Agusta awarded more A109 work

Support and other post-acquisition capital costs for the South African Air Force’s 29 AgustaWestland A109M light utility helicopters acquired for R2.451 billion as part of the 1999 strategic defence package (SDP) has topped R147.8 million since December 2006. The non-capital operating cost of the nimble but lightweight Italian rotorcraft is not immediately known.

The latest award to Agusta S.p.A. is R990 212.62 for more “on demand support”, an extension of an existing contract. The business takes the bill for such support to R147 867 316.46 according to defenceWeb calculation based on data on the Armscor Bulletin System.

Project Flange – the A109M light utility helicopter acquisition – was the black sheep of the 1999 Strategic Defence Package and was beset with difficulties and delays: By 2008 deliveries were four years late, leading to the imposition of a R90 million penalty, the only one imposed under the “arms deal” and offsets were tardy, although certified complete. The first delivery was made in October 2005 and the last around mid-2009.

An A109 was lost with its three crew members in May 2009 when it crashed into the Woodstock Dam while en route to a mountain flying exercise. An A109 was damaged in a hard landing near Potchefstroom in the Northwest Province n November last year and another near Ballito on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast a month later.

The A109 replaced the Sud Aviation (later Aerospatiale, Eurocopter) Alouette III. It was, from the start a controversial choice, selected in favour of the Bell 427 (Canada), and the Franco/German Eurocopter Cougar as well as the Eurocopter EC635. Thirty were ordered with an option for ten more. Tellingly, this was not exercised.

Air Force chief Lieutenant General Carlo Gagiano has said the SAAF required the type to take pressure off the Denel M1 Oryx medium utility fleet. The service has long had the need for a platform more capable than the Alouette III but less expensive and more efficient than the Oryx for the bulk of taskings. The A109 was expected to fill that niche – and replace the Eurocopter BK-117, which would then be passed on to the SA Police Service Air Wing.

In January Gagiano said the SAAF was investigating the future use of the helicopter. At a press briefing at the Air Force Day Parade held at Swartkop airfield near Centurion on January 28, Gagiano said the SAAF is holding on to its BK-117s and was looking to define a new role for the A109. “We have quite a large number of these helicopters (the A109) and indeed, we have to define a new role for them because they cannot really do the work of a BK-117,” Gagiano said.

Although one of the stated uses of the new helicopter was for pilot training, the SAAF was experiencing a critical lack of qualified flying instructors soon after the initial aircraft were delivered. As a consequence, in mid-2006 the SAAF outsourced basic helicopter flying training to Starlight Aviation in Durban. At the time, it was rumoured that the A109, with its advanced avionics and equipment, was too complex to convert newly qualified pilots onto helicopters.

The Air Force announced in March 2007 that the A109 had been cleared for command-and-control, casevac, trooping and cargo-slinging duties. The helicopter is capable of being equipped with a search light, FLIR (Forward Looking Infra-Red), external hoist and a cargo-sling. However, operational reports suggest the type is, depending on one’s point of view, underpowered or alternatively too heavy with too low a payload to fully fulfil these tasks. The helicopter can neither carry operational loads in high heat conditions nor fly in strong wind. Other reports suggest that a fully-charged battery is required as the helicopter cannot be started manually, but the battery has a habit of going flat. Despite this, the crew love flying the A109.

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On demand support for the A109 Light Utility Helicopter System of the SA Air Force – extension of ELGS/2006/215

LGS/S2011/4820        11 Aug 2011    R990 212,62             Agusta S.p.A.

LGS/S2010/4689        13 Apr 2011    R10 000 000,00            Agusta S.p.A.

LGS/S2010/4621        24 Feb 2011    R4 000 000,00 Agusta S.p.A.

LGS/S2010/4439        21 Jul 2010    R3 500 000,00 Agusta S.p.A.

LGS/S2009/2492        4 Mar 2010    R7 000 000,00 Agusta S.p.A.

LGS/S2009/4013        17 Sep 2009    R9 500 000,00 Agusta S.p.A.

LGS/S2008/3840        20 Nov 2008    R9 800 000,00 Agusta S.p.A.

LGS/S2007/3526        12 Oct 2007    R8 761 989,34 Agusta S.p.A.

Conversion kits to convert 4 FN 7,62 MAG machine guns from Model MAG 58 infantry type to Model MAG 58m mounting type for mounting in the Agusta light utility helicopter

ESCW/2010/464        12 May 2011    R398 218,34             Unionlet Ltd

On demand support of the Arrius 2K2 engine for the aircraft 209 light utility helicopter – extension of ELGS/2006/478

LGS/S2010/4678        13 Apr 2011    R4 000 000,00            Turbomeca Africa (Pty) Ltd      

LGS/S2009/4324        14 Apr 2010    R2 584 748,34            Turbomeca Africa (Pty) Ltd

LGS/S2009/3983        12 Jun 2009    R2 700 000,00            Turbomeca Africa (Pty) Ltd      

LGS/2008/3768          31 Jul 2008    R4 385 965,00            Turbomeca Africa (Pty) Ltd

LGS/S2007/3658        21 Feb 2008    R95 238,60             Turbomeca Africa (Pty) Ltd

LGS/S2007/3450        2 Aug 2007    R3 827 200,00            Turbomeca Africa (Pty) Ltd      

Equipment and services for the Agusta Aircraft 109 light utility helicopters

EFLA/2009/578          22 Sep 2010    R1 470 011,16             Agusta S.p.A.

A109 light utility helicopter flight controls and communication system update

EFLA/2008/87            4 Dec 2008    R17 245 868,98            Agusta S.p.A.

Procurement of spares, ground support and test equipment for the Agusta A109 light utility helicopter

EFLA/2007/600          16 Oct 2008    R48 607 864,08            Avionic Systems CC    

                                                                                                Turbomeca Africa (Pty) Ltd      

                                                                                                Agusta S.p.A.

On demand support for the A109 Light Utility Helicopter System of the SA Air Force.

ELGS/2006/215          21 Dec 2006    R9 000 000,00 Agusta S.p.A.