Nov. 20, 2013 by Craig Hoyle – FG

Dubai - Boeing has received the green light to start building AH-6i light attack helicopters for an undisclosed customer.

“Boeing has recently signed an FMS [Foreign Military Sales] agreement with the US Army that will lead to production of the AH-6i for a first international customer,” Leanne Caret, the company’s vice-president, vertical lift, revealed at the Dubai air show on 18 November.

Derived from the MD Helicopters AH-6 Little Bird platform, the i-model has been the subject of previous FMS requests from Jordan and Saudi Arabia. While Boeing declines to name its launch buyer, or to disclose how many aircraft will be supplied, Flightglobal’s Ascend Online Fleets database suggests that Riyadh will acquire 36 examples.

The aircraft will be produced at Boeing’s Mesa plant in Arizona, under the terms of an existing agreement with MD Helicopters.

Meanwhile, Caret says Boeing sees “a number of export opportunities” for its CH-47F Chinook, and cites the success of the type’s introduction by operators including the US Army, Canada and the UK. Potential additional buyers exist “in this region, and elsewhere around the world,” she adds.

The United Arab Emirates has now received seven F-model examples from a 16-unit order, says Ascend.

18 November 2013 Ministry of Defence and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory

Defence scientists are investigating how to protect helicopter engines from a common problem that occurs in Afghanistan.

Materials experts from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) are working to protect helicopter engines from sand erosion.

Gas turbine engines in helicopters suck in air from the surrounding environment. In desert conditions, particularly during take-off and landing, the air contains sand particles that damage the engine’s components.

When components are damaged by sand erosion, the engine is forced to work harder, burning more fuel and struggling to produce the required power. Sand-eroded components need to be replaced more often, resulting in costly repair bills and loss of capability as helicopters are taken out of service for maintenance.

To investigate whether erosion-resistant coatings could be the answer, an international project was set up by The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP).

TTCP enables technical collaboration on specific issues between defence organisations in the UK, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The UK contribution was to design and conduct effective and reliable tests that would indicate the relative strengths and limitations of a number of commercially available coatings.

Dstl identified that the University of Birmingham had suitable facilities within its metallurgy and materials department to support this work.

The tests that have been conducted include measuring bending stress on small specimens. Since the specimen is rotating at 3,000 revolutions per minute, a test of 1 million cycles can be conducted in around 11 hours.

Tests undertaken in Australia, Canada and New Zealand looked at hardness, adhesion and erosion, enhancing the international defence community’s understanding of commercially available products.

Industry suppliers in the UK and Canada applied their coatings to the test specimens without charge. In exchange, they will find out how their coatings performed in 5 tests and have ongoing support from the international defence organisations, helping them to improve their technology for defence applications.

Dstl’s involvement in this project was funded by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) via the Materials and Structures Science and Technology Centre.

The results of the tests are already being used by MOD as it assesses technologies to protect its helicopter engines

15/11/2013 Sergent Amandine Marchand / cellule communication BA 126 - Armée de l'air

Du 4 au 8 novembre 2013, la base aérienne (BA) 126 de Ventiseri-Solenzara a accueilli l’exercice « Salamandre », organisé par l’escadron d’hélicoptères (EH) 1/67 « Pyrénées » stationné sur la BA 120 de Cazaux.

Les deux Caracal mis en œuvre par 49 aviateurs de l’EH 1/67, étaient accompagnés de neuf commandos du CPA 30 (commando parachutiste de l’air n°30). Le choix pour l’organisation de cet exercice s’est porté sur la BA 126 car la Corse possède une topographie très variée, idéale pour les entraînements aux missions de recherche et sauvetage mais aussi à la récupération de personnel isolé. Les reliefs de l’île de beauté sont particulièrement appréciés pour leur similitude avec les chaînes montagneuses que les commandos et les équipages rencontrent sur les théâtres d’opérations. Pendant toute la durée de l’exercice, les aviateurs ont été déployés de jour comme de nuit, principalement sur le champ de tir de Diane mais aussi en montagne. Le tout dans des conditions climatiques optimales.

Depuis quelques années, la France occupe une place prépondérante dans le domaine de la Personnel Recovery (récupération de personnel), unanimement reconnue dans l’environnement otanien, dont l’EH 01.067 « Pyrénées » et le CPA 30 en sont le fleuron. Leurs expériences successives en Afghanistan, en Libye et plus récemment au Mali lors de l’opération Serval, ont permis de mettre en lumière leur efficacité ainsi que leur capacité de recherche et de sauvetage au combat en milieu coercitif.

Sur le terrain, les hommes s’appuient sur un appareil des plus modernes. Le Caracal EC 725 dispose en effet d’un grand rayon d’action. Très sophistiqué, il est par exemple doté d’une perche de ravitaillement en vol. C’est également le premier hélicoptère français équipé d’un système de blindage et d’autoprotection comprenant la détection radar des missiles. Il possède en outre une tourelle qui lui donne une capacité d’intervention nocturne par tous les temps. La version recherche et sauvetage au combat (RESCO) est opérationnelle depuis 2006.

November 14, 2013: Strategy Page

The U.S. Navy is equipping 40 of its CH-53E transport helicopters with lightweight armor kits that will provide protection from bullets and shell fragments. The CSA (Critical Systems Armor) uses lightweight materials (usually composites) and only protects areas of the helicopter known to be critical. These modular vehicle/aircraft composite armor systems have become increasingly popular in the last decade for helicopters and low flying fixed wing aircraft (like American AC-130 gunships). Flying low, aircraft are vulnerable to damage from rifles and machine-guns (especially the larger 12.7mm and 14.5mm ones), especially if the bullet his one of the crew or a vital component. These protection systems depend on two techniques to give maximum protection with minimal weight.

The most critical technique is to use an old World War II solution for protecting bombers from the effects of anti-aircraft fire (mainly the shell fragments). The American and British researchers used the newly developed operations research techniques to come up with a practical solution. Aircraft that returned from these missions were examined and the location of all damage was noted. Then the locations were counted and a drawing of the bomber type made with the damage locations noted. The armor was placed in those locations where there was no damage as that’s where shell fragments obviously hit in all the thousands of bombers that were shot down. So with less than a ton of armor per aircraft, losses were noticeably reduced. This technique has been used to design protection systems for helicopters and other aircraft. The armor panels are placed where they would do the most good. The second difference is that the modern armor is not metal (like the World War II stuff) but lighter (and more expensive) composites. This stuff provides the same protection at half the weight. Thus a square meter of composite armor weighs about 37 kg (81.4 pounds or 8 pounds per square foot).

These armor kits are designed to be quickly attached. More, or less, armor can be installed, depending on what type of threat is expected. In many combat zones the enemy has few, if any, heavy (12.7mm and 14.5mm) machine-guns. This means the aircraft can reduce the weight of armor to be carried and the time involved in installing and uninstalling it. The weight is important and it has an impact on how long the aircraft can stay in the air.  This type of armor has already been used in helicopters and larger transports like the C-130, C-141 and C-17.

The CH-53E entered service in the early 1980s and is in the process of being replaced by the CH-53K. This version is sixteen percent heavier (at 42.3 tons) than the CH-53E and able to carry nearly twice as much (13.5 tons). The CH-53K will be much easier to maintain and cost about half as much per flight hour to operate. The K version will probably also get protection kits when they enter service before the end of the decade.

The Italian navy has taken delivery of its first NH90 Step B naval helicopter, which is the fully operational version of which it has ordered 46. Five earlier aircraft delivered in the interim Step A configuration will now be upgraded. (NHI photo)

Nov. 12, 2013 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: NH Industries; issued Nov. 8, 2013)

Delivery of the First NH90 Step B to Italian Navy

NHI is proud to announce that the first NH90 NFH Step B has been delivered today to the Italian Navy. This fully operational naval helicopter will be assigned to the 5th Helicopter Squadron of the Italian Navy at the Sarzana-Luni base. The Italian Navy has ordered 56 NH90s, 46 of which in the NFH variant.

“This NH90 Step B will allow its crews to fully take advantage of its tremendous mission system” explains Xavier Poupardin, Delegated Managing Director of NHIndustries. The Step B configuration features a range of significant advancements in mission capability including mission systems integration for both air-to-surface missiles such as the Marte MK/2S and torpedoes, advanced satellite and encrypted communications, radar and avionics capability enhancements. Next year the five previously delivered Italian Navy NH90NFH in Step A (MOC, Meaningful Operation Capability) standard, will begin to be retrofitted to bring them to the final configuration.

"The NH90 NFH is the most recent and versatile helicopter for naval warfare" it is designed according to precise NATO Staff Requirements. It is equipped with a state of the art weapon system combining on a modern platform several types of sensors with a complete weapon suite. The NH90 NFH is able to perform a wide range of missions such as Anti-Submarine Warfare, Anti-Surface Warfare, SAR, Transport, Special Ops support, Boarding, Medical Evacuation, Maritime reconnaissance and Anti-Piracy In any type of environment. It can safely operate from a ship even in rough weather.

The NH90 is the optimal choice for tactical transport, naval operations thanks to its large full composite airframe, its excellent power to weight ratio; and its wide range of rôle equipment. It features a redundant Fly-by-Wire flight control system for reduced Pilot’s workload and enhanced flight characteristics.

As of today, more than 164 helicopters have been delivered and are in service in Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Greece, Oman, Australia and New Zealand.

The twin-engine, medium-size NH90 helicopter program is managed by the consortium NHIndustries, the Company owned by AgustaWestland SpA (32%), Eurocopter (62.5%), and Fokker Aerostructures (5.5%).

November 10, 2013 by martin – Think Defence

Due to the ongoing sequestration and budget battle in Washington the US Army has been forced to delay its Apache new build and rebuild programs to AH 64 E standards. This means the current type as used by the British Army is likely to be supported for longer giving the MOD some vital breathing space to decide what to do about its Apaches.

Currently UK thinking seems to be slanted towards going for a rebuild on the current fleet but reported costs for the US program would put a rebuild on the entire UK Apaches fleet some where north of $600 million which is probably not something the MOD can consider for the next few years at the very least.

However as the rebuild will see the fuselage and main rotor replaced, if it was to go ahead would it be worth the UK looking at a marinised version? The aircraft is said to have performed very well from Ocean but it has some severe maintenance issues when being used in a salt water environment. Could a rebuild offer us the chance to solve some of these issues and produce a truly purple asset.

ADEX 2013: US sequestration buys time for UK Apache decision makers

Le satellite espion permettra au Pérou de mieux surveiller ses frontières et des zones difficilement accessible comme la Cordillère des Andes et la forêt amazonienne. Ici un satellite d'observation Pléiades.

07/11/2013 Michel Cabirol – LaTribune.fr

Astrium est en pole position pour livrer un satellite d'observation aux forces armées péruviennes. La France veut aussi vendre 28 hélicoptères Cougar d'Eurocopter à Lima dont revient le ministre de la Défense, Jean-Yves Le Drian.

La vente d'un satellite espion français au Pérou se précise. Un contrat estimé à environ 200 millions de dollars. Si elle n'a pas été décisive, la visite du ministre de la Défense, Jean-Yves Le Drian, qui s'est rendu ce lundi à Lima a toutefois permis de faire avancer le dossier.

Celui-ci, qui a rencontré le président du Pérou, Ollanta Humala, a répondu favorablement à une exigence péruvienne dans le cadre de cette opération d'achat : même si le Pérou a lancé un appel d'offres international pour l'acquisition de son premier satellite d'observation, un système dual de haute résolution, Lima tenait beaucoup à un accord de gouvernement à gouvernement afin d'obtenir la garantie de la France. C'est aujourd'hui fait… après quelques débats franco-français, le ministère de la Défense ayant dû batailler pour obtenir un accord.

Une visite jugée donc "très positive", explique-t-on du côté des industriels, d'autant qu'elle coïncidait avec la remise des offres définitives. Astrium (groupe EADS) a ainsi réactualisé son offre.

Vers un choix à la fin du mois

A cette occasion, plusieurs accords en matière de sécurité et de défense ont été signés entre la France et le Pérou. C'est "historique", explique-t-on à Paris. "Les relations entre les deux pays sont sur une voie ascendante", précise-t-on à La Tribune. Outre Jean-Yves Le Drian, qui a profité de sa visite pour rappeler les liens de coopération qui unissent la France et le Pérou en matière de défense et de sécurité, le ministre des Affaires étrangères, Laurent Fabius, ainsi que le ministre délégué chargé des Anciens combattants, Kader Arif, qui s'est beaucoup investi sur ce projet, sont également allés ces derniers mois au Pérou.

Selon le "Peruvian Times", le ministre de la Défense, Pedro Cateriano, qui a également rencontré Jean-Yves Le Drian, aurait dit que le Pérou avait acheté un satellite à la France. Une information à prendre avec des précautions. Car, selon nos sources, le Pérou pourrait faire un choix définitif seulement d'ici à la fin du mois. Encore que… A ce jour, trois compétiteurs sont encore en lice pour cet appel d'offres.

Astrium, qui fait figure de favori, affronte les israéliens d'Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) et étrangement sa filiale britannique Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. Détenue à 99 % par Astrium, SSTL est autorisé à faire des offres concurrentes, qui sont souvent complémentaires à celle de sa maison mère. "On laisse SSTL vivre sa vie", explique-t-on dans le groupe.

Pourquoi le Pérou a besoin d'un satellite espion ?

Le Pérou, qui partage ses frontières avec cinq pays (Colombie, Equateur, Brésil, Bolivie et Chili) a besoin d'un satellite d'observation pour mieux surveiller l'intégrité de son territoire. Dans son collimateur : l'Equateur, avec lequel un conflit a éclaté en 1995 dans la haute vallée de la Cenepa, et le Chili, avec qui il a quelques litiges concernant notamment  une frontière maritime, que doit prochainement trancher la Cour internationale de justice de La Haye, aux Pays-Bas.

Ce satellite permettra également de surveiller des zones difficilement accessibles comme la Cordillère des Andes et la forêt amazonienne où des orpailleurs illégaux pullulent. La France a dit qu'elle apporterait son soutien au Pérou dans le cadre de la lutte contre les exploitations minières sauvages.

Enfin, ce satellite permettra de mieux combattre les narcotrafiquants, qui entretiennent des plantations de coca au Pérou, devenu le premier producteur mondial de cocaïne devant al Colombie, et enfin de mieux lutter contre le terrorisme du Sentier Lumineux.

Eurocopter en piste

Outre un satellite d'observation, la France ambitionne également de vendre 28 hélicoptères Cougar fabriqués par Eurocopter (AS532), un appareil qui, selon les versions, est capable de transporter jusqu'à 29 soldats équipés. Le Cougar, qui a face à lui l'hélicoptère lourd russe, le Mi-17, ne fait pas figure de favori. Car le constructeur Mil est un peu chez lui au Pérou en tant que fournisseur traditionnel de ses forces armées.

En outre, le Cougar est plus cher à l'achat. Eurocopter en a bien conscience. C'est pourquoi  Jean-Yves Le Drian a expliqué au président péruvien que sur le long terme, les appareils de la filiale hélicoptériste d'EADS lui reviendrait moins chers en prenant en compte le "coût de possession" des Cougar (prix à l'achat, support et maintien en condition opérationnelle sur toute la vie de l'appareil). Une discussion qui avait pour objectif de faire réfléchir les Péruviens sur un deuxième source d'approvisionnement.

Eurocopter a livré le premier EC145 à la police péruvienne

Pour autant, Eurocopter a déjà réussi à prendre pied sur le marché gouvernemental péruvien. Et le ministère de l'Intérieur du Pérou, Wilfredo Pedraza, a pris livraison, lors d'une cérémonie en présence de Jean-Yves Le Drian, du premier des quatre hélicoptères bimoteur EC145 destinés à renouveler la flotte de la police nationale.

Des appareils qui avaient été commandés fin 2012 dont les premiers exemplaires livrés seront basés à la direction de l'aviation policière, qui leur assignera des missions de sécurité publique ou de soutien à la population dans l'ensemble du pays. Les trois autres hélicoptères seront livrés avant la fin de l'année.

    "Grâce à cette nouvelle acquisition, les forces de l'ordre disposeront de moyens aériens de dernière génération pour mener à bien des missions de surveillance et de sécurité nationale", estime Eurocopter.

Capables de transporter jusqu'à dix passagers, l'EC145 fait partie des appareils "les plus reconnus à l'échelle mondiale pour les missions de sécurité publique et de soutien à la population", selon la filiale d'EADS. Déjà livré à plus de 500 exemplaires, ce modèle est utilisé par 26 forces de police dans le monde, notamment la France, où le ministère de l'Intérieur en exploite cinquante exemplaires.

06 November 2013 by Dean Wingrin - defenceWeb

After five months of not flying, the South African Air Force’s (SAAF) fleet of Agusta A109 Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) are back in the air again and converting new pilots.

The current conversion course for new A109 pilots has finally resumed at 87 Helicopter Flying School, AFB Bloemspruit, near Bloemfontein. The other two squadrons equipped with the type, 15 Squadron (Durban) and 17 Squadron (Swartkop) are also flying again, with the type appearing at the SAAF Air Capability Demonstration held at the Roodewal bombing range at the end of October.

The latest grounding followed the March crash of an A109 on aerial patrol in the Kruger National Park, which flew into ground, killing all five on board. As a result, the course converting existing helicopter pilots to the A109 was temporarily stopped, pending the investigation. The course pupils were sent on leave and thereafter back to their previous home squadrons, but as they had already started their conversion, they were not allowed to fly the Oryx helicopters that they were previously qualified on.

After some months of inactivity, the severe budgetary constraints affecting the SAAF resulted in a shortage of funds to keep the A109 fleet flying. Ground running the engines and infrequent flights was all that could be done, with the course pupils still sitting idly at their previous home squadrons.

At the same time, it is rumoured that certain tail rotor bolts had to be replaced, but these had not been ordered. Then, the A109 ground simulator was upgraded, resulting in yet another delay to the commencement of the course.

The SAAF commitment of supplying Oryx helicopters to MONUSCO, the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has also resulted in a shortage of Oryx pilots, whilst other pilots were drafted to 16 Squadron to increase the pool of Rooivalk attack helicopter pilots. The Rooivalk was only recently deployed to the DRC.

The cascading effect was such that a new instructor course was required before the deferred conversion course could recommence. With this process completed, the conversion course resumed at the beginning of October, much to the relief of the course students.

The A109 has been the black sheep of SAAF’s helicopter fleet, never living up to expectations. Deemed too complex to convert newly qualified pilots onto helicopters, it has also been reported that the helicopter can neither carry operational loads in high heat conditions nor fly in strong wind.

Although the conversion course onto the A109 is held at Bloemfontein, the course deploys to Port Elizabeth for certain landing tasks as Bloemfontein is deemed too hot and high to practise such techniques.

The Anglo-Italian AgustaWestland A109 LUH was purchased to replace the elderly Alouette III helicopter in the light utility role, with the delivery of the first of 30 helicopters commencing in 2005.

According to the SAAF, typical missions for the A109 includes training, search and rescue, rope extraction & rappelling, trooping, medical evacuation (casevac), cargo transport, border patrol, peacekeeping, communications and urban operations.

November 2, 2013. David Pugliese Defence Watch

Sikorsky’s chief financial officer says the company plans to deliver eight more Cyclone helicopters to Canada by the end of December.

Greg Hayes discussed the move during a third-quarter earnings phone call a couple of days ago with analysts. His statement is similar to what Sikorsky has been stating over the last little while.

The 8 Cyclones are in addition to the four already at Shearwater and being used for training….but not formally accepted by the Canadian government.

“Good news is the aircraft are up in Shearwater,” Hayes said. “They are flying. We’re getting traction with the customer. I think everybody recognizes they want to find a solution here, both at the Sikorsky and at the Canadian government level.”

Public Works has stated, however, that “training does not constitute acceptance of an interim helicopter.”

Dominic Perry of Flight Global has also noted that Hayes has hinted that contract negotiations with Canada could be imminent. “I’m going to be very cautious here. That’s atypical with me. I would say that we’re making progress, although it’s slow. And I think again, we haven’t really started formal contract negotiations,” said Hayes.

Nov 1, 2013 ASDNews Source : Sikorsky Aircraft, A United Technologies Company

Sikorsky Aircraft has successfully completed the initial phase of testing for the first-ever main and tail rotor blades manufactured for the U.S. Marine Corps' CH-53K heavy lift helicopter program. Designed specially to help meet the Marine Corps requirement to lift the aircraft's maximum gross weight of 88,000 pounds, the all-composite blades are the largest and most technologically advanced ever produced by Sikorsky, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

"These new blades are an important feature of the CH-53K helicopter's ability to lift almost three times the payload compared to the CH-53E Super Stallion™ aircraft it will replace later this decade," said Mike Torok Sikorsky's CH-53K Program Vice President. "Advanced geometric shaping, high strength composite materials and a flaw tolerant design all come into play to provide unmatched performance, reliability, and survivability."

Read more

Oct. 23, 2013 defense-unmanned.com

(People's Daily Online; published Oct. 22, 2013)

WZ-10 Is A Starting Point, China Will Develop Heavy-Duty Armed Helicopter

The development of Chinese armed helicopters as represented by the WZ-10 and WZ-19 continues to draw international attention. Du Wenlong, a military expert, responded to media questions by saying that WZ-10 was only a starting point and that China would go on to develop heavy-duty armed helicopters.

When asked where the development of Chinese armed helicopters stands currently, Du Wenlong said that China's WZ-10 and WZ-19 should be seen as a revolution in Chinese armed helicopters for special purposes. Although we have had armed helicopters in the past, they were for general service. For example, the WZ-9 could serve as a transport and an attack helicopter, and also as a platform for other air missions. However, since the WZ-9 was based on upgrading a general armed helicopter, it could not meet special demands in such areas as attack, protection and electronics.

Du Wenlong said that the WZ-10 displayed at the air show had impressed them very deeply. WZ-10 has a very narrow fuselage. Its reflective surface and therefore its vulnerability to attack would be relatively smaller. The probability of successfully hitting it with weaponry in a counter-attack would be relatively low. In addition, WZ-10 can carry a payload of 8 guided missiles. While the counter party’s ground targets might be rock solid against an infantry attack, they could not withstand a single blow from this armed helicopter.

As pointed out by Du Wenlong, China has now made a breakthrough in armed helicopters in comparison with the developed countries. In the future, China will have its own heavy-duty armed helicopters corresponding to the U.S. Apache helicopter, and the Russian Ka-50 and Ka-52 helicopters. The WZ-10 is therefore just a starting point.

21 octobre 2013 par Thierry Dubois – Aerobuzz.fr

L’hélicoptériste Sikorsky s’apprête à procéder aux premiers décollage et atterrissage entièrement autonomes de son démonstrateur Sara, un S-76 modifié en vue d’une automatisation graduelle. Le programme de recherche et développement Matrix vise à assister ou remplacer le pilote, suivant la mission.

Le programme Matrix de Sikorsky vise une autonomie graduelle.

photo Sikorsky

Sikorsky a jusqu’ici fait voler le Sara sur des trajectoires qui débutent et se terminent par un stationnaire. Les commandes de vol électriques étaient le principal changement sur le S-76. Avec les atterrissage et décollage, les ingénieurs et pilote d’essai passent la vitesse supérieure. Ils vont ensuite intégrer un logiciel capable de prendre des décisions. Ils ajouteront simultanément des capteurs – lidar, caméras, radar et autres.

En exploitation civile, le concept offre plusieurs degrés d’autonomie. Il pourrait fournir au pilote une aide à la décision – afin de choisir de poursuivre la mission ou non. Il pourrait être utile lors d’une autorotation, qui deviendrait automatique, avance-t-on chez Sikorsky. Il pourrait aussi assurer un retour automatique à la base en cas de difficulté météo. Un hélicoptère sans pilote pourrait livrer du fret sur une plate-forme pétrolière. Le programme Matrix de Sikorsky a commencé il y a deux ans et se poursuivra pendant encore trois ans.

De son côté, AgustaWestland a présenté au salon DSEI un concept de drone « pour être prêt en 2020 », explique un porte-parole. Plus précisément, il s’agit de développer les technologies qui permettent à un même hélicoptère d’être piloté ou non. Le constructeur compte tirer parti des compétences d’autres sociétés du groupe Finmeccanica, comme l’électronicien Selex.

AgustaWestland travaille à plus court terme, dans le cadre d’un contrat avec le ministère britannique de la défense, sur la « dronisation » d’un SW-4 pour la Royal Navy. Eurocopter avait fait voler un EC145 sans pilote en avril dernier.