UH-X

If the offer is accepted, the army UH-X program could be a breakthrough in Japan’s process of entering into the global arms market, since the military X4 would become a partly Japanese product offered for international sale.

Because Japan is now willing to consider arms exports,

Joint production would fulfill the Japanese defense ministry’s hopes that the army UH-X would support a civil export program. Conceivably, KHI could also do final assembly of X4s for the Asian civil market, especially since the company would probably need an assembly line for those delivered to the Japanese army.

The ministry intends to order about 150 army UH-X helicopters over 20 years. An unrelated Japanese navy helicopter program is also called UH-X.

A team comprising Bell and Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) appears to be the other main contender for UH-X, probably offering a version of the Bell UH-1, such as the 412 or

Like Bell and Sikorsky, Airbus confirms its interest in the army UH-X program, but it does not name the aircraft it proposes as the basis for development. Its alternative offering was the EC155, but Airbus has suggested that helicopter for South Korea’s similar LCH-LAH program.

Choosing the X4 would raise risks for Japan, since the type is not even due to fly until 2015. But it would also simplify the allocation of manufacturing work, since Airbus cannot have decided yet on the production setup for the type. At this early stage in the program there should also still be opportunities to change the design to suit Japanese military requirements – at the risk of undermining civil competitiveness.

The Japanese army is worried by the risk that it would be forced to operate a basically civilian, and therefore not battleworthy, utility helicopter, an industry official says. The UH-1Y, used by the U.S.

The defense ministry’s development budget for the army UH-X, ¥23-26.3 billion ($193-220 million), looks about right for developing a military version of the X4, industry officials say.

Armies sometimes need more powerful engines than civil operators do, because military versions of helicopters are fitted with more equipment, may have to carry heavier loads, and should have more maneuverability. Even substituting an engine with greater output than the X4’s currently planned

The weights of the X4 are unknown. Airbus refers to it as a successor to the AS365, which has a gross weight of just 4.3 metric tons in its current version, and the EC155, of 4.9 tons. But it is also aimed at competing with the highly successful

The UH-1Y, able to fly at 8.4 tons, would be even further from Japan’s requirement. But the Bell 412, a civil derivative of the UH-1, has a gross weight of 5.4 tons. FHI built the UH-1Hs and UH-1Js that Japan is seeking to replace, adding to the industrial appeal of a Bell offering.

Indicating the power requirements for a modern battlefield utility helicopter in this class, the British army’s AgustaWestland

The ministry hopes to launch UH-X development by March 2016. Bidders are awaiting a request for proposals, but the ministry may first issue a request for comment, seeking guidance on how it should proceed.