Login
iscover
Boeing has signed a new two-year agreement with Asia Pacific Aerospace (APA) for the provision of General Electric (GE) T700 series engine spare parts used in support of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) helicopter fleets.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
APA is an Australian small-to-medium enterprise (SME) which delivers engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services throughout the Asia Pacific region.
The parts – which are used on the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet of Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopters (pictured) and the Australian Army’s Sikorsky Black Hawk battlefield helicopters – are exclusively issued by Boeing Distribution on behalf of GE for the global market.
Sergio Zavala, director of sales for Boeing Distribution, said the new agreement honoured the decade-strong Boeing (formerly known as Aviall) distribution relationship with APA.
"Our successful partnership with APA is foundational to the readiness of the ADF’s helicopter fleets in the region today and in the foreseeable future. Their strength lies in delivering engine MRO services in Australia for Australia, offering stability to the ADF and a reliable and capable partner to Boeing," Zavala said.
APA also provides MRO services to the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the National Army of Colombia.
The MH-60R Seahawk is the Royal Australian Navy's next-generation submarine hunter and anti-surface warfare helicopter and will form a very important part of its operations for years to come.
The MH-60R is equipped with a highly sophisticated combat system designed to employ Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and the Mark 54 anti-submarine torpedo. The primary missions of the 'Romeo' helicopter is anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare.
Secondary missions include search and rescue, logistics support, personnel transport and medical evacuation.
The MH-60R and its mission systems replaced the fleet’s S-70B-2 Seahawk aircraft, which retired from service on 1 December 2017.
The Australian government approved the acquisition of 24 MH-60R Seahawk ‘Romeo’ naval combat helicopters at a cost of over $3 billion. The helicopters are largely military off-the-shelf built by Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin, and were acquired through the FMS process from the US Navy.
Navy will have the capacity to provide at least eight warships with a combat helicopter at the same time, including Anzac Class frigates and the new air warfare destroyers.
The remainder will be based at HMAS Albatross in Nowra, NSW, and will be in various stages of the regular maintenance and training cycle.
