Comanche’s Child: The ARH-70 Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (updated)
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The ARH (Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter) is a program by the United States Army to replace around 375 Bell Textron OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters. The Army’s initial replacement, the $14.6 billion RAH-66 Comanche program, was canceled in 2004 in favor of buying a larger number of less expensive platforms with reduced capabilities.
Bell Helicopter Textron won the ARH competition, beating rival MD Helicopters. and the contract calls for 368 ARH-70 aircraft (a request raised to 512 aircraft and $5.4 billion) during FY 2006 – 2013. Unit costs of approximately $6-11 million have been suggested (calculation methodologies vary), vs. much more advanced Comanche’s estimated $36 million. As DID has noted re: a similar $500-600 million competition in India, Bell’s ARH-70 is a militarized version of its highly successful 407 single-engine commercial helicopter.
This will serve as DID’s FOCUS Article for the ARH-70 program, providing updated background, details, and contract award information. The latest additions include a recommendation by the House Armed Services Committee in Congress to cancel and recompete the ARH-70 program, shortly after the Army both raised its request for the number of ARH helicopters from 368 to 512 and issued a stop-work order on the program. Now the Army says it will continue working with Bell Helicopter, rather than re-competing the program… and there are rumblings in Congress in favor of full program cancellation and replacement by an armed UH-72A Light Utility Helicopter. Meanwhile, Bell Helicopter continues to work on the ARH-70 at its own expense, including a contract for sensor systems worth up to $1.2 billion – even as a recent Pentagon report continues to document rising program costs…
- The ARH Program
- The ARH Program Winner: Bell’s ARH-70
- The ARH Program: Contracts & Events
- Appendix A: Weary Warriors – The Army’s OH-58D Kiowa Warrior Fleet
- Appendix B: Additional Readings & Sources
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