Kaman Begins Hunt for Seasprite Buyers

Kaman Begins Hunt for Seasprite Buyers (NSI News Source Info) September 18, 2008: Kaman has begun marketing the Super Seasprite naval helicopters being returned by Australia following termination of the SH-2G(A) program in March. The U.S.-based test aircraft will be displayed at a Black Sea defense trade show in Bucharest, Romania, at the end of September, with Kaman eyeing new Eastern European NATO members as potential customers. Under the agreement reached with Australian government, ownership of the 11 Seasprites is being transferred to Kaman and the company has guaranteed to pay Canberra at least $37 million over three years regardless of whether it sells the helicopters (Aerospace DAILY, March 6). Title transfer is being worked through the U.S. State Department and is "imminent", says Kaman Helicopters president Sal Bordonaro. The other 10 aircraft are at Nowra airbase in Australia. Kaman is offering to deliver the renamed SH-2G(I) Super Seaspites to a new customer or customers "within six months," he says, and at "a great cost advantage" over competing small-ship naval helicopters. The Australian program was terminated after prolonged delays in achieving full operational capability because of problems developing the integrated tactical avionics system (ITAS). But Bordonaro says the helicopters are ready for delivery to another customer. When termination was agreed "we were just months away from delivering the full capability offered to Australia," he says. Australia never formally accepted the ITAS software, but it had been through "a robust, comprehensive test program. We are now cleaning up the software with [integrator CSC Australia]," he adds. Kaman is taking over not only the helicopters, but also a full-motion simulator, operations and training manuals, and spares and support equipment. These could be used to set up a regional support center if the helicopters are sold more to than one country within a region, such as the Black Sea, says Bordonardo. Kaman needs to sell the helicopters to help meet its commitment to pay at least $25 million to Australia by March 2011, followed by $6 million payments in 2012 and 2013.