazil requested the FMS of six UH-60L helicopters. In November 2007, the United Arab Emirates placed an order for ten S-70A helicopters.

In September 2008, Egypt requested the sale of four UH-60M helicopters and United Arab Emirates (UAE) requested 14 UH-60M helicopters.

The aircraft have logged over four million flying hours, including a diverse range of combat missions in Grenada, Panama, in the liberation of Kuwait, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq and numerous humanitarian and rescue missions including operations in Bosnia.

The helicopters are manufactured at the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation production facilities based in Stratford, Connecticut, USA. Licensed production of Black Hawk helicopters is also carried out in Japan and the Republic of Korea.

The primary mission of the Black Hawk helicopter is as a troop carrier and logistical support aircraft, but in addition the helicopter can be configured to carry out medical evacuation, command-and-control, search-and-rescue, armed escort, electronic warfare and executive transport missions.

UH-60M upgrade programme
In April 2001, the US Army approved an upgrade programme for more than 1,500 Black Hawks to UH-60M standard. The first flight of the UH60M took place in September 2003 and three helicopters have been delivered for the test programme.

"The UH-60M features new wide chord composite spar main rotor blades."The US Army initially decided to opt for new build helicopters rather than upgrade existing airframes.

The new-build helicopter entered low-rate initial production (LRIP) in April 2005. The first of 22 new UH-60Ms was delivered in July 2006. Initial operational evaluation (OPEVAL) is underway and a decision on full-rate production of 1,227 helicopters was authorised in December 2007 with the award of a five-year contract.

Under this contract six UH-60M utility and 20 HH-60M combat rescue helicopters were ordered in March 2008.

In December 2007, the US Army ordered 11 low-rate initial production (LRIP) upgrade UH60M. The UH-60M upgrade completed its maiden flight in August 2008. Deliveries of 900 upgraded aircraft are scheduled to begin in late 2010.

The UH-60M features new wide chord composite spar main rotor blades (which will provide 500lb more lift than the current UH-60L blade), strengthened fuselage and advanced infrared suppression.

The fly-by-wire glass cockpit has a digitised 1553 bus-based avionics suite with four Rockwell Collins multi-function displays, four-axis fully-coupled autopilot, two Canadian Marconi (CMC) electronic flight management systems, dual Honeywell embedded GPS inertial (EGI) navigation system, digital moving map and Goodrich integrated vehicle health management system (IHVMS).

The new General Electric T700-GE-701D engine (with full authority digital electronic control) is more powerful and provides additional lift during sling load operations.

Black Hawk design

Black Hawk has low detectability and outstanding nap-of-the-earth flight capabilities. The aircraft is tolerant to small arms fire and most high-explosive, medium-calibre (23mm) projectiles. The flight controls are ballistically hardened and the helicopter is equipped with redundant electric and hydraulic systems.

"The S-70A Black Hawk cabin provides accommodation for 11 fully equipped troops or four litters."The helicopter has the ability to absorb high-impact velocities. The fuel system is crash-resistant and self-sealing. The crew seats and the landing gear are energy absorbing.

Helicopter cockpit

The helicopter is flown by a crew of three: the pilot and the copilot at the flight deck and one crew member in the cabin. The S-70A helicopter is equipped with a glass cockpit and digital avionics.

In addition, S-70 customers may select a digital automated flight computer system (AFCS) to simplify pilot workload. An electronic flight information system (EFIS) provides primary pilotage and navigation displays for the aircrew.

S-70A weapons

The S-70 is qualified as a launch platform for the laser-guided Hellfire anti-armour missile. The Black Hawk can carry 16 Hellfire missiles using the external stores support system (ESSS). The ESSS has the capability of carrying a 10,000lb payload of missiles, rockets, cannons and electronic countermeasures pods. The helicopter can also accommodate additional missiles, supplies or personnel inside the cabin.

The S-70 can mount 7.62mm or .50-calibre machine guns in the windows.

US Army Black Hawks are being fitted with the Goodrich AN/AVR-2B laser threat warning system, to enter service from 2006.

Cargo

The cabin provides accommodation for 11 fully equipped troops or four litters (stretcher patients) with a medical officer for medical evacuation missions.

"The S-70A helicopter is tolerant to small arms fire."The cabin is equipped with a ventilation and heating system. The S-70A can carry external loads up to 9,000lb (4,072kg) on the cargo hook - for example, a 155mm howitzer. The main cabin can be cleared of troop seats for transportation of cargo. Additional stores can be carried on the external stores support system.

Communications

The S-70A is equipped with a voice and data communications suite including VHF, UHF communications, an identification friend or foe (IFF) transponder, secure voice communications, satellite communications and an intercom system.

Engines

The S-70A is equipped with two General Electric turboshaft engines, type T700-GE-701C. US Army Blackhawks are being fitted with latest version, the 701D, which is rated at 2,000shp.

The internal fuel tanks have a capacity of 1,360l. Auxiliary fuel can be carried with 1,400l in two internal fuel tanks and 1,740l externally.
 
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More than 12,000 Mi-8 (NATO codename Hip) multi-purpose helicopters have been produced, with more than 2,800 exported, and they are operational with over 50 air forces worldwide.

The helicopters are manufactured by the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant JSC in Moscow, the Kazan Helicopter Plant JSC in Kazan and the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant, and are available in civil and military versions. The military variants include the Mi-8T transport, VIP transport, electronic warfare, reconnaissance, Mi-8TV armed version and the search and rescue Mi-8MPS.

Recent orders include: 40 Mi-8TV helicopters for India fitted with Vikhr-M (AT-16) air-to-surface missiles (delivered by the end of 2001), a number of Mi-17s for Iran, ten for Malaysia, 20 to Columbia, six for India, 12 for Pakistan and 20 for Venezuela (deliveries began February 2006). In February 2005, the Iraqi Air Force ordered ten Mi-17V-5 from Bumar of Poland. In December 2005, the Czech Army received 16 Mi-17SH helicopters as part of a debt settlement with Russia. These helicopters have been donated to the Army of Afghanistan. The first three were handed over in December 2007.

In November 2006, the Indian Air Force announced the procurement of a further 80 Mi-17-1V helicopters for delivery in 2007-2008 and a planned procurement of 197 helicopters for the Indian Army.

In July 2002, Kazan signed an international marketing agreement with BAE Systems of the UK and Kelowna Flightcraft of Canada for an upgraded version, the Mi-172 medium-utility and transport helicopter. The Mi-172 has a new mission system from BAE Systems Avionics, new glass cockpit with Honeywell electronic flight instrument system and BAE Systems' Titan 385 stabilised multi-sensor turret. The upgraded helicopter has been ordered by the Kazakhstan Air Force.

In 2007, Croatia placed an order for 10 Mi-171Sh helicopters as part of the discharge of debt owed to Croatia by the Russian Federation. The first two were delivered in December 2007.

M-17 HIP MULTIMISSION HELCOPTER

The improved version of the Mi-8 is the Mi-17 Hip multi-purpose helicopter, also known as the Mi-8TMB. It is specifically designed for improved capabilities at high altitudes and in hot weather conditions.

The Mi-17 is identifiable from the Mi-8 by the additional air filters on the turbine air intakes, as well as left hand side mounted tail rotor, required by the more powerful TB-3-117A turboshaft engines it is fitted with.

MI-8T TRANSPORT HELICOPTER

The Mi-8T military-transport helicopter is configured with a conventional pod and boom, with a tail rotor and non-retractable tricycle nosewheel landing gear. The five-bladed rotor is made from aluminium alloy.

The cockpit accommodates three crew: commander, navigator and flight mechanic. The cockpit and the main cabin are heated and air conditioning is optional. An oxygen system is provided for the crew and for casualties in the ambulance and rescue variants of the helicopter.

"The Mi-8's external cargo sling is rated to carry 3,000kg."The survivability features of the Mi-8 include crew cabin armour plating, explosive-resistant foam filling in the fuel tanks, a fire-fighting system and duplicated and standby hydraulic and power systems and main control circuits. De-icing systems are installed.

MI-8 CARGO SYSTEMS

The helicopter's landing-transport equipment can be used to load light towed combat material and armament via winches and to rescue people from the ground or from the sea by an electrically operated hoist (200kg capacity).

The cabin has cargo tie-down points on the floor. Ramps are provided for loading vehicles. The cabin can accommodate twelve litters (stretchers). The external cargo sling is rated to carry 3,000kg.

KLIMOV TURBOSHAFT ENGINES

The Mi-8T helicopter is powered by two Klimov TV2-117 turboshafts engines. Deflectors are installed on the engine air intakes to prevent ingestion of dust when taking off from unprepared pads. The helicopters also have an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) for self-contained operations.

The helicopter carries 1,870l of fuel in two flexible internal tanks and two external tanks. The total fuel capacity can be increased to 3,700l by installing up to two ferry tanks in the cabin.

MI-8TV ARMED HELICOPTER

The armed variant, designated Mi-8TV, is fitted with 7.62mm built-in machine guns and six external weapons racks with S-5 rockets. The helicopter can also deploy AT-2 Swatter 9M 17P Skorpion anti-tank missiles. The helicopter's weapon sighting system is the PKV collimating sight. Mi-8TV is also capable of laying minefields.

The armed Mi-8TV helicopters are fitted with more powerful TV3-117VMA engines, which give an improved hovering ceiling (3,950m compared to the 1,760m of the Mi-8MT). The maximum slung payload of the armed helicopter is increased to 4,000kg.

A Hot Brick infrared jammer can be fitted, and six ASO-2V flare dispensers are installed: three to the port and three to the starboard side of the fuselage.

MI-8MPS SEARCH AND RESCUE HELICOPTER

"The armed Mi-8TV helicopters are fitted with more powerful TV3-117VMA engines."The Mi-8MPS search and rescue helicopter was developed from the military transport helicopter. In rescue missions, the helicopter crew drop radio-beacons to mark the distress area and deliver rescue teams to aid and recover the casualties.

The helicopter can lift ten people at a time on a sling via a PSN-10 life raft and is provided with an emergency landing device that ensures buoyancy for up to 30 minutes.

The fuselage of the Mi-8MPS incorporates specific modifications for search and rescue missions, including a larger entrance door, two starboard hatches, a raft container and external additional fuel tanks. Other equipment includes PNKV-8PS pilot/navigation system, YuR-40.1 radar system, TAPAS thermal search and rescue equipment, an airborne jib with LPG-300 winch and scoop

SPACECRAFT RECOVERY

For spacecraft recovery the Mi-8MPS helicopter delivers operational and technical groups with rescue equipment to the landing zone.

Instrument and visual search methods are used to locate spacecraft returning from space missions and parachuting into landing zones. The helicopter is used to recover the cosmonaut and return him to base. Space objects weighing up to 3,000kg are transported by sling to the nearest aerodrome
 
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Russia should ban transfer of military hardware to US and send some vodka instead, against the payments.
This is fair bussiness in US.
 
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hahahahahahaha vodka russians arme asssss hole and very very clever than usa
 
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Good example of Mig29 SMT and aircraft carrier, they raise almost billion dollar price tag during upgrades.....Russian are pushing hard India to look in different direction...
 
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