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Boeing has confirmed it will offer its AH-6i Little Bird light-attack and observation helicopter under the LAND 2097 Phase 4 Project, as Australia seeks to acquire at least 16 special operations support helicopters.
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The confirmation was made at Boeing's rotorcraft production facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by vertical lift vice president and general manager David Koopersmith.
However, while the company is ready to offer up the AH-6i Little Bird, its still yet to receive a formal request from the Australian government.
“We do believe we have a good fit with the Little Bird in Australia, and we will be looking to offer that,” Koopersmith said.
The AH-6 is a light attack/armed reconnaissance helicopter that is "specifically designed with superior performance characteristics and flexible, easily configurable mission equipment ideal for light attack, precision attack, anti-armor, close combat attacks, reconnaissance, security and escort, troop insertion/extraction, combat search and rescue", and features a mission computer that is capable of processing and sharing large amounts of data across aircraft systems quickly.
The Defence request for tender (RFT) established that the helicopter should be a proven design (already in service either in commercial or military capacities), optimised for operating in dense urban environments and capable of rapid deployment by air transport in the Royal Australian Air Force's C-17 Globemaster strategic airlifters.
The successful helicopters are intended for use by the Australian Army’s 6th Aviation Regiment, based at Holsworthy, south of Sydney, and will complement a squadron of larger MRH-90 Taipan helicopters. More information regarding the program, including tender applications, is available here.
Airbus Australia Pacific confirmed in March that it would be offering their H145M multi-role helicopter to the Commonwealth government to support Australia's Special Forces.
