Westland
Agusta
EH-101
Cormorant
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Canada has chosen the Cormorant EH101 Merlin to replace the Canadian Armed Forces'
fleet of ageing CH-113 Labradors. It was chosen over the Boeing CH-47 Chinook, Eurocopter
Super Puma and Sikorsky S-70 Blackhawk. 15 Cormorants, worth some $550 million (Cdn
dollars), have been ordered with deliveries due to commence in the year 2000. Cormorant is a medium lift helicopter in the 15 tonne class with a 5400 kg payload and a 27 cu m cabin. Powered by 3 General Electric CT7-6 or 3 Rolls Royce/Turbomeca RTM 322 engines, Cormorant is capable of a 167 kn dash and 150 kn cruise, within a manoeuvre envelope of +3g to minus 0.5g. The aircraft has up to 750 nm range in normal cruise with full internal fuel. This can be extended by scheduled twin engine operation or using internal auxiliary fuel. Range can be further enhanced by in-flight refuelling, to give a 12 hours continuous mission capability. The EH101 is an all weather aircraft, capable of operations in Arctic conditions down to minus 45°c with severe icing to minus 20°c, and in tropical temperatures up to +50°c. With a fully coupled duplex digital flight control system and a night vision compatible cockpit, flight in extremely poor visibility, 24 hours a day, is achievable with a low pilot workload. Avionics and mission systems can be stand-alone or integrated through the dual 1553B data bus, depending on requirements and the complexity of the mission. The cockpit provides a wide and unencumbered external field of view, while the ergonomically designed controls and electronic instrument systems allow single pilot operation for all but the most arduous sorties. Nine prototypes participated in more than 4000 flying hours of integrated development in the UK and Italy. The programme has now embarked on a three year, 6000 flying hour programme to enhance the maturity of the aircraft and to prove reliability and maintainability. Development is now drawing to a close and production is underway. The first production Royal Navy ‘Merlin’, RN01, was handed over in March 1996. In its original Staff Requirement for shipborne Anti-Submarine Warfare and Anti-Surface Warfare, the Royal Navy specified some key performance markers for Merlin. The first was speed and endurance to allow operations at extended ranges and to permit quick reaction to, and attack on, submarine targets with up to 4 torpedoes. Merlin will cruise at 150 kn on 3 engines or 140 kn on 2 engines, with over 3 hours on station at 50nm or some 21/4 hours at 100nm, searching well ahead of the fleet. The second feature was an integrated mission system which could process data from a comprehensive suite of sensors to give Merlin an independent capability to search for, locate and attack targets. Independent or autonomous operations means having no need to call on the services of another unit to detect, classify and prosecute an evading, fast, quiet submarine. Versatility was a third key requirement to enable the Merlin to carry out a wide variety of roles and respond quickly to emergency tasking in flash points around the world. Agility was the final characteristic - Merlin is a large helicopter with sufficient power, manoeuvrability and control margins to allow safe operations from frigate-sized flight decks in demanding weather conditions, day and night. Merlin will launch and recover in sea state 6, in up to 50 kn cross winds, to allow the Type 23 ‘Duke Class’ mother ship to continue monitoring her towed sonar array without the need to alter flying course into wind. The Merlin/Type 23 Frigate weapon system has been designed to provide maximum operational efficiency by reducing crew workload while maintaining a very high state of readiness and aircraft availability. Coupled with these attributes, the Royal Navy’s reduced manning philosophy has driven the cockpit design towards operation by a single pilot. From a pilot’s standpoint, the aircraft is fully capable of being flown solo. The handling qualities are exceptional throughout the flight envelope, the autopilot modes permit hands-off flight for most of the mission, the avionics are in some cases triple redundant with benign failure modes. With three engines, a single engine failure in 95% of cases will not be flight-critical, allowing the pilot to resolve the emergency in slow time and to recover safely to base. The first batch of 44 Merlins will replace all the Royal Navy’s ASW Sea Kings and some Lynx. When the secure radios, data collection device, ESM threat library, GPS, INS, Mode 4 IFF are taken into account, it could be said that Merlin is a Maritime Patrol Aircraft with the added capability of an active dipping sonar - all operated by a crew of three. The Merlin introduction into service is on track, with the delivery of RN01 in 1996, the In-Service Date in 1998 and the first aircraft flying operationally at sea in the year 2000. In addition to the carriers and Type 23 frigates, Merlin will also operate from the training ship HMS ARGUS, the new LPH, HMS OCEAN, the AORs, and the Common New Generation Frigate. Cormorant is entering service at a time when the emphasis of naval activity is shifting from open seas to littoral waters. With threats becoming ever more unpredictable and defence budgets shrinking, the need for greater role flexibility is becoming more important. The cabin of Cormorant can be fitted with seating for up to 30 fully equipped troops, and for humanitarian operations, emergency evacuation of 44 souls can be undertaken, with passengers being accommodated on sideways facing benches in the cabin. The Utility variant is fitted with a rear loading ramp and a wide door. Most loads, including NATO standard pallets are carried internally for rapid delivery. A cargo winch enables self loading through the rear ramp or fork-lift trucks can load through the sliding side door. A roller-bed floor allows precise positioning of the cargo and enables in-flight despatch if the mission or terrain requires. Small vehicles can be driven up the ramp and into the cabin to be deployed rapidly in the field. Bulky or awkward loads of up to 4500 kg can be carried externally on the centre hook. All of these features make Cormorant an ideal platform for Search and Rescue. The unique adaptability of the Cormorant design enables a number of specific applications to be realised in one common airframe. Indeed, the inherent flexibility of the large cabin area, permits several different missions to be undertaken by a particular variant, with the capability to reconfigure in flight, in response to a sudden change of task. Projected Locations of the AW-520 Cormorant in the Canadian Forces
Standard Equipment list: Engine: 3 General Electric CT7-6 or 3 Rolls Royce/Turbomeca RTM 322 Range: 750 NM Speed: 167Kn (Dash), 150 Kn (Cruise) Cargo: 30 Fully-equipped troops/44 souls, 4500kg on External hook Search Radar: GEC Ferranti Blue, Kestrel Electronic Support: RACAL Orange, Reaper ESM Active Dipping Sonar: Ferranti Thomson, Flash Sonics Processor: GEC AQS 903 Sonobuoys: Difar, Barra, Harp, VLA, Cambs Digital Map: Computing Devices, Hastings Tactical Data Link: Link 11 |
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© 2001 The RotorHead |
at 800 x 600 resolution http://www.rotorhead.org File: /military/cormorant.asp |
Last change: 4/9/2007 |