Feral Jundi

Monday, October 4, 2010

Aviation: Department Of State Enters 5 Year IDIQ Agreement For Up To 110 S-61 T Helicopters

Filed under: Afghanistan,Aviation,Iraq — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — Matt @ 4:26 PM

    Interesting choice of helicopter.  This goes back to the idea of trying to be more cost effective by upgrading proven helicopters as opposed to buying brand new and more expensive helicopters. Hell, the first flight of the S-61 was in 1959, so this is definitely an old war horse.

    The other piece of news that everyone is waiting on is wether or not the DoD will loan State the Blackhawk helicopters and MRAPs it is requesting?  With the purchase of these S-61 T’s, I am wondering if DoS is wanting a faster helicopter like the Blackhawk for QRF or rescue type operations? Who knows, and I will post that information when it comes up. Below I also posted the job ads for pilots and technicians with Presidential Airways. –Matt

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The Sikorsky S-61T Triton helicopter. 

New S-61T Helos for the US State Department 

20-Sep-2010

First 2 accepted; Another 11 ordered. (Sept 20/10)

In February 2010, Sikorsky announced an indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity agreement with the US Department of State to purchase up to 110 modernized S-61T Sea King helicopters, for “passenger and cargo transport missions in support of its worldwide operations.” The State Department regularly leases helicopters for this purpose; as one example, the helicopter that spirited Rep. Alan Grayson [D-FL] out of Niger during the 2010 coup was flown by Blackwater/Xe’s Presidential Airways.

Because of the current state of helicopter support in Afghanistan, the role of private contractors to fill the gaps has been growing. The initial S-61T delivery order has been followed by more… and Sikorsky is pointedly touting the S-61Ts as an alternative to leased machines.

Story here.

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U.S. State Department Orders 11 More Upgraded S-61 Helicopters for Use in

Iraq & Afghanistan

September 20, 2010

Sikorsky Aerospace Services today announced the U.S. State Department has ordered 11 additional upgraded S-61TM utility helicopters for use in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sikorsky Aerospace Services (SAS) is the aftermarket division of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).

Earlier this year, the State Department entered into a five-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract for up to 110 upgraded S-61 aircraft for passenger and cargo transport missions in support of its worldwide operations. Under the IDIQ agreement, the first four aircraft purchased in February are currently in completion and are scheduled for deployment in Afghanistan this fall.

(more…)

Monday, April 5, 2010

Aviation: Planned Sale Of Xe’s Aviation Worldwide Services Likely To Mean Loss Of Jobs In N.C.

Filed under: Aviation,Industry Talk,North Carolina — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 12:51 AM

   This sucks for the families who will be impacted negatively by this sale in North Carolina. Hopefully they can get something else going. –Matt

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Planned sale of Xe company likely to mean loss of jobs in N.C.

By Jeff Hampton

April 4, 2010

Currituck and Camden counties, already struggling with high unemployment, could lose 240 more jobs after the sale of an aviation company operated by a private military company.

AAR Corp. announced last week plans to buy Aviation Worldwide Services for $200 million from Xe Services LLC, the company formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide.

AWS operates a fleet of 58 customized aircraft, including fixed-wing airplanes and helicopters. Of the 540 employees working for AWS, 240 are based at the Moyock complex known as the U.S. Training Center, AAR spokesman Chris Mason said.

Eventually, employees and aircraft based in Moyock would be relocated, Mason said. According to tax records, Presidential Airways, a subsidiary of AWS, keeps just one aircraft at the training complex and one at the Elizabeth City airport.

(more…)

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Quotes: Presidential Airways (Xe/Blackwater) Rescues Rep. Grayson From Niger Unrest

Filed under: Africa,Quotes — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 2:23 PM

Bravo to Presidential Airways and Xe for a job well done! As for my message to Rep. Grayson….. I am sure glad you survived Niger. Thanks to the courageous work of contractors, you can now make it back home for that next protest with Code Pink. lol –Matt
Edit: 2/25/2010 – Wired posted a deal on this as well. It must have been tough for them to actually post a good story about Xe rescuing a politician. I am sure their fingers were burning as they typed the post. lol

 

Grayson: Even If Blackwater Saved Me From Coup, I Stand By Criticism Of Contractors
Justin Elliott
February 24, 2010
Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), who found himself caught in a coup in Niger last week, was flown out of the country on an aircraft that may have been operated by a Blackwater subsidiary, Mother Jones reported today.
But in a statement to TPMmuckraker, Grayson’s spokesman says the congressman — who has been a fiery critic of the privatization of American foreign policy — still believes the use of profit-driven contractors can be deeply problematic.
“The Congressman does not deny that there is admirable work being done by some employees of private contractors,” said Todd Jurkowski. “However, he stands by his criticism of companies who have been found to cheat the American people, defraud our government, and unnecessarily risk the lives of members of our military, all in the name of making a profit.”
As for whether Blackwater was involved in flying Grayson from Niger to neighboring Burkina Faso, Jurkowski said: “The flight was arranged through the State Department. The Congressman did not know, and frankly did not care, who owned the plane.” (See update below.)

(more…)

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Industry News: Presidential Airways Helicopter Crashes, Pilot Killed and Student Injured

Filed under: Industry Talk,North Carolina,Training — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 9:52 PM

   My heart goes out to the families, and to Xe.  This kind of news always sucks and Xe’s Little Bird pilots are awesome guys. –Matt

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Helicopter crash at former Blackwater site kills pilot

MOYOCK, N.C.

02/24/2009

A fast, light “Little Bird” helicopter crashed Tuesday at the U.S. Training Center, formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide, killing the pilot and injuring a student.

An instructor pilot and the student were flying the Hughes 369-F on a training run at about 1:50 p.m. when the helicopter skid caught on an object and the aircraft flipped over, said Kathleen Bergen, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman.

It’s the first fatal accident in the 12-year history of the training center, according to Anne Tyrrell, spokeswoman for the military contractor now known as Xe.

The center and company headquarters, set on a rural campus in northeast North Carolina, offer a variety of civilian and military training on weapons, logistics and security.

The pilot was a full-time Xe employee and the student was an independent contractor for the company, she said. No names have been released.

Bergen said the student was walking after the crash and did not appear to be seriously injured. FAA safety inspectors were at the campus in Camden County near Moyock during the accident, she said.

She added that safety inspectors routinely observe flight operations and inspect air fields.

Sandy Casey, Currituck County’s chief deputy, said he responded to the scene quickly but that the FAA already had the area roped off.

“All I could see from where I was were two pieces,” he said. “The tail looked like it was broken off.”

The helicopter belonged to a Xe subsidiary known as Presidential Airways, Tyrrell said. It has a fleet of more than 70 planes and helicopters, with some stationed abroad and at other training facilities, she said.

The aircraft that crashed Tuesday was manufactured in 1984 and powered by an Allison turbo-shaft engine, according to FAA records.

The small, fast aircraft has several variations that are commonly known as Little Birds. A two-person crew in a Little Bird can typically transport two or three troops, along with a variety of automatic weapons and missiles, according to the Federation of American Scientists Web site.

Blackwater Worldwide deployed the Little Birds to Iraq to protect truck convoys and occasionally whisk VIPs to secure locations. Insurgents in Baghdad shot down a Blackwater Little Bird in January 2007, killing four private contractors.

Pilot writer Lauren King contributed to this report.

Story Here

 

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