27 November 2018

Boeing Awarded $45M for 56 Upgraded A/MH-6 Airframe Structures

Pentagon Contract Announcement
(Source: US Department of Defense; issued Nov 26, 2018)
 
    

Image result for Upgraded A/MH-6 Airframe Structures
The Boeing Co., Mesa, Arizona, was awarded a $100,000 minimum, $45,000,000 maximum indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract (H92241-19-D-0001) for 56 upgraded primary airframe structures for the A/MH-6 rotary wing aircraft.  
Fiscal 2018 procurement funds in the amount of $5,173,400 shall be obligated at the time of award. The majority of the work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona. This contract is a non-competitive award and is in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302.1.  
U.S. Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity.
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Source: http://www.defense-aerospace.com
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Boeing Awarded $45M for 56 Upgraded A/MH-6 Airframe Structures
Our Bureau | 01:11 AM, November 27, 2018
Boeing was awarded a maximum of $45 million contract for 56 upgraded primary airframe structures for the A/MH-6 rotary wing aircraft.
Fiscal 2018 procurement funds in the amount of $5,173,400 shall be obligated at the time of award. The majority of the work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona, the United States department of defense said in a statement Monday.
This contract is a non-competitive award and is in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302.1. US Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity.
Source: http://www.defenseworld.net/news 
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MH-6M / AH-6M Little Bird Helicopter
The AH-6M / MH-6M 'Little Bird' are light attack/assault helicopters operated by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers). Both the AH-6M and MH-6M are based around a civilian airframe (MD530F), with extensive modifications in terms of avionics and provisions for the mounting of specialized equipment and weapons systems.
MH-6M - Rangers
A MH-6M pictured in-flight, carrying Rangers strapped to benches along the fuselage.
photo courtesy US Army
AH-6/MH-6 - Crew
Although Little Birds can be crewed by just one pilot, it's more common that they are crewed by 2 Night Stalkers i.e. a Pilot and Co-pilot.
AH-6M Features
Based around the MD530 airframe, the AH-6M gunship features lightweight pylons for the loading over a number of weapons systems including:
  • M134 miniguns
  • M260 FFAR rocket pods
  • AGM-114 Hellfire laser-guided anti-tank missiles
  • GAU-19 .50 cal 3-barrel gatling guns
For target acquisition, the AH-6M's AN/ZSQ-3 (V2 Attack) FLIR sensor features a laser range finder and target designator via which the AGM-114 Hellfire missiles can be targeted.
AH-6M light
AH-6M light attack helicopter armed with (left to right) M260 FFAR rocket pod, M134 7.62 minigun and GAU-19 .50 cal gatling gun.
U.S. Marine Corps photograph by SSgt. Artur Shvartsberg, MAWTS-1 COMCAM/Released
MH-6M Features
The MH-6M is configured for the insertion and extraction of special operations forces and can be configured with specialized equipment for this task:
  • external personnel pods (EPS)
    fold-down benches fitted each side of the fuselage which each can hold 2-3 men
  • fast rope insertion / extraction (FRIES) gear
  • racks for carrying motorcycles (up to 2)
  • winch / hoist system
Rangers deploy from MH-6M via fast-rope. The FRIES gear features a bolt-on frame to which the set of ropes are attached. A manual quick-release mechanism drops the ropes to the ground once the fast-rope insertion is complete.
U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Gabriel Segura
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Congress Concerned About AH/MH-6 Little Bird’s Future
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