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| German EC135 (Wiki Info) |
Australia’s leading helicopter producer, Australian Aerospace, will bid as prime contractor on the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) Project AIR9000 Phase 7 Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS) tender. The HATS program will provide an aircrew training capability for Army and Navy to meet the future rotary wing training needs of the ADF.
Australian Aerospace will offer an innovative, low risk and cost effective aircrew training solution based on parent-company Eurocopter’s EC135 platform.
Dr Jens Goennemann, CEO Australian Aerospace announced the bid, highlighting: “Australian Aerospace’s proposal will build on the Company’s training systems design capability, its extensive Australian civil and military aircraft support infrastructure and the superiority of the EC135, the industry’s reference twin-engine training and light utility helicopter.”
“Australian Aerospace has a proud history of developing and implementing Army and Navy aircrew and technical training solutions for the ARH Tiger and MRH90 and has worked closely with Army to support the development of its pilot training framework. Our experience on these programs, coupled with the extensive training capabilities of the Eurocopter Group, allows us to provide the ADF with an optimised and effective training system” said Dr Goennemann.
Discussions are proceeding with a number of potential industry bid subcontractors.
More than 1000 EC135 aircraft are flying worldwide and have amassed over 2.2 million flight hours to date. The helicopter is used in many military training programs including by the German Army and Japanese Navy. In Australia, the Victorian and New South Wales police forces also operate the aircraft. The EC135 offers aircrew an ideal introduction to modern combat and multi-role helicopters including MRH90 and ARH Tiger.”
“Australian Aerospace’s bid maintains our Company’s commitment to long-term in-country support of the Australian Defence Force. If selected, we will offer a complete and comprehensive aircrew training capability for the long-haul, utilising our international experience to build on our local expertise and industrial footprint”, said Dr Goennemann.