I thank hobbit 1964 for the following comments:
hobbit1964 has left a new comment on your post "Eurocopter":
Au contraire, there were actually five contenders for the Nuri replacement programme as it was called at the time. This included the Boeing CH-47 Chinook. Summarily, the Eurocopter was what the air force favoured most, as it was the most comprehensive package at the lowest cost.
The air force sought to have a combat search and rescue helicopter and both the software and hardware accompaniments led to the cost which frankly, was the lowest price to performance ratio amongst the contenders, with transfer of technology not tied up to any political preference for as long as the buyer is a legitimately elected government.
The S92 was the civil variant and would have an arguably long debating process in Congress were the air force to opt for the military version, and that too would emerge with many restrictions on its mode of employment.
The Mi-17s have never been the favoured platform as they are basically utilitarian in nature and at the price quoted would have afforded a mere shell of an aircraft, rendering it more of a general aviation platform than a military aircraft, then requiring retrofitting and certainly a revision of cost. Patchwork avionics lead to many problems and electronic witch hunts as evidenced in the Nuri which was the best buy of the 60s, but was kept at the fringes of managability as an air asset accruing to the same said patchwork modifications. The Nuri replacement programme was not the first time the air force tussled with the Mis and it was vigorous in not accepting backward technology no further than that the 60's based Nuri had given us for more than 40 years. So if this is the basis of the point put forward, then its allegations of fraud had best be sniffed elsewhere, and if found, begs to be addressed.
Besides this, every sister service of the armed forces uses the Nuri and whatever helicopter replaces it will meet similar demands upon its airframe and avionics life hours as the versatility of the medium lift helicopter cannot be met by the smaller aircraft operated by them. Added to this will be visits by government officials, ministers and royals into areas inaccessible in proper time and space into the many remote areas of this country where our people live.
In addition, Eurocopter has an established logistics and technical framework throughout the world as it serves royal families, fire-fighting services and offshore operations, making for timely turn around of the livery abd better availability of aircraft to do the job. This means there is little chance of opportunists manipulating the Eurocopter as a means of offering but ill fulfilling defense related contracts on the side.
This is why the air force chose the EC725 or Super Cougar. Whatever happened outside of the selection process may be tainted but one should recognise the disgruntled murmurings of a passenger who missed the boat instead of calling for halts to a decades overdue replacement to the Nuri in which lives have been lost because of overload on man and machine and slur not the aircraft that will finally see mission accomplishment at its best.
The arcane question of whom will we engage in conflict is poor on relevance when pseudo intellectualism does not take into account that ships from Malaysia and from other countries have their passage in the pirate infested waters of the Gulf of Aden watched over by our own RMN's helicopters.
Posted by hobbit1964 to steadyaku47 at Sunday, January 15, 2012 3:20:00 PM GMT+10:30
hobbit1964 has left a new comment on your post "Eurocopter":
Au contraire, there were actually five contenders for the Nuri replacement programme as it was called at the time. This included the Boeing CH-47 Chinook. Summarily, the Eurocopter was what the air force favoured most, as it was the most comprehensive package at the lowest cost.
The air force sought to have a combat search and rescue helicopter and both the software and hardware accompaniments led to the cost which frankly, was the lowest price to performance ratio amongst the contenders, with transfer of technology not tied up to any political preference for as long as the buyer is a legitimately elected government.
The S92 was the civil variant and would have an arguably long debating process in Congress were the air force to opt for the military version, and that too would emerge with many restrictions on its mode of employment.
The Mi-17s have never been the favoured platform as they are basically utilitarian in nature and at the price quoted would have afforded a mere shell of an aircraft, rendering it more of a general aviation platform than a military aircraft, then requiring retrofitting and certainly a revision of cost. Patchwork avionics lead to many problems and electronic witch hunts as evidenced in the Nuri which was the best buy of the 60s, but was kept at the fringes of managability as an air asset accruing to the same said patchwork modifications. The Nuri replacement programme was not the first time the air force tussled with the Mis and it was vigorous in not accepting backward technology no further than that the 60's based Nuri had given us for more than 40 years. So if this is the basis of the point put forward, then its allegations of fraud had best be sniffed elsewhere, and if found, begs to be addressed.
Besides this, every sister service of the armed forces uses the Nuri and whatever helicopter replaces it will meet similar demands upon its airframe and avionics life hours as the versatility of the medium lift helicopter cannot be met by the smaller aircraft operated by them. Added to this will be visits by government officials, ministers and royals into areas inaccessible in proper time and space into the many remote areas of this country where our people live.
In addition, Eurocopter has an established logistics and technical framework throughout the world as it serves royal families, fire-fighting services and offshore operations, making for timely turn around of the livery abd better availability of aircraft to do the job. This means there is little chance of opportunists manipulating the Eurocopter as a means of offering but ill fulfilling defense related contracts on the side.
This is why the air force chose the EC725 or Super Cougar. Whatever happened outside of the selection process may be tainted but one should recognise the disgruntled murmurings of a passenger who missed the boat instead of calling for halts to a decades overdue replacement to the Nuri in which lives have been lost because of overload on man and machine and slur not the aircraft that will finally see mission accomplishment at its best.
The arcane question of whom will we engage in conflict is poor on relevance when pseudo intellectualism does not take into account that ships from Malaysia and from other countries have their passage in the pirate infested waters of the Gulf of Aden watched over by our own RMN's helicopters.
Posted by hobbit1964 to steadyaku47 at Sunday, January 15, 2012 3:20:00 PM GMT+10:30
The truth will only come out if there is change of government. Say whatever and no matter what with this present government no point complaining.
ReplyDeleteTime will tell the burden that the Air Force will face and you bet!