Jane Edwards
Boeing plans to kick off delivery of upgraded A/MH-6M Little Bird helicopters to the U.S. Army 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, also known as “Night Stalkers,“ at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, Rotor & Wing International reported Friday.
“What we’ve done on the MELB [Mission Enhanced Little Bird] in concert with TAPO [Technology Applications Program Officer] is a modern airfoil and a six inch longer blade that give them tremendous additional speed and lift “¦ We’ll start delivering those in kits to TAPO, as we’re also delivering kits that include a new fuselage for all MELBs,“ said David Koopersmith, vice president and general manager for Boeing“™s vertical lift.
Koopersmith said work on the new rotor blades for the MELB Block 3.0 upgrade commenced about seven to eight years ago.
The MELB Block 3.0 helicopter features a new rear gear box, a payload capacity of up to 500 pounds, improved cockpit, updated flight controls and a longer tail boom.
