EH101 TRANSPORT HELICOPTER, ITALY/UNITED KINGDOM
The EH101 military utility medium lift helicopter is manufactured by AgustaWestland (formerly E.H. Industries), a joint venture company formed by Agusta of Italy and the British company GKN. The EH 101 is also produced in naval and civil versions. 146 EH101 variants have been ordered and over 90 delivered. 22 EH101 Merlin HC3 medium support helicopters have been delivered to the UK Royal Air Force, and the first entered service in January 2001. 44 have been completed for the UK Royal Navy. Italy has ordered 20 EH101 with deliveries beginning in July 2000. These are eight ASW with L-3 Communications HELRAS active dipping sonar (deliveries complete), four AEW, four utility and four amphibious support helicopters. Canada ordered 15 EH101 Cormorant variants for search and rescue, which entered service in 2002. Denmark ordered 14 search and rescue and troop transport variants in September 2001. Portugal ordered 12 search and rescue and combat SAR in 2002. The first production helicopters for Denmark and Portugal made maiden flights in December 2003. Deliveries to Portugal began in December 2004. In September 2003, Japan ordered the EH101 for up to 14 utility helicopters for airborne mine countermeasures and Antarctic survey transport.
In July 2002, AgustaWestland signed an agreement with Lockheed Martin to jointly market and produce a version of the helicopter for the US market, the US101. Team US101, led by Lockheed Martin, has proposed the US101 helicopter for the US Marine One presidential transport fleet requirement.
DESIGN
The rugged modular structure incorporates crashworthy and damage-tolerant features, including a five-blade main rotor, four-blade teetering rotor and main lift frame, which includes multiple primary and secondary load paths. The fuselage is mainly of aluminium-lithium construction. The aerodynamic rotor blades are constructed from carbon/glass with nomex honeycomb and rohacell foam. Active vibration control of the structural response (ACSR) uses a vibration-cancelling technique.
The helicopter operates in temperatures ranging from -40°C to +50°C. An ice protection system allows operation in known icing conditions. An engine inlet particle separator system provides protection in sandy environments. High flotation tyres and efficient landing gear permit operation from soft or rough terrain.
COCKPIT
The cockpit is equipped with armoured crew seats able to withstand an impact velocity of 35ft per second. Dual flight controls are provided for the pilot and copilot, but the helicopter is capable of being flown by a single pilot. The pilot's mission display unit is supplied by Northrop Grumman (formerly Litton). The electronic instrument system includes six high-definition, full-colour displays, together with an optional mission display. A Forward Looking Infrared system display and digital map can be installed. Portuguese and Danish Air Force helicopters will have FLIR Systems Star SAFIRE thermal imagers. DRS Technologies of the USA supplies the flight control computers.
WEAPONS
Armament options include a chin turret for a 12.7mm machine gun. The stub wings provide the hardpoints for mounting of rocket pods.
COUNTERMEASURES
The EH101 is equipped with infrared jammers, such as the Northrop Grumman Nemesis, directed infrared countermeasures, missile approach warners, chaff and flare dispensers, and a laser detection and warning system.
CARGO SYSTEMS
The military version EH101 has accommodation for 30 seated or 45 standing fully equipped combat troops. The cabin has room for a medical team and 16 stretchers or for palleted internal loads. The maximum ramp load is 3,050kg for vehicles such as Land Rovers. The heavy-duty cabin floor and ramp are equipped with flush tie-down points, a roller conveyer for palleted freight and a cargo winch for non self-loading freight. An underslung load hook is capable of carrying external loads up to 12,000lb, and the load measurement is displayed in the cockpit. A rescue hoist and a hover trim controller are fitted at the cargo door.
AVIONICS
The EH101 is equipped with two military standard 1553B multiplex databuses, which link the helicopter management, avionics and mission systems. The Smiths Industries OMI SEP 20 automatic flight control system is a dual redundant digital system, which provides autostabilisation and four-axis auto-pilot operation. The navigation system includes a global positioning/inertial navigation system, instrument landing system (ILS), VHF omnidirectional radio range (VOR), tactical air navigation (TACAN) and automatic direction finding.
ENGINE
The military version of the EH101 is powered by either three General Electric CT7-6 turboshaft engines, rated at 1,491kW, or three Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 turboshaft engines, rated at 1,567kW. Each engine is fed from a dedicated self-sealing fuel tank using dual booster pumps and a crossfeed system. The Rolls-Royce engine has been chosen by UK, Canada, Japan, Denmark and Portugal. The GE engine was selected by Italy. The three tanks hold 3,222 litres of fuel. The fourth tank acts as a reservoir supply to top up the main tanks during flight. There is capacity for an additional transfer tank to increase the helicopter's range. The range can be extended by the Hover In Flight Refuelling (HIFR) capability. The crew are able to select pressure refuel, defuel, jettison and buddy-to-buddy refuelling.
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