Eurocopter to modify 26 CH53 Bundeswehr helicopters for personnel recovery missions

Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH and the German Federal Agency for Defense Technology and Procurement (BWB) signed a contract at the Paris Air Show 2009 to retrofit one prototype followed by a further 25 of the German Army’s CH53 GS/GE transport helicopters with the capability to perform personnel recovery missions. The contract is worth around 24.9 million euros, with a large part going to the medium-sized German equipment industry. The first retrofitted helicopter is scheduled for delivery in early 2010. The contract was signed in the presence of the State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Defense (BMVg), Rüdiger Wolf, and Eurocopter CEO Lutz Bertling. “We thank the BWB, the BMVg and the Bundeswehr for the confidence they have once again placed in us with this assignment to convert the CH53, the workhorse of the German Army, for yet another demanding role,” stated Bertling. “This project will quickly meet the Bundeswehr’s need for a wider CH53 GS/GE deployment capability for national and international missions, and especially for personnel recovery in various scenarios". The contract serves the purpose of endowing the CH53 GS/GE weapon system with the capability to locate personnel in various areas of deployment, fly to them tactically and pick them up. To this end, a mission-tactical workstation will be realized in the cargo bay which can be quickly installed and removed as role equipment. The workstation is equipped with the controls for operating the additional sensor systems on the helicopter. These include a personnel locater system, a broadband radio unit, a forward-looking infrared system (FLIR) and connections to the internal and satellite communications systems. Information is provided on two workstation displays and a mobile display for the cockpit crew. Eurocopter Deutschland has been selected as the contractor with overall responsibility for the project. The 26 helicopters covered by the contract will be modified and delivered by 2011. The retrofit work will be carried out by Eurocopter Deutschland at its Donauwörth plant or on Army bases. By taking this flexible approach, the support center for Bundeswehr helicopters at Donauwörth is once again proving its performance capability.