Rotor Torque

The aircraft flew for about 15 minutes with experimental test pilot Chan Morse at the controls. Flight manoeuvres were basic, including low speed forward, sideward and rearward flight, pedal turns, in-ground and out of ground effect hovers. Top speed was about 15 knots. The highest altitude reached was about 30 feet. “The first flight was everything we expected it to be”, Morse said. “The controls were responsive and the Notar system worked exceptionally well. It felt great. This is a giant step down the road to a much better helicopter,” he said. The 530N will be marketed alongside the normal tail-rotored 500 and 530 series.

Eurocopter Tiger Is Launched

The main development contract for the new Franco-German armed helicopter PAH-2 designated ‘Tiger’ has been signed by the Federal German Agency for Military Technology and Procurement on behalf of the two participating governments.

The contract was awarded to Eurocopter, a subsidiary of MBB and Aerospatiale. The two companies have been co-operating for 25 years on a large number of programmes involving missiles, fixed wing aircraft, space activities and helicopters. The total non-recurring cost of $A1. 1bn the development of the helicopter amounts to and includes the amount already contracted in 1988 for the initial phase of the development. The development of the engine designated MTR. 390 is the subject of a separate contract let to MTR, a consortium comprising MTU, Turbomeca and Rolls-Royce. Full scale development of the helicopter began officially in January 1988 and is on schedule. Ratification of the main development contract constitutes a further milestone in this program which forms the basis of a new generation European armed helicopter family.

The helicopter will be superior to all recently available combat helicopters in the world, and is intended to counter threats anticipated well into the next century. Development emphasis is therefore placed on day and night all weather compatibility, low observability, sophisticated electronics, self defence and effective armament. This helicopter, in full scale development today, has recently no comparable rival and therefore enjoys growing interest by those armies which have identified a need for armed helicopters in the late 1990s and beyond; in Europe, these are primarily the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. The maiden flight of the first prototype is scheduled for the first half of 1991. In total, the development programme will comprise five prototypes. Delivery of the first production helicopters is to commence in 1997.

Flyaway costs of $A7m for the aircraft will be for the French HAP escort/support version, $A8m for the French HAG anti tank version and $A8. 5m for the German anti tank version. The programme calls for 212 helicopters to be delivered to the German Army and 215 to the French armed forces-140 anti tank plus 75 escort/support helicopters.

Both versions of the aircraft, the anti tank helicopter and the escort/support helicopter, are derived from one basic, twin engined helicopter in tandem configuration with the gunners’s seat elevated behind the pilot’s seat. Either crew member can fly the aircraft. Both versions share a common avionics package, a Doppler inertial navigation set and common protection and countermeasures that operate off of a redundant MIL Std. 1553B digital data bus. Missiles are mounted on launchers attached to pylons on both sides of the fuselage.

The escort/support helicopter’s day and night visions consist of a roof mounted sight for the gunner, head up display for the pilot and a helmet mounted sight for both pilot and gunner. Armament consists of a turret mounted, 30mm cannon on the nose with 450 rounds; air-to-air missile launchers for 2×2 Mistrals and rocket launchers for 2×22 unguided rockets. For a pure close air support mission the air-to-air launchers would be replaced by rocket pods of 2×21 unguided rockets. Visionics for the anti tank version consist of a multi sensor mast mounted sight for the gunner, helmet mounted sight display for both pilot and gunner, plus a pilot night vision system. Weapons provisions for this role include anti tank missile launchers for 2×4 HOT-2, and air-to-air missile launchers for 2×2 Mistral or Stinger. The system is designed to also allow for a mixed configuration TRIG AT/HOT-2.

The mission equipment package for the anti tank version is accorded special status as the European Mission Equipment Package (EUROMEP) based on a redundant MIL Std. 1553Bdata bus. Subsystems and operator controls that are linked to the bus include the three missile types (TRIGAT, Stinger and Mistral) plus the pilot night vision system. EUROMEP interfaces the symbology of the sights. As regards missions, the H AP support helicopter, in a typical escort mission, protects friendly anti tank and utility/ transport helicopters against enemy helicopters and armored vehicles. The escort version is also effective for fire suppression missions. The H APis capable of high speed flight and flying napof-the-earth missions (NOE).

An anti tank mission flown by the PAH-2/H AC would typically involve high speed flight until close to the battle area. Upon nearing the combat zone, the helicopter could approach in the NOE mode, using any available cover. Having stayed well protected, the helicopter then comes up for missile attack. Obviously, the basic aircraft can be fitted with alternate weapons systems should additional customers require them. Due to its extreme mission and systems flexibility, the Franco-German combat helicopter can be fitted for a wide variety of military missions, evolving into a completely new armed helicopter ‘family’. Development progress in the programme since the beginning of 1988 has been substantial. The main rotor system commenced whirltower tests during late 1989, class 2 mock-ups are nearing completion and major components for the first prototype are in production. Systems development in the avionics area is moving ahead. Provision of the development environment for the software, ie tools, computers, software tools, etc is largely completed. While all major subcontractors in the programme have been selected.