Vector Aerospace, a global independent provider of aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, continues to support the needs of Bell Huey helicopter operators worldwide with its UH-1H3 (hot, high, heavy) upgrade and modernization program.
Developed as a cost-effective means of enhancing the performance of the enduring UH-1H platform, 1,500 of which remain in service worldwide, the UH-1H3 “hot, high, heavy” upgrade offers operators a portfolio of technical solutions with which to customize the Huey to their specific requirements. These include:
- High performance tailboom, with upgraded upper longerons, improved skins, BLR FastFin and dual strake system;
- Upgraded main rotor transmission, hub, swashplate assembly, stabilizer and blades;
- Upgraded main and tail rotor drive shaft and couplings;
- Upgraded tail rotor, tail rotor gearbox and push-pull tube control system;
- Airframe upgrade, including lift beam, main beam and cross tube tunnel; and
- Honeywell T53-L-703 engine.
Vector also offers a range of electrical and avionics upgrades to complement the UH-1H3 “hot, high, heavy” upgrade, including complete airframe rewire, instrument panel modifications and three- or four-screen glass cockpit avionics suites.
Customers for the UH-1H3 upgrade include the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department (SBCSD), which operates the UH-1H in support of a wide range of missions across the San Bernardino Valley and San Bernardino Mountains, including search-and-rescue, fire suppression and homeland security.
Vector will be delivering an upgraded UH-1H3 to SBCSD — complete with Garmin GTN 650H GPS/nav/comms and GTX transponder, integrated to display traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS), helicopter terrain awareness and warning system (HTAWS) and ADS-B — back to them this week to the support the department’s missions.
