Heli tenders expected shortly

Ok guys, so how does a chinook with a fuel bladder set up a FARP inside enemy territory without getting shot down by all the SAMs etc? Yeah, gunship escorts are great, but many of them don't have the range of an MLH, so he has to get at least part of the way there on his own. Now, factor in transport of vehicles by sling into active combat areas. You aint right when you say you need someone to unhook the load, just to hook it up. You plan to have your area at least partially secured by infantry before you undertake any form of logistics activity. They aren't complicated missions, they do speed up the transport of heavy goods and are used in combat by many armies around the world including in CSAR for the recovery of downed aircraft. So I don't take your point about the heli being a sitting duck (it's a sitting duck with or without a load!) because if you plan to bring them into a combat area you give them countermeasures. So nyah!!

[sealion]

How did we get onto this?

[Guinness]

Let's buy the russian build helo, OK.
This thing is cheap and CAN compare to the western choppers.

Guinness

[FiannaFail]

Sounds like a Lada Heli to me!
FiannaFail '>

[pilatus]

scorpy i dont know of any countermeasures that can stop machine gun fire!?do you?and actually most attack choppers such as the apache tiger and cobra have the range of a loaded up transport heli,and ever hear of close air support most of your chinook ops would have av-8 harriers/a-10's doing just that look at afghanistan and iraq.there will be times when they're not avaible so they would have to chance their $25mil chinook!also  look at 1999 kosovo when the downed f-117nighthawk pilot was rescued by csar the csar heli had a-10's and f-16s in support!so ha!

So pilatus, would you agree that your argument has put paid to the concept of purchasing military helicopters for the Air Corps, as the support for combat operations is non-existant? Should we now look to purchase purely civilian helicopters and equip them to the most basic civil standards as it is plain that CAS aircraft and any form of defensive measures will not be purchased. Should the Air Corps role be restricted to roles that any self respecting light twin operator in the country could realistically provide to the govt or any state organisation and hence, is the Air Corps doomed to be disbanded and fade into obscurity, as without (military) helicopters, the Air Corps is currently nothing? I love your enthusiasm, by the way, but when you have seen it from the inside, it's difficult to appreciate an argument that bears no realistic relevance to the Air Corps. Personally, I believe that if a second hand option such as the Griffins (Bell 412s) that the Canadians are unloading from their Air Force were to come up, the DoD should jump at it. It would provide a ready made military solution at a fraction of the cost of new aircraft with the possibility of purchasing more than six airframes.

[sealion]

Election in a few weeks,all wishes will be granted,and new empty promises made...

"to assist in Our brave soldiers operating overseas as part of the EURRF charlie mac has discovered a few mil he can throw at the DF. A massive plan of re investment will be commenced,with the first deliveries of EH101s,F 15s and M1a1 tanks due just before the next general election...."

Someone wake me when this happens please..

[Viper]

So anyone any idea on when the tender is being released? Two weeks "late" and counting...

[pilatus]

scorpy i wouldnt be happier to see the corps equiped with what equipment is needed to allow the corps to carry out their stated roles primarily to defend Ireland from aggression i did not say however that the corps should be equipped with civilian standard helicopters.Air support is now avaible to the army within the confines of our borders albeit a light capability which could be greatly enhanced if the pc9's were equipped with the sidewinder and some version of a cluster bomb which would allow a 4aircraft flight to clear an area and take out enemy gunships which would attack the deployed troops.even though this light platform is in service the chances of the government aquiring the proper aresenals for them is still a dream. '>

[Turkey]

The tender is out:

Provision of Light Utility and Utility Military Helicopters.

2 Light Utility Military Helicopters mainly for pilot training but also
which may be configured for air ambulance, VIP transport and limited
command and control.

4 Utility Military Helicopters (with an option for
two (2) additional Utility Military Helicopters) mainly for
interoperability training with the Army, military manoeuvres, air
ambulance, casevac and limited air lift and troop transport for up to
eight fully equipped troops

[alpha foxtrot 07]

4 UH-60, 2 OH-6
PERFECT

[pilatus]

ok everybody forget about what type u would like to see ireland buy but instead what do u think they will buy?! '>

[alpha foxtrot 07]

4 blackhawks and 2 little birds. both fit the tender perfectly and both are proven military airframes which are still in production. both are used by the best heli unit in the world 160th SOG.

[Dublin Spotter]

So does anyone know what type of armament these ne helicopters will have, will they have counter measures installed?

[MatRotor]

the tender mentioned nothing about armament, so it's not required. plus it did mention lower maintenance so that kind of rules out the blackhawk, which is more like the dauphin in terms of maintenance man hours. seems to point towards the 135/145 mix. it would also keep n**k and the board of a***n happy '>