Bell ARH-70
| Bell ARH-70 | |
|---|---|
 Bell ARH-70 prototype |
|
| Type: | Armed reconnaissance helicopter |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
July 20, 2006 |
| Commissioning: |
Flight tests canceled in 2008 |
| Production time: |
Was never mass-produced |
| Number of pieces: |
4th |
The Bell ARH-70 was a reconnaissance helicopter in development designed to replace the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior . The program was canceled on October 16, 2008 after technical problems and massive cost overruns. The ARH-70 has also been referred to as Arapaho in the US media , although the US military announced in a press release that it was not an official name. The ARH-70 was originally designated as the RAH-70A, which initially adopted the designation scheme of the RAH-66 Comanche . According to Bell Helicopter, the development of the ARH was 50% complete.
development
The development of the ARH-70 (ARH = A rmed R econnaissance H elicopter) can be attributed to the high losses of the OH-58D in Iraq war 2003. lead. The aging Kiowa Warrior could no longer meet the requirements of urban warfare, which is why it was originally to be replaced by the RAH-66 Comanche . At this point in time, this had already been in development for 20 years, which was reflected in massive cost overruns. When it was found that the Comanche was also unsuitable for urban warfare because it had too little armor due to its stealth properties , the program was discontinued. Since the losses of the OH-58 continued, the need for replacements was still there, which is why they wanted to purchase UAVs first . However, at this point in time there was no vertically starting pattern available that would have shown sufficient performance. So the US Army started looking for a replacement model that could be used at short notice. As a result, both Boeing and Bell submitted various proposals. Boeing's proposal consisted of a revised MH-6 Little Bird , the MH-6M Mission Enhanced Little Bird (MELB). Bell's proposal provided for a revision of the Bell 407 , which should be equipped with a more powerful turbine to meet the higher requirements. On July 29, 2005 Bell received the order and a contract for the construction of 368 helicopters, whereby the total requirements of the US Army were determined for 512 machines.
In order to be able to perform the military task, a number of changes had to be made to the original pattern. Several additional systems have been installed, such as warning systems, FLIR , laser target finders, as well as comprehensive navigation and communication systems. Parts of the fuselage have been reinforced to withstand fire. The resulting higher total weight is offset by the more powerful Honeywell HTS900-2 turbine.
On July 20, 2006, the test program started at the XworX facility in Arlington, Texas with the maiden flight of the first ARH-70A prototype Bell. However, development was delayed after one of four prototypes crashed on February 21, 2007. On March 22, 2007, the US Army stopped the program after development costs rose from $ 210 million to over $ 300 million. After giving Bell 30 days to work out a plan to contain the cost overrun, work continued on May 18 of that year. When more recent cost estimates found a budget overrun of 40%, Nunn-McCurdy was commissioned on July 9, 2008 to review the ARH-70 program. In August 2008, following instructions from the US Army, work was suspended again until the Nunn-McCurdy final report was presented. When a total cost overrun of approx. 70% was expected, the development of the ARH-70 was completely stopped. In the meantime, no successor model for the Kiowa has been selected. Both unmanned systems and a new helicopter are named as possible alternatives.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| Hull length | 10.57 m |
| Rotor diameter | 10.66 m |
| height | 3.31 m |
| Payload | 847 kg |
| Empty mass | 1,178 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 2,722 kg |
| Top speed | 259 km / h |
| Marching speed | 209 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 4,115 m |
| Floating height |
|
| Climb performance | 6.4 m / s |
| Range | 580 km |
| Engines | a Honeywell HTS900-2 gas turbine with 970 WPS (723 kW) |
| Armament |
|
literature
- Claudio Müller: Airplanes of the World 2008 . ISBN 978-3-613-02847-0 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Army Press Service. "Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter program halted, need for capability remains" . Army News. October 17, 2008, accessed June 26, 2017.
- ^ Aviation Modernization Program to Field Lakota, Modify Current Helos
- ↑ The Bell ARH-70A. (No longer available online.) Bell Helicopter, archived from the original on May 19, 2007 ; accessed on August 9, 2010 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ GlobalSecurity.org, accessed October 1, 2007.
- ^ Filling Comanche's Shoes
- ↑ "ARH-70A First Flight!" ( Memento of the original from July 17, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Bell, July 20, 2006.
- ↑ "Army's ARH Prototype Makes Crash Landing" ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Aviation Week, February 21, 2007.
- ^ US Army orders Bell to stop work on ARH and come up with new plan ( Memento from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ). Flight International. Retrieved March 24, 2007.
- ↑ Army to Continue with Bell Helicopter / Textron Inc. for Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter ( Memento of the original from June 13, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , U.S. Army, May 18, 2007.
- ↑ "ARH Breaches Nunn-McCurdy Caps" ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Aviation Week, July 10, 2008.
- ↑ Bell ARH-70 page ( Memento of the original from May 19, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Bell 407 specifications page ( Memento of the original from March 2, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
