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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