iscover
Production of the Pilatus PC-9 is running like (Swiss!) clockwork at HOH though production will end in early 1992 unless the RNZAF decides to acquire the PC-9 as a Strikemaster replacement. Also being mooted in this deal is the lease of a number of surplus RAAF MB-326H Macchijets to complement the prop driven Pilatus.
Hawker de Havilland Plans For The Future
0 comment
Hawker de Havilland Planning Ahw Forthenineteenninetieswith Expanded Civil Workload
With a number of key military programmes due to end over the coming two years, Hawker de Havilland is planning to augment its workload via an expanded civil production base.
HOH, which is Australia’s largest aerospace manufacturer with major facilities in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and more recently Townsville, is looking to a greatly expanded role in the production of offset components for civil airliner programmes in addition to its sizeable investment in the McDonnell Douglas Helicopters MDX project. Hawker de Havilland already have some 40 specialists dedicated to this programme which involves a longterm investment of $60m by the company. In an ambitious move for Australian industry, HOH does not expect to see solid returns on its MDX share till around the end of the decade by which time more than 700 MDX helos will have been produced.
Responsible for the design and manufacture of the fuselage, tail boom and empennage, HOH will ship the first MDX flight test aircraft in mid 1991. First flight, at MDHC’s headquarters in Mesa, Arizona, will be one year later with FAA certification targeted for late 1993. HOH will thus ship the first production fuselage in early 1992, from which time production will accelerate from 7 shipsets that year to 12 in 1993, 72 in 1994 and 108 in 1995. Present planning calls for stabilisation at 108 per annum, though this could move upwards as the MDX, which falls roughly between the MBB Bo105 and the BK-117 in size, is already proving extremely popular with firm orders taken already for more than 220 examples. In fact, all production through to 1996 is completely sold out, a first for a civil helicopter programme. As one can imagine the MDX project will be a major employer of skills at HOH by the middle of the next decade, though at time of writing it was still unclear whether primary production would take place at Bankstown or HDH’s Fisherman’s Bend facility.
This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members.
A monthly membership is only $5.99 or save with our annual plans.
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
- Access to the Australian Aviation app
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
- Daily news updates via our email bulletin
- Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
- Access to the Australian Aviation app
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
- Daily news updates via our email bulletin
