Interoperability, fleet upgrades and new technology were the key themes at Global Defence Helicopter 2023 — Europe’s largest military helicopter event — held Oct. 17 to 19 in Warsaw, Poland.
The event, now in its 10th year, attracted hundreds of military and industry representatives from over 40 countries, who shared information and best practices over three days of briefing sessions. Outside the briefing rooms, representatives from 95 companies demonstrated their products and services in an exhibition area.
The shadow of the continuing war in Ukraine — given particular prominence due to the proximity of the Ukraine border — loomed large over the event, both in highlighting the need for many nations to upgrade their fleets, and providing invaluable lessons learned from the conflict.
BGen Wojciech Pikuła, Deputy Inspector of the Polish Air Force, gave the host nation address, highlighting challenges facing the region.
“The result of the war will have a big influence on our activities in the future,” he told the audience.
The country is at the beginning of a major acquisition cycle, led by the recent approval of its request to buy 96 Boeing AH-64E model Apache attack helicopters. BGen Pikuła added that Polish pilots have already begun their training on the aircraft.
Poland’s western neighbor, Germany, is also beginning a large procurement, having recently had its $8.5 billion order for 60 Boeing CH-47F Block II Chinooks approved by the U.S. State Department. The type will replace the country’s Sikorsky CH-53 fleet for heavy-lift operations.
“Russia’s attack on Ukraine was a key turning point, not only — but especially — for the European continent,” said Col Christian Guntsch, representative of the Air Chief for the CH-47F program, German Air Force. “We experienced a shift of focus, one could say, back to homeland and NATO collective defense. Defending NATO’s eastern flank has become the so-called new norm.”
The first German Chinook will arrive in 2027, with the last due in 2032 — meaning 60 aircraft are slated to be delivered in just 66 months. Aircrew training on the type will begin in 2026.
Col Guntsch added the cooperation opportunities with the Chinook — with over 900 aircraft in operation with 21 countries around the world — was one of the main reasons for Germany choosing the type. The country would be looking for aircrew training opportunities with its European partners, he said, while benefitting from the lessons learned by other Chinook operators in terms of maintenance and deployment.
In highlighting the type’s improvements over the Block I Chinook, he touched on its greater range — an increase of 10 percent.
Another Polish neighbor, the Czech Republic, is in the process of onboarding a fleet of four Bell AH-1Z Vipers and eight UH-1Y Venoms, which are replacing the country’s Mil Mi-24s (these are being donated to Ukraine). So far, it has received four Vipers and two Venoms, and hopes to have full operational capability by 2026. Training is due to begin in November.
LCol Tomas Navratil, Rotary Wing SME Force Development Division, Czech Republic MoD, said the country is set to sign a contract for an additional eight aircraft — six more Vipers and two more Venoms — to bring its total H1 fleet to 20 aircraft.
North Macedonia is one of several countries in Central and Eastern Europe that operates older Russian aircraft in its fleet. Modernization is required to not only improve its capabilities, but due to the lack of support the airframes have.
The Balkan country, which lies to the north of Greece, has a fleet of Mil Mi-17s and Mi-24s. Col Valentin Ivanovski, head of Military Aviation Authority at the Republic of North Macedonia MoD, said the country is looking to work with a single OEM for two types, totalling eight aircraft. It has met with Bell (considering the 412EPX and UH-1Y), Sikorsky (S-70i), Airbus (H145M, H215M and H225M) and Leonardo (AW169M, AW139M and AW149M), and hopes to sign a contract by the end of this year, adding the aircraft to its fleet in 24 to 36 months.
Hungary also has a legacy fleet of Mi-17s and Mi-24s, and recently upgraded with 20 H145Ms. It is currently introducing the H225M to its fleet, and received the first two of 16 H225Ms in July this year.
More broadly, Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks continue to be a popular choice, with Sweden looking to replace its NH90 fleet after 2025 with the type, Australia ordering 40 UH-60Ms earlier this year (also to replace the MRH-90), and Austria hoping to replace its aging AB212s with the UH-60M by 2027/28.
New technology was also touched upon during the summit — and the need for the next generation of rotorcraft to have open system architecture was emphasized, along with enhanced capabilities.
“Battlefields are inflating in size … there is the need for longer range, longer reach,” said David Alfano, military project manager for Airbus Helicopters. “This might ask for higher speeds for rotorcraft.”
He also noted how the war in Ukraine showed ubiquitous strike threats — with Russian missiles hitting targets across Ukraine in the first weeks of the invasion.
“The old legacy model in which you have the main operating base, and then you go to a forward operating base which is 100 or 200 kilometers away from the line of contact, is probably to be rethought and to be re-planned,” he said.
The lesson, he said, was that dispersed operations are key.
In between updates from the various militaries, manufacturers and service providers gave products updates and briefings, while a special dinner and audience with Liz McConaghy — author of Chinook Crew ‘Chick’ — rounded out the event’s first day.
Global Defence Helicopter will return to Warsaw from Oct. 22 to 24, 2024.
