Flying High:
The 2010 Outlook is Bright for the Rotorcraft/Helicopter Sector
By Scott W. Clay, Bishop & Associates Inc.

The rotorcraft/helicopter market sector is one of those rare areas that show growth in both the civil and military market. Helicopters, in general, are less expensive than private aircraft, and are typically seen by the public and by the media as more useful. Even private companies that own business helos, instead of regular aircraft, seem immune from the negative press private jets can incur. Business helicopter use is growing, and on the military side, helicopter use is absolutely booming.

Aviation Week named the top worldwide rotorcraft programs at the 2009 aerospace and defense programs meeting recently held in Phoenix.

Program Briefs
More than 200 V-22 tilt-rotors have been built for the Marines and Air Force, and another 311 are scheduled over the next 10 years.

Boeing delivered more than 1,300 CH-47 twin-rotor helicopters through 2009. With hundreds of new ones on order, a large additional market exists for rebuilds on the hundreds in service all over the world.

Sikorsky has built over 2,000 of these helicopters, and has more than 300 new orders for the U.S. military alone. More than a dozen countries also have orders for this platform. Like Boeing, Sikorsky has invested heavily in the “rebuild” market, where they can fully upgrade existing platforms to “like-new,” fully operational models.

NH Industries is a European consortium of manufacturers that is producing this medium-lift, twin-engine helicopter for various civil and military missions. They have more than 900 on the order books for the next 10 years.

Eurocopter is the EADS rotorcraft maker that builds platforms for civil use, and has cleverly adapted several of their standard models into military versions, the most successful being the new UH-72 Lakota twin, medium-lift Army helo based on the successful UH-135/145 helicopter developed for the European market. Eurocopter is also now offering a version of this helo (now built at a plant near Jackson, Mississippi), as a candidate for the Army’s ARH (Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter) slated to replace the OH-58, which has served for almost 40 years.

The newest civil version of this general purpose helo is built in large volumes for private companies and civil aviation. This aerodynamic and fast helicopter also can be built as a multi-mission military transport platform for scout and recon missions.

The AgustaWestland AW109 is more commonly known as the Lynx. It is a twin engine, multirole military and commercial helicopter produced in a variety of versions for training, anti-sub detection, utility, and transport missions.

All of these helicopter manufacturers have learned the lesson well about offering platforms that can carry out various missions, both for civil and military use. They have all invested heavily in their own abilities or a sub-supplier’s to be able to upgrade or rebuild their older helicopters. In general, this process can give the owner another 5,000 or more hours of service, and enable them to upgrade many of the electronic and power systems with the aid of the original manufacturer. This is a good economic decision, as the cost of new models increases every year. All of the previously mentioned platforms, even the newest ones, such as the V-22, are currently undergoing upgrades and implementing improvements into their electronics and systems. The CH-47F has been built since the early 1960s. Many of the older ones are being rebuilt and refurbished with new avionics, engines, and control systems, and put back into service. Boeing has actively solicited this process as a marketing strategy, and as a result, has hundreds of rebuild orders from various countries. They also are building the newest version of this 50-year-old design, the CH-47K, for the U.S. and other NATO countries. Meanwhile, many of their AH-64 Apache Attack helicopters, including the older A-version, of which over 1,000 were built, are being sent back to the plant in Mesa, Arizona, to be rebuilt into D models.

Connector content in helicopters averages between 600 and 700 for any medium-sized platform. Very small craft, such as some of the MD and Robinson two-passenger ones, may have only 400, but the majority of future builds, and the largest segment of “rebuilds,” will have the content stated for most medium-lift applications. Adding to this is the constant improvement and addition of new avionics and multi-task screens and displays, which need more computer (and connector) content to function properly. The connector types run the entire range of parts, from the many types of circulars, both mil-C and microwave, to the newest VME and VITA edge card types. Fiber is also being used to carry the huge amounts of data and signals to modern avionics, especially in military applications in systems and displays. These are used for mission and recording work, weapons operation and status, navigation and GPS systems, various computers, and the numerous new generations of radios and communication devices needed on the modern battlefield.

An example of an actual application is the new Raytheon ARC-231 “Skyfire” radio system that is being fitted into many of the latest military rotorcraft. This is not just a radio, but a full communications suite intended for various helicopter platforms and numerous NATO countries. It has up to four different modules and uses a total of 17 connectors for hookup. These include four Mil-DTL-38999 circulars, five various Mil-DTL-26482 metal shell circulars, four coax systems, two microwave types, and two to four fibre channel systems, depending on the computing power needed. This system is fully encrypted, uses frequency hopping to keep from being monitored or intercepted, and can contact up to seven various radio platforms. It can communicate with various U.S. services radios and those of other countries, including the U.K., Israel, Italy, Japan, and others. Raytheon, in Tucson, is in full production of this system, feeding the demand for new and rebuilt helicopters. It has various units and options, and offers a megahertz range from 30 to more than 400. Raytheon has hundreds of these units on order.

All of these signs indicate that even in a slow economy, the helicopter market has the flexibility and practicality to remain robust. It looks very likely that this sector will be strong throughout 2010, and beyond.

Scott Clay
Director Military & Aerospace, Bishop & Associates Inc.
Scott Clay has worked for more than 25 years in the connector and wiring systems markets. He has held various positions in field applications and marketing for Molex, Tyco, Methode, and ITT. For the past 15 years, Clay has focused on the military/aerospace sector, and five years ago formed his own company for consulting and application engineering. He has worked on design-in and electronics on F/A-18E/F, F-22, F-35, C-130J, C-5M, C-27, P-8, A-10, and numerous other aircraft. Some of the Navy programs Clay has participated in are SSN-774 Virginia class subs, CVX, DDG-1000, and the Littoral Combat Ship class. He has extensive expertise in land vehicle systems, and has worked closely with the worldwide locations of GD, BAE, AM General, and other key manufacturers. He is currently working on variations of MRAP, JLTV, upgrades for the Bradley fighting vehicle, M-88 recovery vehicle, FMTV, and other platforms in the wiring and systems areas, plus portions of the future combat systems.