Helikopter - Enda et militært havari, nå i Israel - Israel News

Ingen skadd i totalhavari om natten. (Red.)

IDF needs to replace current helicopters with new ones ASAP

Comptroller report says prolonging life of the Yasur helicopter is liable to endanger human life.

By ANNA AHRONHEIM   

MARCH 28, 2019 04:50

An IAF Yasur helicopter, often used in search-and-rescue missions

(photo credit: OREN ROZEN / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi must decide on new helicopters for the Israeli Air Force as soon as possible to replace the aging Yasur helicopters, as the old ones may endanger human life, said the annual State Comptroller’s report released on Wednesday.

“Prolonging the life of the Yasur is liable to endanger human life and may have significant operational implications and substantial maintenance costs,” the report read, adding that the air force should “consider purchasing the Yasur replacement option early so that it will be as close as possible to the date on which the memorandum of understanding [MOU] with the United States is implemented.

“The chief of staff must make a decision as soon as possible vis-a-vis future operational needs as part of the decision regarding the Yasur alternatives and the timetable set for this purpose.”

First used by the IAF in 1969, the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion Yasur helicopters are the air force’s primary transport aircraft. While it has been upgraded with new electronic and missile defense systems as well as other improvements to extend service life, they must be replaced by 2025 when they will be over 50 years old.

The IAF plans to buy some 20 new heavylift helicopters – in other words, an entire squadron – to replace the current Sea Stallion squadron at the Tel Nof Base. The two options in the running is the CH-53K King Stallion – made by Lockheed Martin Sikorsky, maker of the Yasur – and Boeing’s Ch-47F Chinook helicopter.

According to the comptroller report, there is also a significant gap in the availability of spare parts for the aging aircraft which “require maintenance more frequently.” The report recommended examining alternatives to ensure their continued use.

The maintenance of helicopters was also discussed in the report, referring to the deadly 2017 August crash of an Apache helicopter, saying that the IAF should carry out a “comprehensive and thorough examination of the entire maintenance system for all aircraft, in view of the concern that improper conduct reflected in the final report is also the result of additional maintenance systems in the Air Force.”