THE first of a series of American twin-engine attack helicopters will be arriving in Bahrain next year.
The AH-1Z Viper will shortly be prepared for shipment to Bahrain with the Defence Contract Management Agency (DCMA), an agency of the US federal government, before being transported to the kingdom.
Bell Textron completed the first of Bahrain’s state-of-the-art fighting machines on September 30, the company announced. It is among an order for 12 Bell AH-1Z Vipers, as part of the US State Department’s deal under the Foreign Military Sales process.
As reported earlier in the GDN, Royal Bahrain Air Force (RBAF) Commander Air Vice Marshal Shaikh Hamad bin Abdulla Al Khalifa revealed details of the $912 million deal during the Bahrain International Air Show in 2018.
Keeping to his promise, he said at the time that deliveries would start in the second half of 2022 and completed in early 2023, adding it was part of a plan to modernise the country’s ageing helicopter fleet.
“This is an extraordinary achievement by the H-1 Programme and brings the Royal Bahraini Air Force a step closer to fielding the advanced capabilities of the AH-1Z,” said Bell H-1 vice-president and programme director, Mike Deslatte.
“The men and women of Team Viper, a group of premier suppliers, have done an exceptional job of delivering to the US Government, on time and on contract.”
The H-1upgrade programme is the United States Marine Corps’s programme to develop the AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom military helicopters to replace its ageing fleets of AH-1W SuperCobras and UH-1N Twin Hueys.
The contract was awarded in 1996 to Bell Helicopter, the original manufacturer of both aircraft, to design the new modernised attack airframes and, at the same time, reduce operating costs.
Bell designed the AH-1Z Viper specifically to meet the stringent operational requirements of the US Marine Corps. The aircraft has a fully integrated glass cockpit and the ability to carry a wide variety of munitions.
The composite rotor system further enhances the Viper’s ability to provide close air support to ground forces in any environment, while the fully integrated Target Sight System (TSS) enhances pilots’ capabilities to clearly identify, acquire, track and engage targets beyond maximum weapon range.
“The Viper will provide significant benefits to the Bahrain Defence Force as it modernises its fleet of attack helicopters.” said Mr Deslatte. “Having a proven state-of-the-air platform will help contribute to the security of Bahrain while improving interoperability with US forces.”
Bahrain is also expected to receive the first four of the latest F-16 fighter jets in 2022 as part of a larger $3.8 billion deal, making it the first country in the world to possess the newest generation warplane. The multi-billion-dollar agreement for 16 F-16 fighter jets was signed in 2017 with Maryland-based Lockheed Martin Corp, with Bahrain fully-owning the jets by 2023.
sandy@gdn.com.bh
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