tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post8779381521339259363..comments2024-03-29T07:29:53.513-05:00Comments on Bayou Renaissance Man: VH-71 Kestrel - where's the outrage?Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10595089829300831372noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-61327604237000460632009-01-30T13:33:00.000-06:002009-01-30T13:33:00.000-06:00When I heard about the VH-71 Kestrel replacing the...When I heard about the VH-71 Kestrel replacing the presidential variant of the SH-3, I was stunned. What stuns me even more is that as an ex-Lockheed Martin employee I couldn't understand Martin's joint venture with AgustaWestland, considering Martin Marietta fought to win the AAH-64 Apache contract back in the 1980's, wresting it away from Agusta which tried very hard to create an attack chopper to compete with the Apache. This joint venture between Martin and AgustaWestland gives this contract a "keep it in America" ring to it but I suspect the "jointness" of this venture is paper-based only. Sikorsky has built some wonderful helicopters over the decades and to just walk away from the Blackhawk (and Seaking H-3) is unconcienable. I understand that the H-3 is very old, but the VH-60 is not. Also, consider how Spain backed out of the war on terror and went totally Socialist when Al Qaeda bombed their country; so why turn around and grant them a multi-billion dollar contract? I will be getting a retirement from Martin when I am in my 60's, so I wish them well in their business endeavours but I wish they had not gone into this venture with Sikorsky's competitors.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00350585389244451243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-69311806931712256772008-04-27T12:37:00.000-05:002008-04-27T12:37:00.000-05:00As with all military contracts the spec changes ev...As with all military contracts the spec changes every week! The original aircraft would of been built for the original contract price up until the day someone decided they wanted Air Force One shoe horned in to a helicopter, thats why the price has gone mental.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-59011340136248483612008-03-17T15:39:00.000-05:002008-03-17T15:39:00.000-05:00This entire program is insane. The EH101 was desi...This entire program is insane. The EH101 was designed to past FARs governing crashworthiness and birdstrike and lightning protection. NAVAIR wants a Presidential helicopter with safety as good or better than modern civil/miltary rotorcraft. That means redesigning the EH101 to match the dynamic crashworthiness of the S-92 or V-22. Carrying the extra weight requires new engines, new rotor systems, and a new drivetrain. All of this is being done in Europe by AgustaWestland because Lockheed knows nothing of rotorcraft structures or dynamics. (Bell has no role in VH-71 engineering.) It also requires a totally new Yankee White manufacturing and servicing organization. Pax has a brand-new Presidential Support Facility for the thing. The costs have just begun to pile up.Airwolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03213486132748990784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-48393901857007108752008-03-07T21:00:00.000-06:002008-03-07T21:00:00.000-06:00I'm willing to support just about a 10% bump for ...I'm willing to support just about a 10% bump for "presidential aircraft" on the theory that additional communications gear might be needed.<BR/><BR/>Can't see why much more would be needed, and definitely can't see why a special "target craft" visually and otherwise unique, would be a good notion at vastly greater cost.Gay_Cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11829842245704692674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-3584214074517997512008-03-06T07:17:00.000-06:002008-03-06T07:17:00.000-06:00You need to compare apples with apples. To put th...You need to compare apples with apples. To put the cost per unit of a VH-71 presidential-spec Kestrel against any other military helicopter or aircraft is showing ignorance of the program itself. The Presidential specification is what is INSANE here, not the cost. How many helicopters do you know where the specification includes TWO SAFES! And that on each of the 23, or is it 24, helicopters. WHY, I ASK YOU? This is just one small example of the madness of the specification. Let alone the avionics suite, IR jamming, etc etc that the Presidential office demands. Putting all these goodies in (and mostly AFTER the spec was "finalized", as sevesteen said) is creating the delays and cost add-ons. Just think about all the extra center-of-gravity calculations required for two safes and the extra flight testing required for a new center-of-gravity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-578706779379835632008-03-06T04:20:00.000-06:002008-03-06T04:20:00.000-06:00I agree with you completely on this one, Peter. Bu...I agree with you completely on this one, Peter. But sadly, the program will go on, spending the funds Congress has given them, and boot it down the road to the next administration. This travesty doesn't even raise many eyebrows amidst the media and Congress, beyond a little huffing and posturing.<BR/><BR/>The sunk costs to dat are a couple of billion, and contract termination liability is anybody;s guess.<BR/><BR/>Lacking any outrage from the populace and legislators, I don;t see any of the heirs apparent doing anything serious about this one either.<BR/><BR/>Astonishing.<BR/><BR/>TCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-16696158911447421322008-03-06T00:00:00.000-06:002008-03-06T00:00:00.000-06:00How much of the money is already spent, and what i...How much of the money is already spent, and what is the marginal cost of each Kestrel? Do we save much if we stop now, or is it at a point where most of the money is already gone, and cutting it off now just means we don't get any result?<BR/><BR/>Something needs to be done about over-budget contracts, from both ends. The government needs to set specs and stick to them, and the contractors need to meet the specs at the price they bid. The little bit I saw of government contracts in the Air Force disgusted me--The project manager got praise for getting the contract on time and under budget, but he did it by ignoring fairly serious out-of-spec conditions. Units were set up so they couldn't be removed without the serrated bottom sawing radio transmit cables. The solution to that was to wrap them in spiral wrap, and replace it when it got sawed through. Spec called for enough slack for 6 connector changes while still leaving room for strain relief, the newly installed cable had no slack at all, and pulled tight when you screwed it in to the transmitter.Sevesteenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15439626386416115766noreply@blogger.com