The first upgraded US Army Bell OH-58F Kiowa Warrior, 93-00960, performed its maiden flight at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, on May 26. The helicopter was then formally unveiled with a second, ceremonial 'first flight' there on May 30. The OH-58F is being produced under the Cockpit and Sensor Upgrade Program (CASUP), which converts old model OH-58D Kiowa Warriors to the new standard, addressing obsolescence issues and improving sensor capabilities. The first OH-58F, originally a 1968-vintage OH-58A airframe, was modified at the US Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center Prototype Integration Facility at Madison County Executive Airport in Meridianville, Alabama, and handed over on October 24, 2012. It has been outfitted with flight test instrumentation. Although a second development OH-58F has also been completed at Meridianville, production models will be converted at Corpus Christi Army Depot, Texas. Another OH-58D, being used as a structural test airframe for the !F model, has been flying for several weeks, but does not incorporate the OH-58F!s new avionics.
No comments:
Post a Comment