Industry sources report that the UK Royal Air Force upgrade of its Aerospatiale SA330 Puma helicopter fleet has run into problems due to Eurocopter refusing to certify some of the modification work carried out in the past by Westland Helicopters.rnMajor repairs, structure strengthening after fatigue cracking, and avionics and wiring upgrades have been carried out in the UK across the fleet since the type was introduced to RAF service in the 1970s. Although all the work has been approved by the UK Ministry of Defence, sources claim that Eurocopter is refusing to recognise some aspects and wants to carry out additional flight trials to certify and approve changes that are not directly part of the Mk.2 upgrade programme.
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