2023: first tenders/bidders selected. RAF Puma HC.2 replacement delayed yet again. To 2027, now? ..

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https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopter ... 61.article

UK delays tender process for Puma helicopter replacement

21 October 2022

UK defence officials have pushed back the start of the tender process for the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) programme,
potentially delaying the arrival of the new rotorcraft.

When the Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued a request for information relating to the NMH in late 2021,
selection of the winning bidder was expected by early 2023.

However, under a revised timeline,
the MoD is now not expected to issue invitations to negotiate
– essentially the precise requirements for the programme –
to manufacturers until the first quarter of 2023,
according to two sources familiar with the matter.

No potential delay to the other key programme milestones has been disclosed;
the MoD has previously said it wants deliveries of the winning NMH candidate to begin in 2025
to meet the proposed out-of-service date for the Royal Air Force’s (RAF’s) 23-strong Puma HC2 fleet.

But with detailed specifications, including the size of the purchase and its budget, not set to be revealed before the new year,
there will be serious doubts about the ability of bidders to meet a severely compressed timeline,
particularly if new production lines need to be established.

Additionally, the turmoil in Downing Street – and pressure to slash governmental spending – could also impact the procurement.

Formally launching the NMH programme in May this year,
via a contract notice and dynamic pre-qualification questionnaire (DPQQ),
the MoD said it was seeking 36-44 helicopters in a contract worth £900 million to £1.2 billion, also covering training and support.

Based on exchange rates at the time, that gave a budget worth $1.1-1.4 billion –
a figure that has since declined to $1-1.3 billion given the lower value of sterling against the US dollar.

The MoD said it would also notify those companies it wished to participate in the tender process by 30 September 2022–
FG understands that will now take place in the coming weeks, potentially before the end of the month.

Likely participants include Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo Helicopters –
both of which have pledged to build their respective H175M and AW149 rotorcraft in the UK if selected –
and Sikorsky, which has yet to detail its plans for local content on the proposed S-70M.

NH Industries is also a potential candidate with its NH90 helicopter.
It is understood to have responded to the DPQQ despite the presence of shareholders Airbus and Leonardo in the contest.

Other companies thought to have submitted replies to the MoD’s pre-qualification questionnaire include
Bell with its 525 Relentless, and
UK start-up AceHawk Aerospace, which is pitching the ML-70 – a heavily modernised pre-owned UH-60 Black Hawk –
as a lower cost but high-capability solution.

The MoD was not immediately available to comment on the procurement schedule.
However, answering a written parliamentary question on 18 October 2022,
defence minister Alec Shelbrooke said responses to the DPQQ are “being evaluated to determine a shortlist of credible suppliers.

“The second half of the competition, in which we will ask the selected suppliers to provide more detailed responses,
is due to be launched later this financial year.”
That period runs until 31 March 2023.

Beside its role as a Puma successor,
the NMH is also intended to replace three other types in UK service:

Bell 212s and 412s respectively based in Brunei and Cyprus,
and Airbus Helicopters AS365 Dauphins operated in support of special forces missions.

But the Puma has been selected to take over the operations in Brunei and Cyprus on a temporary basis,
potentially extending the HC2’s retirement date to 2027,
one source has suggested.

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...wie het in het Nederlands nog eens wil nalezen:

Excerpt/uitsnede/citaat:

In een eerder artikel deden we een eerste analyse van de mogelijke kandidaten en kwamen we tot zeven fabrikanten:

-Airbus Helicopters met de H175M die deels in de UK zou worden geassembleerd

-Leonardo Helicopters met de AW149M die in Yeovil zal worden gebouwd

-Sikorsky met de (Poolse) S-70M Black Hawk met (voorlopig onbekende) lokale inbreng

-Bell met de militaire 412EPX of misschien een militaire 525M

-Boeing met de MH-139 Grey Wolf (een Leonardo / Boeing toestel)

-NHi met de NH90 zou ook interesse tonen voor het project - kans is zeer klein maar zou een compromis kunnen zijn om zowel Airbus als Leonardo de bestelling te geven.

ACEHawk biedt een interessant alternatief aan (tweedehands UH-60 Blackhawks...) maar blijkbaar is dit idee verworpen

Als we twee afvallers moeten kiezen,
want er worden slechts vijf kandidaten toegestaan,
zal dit waarschijnlijk gaan tussen Bell, NHI, Boeing en ACEHawk.

Leonardo, Airbus Helicopters en Sikorsky zijn zekere kandidaten.

Wordt ongetwijfeld vervolgd...

https://helispot.nl/hs/page/detail.asp? ... ub=logboek heeft meer informatie.

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https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopter ... 79.article

1 November 2022

Defence officials have whittled down the number of bidders for the UK’s New Medium Helicopter (NMH) contest to four companies following an initial selection process.

Airbus Helicopters, Boeing, Leonardo Helicopters and Sikorsky
all successfully passed the dynamic pre-qualification questionnaire (DPQQ)
issued to interested parties by the Ministry of Defence (MoD),
Bidders were informed of their progress on 31 October 2022.

Airbus Helicopters is offering the H175M,
Leonardo Helicopters the AW149 – to be built in Broughton and Yeovil, respectively – and
Sikorsky the S-70M Black Hawk.

Boeing’s interest in the requirement is unclear given the lack of a suitable aircraft in its range:
the only medium helicopter it could offer is the MH-139, which is based on Leonardo’s best-selling AW139.

However, two sources suggest Boeing may instead be interested in the support and training elements of the procurement.

Seemingly dropping out of the race are
Bell,
NH Industries (NH90...)
and AceHawk Aerospace, which was proposing the ML-70 – an upgraded pre-owned UH-60 Black Hawk.

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Airbus Helicopters sees strong interest in the H175M – the military version of the super-medium-twin – and is already completing the integration of its HForce modular weapons system onto the platform.

Meanwhile, its services and support arm is seeking inventory for part-out, and is already eyeing the UK’s Puma fleet.

Speaking to journalists at the airframer’s Marigane site on 15 February 2023,
programme manager Jerome Fagot said
the M-model variant had been launched last June with the intention of diversifying the H175’s customer base.

He says “the first big campaign” is the UK’s New Medium Helicopter (NMH) requirement
for up to 44 helicopters to replace the Royal Air Force’s Puma HC2 transports,
plus three smaller rotorcraft sub-fleets.

If selected for NMH, Airbus Helicopters would build H175Ms for the UK and export at a new assembly line in Broughton, North Wales.

Although winning the contest in the UK “could have a huge impact” on the programme,
Fagot points out that “the [H175]M was not launched only for NMH”.

But in anticipation of military requirements, Airbus Helicopters in 2021 built an H175 that was free of Chinese content.

Separately, Airbus Helicopters appears to be keen on the acquisition of the UK’s Puma fleet
for part-out when the helicopters leave service in the coming years,
potentially adding a further dimension to its interest in NMH.

Christoph Zammert, executive vice-president customer support and services,
says those assets would allow the manufacturer to keep other operators of the legacy type flying.

“Providing the price is right and the documentation there, we would be interested in buying them back.”

Airbus Helicopters has already acquired several civil rotorcraft – 13 H120s and three H135s – for dismantling,
with its “harvest list” including dynamic components, landing gears and avionics equipment.

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Leonardo Helicopters confirms UK NMH schedule slip
UK defence officials appear to have delayed the next phase of the ongoing New Medium Helicopter (NMH) contest,
otentially pushing back the service-entry target for the Puma replacement platform.

Having down-selected bidders in September last year,
the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) was supposed to issue the invitation to negotiate (ITN) to the three remaining contenders by the end of the first quarter 2023,
according to the most recent schedule.

However, the ITN – essentially the detailed specification, quantity and budget for the procurement –
is now unlikely to arrive before mid-year 2023,
according to Leonardo Helicopters.

Stefano Villanti, senior vice-president of sales and marketing at Leonardo Helicopters,
says the ITN is now expected to be released in May or June 2023,

although the MoD “has not specified an exact date”;
contract award is now anticipated in 2024, he adds.

Under the MoD’s initial schedule,
eliveries were meant to begin in 2025
allowing the progressive retirement of the Royal Air Force’s fleet of Puma HC2 transports.

But Villanti says the date for the first delivery was not specified at the industry day.
“The process has dragged on for longer [than expected] so 2025 is going be a challenge,” he adds.

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https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopter ... 64.article

Sikorsky could build Black Hawk helicopters in the UK, including those for the export market,
should it be successful in an ongoing contest to replace the Royal Air Force’s fleet of Puma HC2 transports.

Speaking to reporters at the Paris air show 2023 this morning,
Paul Lemmo, president of the US rotorcraft manufacturer,
said it was preparing “a very robust industrial package”
as part of its offer for the UK’s New Medium Helicopter (NMH) contest.

Sikorsky had previously appeared to be leaning towards offering S-70Ms built by its Polish subsidiary PZL Mielec, with UK industrial needs addressed through local completion and installation of mission equipment.

But Lemmo says it has “a lot of options… including doing final assembly in the UK” in collaboration with “the most capable partners”.

Sikorsky has “had some discussions with partners that might be willing” to perform final assembly in the UK, but does not disclose their identities.

Airbus Helicopters and Leonardo Helicopters, Sikorsky’s rivals for the NMH tender,
have promised to build their respective H175M and AW149 in the UK if they are successful,
including those for export customers.

Sikorsky’s existing European production base in Mielec appeared to preclude such an outcome,
but Lemmo now says exports from a UK factory are “certainly possible”.

“It depends on the variant the UK buys. If they buy a variant that is heavily required by other countries, why wouldn’t we do that?

“[But] if they buy a variant that looks like every other Black Hawk? Yeah, maybe not.”

Lemmo stresses, however, that the company has not finalised its approach to the NMH competition
and will make a decision “once we have seen the tender”.

Having revealed its shortlist of bidders in October 2022, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) was expected to have released the detail of its requirements by the middle of this year.

However, this now appears to have slipped to September 2023
at the earliest.

Under the £1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) NMH competition,
the MoD is looking to acquire up to 44 helicopters for service entry in 2025.