Weaponising dual-use helicopters

Transcription

1 Jane's Defence Weekly [Content preview Subscribe to IHS Jane s Defence Weekly for full article] Weaponising dual-use helicopters The move towards dual-use helicopter designs has enabled military customers to weaponise aircraft for a variety of military missions. Andrew Drwiega reports The growing trend towards the acquisition of helicopters that can deliver multi-mission capabilities to military commanders has become more an accepted necessity than an option in recent years. An Airbus Helicopter's H145M mock-up showing potential weapons stations. (Airbus Helicopters) With research and development costs being unmatched by government budgets in the main, most major helicopter manufacturers are now offering civil airframes - more recently dubbed dual-use helicopters - that can be delivered for military customers. Finmeccanica (ex-agustawestland) states that all of its helicopters not specifically designed for the military are capable of dual commercial and military/government use. Examples include the AW109 light utility helicopter (LUH), AW139M, AW149, and AW169M. Airbus Helicopters similarly has its own range of helicopters repurposed for military use: the lighter H125M, H135M, and H145M helicopters; and the 11-tonne H225M, which is from the Page 1 of 7

2 Cougar/Super Puma family. There is also the maritime AS565 MBe from the Panther family. Airbus Helicopters specialist military aircraft are the Tiger attack helicopter and the NH90 (Tactical Transport Helicopter [TTH] utility and NATO Frigate Helicopter [NFH] maritime), the latter of which it has in common with Finmeccanica helicopters. An infographic showing the H145M's utility configuration. (Airbus Helicopters/IHS) The company's commercial H145 (formerly EC145) and military H145M (formerly EC645) twinengine light utility platform have both enjoyed good sales success. The civil H145 was first flown in June 2010 and achieved full certification in June Airbus Helicopters has delivered 43 H145s to date, 80% of which have been to helicopter emergency medical service (EMS) operators. Over 180 have been sold, with deliveries scheduled over the next four years. The type has recorded over 10,000 flight hours. Meanwhile, Airbus Helicopters has delivered more than 300 EC145 (UH-72A Lakota) platforms to the US Army out of a programme-of-record of 427 and has secured sales of 15 H145M platforms to the German Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) special forces as well as 11 H145Ms to Thailand (five to the Royal Thai Navy and six to the Royal Thai Army). In addition, the Thai army is also purchasing six UH-72A Lakotas from the United States through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process. Scott Tumpak, H145M programme manager at Airbus Helicopters' Donauwörth facility near Munich, Germany, said the UH-72A Lakota was bought by the US Army on the basis that it was a non-combat helicopter and would not be deployed internationally into conflict zones. The helicopter operated by the US Army National Guard's security and support battalions has an MX- 15 EO/IR turret for border security but is not weaponised. Page 2 of 7

3 Specifications of the H145/H145M helicopter. (IHS) Bundeswehr takes first H145Ms On 8 December 2015 Germany's KSK special forces command received the first two of 15 H145M light utility helicopters, which will be used as insertion and extraction platforms during day and night operations as well as for fire support and reconnaissance. Page 3 of 7

4 The KSK will use the H145M as an insertion and extraction platform during day and night operations, as well as for fire support and reconnaissance. (Airbus Helicopters) The aircraft were delivered in a special mission configuration that features a four-axis autopilot, door gun, fast roping system for the insertion of troops, cargo hooks (capable of lifting 600 kg), hoists, various weapons mounts, and electro-optical sensors. It is also decked with ballistic armour and features an electronic countermeasures system. Deliveries will continue up to Tumpak described the KSK H145M as "an anti-terrorist aircraft" that will be used both domestically and internationally. "It is designed to serve a full range of commando missions in a combat environment," he said. Originally, the KSK had considered procuring an EC145-derived version, as fielded by the US Army, but this civilian helicopter was not deemed to be suitable for combat operations. The special equipment package for the KSK comprises an Airbus Defence and Space MIssile Launch Detection System (MILDS) and a pintle machine gun mount for both the FN MAG generalpurpose machine gun and M134 Minigun, both of which are currently being qualified for the H145M. The gun pintle can be either deployed (in which case there is some drag penalty in flight) or retracted so that the helicopter can fly with the doors closed. "There are customers who may not always wish for the helicopter to look like a military aircraft for certain missions and it helps when the guns can be retracted on both sides of the aircraft," said Tumpak. The next step in 2016 is to complete the certification of the weapon pylons and the aircraft's loadcarrying capability. In order to fix the pylons to the aircraft, the top strut is attached using the existing hard point for the hoist above the door. There is also another hard point on the side of the Page 4 of 7

5 aircraft lower down. "The structural change to the aircraft is minimal; it only adds a couple of kilos of reinforcement to secure that second hard point," Tumpak said. Flight tests to support the qualification of the military equipment on the KSK's H145Ms are ongoing. Trials of the M134, scheduled for the third quarter of 2016, will be conducted by Airbus alongside the German military qualification authority, while Airbus will carry out the flight tests for the MAG (which is not part of the German contract) to achieve an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) qualification. "This data will be available for any other customer wishing to pursue a military qualification through their own authority," said Tumpak. The M134 firing trials will be conducted for the first time in April, he said. An Afghanistan solution MD Helicopters Inc (MDHI), the owner of the MD 500 series of helicopters, has three militarised civilian aircraft in its portfolio: the MD 530F, MD 530G, and MD 540A. MDHI MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters of the Afghan Air Force prepare to forward deploy to Helmand Province from their homebase in Kabul on 27 September 2015, for operations against the Taliban. The service is to receive a further 12 helicopters in addition to the 16 it already operates in time for the 2016 fighting season. (438th Air Expeditionary Wing) In 2015 the Afghan Air Force (AAF) took delivery of 12 MD 530F Cayuse Warrior ('Jengi' [Warrior]) light attack platforms. This order was followed on 11 January by a fixed-price contract from the US Army's Non-Standard Rotary Wing Project Office for an additional 12 aircraft for the AAF, bringing the total to 28 armed MD 530Fs in service (one crashed last year). The OEM has stated that the extra helicopters will all be delivered in time for the 2016 fighting season. Page 5 of 7

6 Enter the Armed Black Hawk While some military helicopters start life as utility aircraft, perhaps armed with door guns, Sikorsky has added a new twist by substantially up-gunning its legendary Black Hawk into what the company calls the Armed Black Hawk. This transformation can be accomplished by introducing a weapon capability at the time of manufacture or by retrofitting a weapon kit into an existing Black Hawk. Conversions of this type using older helicopters are likely to be more complex and expensive due to their legacy systems, which would need to be made compatible with the weapon mission package. Sikorsky is currently testing a sophisticated weapon kit (including guns, rockets and missiles) for the United Arab Emirates, which is funding its development. In time the weapon kit will be available for export to other international military customers of UH-60M Black Hawks manufactured by Sikorsky as well as S-70i aircraft made in Poland and Turkey. The company says it can transform any Black Hawk from an essentially crew-served defensive platform into one that can use its offensive weapons in more of a close air support role. It has already begun live test firing at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona with a view to certifying the addition of weapons later in the year. There will be several levels of kit, some of which are already in operation at a basic level. The main weapon kit includes a provision for guns, as well as unguided and laser-guided weapons. The electo-optic/infrared (EO/IR) systems will comprise an AN/AAQ-22E BRITE Star II turret or L-3 WESCAM MX-15Di for laser targeting. Door guns can still be included within the main cabin. Another version, which has been tested by Israel, adds a 20 mm chin gun that can provide a firing arc in front of the Battlehawk, as it is known in that country. Tunisia has requested 12 UH-60M Black Hawks, but has since confirmed modifications to its order to include weapon kits for a variety of kinetic capabilities. On 30 June 2015 the US Department of Defense (DoD) announced that the Tunisian government is to receive four modified Sikorsky UH- 60Ms, with the initial 'green' aircraft to be delivered before the end of Page 6 of 7

7 The Bell 407GT armed light attack helicopter featuring a special digitised desert camouflage paint scheme. (Bell Helicopters) Meanwhile, Bell Helicopter developed an armed version of its Bell 407 (the ARH-70 Arapaho armed reconnaissance helicopter) for the US Army's aborted Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) and Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) competitions. Options developed since the ARH-70 include the Bell 407AH: an armed version of the Bell 407 civil aircraft. There is also a Bell 407GT armed version of the digitally equipped Bell 407GX, featuring a Garmin G-1000 glass cockpit. Weapons for the 407AH include Dillon M134T 7.62 mm Miniguns and M inch rocket launchers. Further options can include chaff/flare countermeasures. For the full version and more content: IHS Jane's Defence Industry and Markets Intelligence Centre This analysis is taken from IHS Jane s Defence Industry & Markets Intelligence Centre, which provides world-leading analysis of commercial, industrial and technological defence developments, budget and programme forecasts, and insight into new and emerging defence markets around the world. IHS defence industry and markets news and analysis is also available within IHS Jane s Defence Weekly. To learn more and to subscribe to IHS Jane s Defence Weekly online, offline or print visit For advertising solutions contact the IHS Jane s Advertising team Page 7 of 7