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Hueys to be phased out!
Topic Started: May 28 2007, 11:50 AM (4,318 Views)
seWer Rat
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amateur sewer cleaner

OMG... :armyeek:

THE Philippine Air Force (PAF) plans to retire its Vietnam Warera UH-1H, or Huey helicopters, in the next six years as part of the modernization plan of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The PAF chief, Lt. Gen. Horacio Tolentino, said Sunday that the Huey would be phased out slowly in the coming years as the military acquires new aircraft and helicopters.

“Maybe in 2013 [Huey helicopters] would have been phased out. What we’re eyeing is a gradual phaseout,” Tolentino told defense reporters in a recent interview.

The replacement for the Hueys which had saw many actions, fighting leftist and Moro secessionist rebels, will be procured under the AFP’s ongoing multibillion modernization program.

“They will be replaced by new ones… what is definite [here] is that we are buying new ones. Helicopters and aircraft,” Tolentino said.

While waiting for the arrival of the new helicopters, the Air Force chief, who himself was a Huey pilot during his younger years in the military, said the Air Force will have to maximize the use of the Hueys.

“As of now, what we need to do now is to maximize its use. We are going to utilize them till the last drop,” Tolentino said while recalling his missions while flying the Huey.

“It’s a dependable aircraft and I can attest to that… I have flown it in many missions and I was once hit by gunfire, but it still managed to fly us back to base,” Tolentino said.

He said they have already submitted with the defense department almost two months ago the specifications of the Hueys replacement that they are eyeing for.

“There are many options out there… they could be for transport of attack or even a combination of both,” said Tolentino adding that the defense department is initiating a bidding process for the new aircraft.

The defense department has already organized a single bids and awards committee that would be oversees the acquisition of the new aircraft under the AFP’s modernization program.

The series of acquisition for the new helicopters have been lined in the next years, one of which was under the P5 billion that was ordered released by President Arroyo last January.

At present, the Air Force has some 40 Huey’s in its inventory and being used for troop transport or insertion to battlefields, close air support, medical evacuation, search and rescue and transports of VIPs.

The number is apart from the 11 Hueys the Air Force is set to receive in the next few months. The incoming Hueys were President George Bush’s pledged during his state visit several years ago.

Late last month, a Huey helicopter crashed in Lapu-lapu City in Cebu, its main rotor blade got entangled with nylon strings used in flying kites, killing seven civilians and two Air Force personnel.

Early last week, another Huey helicopter had crashed in Liloan town, some 12 kilometers from its base. No one was reported hurt in the crash, which was traced to pilot’s miscalculation.

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/m...070528met1.html
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pj_aranda
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Ano ipapalit nila? WZ-9? I doubt it will be NH90
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israeli
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Air Force to phase out Hueys
By Anthony Vargas, Reporter
The Manila Times
Monday May 28, 2007


THE Philippine Air Force (PAF) plans to retire its Vietnam Warera UH-1H, or Huey helicopters, in the next six years as part of the modernization plan of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The PAF chief, Lt. Gen. Horacio Tolentino, said Sunday that the Huey would be phased out slowly in the coming years as the military acquires new aircraft and helicopters.

“Maybe in 2013 [Huey helicopters] would have been phased out. What we’re eyeing is a gradual phaseout,” Tolentino told defense reporters in a recent interview.

The replacement for the Hueys which had saw many actions, fighting leftist and Moro secessionist rebels, will be procured under the AFP’s ongoing multibillion modernization program.

“They will be replaced by new ones… what is definite [here] is that we are buying new ones. Helicopters and aircraft,” Tolentino said.

While waiting for the arrival of the new helicopters, the Air Force chief, who himself was a Huey pilot during his younger years in the military, said the Air Force will have to maximize the use of the Hueys.

“As of now, what we need to do now is to maximize its use. We are going to utilize them till the last drop,” Tolentino said while recalling his missions while flying the Huey.

“It’s a dependable aircraft and I can attest to that… I have flown it in many missions and I was once hit by gunfire, but it still managed to fly us back to base,” Tolentino said.

He said they have already submitted with the defense department almost two months ago the specifications of the Hueys replacement that they are eyeing for.

“There are many options out there… they could be for transport of attack or even a combination of both,” said Tolentino adding that the defense department is initiating a bidding process for the new aircraft.

The defense department has already organized a single bids and awards committee that would be oversees the acquisition of the new aircraft under the AFP’s modernization program.

The series of acquisition for the new helicopters have been lined in the next years, one of which was under the P5 billion that was ordered released by President Arroyo last January.

At present, the Air Force has some 40 Huey’s in its inventory and being used for troop transport or insertion to battlefields, close air support, medical evacuation, search and rescue and transports of VIPs.

The number is apart from the 11 Hueys the Air Force is set to receive in the next few months. The incoming Hueys were President George Bush’s pledged during his state visit several years ago.

Late last month, a Huey helicopter crashed in Lapu-lapu City in Cebu, its main rotor blade got entangled with nylon strings used in flying kites, killing seven civilians and two Air Force personnel.

Early last week, another Huey helicopter had crashed in Liloan town, some 12 kilometers from its base. No one was reported hurt in the crash, which was traced to pilot’s miscalculation.
"To secure peace is to prepare for war." - Carl Von Clausewitz
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el_ramon
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well atleast somebody made a decisive move. its about time they make a decision. now , where were would the money come from? :)
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panzergeneral
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they should have done than years ago
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edwin
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Time to move on and think progress. At least PAF has accepted the reality and make the necessary step to pursue their modernization plan.

PAF has a good plan to maximise the use of HUEY to its projected life span and buy a new replacement for the old ones.

Cheers :armycheers:
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Topics merged.

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akimima
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That's a foot going in the right direction so they say. That is indeed good news! Should have done that long time ago but I guess with the previous economic stance of the Philippines that time it was deemed impossible. now that RP is getting back on its feet anything is possible. Hope that is does materialize and does not wind up in NATO namely No Action Talk Only!
"Our arrows will blot out the sun!" quoted by the invading Persian commander. "Then we will fight in the shade!" quote from 300 Spartans.
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adroth
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el_ramon
May 27 2007, 11:33 PM
well atleast somebody made a decisive move. its about time they make a decision. now , where were would the money come from? :)

Sigh . . . in only costs $2M to convert a UH-1H into a Huey II -- which essentially turns it into a brand new aircraft. For $120M, we could convert all 60 of Hueys to this standard.

What brand new helicopter would be that cost effective?
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Tora^2
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I doubt the PAF will be upgrading those Huey airframes. They will only see 6 more years of heavy use according to PAF plans. Besides even they are upgraded, they are still tired old airframes without much service hours left. They are also impoised with massive maneuver limitations lest that they break up doing something the frames could not take in their advanced age.

The only PAF unit I will see flying Hueys in 10 years would be the Heritage Flight.

As for brand new helos, I see the top candidate to be the latest in the Huey Family (UH-1Y, 412s) though Bell Textron, the manufacturer is in very bad shape. Sikorsky and its BHawks are another likely competitor if the PAF can afford to keep them flying. That leaves the Europeans (if they are willing to sell a government suspected of assasssinating dissidents), the Eastern Bloc (Hips and Hinds, anyone?), the Chinese (Duaphin copies, licensed-built) or the South Koreans.
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