8th Annual Helicon

The Latest on Survivability, Rotorcraft Development, Maintenance, and Unmanned Air Systems

Helicopter operations are a necessity on the battlefield. Joint operations and interoperability have thrust helicopter and rotor technology to the forefront of current military actions. Greater use of rotorcraft on the battlefield has led to increasing problems relating to helicopter vulnerability and survivability that need to be addressed urgently. As a result, the DoD has declared Rotorcraft to be among their top 3 overall priorities for the next 4 years.

As the premier community event and in keeping with these current developments, IDGA is pleased to announce the 8th Annual Helicon.

ALL NEW 2010 FOCUS: Capability, Survivability, & Adaptability

• What is the future of manned and unmanned systems?
• What are the future developments for rotorcraft?
• How will our rotorcraft fleets be sustained and maintained?

This year’s summit will focus on current military operations and address outstanding issues such as deployability, safety, survivability, affordability, maintenance and operational effectiveness.

Current operations, especially in southern Afghanistan, would not be possible without the use of rotorcraft. The mountainous Afghan landscape has presented new challenges and helicopters are now being used three to five times more than they would in a time of peace. As a result, the DoD has declared rotorcraft to be among their top three overall priorities for the next four years. In February of this year, Defense Secretary Robert Gates unveiled the new defense budget which asks Congress for $9.6 billion for additional rotorcraft.

As the premier community event and in keeping with these developments, IDGA’s 8th Annual Helicon will provide a combination of technical examination sessions and key case studies focusing on:

• Capability - What is the future of manned and unmanned systems?
• Survivability - What are the future developments for rotorcraft?
• Adaptability - How will our rotorcraft fleets be sustained and maintained?

This event will bring together influential leaders of the military rotorcraft community to address recent demands and current initiatives. This year, we will also feature a Warfighter’s Perspective to gain insight on current challenges and future development.