There are now 4 potential bidders that may take part in the 3rd re-bidding to supply the Philippine Air Force (PAF) with 21 used UH-1 Huey combat utility helicopters. These are the companies that bought the bid documents and are expected to submit a bid on August 30, 2013. Originally it was reported that 14 companies were interested in the project, but it is surprising that less than half made real intentions to join.
MaxDefense made a brief summary as a preview of what these companies can do (click on the company names to access their official websites for further information):
1. RADOM Aviation Systems Ltd. (Israel);
2. Singapore Technologies (ST) Aerospace Ltd. (Singapore);
3. Stone of David Tactical Equipment (Philippines);
4. Vector Aerospace (Canada)
Here is a short summary of the said companies, below are MaxDefense' initial information about them:
Radom Aviation Systems Ltd. is an Israeli company, and according to their official website, the company "specializes in upgrade and modernization of military and civil helicopters and aircraft". It has been operating for more than 25 years, and is also said to be capable of supplying platforms that include the UH-1 series. It is worth noting that Radom submitted a bid for the 1st and 2nd earlier attempts for this project, although their 1st bid failed for not satisfying the requirements and lost on the 2nd bid to a US-based company.
ST Aerospace Ltd. is a subsidiary of Singapore Technologies (ST) Engineering. It is said to be one of the world's largest 3rd party aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider, and has previous experience in supplying refurbished UH-1H Hueys to the Philippine Air Force in the last decade. It also bought bid documents in previous bid attempts but did not submit a bid for unknown reasons. In their previous supply contract, ST Aerospace used US-sourced UH-1H and refurbished them before delivery to the PAF, so it may do the same this time should it win the bid. ST Engineering was also identified before as interested in supplying the Philippine Navy with 2 new frigates.
Stone of David Tactical Equipment is a Filipino company that specializes in small arms and personal protection gear, but is said to have contacts with foreign defense manufacturers through its mother company, Joavi Philippines Corp., including Israel Shipyards, IMI and others. It has also bought bid documents in the previous bid attempts but did not submit a bid also for unknown reasons. This company has been actively joining bidding programs of the Philippine military for some time now, recently also purchasing the bid documents to supply 2 amphibious transport vessels for the Philippine Navy.
Vector Aerospace is a Canadian company that operates in several countries, and is said to be another leading MRO provider. They claim to have more than 2 decades of support experience for various Bell helicopter models including the UH-1 series. They also offer customizable upgrades program for the UH-1, which is useful considering that the requirement is to include supplying upgraded UH-1 helicopters besides the standard model. It is possible that Radom will use US-sourced UH-1H aircraft should they be chosen by the DND.
Similar to previous bid attempts, MaxDefense believes that not all 4 prospective bidders may submit a bid, so we expect less than 4 bid submissions by August 30, 2013 deadline. MaxDefense will be closely monitoring any updates regarding the bidding of this project, as this project has already been delayed after several promises by the DND to have the helicopters usable by the last mid-term elections.
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UPDATES:
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January 3, 2014:
As posted on MaxDefense @ Facebook page, a notice of award was given to the joint venture of US-based Rice Aircraft Services and Canada-based Eagle Copter. A contract will follow soon. They are required to deliver the 1st batch of helicopters within 6 months or by around June 2014. Rice Aircraft Services-Eagle Copter JV got the contract through a negotiated bid after the bidding for this project failed 3 times in the past. More from the news HERE.
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July 4, 2014:
The PAF received its first 4 UH-1 helicopters before the end of June 2014, and was able to present the aircraft during the 67th anniversary celebrations of the PAF. According to DND, 3 more aircraft are expected to arrive this July 2014, and that all 21 units will be delivered before the end of the year.
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| The PAF still sees the importance of having more UH-1H Hueys in its inventory, and it is expected that this type will be in service with the PAF for at least 10 more years from now. |
MaxDefense made a brief summary as a preview of what these companies can do (click on the company names to access their official websites for further information):
1. RADOM Aviation Systems Ltd. (Israel);
2. Singapore Technologies (ST) Aerospace Ltd. (Singapore);
3. Stone of David Tactical Equipment (Philippines);
4. Vector Aerospace (Canada)
Here is a short summary of the said companies, below are MaxDefense' initial information about them:
Radom Aviation Systems Ltd. is an Israeli company, and according to their official website, the company "specializes in upgrade and modernization of military and civil helicopters and aircraft". It has been operating for more than 25 years, and is also said to be capable of supplying platforms that include the UH-1 series. It is worth noting that Radom submitted a bid for the 1st and 2nd earlier attempts for this project, although their 1st bid failed for not satisfying the requirements and lost on the 2nd bid to a US-based company.
 |
| Israel-based Radom Aviation Systems Ltd. specializes in helicopter refurbishing and maintenance, including the UH-1 series. Photo taken from Radom Aviation website. |
ST Aerospace Ltd. is a subsidiary of Singapore Technologies (ST) Engineering. It is said to be one of the world's largest 3rd party aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider, and has previous experience in supplying refurbished UH-1H Hueys to the Philippine Air Force in the last decade. It also bought bid documents in previous bid attempts but did not submit a bid for unknown reasons. In their previous supply contract, ST Aerospace used US-sourced UH-1H and refurbished them before delivery to the PAF, so it may do the same this time should it win the bid. ST Engineering was also identified before as interested in supplying the Philippine Navy with 2 new frigates.
 |
| Singapore-based ST Aerospace is one of the world's largest MRO service provider, and has experience in supplying refurbished UH-1 helicopters for the PAF. Photo taken from ST Aerospace website. |
Stone of David Tactical Equipment is a Filipino company that specializes in small arms and personal protection gear, but is said to have contacts with foreign defense manufacturers through its mother company, Joavi Philippines Corp., including Israel Shipyards, IMI and others. It has also bought bid documents in the previous bid attempts but did not submit a bid also for unknown reasons. This company has been actively joining bidding programs of the Philippine military for some time now, recently also purchasing the bid documents to supply 2 amphibious transport vessels for the Philippine Navy.
 |
| Philippine-based Stone of David Tactical Equipment, has partners in the Israeli defense industries through its mother company, Joavi Philippines Corp. Photo taken from Joavi Philippines website. |
Vector Aerospace is a Canadian company that operates in several countries, and is said to be another leading MRO provider. They claim to have more than 2 decades of support experience for various Bell helicopter models including the UH-1 series. They also offer customizable upgrades program for the UH-1, which is useful considering that the requirement is to include supplying upgraded UH-1 helicopters besides the standard model. It is possible that Radom will use US-sourced UH-1H aircraft should they be chosen by the DND.
 |
| Canada-based Vector Aerospace also specializes in refurbishing and upgrade of Bell helicopters including the UH-1 series. Photo taken from Vector Aerospace' website. |
Similar to previous bid attempts, MaxDefense believes that not all 4 prospective bidders may submit a bid, so we expect less than 4 bid submissions by August 30, 2013 deadline. MaxDefense will be closely monitoring any updates regarding the bidding of this project, as this project has already been delayed after several promises by the DND to have the helicopters usable by the last mid-term elections.
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UPDATES:
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September 9, 2013:
There were actually 4 more bidders for the Supply of UH-1 project: the 4 others beside those indicated in MaxDefense blog are:
5. Rice Aviation Services (USA) / Eagle Copter Ltd. (Canada) joint venture;
6. Serpenair Group Inc. (Philippines) / Bell Helicopters (USA);
7. Overseas Aircraft Support Inc. (USA);
8. Aerospace Engineering Group (USA)
Bid submission and opening date and only 1 bidder, a joint venture of US-based Rice Aviation Services, Inc. and Canada-based Eagle Copter Ltd. submitted a bid. This lone bid was found ineligible after failure to comply on documentation requirements. The DND then announced that they would enter into negotiated bidding with the interested parties.
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January 3, 2014:
As posted on MaxDefense @ Facebook page, a notice of award was given to the joint venture of US-based Rice Aircraft Services and Canada-based Eagle Copter. A contract will follow soon. They are required to deliver the 1st batch of helicopters within 6 months or by around June 2014. Rice Aircraft Services-Eagle Copter JV got the contract through a negotiated bid after the bidding for this project failed 3 times in the past. More from the news HERE.
=====
July 4, 2014:
The PAF received its first 4 UH-1 helicopters before the end of June 2014, and was able to present the aircraft during the 67th anniversary celebrations of the PAF. According to DND, 3 more aircraft are expected to arrive this July 2014, and that all 21 units will be delivered before the end of the year.
