by Art Thomason - Sept. 14, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
In a ceremony punctuated with patriotic themes and commitments to save American jobs, the Army on Tuesday took the keys to six helicopters to train Afghan pilots just days after they were manufactured in Mesa.
The helicopters are the first built by MD Helicopters Inc. as part of a defense contract to produce up to 54 aircraft at a cost of $186 million for training missions described as critical in development of the Afghan military.
The deal sweetens the rebound of a helicopter company that was in financial chaos six years ago and allows the Army to dramatically upgrade helicopter-pilot training with modern rotorcraft and technologies.
The Department of Defense was criticized by members of Congress last year after the Pentagon spent $648 million to buy or refurbish 31 Russian Mi-17 transport helicopters for the Afghan National Army Air Corps.
Pentagon officials said that the deal was struck because Afghan airmen had trained on the Russian helicopters for years and that the rotorcraft were designed for Afghanistan's desert and mountainous terrain.
But this year, the Defense Department bought American. MD Helicopters landed the contract and is delivering the rotorcraft to the Army 45 days ahead of schedule.
Army officials didn't lose sight of the unexpectedly early completion, praising it as an example of the enterprise and work ethic that will keep America strong.
"You are the underpinning and the enablers to train them (pilots)," Maj. Gen. Tim Crosby, the Army's program executive officer for aviation, told company employees, Army officials and others who gathered near the MD plant's production lines for the ceremony.
"Those soldiers over there don't know who you are, but they know there are workers in Mesa, Arizona, who are helping them. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and for every soldier over there."
MD owner Lynn Tilton, who rescued the company from near-liquidation when she and her $6 billion private-equity firm, Patriarch Partners, acquired it in 2005, said the helicopter production for the Army is more than business.
"It's love of country, but not love of money," she said.
"I can say today that I'm very proud. I get up each day to create jobs in America and to sustain jobs in America. . . . This is what it takes to rebuild America. We are manufacturers. Until we respect and honor those who stand together and turn the wrenches, we will not change."
Mesa Mayor Scott Smith said, "MD Helicopters has persisted through a very difficult environment. It's no small feat to beat a production deadline on a tight six-month schedule, and they're doing it right here in Mesa."
Tilton said the Army pact could lead to additional defense contracts for the company, which is located at Falcon Field Airport.
Crosby said that "there have been some inquiries" about eventually arming the helicopters with weapons.
Although MD is known for its line of commercial helicopters, it has manufactured helicopters for military use.
The company also is continuing discussions with the Boeing Co. as part of a contract to collaborate on production of the Boeing AH-6i light-attack/reconnaissance helicopter for the global market.
Boeing builds its Apache helicopters at facilities just northwest of Falcon Field.
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