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340 km / h and $ 100 million: "Super Yasur" helicopters on the way to Israel | Israel Today

2022-06-26T15:13:21.815Z


The company that manufactures the aircraft, Lockheed Martin, estimates that the first two helicopters will not arrive in Israel before 2026, while existing storm helicopters are expected to be out of service in 2025. Yasur Helicopters •


Against the background of the grave fear that Israel will remain without Yasur helicopters for more than a year, Israel is trying to bring the "Super Yasur" helicopters to Israel as early as possible.

Currently, the company that manufactures the helicopter, Lockheed Martin, estimates that the first two helicopters will not arrive in the country before 2026, while existing storm helicopters are expected to be out of service in 2025.

As we published in "Israel Today" last November, the Israeli Air Force estimates that in about three years, Israel can remain without Yasur helicopters, in view of the unnecessary delay in signing the helicopter deal.

Super Yasur helicopters - will not arrive before 2026, Photo: Lockheed Martin

It will be recalled that despite the repeated warnings of the Israeli Air Force, the lack of governance in the State of Israel in recent years has led to a delay in the decision to purchase helicopters.

The Ministerial Committee for Equipping approved the Air Force's procurement plan only in February last year, two years or more late, and a few days later Defense Minister Bnei Gantz announced that he had chosen the "Super Yasur" model CH-53K over the Chinook made by Boeing. , Which competed against him for the title of the new helicopter of the Israeli Air Force.

"Super Yasur" only temporary name, Photo: Lockheed Martin

But that was not the end of the journey.

Although Israel chose a helicopter and undertook to purchase 12 helicopters with an option for six more, the agreement on the Israeli configuration of the helicopter has not yet been signed.

In other words, Israel has not yet announced what changes it intends to introduce to the helicopter in order to make it Israeli, "blue" in professional parlance, and this fact also delays the arrival of helicopters in Israel.

The defense establishment is making efforts to complete the work on the issue as soon as possible, and it is estimated that the agreement will be signed by the end of the current year.  

The "Super Yasur", a temporary name only, is the most advanced and heavy Western helicopter in the world.

During a visit to the helicopter at the ISA exhibition in Berlin, it can be clearly seen that the helicopter is significantly larger than the old stormtroopers of the Israeli Air Force.

The new helicopter can fly about 850 km before refueling, carry about 18 tons (three times the old storms), dozens of soldiers and vehicles, as well as lift armored vehicles in three suspensions dangling from our gut. And can fly at a high speed of about 340 km / h, in weather conditions and even dust.

"Israeli systems will be installed", Photo: Lockheed Martin

So far, six new Yasur helicopters have been delivered to the U.S. Air Force, and the seventh is on its way.

Originally, the helicopter was built for the Marines, the U.S. Marine Corps.

In Israel, as mentioned, they decided to buy 12 helicopters of this type, with an option for six more.

At present, the price of a helicopter is about $ 100 million even before the Israeli systems are installed on it.

By comparison, an F-35 stealth fighter costs about $ 20 million less (currently priced at $ 77.9 million).

Recently, the Germans decided (not yet definitively) to choose Boeing's Chinook helicopters over Lockheed Martin's 'Super Yasur' helicopters.

Israel is very concerned about this - both because it means that the price of the helicopter will probably not fall if Israel chooses to exercise the option to purchase six new helicopters, and also because the Israeli Air Force will not have a close country equipped with a helicopter similar to joint training.

But the big problem is, as mentioned, the schedule that will mean that the Israeli Air Force may be left without Yasur helicopters for at least a year, since even after the first new Yasur helicopters arrive in Israel, they will still have to go through a considerable process of "execution".

Israel Today reporter in the writer Yasur helicopter,

The Air Force is interested in anticipating the arrival of the new storm helicopters, but conversations with senior Lockheed Martin officials in recent days indicate that they believe this is not possible.

At present, Israel has in principle only signed the purchase of the "Super Yasur" helicopters in their "green" configuration, ie the American one, but has not yet signed the document detailing the changes that Israel is interested in introducing to the helicopter so that Israeli systems can be installed on it.

The Israeli defense establishment is trying as early as possible to sign the "blue" Israeli version of the helicopter, and is also trying to apply pressure in order to reduce schedules and bring the "Super Yasur" helicopters to Israel.

Lockheed CEO Martin Israel, Brigadier General (Res.) Yehoshua (Shiki) Shani, told reporters in Berlin: "Israeli systems will be installed in the helicopter. It is a long process, money is not easy either, and integration is not easy. But in the end, as with Hercules at the time, he will become an Israeli helicopter in everything. "

"There is nothing approaching the ankles of this helicopter in the world. It is the only helicopter that meets the needs of the Air Force. It is not competitive."

Brigadier General (Res.) Shani also stated: "The Israeli Air Force will receive it in 2025 as a 'green' helicopter, it will belong to the Air Force.

He will not yet land in the country, he will land only a year later, and then there will be a process of absorption.

It will not be operational for another five years. "

Brigadier General Shani stated that the Sikorsky company will do everything to provide the Israeli Air Force with spare parts in order to extend the life of the old helicopters until the arrival of the new helicopters. Operations beyond enemy lines.

But as is well known, the helicopters were involved in a series of serious accidents, the first helicopter disaster in 1997, as well as the storm disaster in Romania.

In November 2019, a heavy disaster was averted after a Yasur helicopter made a forced landing in Judea and Samaria following a technical malfunction, when dozens of fighters from the elite unit of the fish caught sight of us.

One can only hope that the late decision to purchase Yasur helicopters, and extend the life of helicopters over 50 years, will not cost more human lives.

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Source: israelhayom

All news articles on 2022-06-26

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