CHEETAH
Origin: France (SA 315B Lama).
Type: Light utility helicopter.
Accommodation: Two seater, side-by-side. A stretcher for CASEVAC (Casualty Evacuation) can be slung underneath.
Rotor Span: 11m, length - 12.9m, height - 3m and disc area - 95.38 m2
Weights: Empty - 1020 kg (2244 lbs.)
............Maximum - 2300 kg (5060 lbs. with sling)
Engine: One 870 shp Turbomeca Artouste IIIB.
Speed: 192 km/h (115 mph; 100 knots)
Service Ceiling: 6400 meters (20,992 ft.)
*Indian Cheetahs have deployed to 7500 meters (24,600 ft.)
Range: 260 nautical miles (500 km; 300 miles).
Comments: In 1968, Sud-Aviation received a request from the Indian Air Force (IAF) for a helicopter capable of operate in high altitude. Developed from the Aerospatiale Alouette II, the SA 315B Lama soon demonstrated its capabilities as a rescue and crane machine. Over 250 was built under license as the Cheetah at HAL until the late 1980s. Although a diminishing asset with the IAF, these helicopters serve in large numbers with the Army Aviation Corps (AAC). Both Army and IAF Cheetahs, supporting Army outposts, operate at altitudes of 24,000+ feet. An option remains to re-engine the HAL Cheetah with the Turbomeca TM 333-2B2 engine.
Pushpinder Singh Chopra, in a June 2001 AW&ST issue, said a Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) program will replace the Cheetahs that HAL has built for the army and air force. At 200 kg (440 lbs), the LOH is to have three times the Cheetah's payload at 18,000 feet above sea level at 20C, the type of operating conditions needed in north-east Kashmir where the Cheetah conducts border patrols. The LOH is to be powered by a single TM 333-2B2 turbo-shaft, essentially the same as is used on the twin-engine Advanced Light Helicopter.
Accommodation: Two seater, side-by-side. A stretcher for CASEVAC (Casualty Evacuation) can be slung underneath.
Rotor Span: 11m, length - 12.9m, height - 3m and disc area - 95.38 m2
Weights: Empty - 1020 kg (2244 lbs.)
............Maximum - 2300 kg (5060 lbs. with sling)
Engine: One 870 shp Turbomeca Artouste IIIB.
Speed: 192 km/h (115 mph; 100 knots)
Service Ceiling: 6400 meters (20,992 ft.)
*Indian Cheetahs have deployed to 7500 meters (24,600 ft.)
Range: 260 nautical miles (500 km; 300 miles).
Comments: In 1968, Sud-Aviation received a request from the Indian Air Force (IAF) for a helicopter capable of operate in high altitude. Developed from the Aerospatiale Alouette II, the SA 315B Lama soon demonstrated its capabilities as a rescue and crane machine. Over 250 was built under license as the Cheetah at HAL until the late 1980s. Although a diminishing asset with the IAF, these helicopters serve in large numbers with the Army Aviation Corps (AAC). Both Army and IAF Cheetahs, supporting Army outposts, operate at altitudes of 24,000+ feet. An option remains to re-engine the HAL Cheetah with the Turbomeca TM 333-2B2 engine.
Pushpinder Singh Chopra, in a June 2001 AW&ST issue, said a Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) program will replace the Cheetahs that HAL has built for the army and air force. At 200 kg (440 lbs), the LOH is to have three times the Cheetah's payload at 18,000 feet above sea level at 20C, the type of operating conditions needed in north-east Kashmir where the Cheetah conducts border patrols. The LOH is to be powered by a single TM 333-2B2 turbo-shaft, essentially the same as is used on the twin-engine Advanced Light Helicopter.
No comments:
Post a Comment