AgustaWestland Philadelphia to supply TH-73A Advanced Helicopter Training Systems to U.S Navy

Aviation Defense News November 2020 aerospace air force industry
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On November 12, the U.S. DoD announced that AgustaWestland Philadelphia is awarded a $171,047,763 modification to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract N61340-20-C-0007. This modification exercises options for the production and delivery of 36 TH-73A aircraft in support of the Advanced Helicopter Training System program.

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AgustaWestland Philadelphia to supply TH 73A Advanced Helicopter Training Systems to U.S Navy AgustaWestland TH-73A Advanced Helicopter Training System of the U.S. Navy (Picture source: U.S. Navy)

Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (87%); Mineral Wells, Texas (5%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (8%), and is expected to be completed in December 2022. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $171,047,763 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

The TH-73A Advanced Helicopter Training System will replace the 35-year-old TH-57 training system to meet advanced rotary wing and intermediate tilt-rotor training requirements for the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard through 2050. The Contractor Logistics and Maintenance Support task order contract, awarded Oct. 20, 2020, promotes and takes advantage of the existing commercial infrastructure, practices, and solutions found in the commercial sector.

The TH-73A Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) brings the training tools needed to produce the next generations of Rotary and Tilt-rotor pilots for the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and selected allied nations with current and relevant training platforms.

The TH-73A Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) improves pilot training and skills by using current cockpit technologies and modernized training curriculum that reflect the capabilities in the current Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard inventory. Using a skills-based approach to training, with just-in-time methodology, incorporating modern technology, AHTS will ensure Rotary Wing Aviators are produced at a higher quality, more efficiently, ready to meet the challenges faced in the fleet.

The TH-73A AHTS is expected to be in service for approximately 30 years. It is the replacement for 35-year-old TH-57Bs and TH-57Cs, which will begin sundown in FY22 and concludes in the FY24 timeframe (2024).