ARH-70
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The Bell Helicopter Textron ARH-70 is a U.S. Army armed reconnaissance helicopter, with a crew of 2 and optimized for urban combat. It is built with off-the-shelf technology and is based on the Bell 407. Currently in development, it will replace the Army's aging OH-58D Kiowa Warrior recon helicopters. It takes over part of the mission that the abandoned RAH-66 Comanche would have been responsible for.
Development
The U.S. Army had lost over 20 of its 368 OH-58D aircraft through accidents and combat losses, many in Iraq. So, with no aircraft left in the inventory for replacement, and with the OH-58D's themselves built from aging Vietnam-era airframes, and following the cancellation of the RAH-66 Comanche in February 2004, the Army issued a request for proposals (RFP) for an Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) in September 2004. In a polar opposite to the long development cycle and high costs of the Comanche, the ARH was to use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology and reach operational status in 4 years; unprecedented for modern aviation programs. The goal: to have an operational unit of 30 helicopters and 8 trainers ready by September 2008.
Two companies submitted bids:
- Boeing proposed the upgraded version of the MH-6 Little Bird, the MH-6M Mission Enhanced Little Bird (MELB), currently in service with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. The current production of the aircraft made the proposal a significant favorite to minimize any development concerns, although it was questionable whether or not MD Helicopters Inc. (MDHI) could ramp up production to meet the contract's demands. To alleviate this concern, Boeing offered itself as the prime contractor with MDHI as a very critical subcontractor.
- Bell Helicopter Textron proposed an update of the OH-58D concept in a militarized version of the Bell 407, utilizing a more powerful Honeywell HTS900 turbine engine and the Bell 427 tail assembly. With Bell's existing Army supply chain for the OH-58, their proposal would capitalize on existing support infrastructure, a major consideration.
See also
External links
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