http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/articl ... _id=137038SA company could benefit from major overseas helicopter project
BRAZIL BOUND: A Eurocopter Cougar.
Picture by: Eurocopter
By: Keith Campbell
Published: 11 Jul 08 - 0:00
There is speculation in Brazil that South African company Advanced Technologies & Engineering (ATE) could be a beneficiary from a major Franco-Brazilian helicopter deal.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva last week announced an agreement with the European Aeronautics, Defence and Space Company (EADS), in terms of which EADS subsidiary Eurocopter would invest €350-million in Brazil, to establish a production line for the manufacture of Cougar/Super Puma medium transport helicopters. In return for this, Brazil would acquire at least 50 of the machines for its armed forces and, possibily, law enforcement agencies and State-owned companies.
(The Cougar is the military version of the helicopter, while the Super Puma is the civil version; the aircraft can carry 25 fully-equiped troops or, more comfortably, the same number of civilian passengers.)
ATE, which is an integrator of mission systems, has a Memoradum of Understanding with Brazilian helicopter manufacturer Helibrás, which is 45%-owned by Eurocopter and which will produce the Cougars/Super Pumas in Brazil. This, however, does not guarantee that the Brazilian helicopters will employ ATE avionics systems - competition can be expected from Brazilian avionics company Aeroeletronica, which is owned by Elbit of Israel. Aeroeletronica is supplying the avionics systems (designed by Elbit) for the Brazilian Air Force's F-5 and A-1 fighter upgrades and for the A-29 and AT-29 light attack/training aircraft programme.
However, what is especially interesting is a report on the Brazilian defence news website Defesanet that ATE could be involved in programme to develop an attack helicopter version of the Cougar for Brazil. This would presumably combine the engines, rotors, and other dynamics systems of the Cougar with a new airframe and appropriate avioinics and weapons systems.
What is striking about this is that South Africa's Denel Rooivalk attack helicopter itself uses the engines, rotor and other dynamics systems of early model Super Pumas. And ATE has a lot of experience with the Rooivalk, and has proposed an upgrade programme for the helicopter. Could the Rooivalk programme finally bear real fruit, but in Brazil, with a programme that would be a conceptual offspring of the South African project? ATE itself cannot comment, except to confirm that Brazil is a focus area for new business.
And the Brazilian Air Force is reportedly not keen on the idea of developing an attack helicopter in Brazil, as it would delay their attack helicopter acquisition programme by several years. But the government could overrule them, in the interests of national technological and industrial development. And the Brazilian Army has its own aviation corps and has long desired attack helicopters, so even if the Air Force is not interested, and is not overruled by the government, that does not automatically kill the idea.
ATE integrates mission systems in three areas - putting new mission systems on old platforms; putting new mission systems on new platforms, and also being original equipment manufacturers of complete mission systems, such as the Vulture unmanned air vehicle (UAV). The company also focuses on designing and manufacturing mission computers that are the brains and backbones of the systems the company integrates. ATE manufactures both the computer hardware and the software. It also makes composite helicopter rotor blades, and, furthermore, upgrades armoured vehicles. ATE is divided into four business units - fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, and land vehicles.
Edited by: Martin Zhuwakinyu
Mi-35 dando adeus? Rooivalk à vista?
