Hot new helicopter/rotorcraft news

[JTS11]

I don’t think if you get rid of HMX you get those people back. I think the USMC budget just gets cut by that amount of billets.

Yeah, I don't disagree with that statement. I guess my previous post was more in the line of "if I was king for a day" WRT the MC being involved in this mission,. Especially since they've long shed the H-53 and H-46s, and no longer do any OT work.

It's obviously an incredibly important mission. The downsides are the fact that they basically get first dibs on pilots regardless of other fleet needs, and same/same for parts. It is what it is...

 

[Flash]

What's going on with VH-92A??

Sikorsky VH-92As still not carrying the US president, 21 years after replacement effort began

Last June during a business event in Connecticut, Sikorsky president Paul Lemmo said the company's VH-92A Patriot helicopter would take over presidential transport missions flown by VH-3D and VH-60N helicopters "completely" by this spring. That still has not happened.

www.flightglobal.com

All the extra gear (and there is a lot of it) has to be integrated, tested and all good to go 100% before it can start flying the President so it shouldn't be a surprise it is taking much longer than normal to get it FOC. The fact it is not using an already operational platform probably makes it that much harder.

 

[pilot_throwaway]

US Army’s Black Hawks to get 50% more powerful T901 engines in 2025

Following successful testing, the US Army is looking to fit its fleet of Black Hawks with the new GE T901 engines next year.

interestingengineering.com

Don’t see any mention of transmission changes, I wonder if the supposed 50% power increase will actually be fully available to use if it’s just a plug-and-play replacement for the T700s.

 

[phrogdriver]

Yeah, I don't disagree with that statement. I guess my previous post was more in the line of "if I was king for a day" WRT the MC being involved in this mission,. Especially since they've long shed the H-53 and H-46s, and no longer do any OT work.

It's obviously an incredibly important mission. The downsides are the fact that they basically get first dibs on pilots regardless of other fleet needs, and same/same for parts. It is what it is...

Their budget doesn't detract from other USMC programs. The degree to which they steal parts from the fleet is grossly exaggerated.

As for people, they provide a lot of learning back to the fleet, both on the pilot and maintainer side.

The USMC is really the only service that can pull this mission off. The USAF doesn’t care about helicopters. The Navy wouldn’t want the mission. The Army’s commissioned officers don’t have the flight time and they don’t trust their warrants with the kind of responsibility HMX pilots routinely get, especially as WHLOs.

Besides, the prestige and visibility of the mission pays benefits to the Corps, too.

 

[IKE]

US Army’s Black Hawks to get 50% more powerful T901 engines in 2025

Following successful testing, the US Army is looking to fit its fleet of Black Hawks with the new GE T901 engines next year.

interestingengineering.com

Don’t see any mention of transmission changes, I wonder if the supposed 50% power increase will actually be fully available to use if it’s just a plug-and-play replacement for the T700s.

Short answer: torque limits are driven by the transmission -- same transmission = same limits.

Long answer:

• The extra power, I think, is more of a selling point for FVL use. But it also means more power available when you're not torque-limited (higher altitudes; single-engine).
• Time on wing (longevity) is a great justification for new engines.
• I'd be wary of the touted 25% improvement in fuel efficiency. Those numbers are usually given at design point, max power, or max range. If you're running a 2700-hp engine at the 1800-hp point, YMMV.

 

[Hotdogs]

As for people, they provide a lot of learning back to the fleet, both on the pilot and maintainer side.

Hah. Not compared to the their peers. The vast majority of Marines who stay in the FMF and actually deploy in support of named operations in the air or on the ground gain more invaluable joint and combined experience at the tactical and operational levels - which is exceedingly more relevant to our primary Title 10 responsibilities. No one cares about how sexy HMX does its missions when they have zero relevance to FMF. The prestige of flying POTUS around is about the only value added to the Marines.

Most Army National Guard units could do this mission set. Let’s not act like it’s complicated. Its Day VFR patterns, alerts, canned flight routes, and overseas detachments with priority logistics and TRANSCOM support. You’d have to be a complete buffoon to mess that up.

 

[JTS11]

Hah. Not compared to the their peers. The vast majority of Marines who stay in the FMF and actually deploy in support of named operations in the air or on the ground gain more invaluable joint and combined experience at the tactical and operational levels - which is exceedingly more relevant to our primary Title 10 responsibilities. No one cares about how sexy HMX does its missions when they have zero relevance to FMF. The prestige of flying POTUS around is about the only value added to the Marines.

Most Army National Guard units could do this mission set. Let’s not act like it’s complicated. Its Day VFR patterns, alerts, canned flight routes, and overseas detachments with priority logistics and TRANSCOM support. You’d have to be a complete buffoon to mess that up.

I learned a lot about hotel rewards points from my HMX brethren returning to the fleet...so there's that. Lot of great dudes I know served there, but that's about all I learned from them. 😀

Not trying to get into a pissing match with @phrogdriver (and I said before this was 'if I was king for a day' comments about the MC getting involved in this mission), I'm sure you know the fact that V-22s were jammed into HMX, which further exacerbated the staffing issues for getting V-22 fleet units to FOC. That was the Hotel California period of being an Osprey pilot (you can never leave).

 

[JTS11]

I think I could arguably make a case that an HT IP would bring more back to the fleet than someone who did a tour at HMX. Same thing for exchange pilots.