ARH Program Exceeds 1,000 Flight Hours in 15 Months

Released on Thursday, November 01, 2007

Fort Worth, TX (November 1, 2007) -- Bell Helicopter Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter Program achieved another milestone while preparing for a Limited Users Test (LUT) at Yuma Proving Grounds. The program surpassed 1,000 flight test hours in under 15 months of flying.

"With each flight, the flight envelope is expanded and another test card is complete," said Bob Ellithorpe, executive director, ARH Program. "We've worked very closely with the U.S. Army to demonstrate the capabilities of the ARH-70A. An accomplishment of this magnitude in such a short time frame is the result of strong teamwork between government and industry personnel."

The ARH Program continues preparation for Limited User Test (LUT). U.S. Army pilots have completed individual training and are conducting crew training at Yuma Proving Grounds

The ARH Program anticipates the LUT will commence in early November. The purpose of the LUT is to verify the integrated system performance for the FLIR Systems International "Target Acquisition Sensor System" (TASS) and the "Common Avionics Architecture System" (CAAS) made by Rockwell Collins. Additionally, the LUT will evaluate the performance of the Honeywell HTS-900-2 turbine engine into the Bell 407 airframe.

The ARH program consists of 512 aircraft to replace the venerable OH-58D Kiowa Warrior which is doing yeoman's work in the Global War on Terror.