New 600 hours at altitudes of up to 25,000 feet AC352 Preliminary specifications are based on and speeds of up to 275 knots. AW main- The AC352 (formerly known as kit fitted with the Rolls-Royce tains that 85 percent of the flight enve- the Z-15) is the Chinese version of the RR250-C20B/J and call for the KC518 to lope testing is complete and that orders “jointly developed” Eurocopter EC175. be available in five- or six-seat configura- remain for 70 copies of the aircraft. Certification is delayed to 2014. It is to tions, have a cruise speed of 135 knots, an However, many of those orders are price be powered by Turbomeca/Avic endurance of 3.6 hours (96-gallon tanks) 2012 conditional and AW could not immedi- Dongan Ardiden 3C/WZ-16 . and a useful load of 1,450 pounds. Com- ately provide additional details on the posite main rotor blades are a contem- new unit price and the viability of those Bell 407AH plated option. With a full complement of Civil industry orders. When the 609 was announced it Bell passengers and baggage the endurance slips had a price tag of $8 million; that is now Garmin’s G500H glass-cockpit system, to 2.6 hours. Anticipated IGE and OGE faces uncertain future believed to have soared to $30 million. Bell 407GX AAI bulged skylights, inlet-barrier filter, hover ceilings are 10,000 and 8,000 feet, AgustaWestland AW169 The 2012 407GX is priced at $2.795 wire-strike protection system and Meeker respectively, with a maximum altitude of by Thierry Dubois & Mark Huber million, $150,000 more than the 2011 quick-release door pins. Weapons on the 14,000 feet and a 1,000-fpm rate of climb. Avic AC313 Circumstances are colliding that will For now, Bell continues work on its AW149/189 AW announced the 4.5-ton-class Model 407. The GX is equipped with the 407AH include a Dillon 7.62-mm M134T Certified models will be equipped with have significant impact on new civil heli- Magellan program, which is characterized AW169 medium twin program in 2010. In 2010 China flew a “new” home- Garmin G1000H integrated glass-panel mini-gun and M260 2.75-inch seven-shot either the RR300 or RR500, and cargo copter development programs for the in the broad terms of technology research AW announced the 149 program in The eight- to 10-passenger helicopter is grown heavy-lift helicopter for the first avionics system. The GX’s G1000H sys- rocket launcher. Buyers can add options sling and spray system options will be avail- remainder of the decade. In the West, new as opposed to any specific civil program. 2006 and the 8.6-ton helicopter made its being designed for single-pilot IFR oper- time. The AC313 tips the scales at 27,600 tem can be configured to include HTaws, such as chafe/flare controller for counter- able. The version with the RR300 will have civil programs are typically the byprod- Sikorsky, at its own expense, is develop- first flight in 2009. Based on the success- ations and is expected to fly this year pounds, can carry up to 27 people, has a Tcas, synthetic vision and electronic maps, measures, sliding rear doors, a max takeoff weight of 2,850 pounds; the ful AW139 medium twin, the 149 is a mil- and receive certification in 2014. The 169 maximum ferry range of 560 miles and and crew seat armor. The 407AH, said derated RR500-powered model will see ucts of defense spending. And when it ing the X-97 Raider compound helicop- Bell 407GX comes to dropping defense dollars and ter, a potential JMR candidate, and that itary variant that is 12 feet longer, 4 feet is intended to compete with the S-76D was built at state-owned Avic, the same Bell vice president Larry Roberts, “will that increased to 3,200 pounds and be euros on new manned helicopter pro- ­technology could later drive civil models. taller, 5,000 pounds heavier (mtow), has a and even uses a pair of the same Pratt company that recently made Sikorsky meet the needs of a variety of parapub- dedicated primarily to users with high/hot grams, the party might not be over, but it Likewise, Eurocopter is working on the slightly larger main rotor disk and a pair & Whitney Canada Fadec-controlled S-76 airframes under contract. lic agencies at a cost that is far less than requirements. As of January, the company is definitely winding­ down. X3 and AW has taken over the 609 civil of more powerful, Fadec-controlled GE The AC313 appears to be an out- that of similarly equipped military air- had received orders for 41 helicopters. AgustaWestland AW169 In the U.S., automatic and deep Pen- tiltrotor program after ending its partner- CT7-2E1 turboshafts (2,000 shp each) growth of the 14,000-pound Chinese Zhi- craft, but with increased lethality.” The tagon budget cuts likely will not be felt ship with Bell last year. that give the helicopter good high/hot 8. That medium helicopter is based on 407AH is being developed primarily for until Fiscal Year 2013 under the debt ceil- At the same time R&D spending performance and satisfy the 6,000-foot, the 1970s-vintage Aerospatiale SA321 the export market. It will be available to Eurocopter ing expansion and spending reduction becomes more strained, demand for 95 degree F OGE standard. The air-con- Super Frelon, a design that dates back to qualified customers directly from Bell, as deal fashioned between the President and ­current production civil helicopters in cer- ditioned 409-cu-ft cabin is 25 percent the early 1960s. However, the AC313 has opposed to via contracts from the U.S. EC145T2 Congress last summer, after the bipar- tain segments is dropping off. The U.S. larger than that of the AW139 and the been updated with modern avionics, a trio Defense or State Department. The Eurocopter EC145T2, a major tisan ­congressional Super Committee ­helicopter EMS industry fleet currently baggage hold offers 71 cu ft. of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6B-67A ADS-B, high-speed data bus, global Roberts said the AH was designed to upgrade of the EC145, is slated for FAA failed to produce an alternative. However, numbers approximately 900 rotorcraft but The AW149 can hold 12 fully pro- (1,200 shp each) and composite worldwide weather and connectivity and be rapidly reconfigurable and that cus- certification next year. In the middle of the just-enacted FY12 National Defense with not all of them in service the market visioned troops or seat 18 passengers, displays all electrical, engine and engine tomers could take the guns off or put last fall, it completed “hot and high” Authorization Act is a reason for caution appears saturated and faces continued con- cruises at 150 knots and has a maximum McINTOSH DAVID power parameters, all on a pair of 10.4- them back on. “This is a non-integrated testing. The manufacturer has thus seen already. Helicopter defense spending is solidation. There were several acquisitions range of 635 nm. It has a full glass-panel PW210S engines (1,000 shp each) that inch LCD displays. Optional kits include system,” he emphasized. “It does not fire “promising” performance. Eurocopter largely confined to programs that rebuild last year, including Air Methods’ purchase avionics system that is NVG compatible, power the Sikorsky. The 169 features a the Garmin GDL 69AH XM weather directed munitions. By doing it this way or modernize legacy airframes, including of OmniFlight. Decreased local, county Eurocopter EC145T2 fitting some with unmanned control sys- a four-axis autopilot and can be ordered digital, three-screen glass-panel avionics and radio; Garmin GDL 59H datalink it is really a commercially armed aircraft and state tax revenues also have caused the with optional rotor ice protection. The system, a 222-cu-ft cabin and a 45-cu-ft and flight parameter recorder; Garmin and we can offer it outside the scope of the tems. One of the few exceptions is the $2.2 elimination or reduction of numerous heli- billion authorized for continued acquisi- AW149 was a contender for the Turkish baggage hold. AW plans to offer search- GSR 56H Iridium voice/data transceiver; military process. All the necessary licenses copter law enforcement units. Utility Helicopter Program but ultimately and-rescue, EMS, offshore and corpo- Garmin GTS 800 traffic advisory system have been applied for or acquired.” tion of Bell-Boeing V-22 tiltrotors. How- However, the international market Avic AC313 lost that competition to Sikorsky last year. rate variants. AW anticipates a market (ADS-B in), ELT, , auto- ever, the V-22 will become a prime ­target continues to show signs of growth, par- for cuts or elimination under any future Following the loss of that contract, AW for 1,000 copies of the $10- to $12 mil- main rotor blades. Avic plans to pursue matic speech recognition and 3-D audio. ticularly among offshore oil and gas pro- Composite Helicopters budget. If this happens, it would be a set- duction (OGP) service operators, spurred announced its intention to offer a civilian lion AW169 over the next 25 years. certification of the AC313 in export mar- The G1000H system will be able to back for Bell, which is counting on con- variant of the AW149, the AW189, aimed kets, including the U.S. China Daily, the monitor system parameters that can be on by $100 per barrel oil and expanding KC518 Adventourer tinued V-22 revenues to help fund its $1 deep-water operations. After a pair of mostly at the lucrative offshore oil and state-run newspaper, hailed the new heli- used as part of a FOQA (flight opera- billion, five-year accelerated R&D and high-profile accidents, both Sikorsky and gas industry. The AW189 is being mar- AW609 copter as a “breakthrough in domestic tional quality assurance) program. A company plans to facilities modernization program. Eurocopter are redesigning the main gear- keted as a lower-cost alternative to the The long-troubled partnership aviation technology.” The AC313 received The data is downloaded to a micro- build an all-composite, six-seat tur- More significantly, Pentagon cuts boxes of their heavy lifters aimed at this Sikorsky S-92A and Eurocopter EC225. between AgustaWestland and Bell to Chinese certification on January 4. SD card, from which it can easily be bine single for less than the price of a said that the new EC145 version’s could delay meaningful progress on its lucrative market, the S-92A and EC225, With 12 passengers, the AW189 has the develop a civil tiltrotor is officially over. Deliveries of the AC313 are expected moved to a laptop computer. The FOQA new Robinson R66. Composite Heli- engines, at 894 shp each, will deliver 21 leading driver of new helicopter tech- respectively. Eurocopter also is bringing range to reach and return from platforms After years of public discord, the compa- to begin this year. program can include the monitoring of copters of Auckland brought the car- percent more takeoff power. A 39-per- nology–the Joint Multi-Role (JMR)– a new medium twin on line this year, the as far as 200 nm offshore. AW is offer- nies announced a preliminary agreement exceedances per the flight manual, and bon fiber and Kevlar fuselage of its new cent improvement is expected for one- deep into the next decade. The program EC175, aimed at this market. AW is offer- ing the AW189 in offshore, VIP, search- in June 2011 for AW to assume the assets operators will be able to choose the infor- KC518 Adventourer to EAA AirVenture engine-inoperative maximum continuous is envisioned to field replacements for ing a line of new medium/heavy twins to and-rescue and parapublic variants. The of the Bell Aerospace Co., the Avicopter mation they want to download such as Oshkosh last July. The helicopter will ini- power (now at 770 shp). Turbomeca will models that are currently the back- serve it, most of the Sikorsky S-76Ds on helicopter made its first flight on Dec. 21, joint entity formed to develop the aircraft, altitude, direction, speed and navigation tially be offered as a $335,000 kit (with a also offer a “special 30-minute power rat- bone of U.S. military aviation, includ- order are destined­ for it, and it is believed 2011. Both the 149 and 189 are expected pending regulatory approvals (issued last AC311 parameters. The system also is designed ing for occasional use.” ing the AH-1Z Cobra and AH-64D that whatever comes of Bell’s Magellan to be certified in 2014, with the eventual November). AW is forming a new U.S.- In late 2010, Avicopter conducted for future growth, including the monitor- The EC145T2 uses Fadec-controlled Apache gunships, CH-47F Chinook, will end up in a model designed to serve it. goal of approval for single-pilot IFR. based entity to complete certification in the first flight of another helicopter, the ing of dynamic components such as the 2E turboshafts instead OH-58D Kiowa, UH-60M Black Hawk All this competition is good news for air- 2015 or 2016. Development work will AC311 light single, which closely resem- main gearbox, drive shaft, bearings and of the original Arriel 1E2s. The and the UH-1Y Huey. The Congressio- frame buyers, who will continue to enjoy be based at AW in Cascina Costa, , bles a Eurocopter AStar. Certification of engine. The G1000H’s large displays can promise to simplify the starting phase. nal Budget Office estimates the poten- a wide variety of choices from both estab- where two more prototypes will be con- the AC311 is expected later this year. Like also display law-enforcement functions Initial engine TBO will be 4,000 hours; tial total cost of acquiring JMR aircraft lished OEMs as well as new/rejuvenated structed for the flight-test program. the AC313, the AC311 relies on West- such as forward-looking infrared (FLIR) that number will increase to 6,000 hours at $57 billion,­ or an average unit cost of ones from China, India, Russia and other The 609 program was announced in ern engine technology. The helicopter is display and camera images. An onboard “at maturity.” approximately $24 million. emerging players in a ­rapidly changing 1996 and the first prototype flew in 2003. powered by a single Honeywell LTS101- camera focused aft can be activated by a In addition, the EC145T2 features In Europe, the defense segments world market. Two test aircraft have flown more than 700D-2 . Avicopter estimates switch on the collective to let the pilots a fenestron shrouded . In the of industrial giants EADS, parent of The international civil market may Eurocopter, and AgustaWestland (AW) a market for 500 AC311s over the next monitor the tail-rotor area for conflict. cockpit, pilots will find Eurocopter’s new well have reached its nadir, with both the AgustaWestland AW149 owner Finmeccanica are already showing Honeywell and Rolls-Royce 2011 fore- decade and plans to export it. Helionix avionics suite. A four-axis auto- pilot will be standard, an unusual feature signs of strain thanks to decreased mili- casts predicting modest sales increases for KC518 Adventourer tary spending and the ongoing euro cri- the remainder of the decade. 407AH THURBER MATT on rotorcraft of this size. sis. Finmeccanica has already announced “While the market has not returned The armed 407AH is equipped with $44,500 fast-build option), but the com- Continues on next page u significant spending cuts and is pursuing as quickly as the industry desired,” said a “baseline” law-enforcement pack- pany plans to offer a certified production restructuring after posting­ record losses. Patricia O’Connell, Rolls-Royce business­ age that can be customized for multiple model eventually for $795,000. The heli- So far, this does not seem to be visibly sector president, “basic indicators are weapon configurations and is designed copter features a four-blade aluminum affecting the company’s new helicopter beginning to support a positive environ- to perform search-and-rescue, enforce- main rotor and shrouded composite tail development programs. ment for civil rotorcraft.” n ment and pursuit. The 407AH is priced rotor. The kit excludes engine, avionics, AgustaWestland AW189 AgustaWestland AW609 Avicopter AC311 “under $5 million” and equipped with battery, upholstery and paint.

42 Aviation International News • February 2012 • www.ainonline.com www.ainonline.com • February 2012 • Aviation International News 43 New ROTORCRAFT 2012

uContinued from preceding page phase two of its flight-test program. advanced cockpit will be for the first or company previously released. Marenco Skye SH09 August–the only indication that devel- Quest Helicopters aims to start pro- The aircraft is a modified AS365 Dau- second X4 variant. Yet it seemed the development was opment is continuing. One prototype, duction in 2014 in the UAE. Chairman EC175 phin with a conventional main rotor, Turbomeca is working on the making good progress. Last fall a Ka- OP-1, was powered by a pair of Klimov Mahmood Al Ansari has committed Eurocopter is in the final stages of its two propellers on stub wings and a con- 1,100-shp-class TM800 engine to 226T participated in rescue training for TV7-117V engines (2,500 shp each). The to supply “up to $50 million” over five EASA certification effort for the EC175 ventional empennage. While helicopters replace the current Arriel 2 turboshaft. the Winter Olympics that are to take other one, OP-2, was fitted with Pratt & years, starting in 2010. This is supposed medium twin. Demonstration flights, usually cruise at 140 to 150 knots, the place in 2014 in Sochi, Russia. The Whitney Canada PW127/TS engines of to cover development spending until the with customer pilots on board, have X3 concept is aimed at proving that 220 exercises were conducted under the aus- equivalent power. first production aircraft is built. begun. Most of this year will be spent knots is a sweet spot where speed is prof- pices of Emercom, the Russian Min- The 34,400-pound-mtow Mi-38 certifying equipment, with first delivery itable. It was unveiled in September 2010 istry for emergency situations. They has seating capacity for 30. It features Sikorsky Sikorsky S-76D expected late this year. at the Istres military flight-test center in showed that the Ka-226T could land ­Tranzas IBKV-38 avionics. Operational In a move obviously targeted at the France, near the helicopter manufactur- on a 210-sq-ft area near a highway and, range is specified as 480 nm. Service ceil- S-434 derivative of the PW600 . It offers AgustaWestland AW189, Eurocopter er’s factory in Marignane. from there, evacuate an injured person ing is said to be 16,700 feet. Maximum Sikorsky has not disclosed any details 8 percent better fuel efficiency over its pre- announced early last month that it is During the flight-test campaign, the on a stretcher. payload is estimated at 11,000 pounds of the S-434 flight-test program, but it decessor, according to the manufacturer. X3 demonstrated a rate of climb greater The Ka-226T has a service ceiling of Marenco (internal) or 15,400 pounds (sling load). has said that it anticipates FAA certifi- Thales has been tapped to install its than 5,000 fpm. The crew flew pitch-up Eurocopter X4 24,000 feet, according to the manufac- Cruise speed is expected to be close to cation of the single early this year. An Top Deck avionics suite in the cockpit attitudes in the 30- to 50-degree range. turer. It seats eight, including the pilot, Skye SH-09 150 knots. improved Schweizer S-333, the S-434 of the medium twin. It is designed to Turns were performed at 80 degrees of Engine certification is planned for 2016. and has an mtow of 7,900 pounds. It can Marenco Swisshelicopter, a new The program was resumed in late sports a four-blade rotor, a new tail-rotor be “interactive, intuitive, integrated and bank angle. Turbomeca targets 20-percent cuts in operate at temperatures ranging from -50 entrant in the helicopter industry, is 2010. Certification is scheduled for 2014. safe,” under Thales’s “iCubeS” concept. The main gearbox is that of the specific fuel consumption and mainte- degrees C to +50 degrees C, the manufac- developing the Skye SH-09, a “high-per- The aircraft will be pitched at civil mar- Top Deck is based on four 6- by 8-inch EC175. The engines are the RTM322s nance costs. turer claims, and land on soft terrain. The formance” light single. The first proto- kets such as aerial work, executive trans- displays and two cursor control devices. of the NH90 military transport. At 2,300 The main rotor blades appear to be EASA certified the Turbomeca Arrius type is being assembled near Zurich, portation and offshore operations. Depending on the flight phase and air- shp each, they provide more power than an application of Eurocopter’s Blue 2G1 (730 shp for takeoff), the Ka-226 Switzerland. The company aims to fly it craft environment, the displays recon- the X3 needs. Edge concept. A double-swept shape variant of the Arrius, in November. by year-end. figure automatically to supply “the most This year, Eurocopter may decide reduces the noise generated by blade- Certification is slated for 2014. Quest Helicopters relevant information.” Two displays are to turn the demonstrator into a prod- vortex interactions. Marenco has not yet decided whether the for primary and navigation information, Eurocopter EC175 uct. Hoped-for applications for this Ka-62 FAA or EASA will be its primary certifi- AVQ while another two are multifunction, pro- high-speed, long-range concept include and engine man- cation authority. A new entrant in the helicopter Sikorsky S-434 viding digital map, engine parameters, developing an 18-passenger configura- search-and-rescue (with a rear door for EC130B4 upgrade ufacturer Turbomeca signed contracts The first prototype will be powered industry, Quest Helicopters is develop- maintenance data and so on. tion. Meanwhile, the helicopter has a the hoist), border patrol and commercial Eurocopter is expected to introduce last year for the supply of “at least 308” by a Honeywell HTS900 turboshaft. The ing the AVQ, an innovative light twin blade design, a structurally enhanced The 11,700-pound S-76D has a range radius of action of 135 nm (up from 90 passenger transport. Eurocopter’s first an enhanced version of its EC130B4 Ardiden 3G turboshafts to be installed designers are still talking to Turbomeca, designed mainly in the Ukraine and to , a new trim system and an (without reserves) of 442 nm. nm) with 16 passengers. With the same compound product may be in the EC225 light single, with improvements in com- on the “updated” Ka-62 medium Pratt & Whitney Canada and Rolls- be manufactured in the United Arab improved Kaflex driveshaft. The main number of passengers, the AW189 has a category–19 passenger seats–mainly for fort and performance, soon, according twin. A firm order for 40 engines (part Royce as potential alternative engine Emirates (UAE). The AVQ features two rotor and its come from the radius of action of 140 nm. oil and gas offshore operations, within to two industry sources. The helicop- suppliers. unmanned Fire Scout. X2 Quest AVQ The EC175 features Pratt & Whitney six to eight years. ter maker has put particular focus on Kamov Ka-62 The manufacturer will offer two avi- The S-434 and the S-333 use the same Sikorsky’s X2 technology demonstra- Canada PT6C-67E turboshafts and an the B4’s cabin. New doors and air con- onics suites. The first one, provided by Rolls-Royce 250-C20W turboshaft, tor, a high-speed semi-compound heli- entirely new cockpit and man-machine ditioning are said to offer lower inte- Sagem, will be more sophisticated, pro- which provides 320 shp. The new main copter, flew for the last time in July at interface, designed by Eurocopter. X4 rior sound levels, while passenger seats viding a two- or three-axis autopilot. rotor allows for a 300-pound increase the company’s West Palm Beach, Fla. Cruise speed will be close to 140 knots. Eurocopter is working on a replace- will now be easier to remove. Vibra- The second one, the Garmin G1000, in mtow, to a maximum 2,850 pounds. test center. The sortie took place with- Mtow will be in the 15,000-pound class. ment for its AS365/EC155 Dauphin tion levels will be reduced using a sys- will be more affordable but still “very This translates into a useful load of out the central hub fairing (also known The program is a 50-50 joint effort with medium twin and is targeting 2016 for tem inspired by a similar system in ­versatile.” Moreover, it will be more “more than 1,400 pounds.” The new as “aero sail”). Sikorsky engineers are China’s Avicopter. entry into service of the first iteration, the larger Eurocopter EC225. The ­compact, limiting its intrusion into the tail rotor can generate some 20 percent now transitioning to the design of the with a more advanced version to enter upgraded EC130’s fuel tank has been pilot’s field of view. more thrust than the tail rotor on an S-97 Raider prototypes, which will also DAVID McINTOSH DAVID 3 service in 2020. Codenamed X4, the designed to provide better crashwor- In the 5,500-pound class, the SH09 S-333, improving handling and control- feature contra-rotating main rotors and X helicopter will feature a radically new thiness. A Turbomeca Arriel 2D engine will seat five to eight passengers. It will counter-rotating rotors in tandem con- lability, despite the increased weight, a pusher propeller. Eurocopter is considering a third cockpit, fly-by-wire controls and low- will give the helicopter better hot-and- feature a shrouded tail rotor, a flat-floor figuration and an ejection capsule for according to Sikorsky. Sikorsky has The July flight was the 23rd test flight flight-test phase for its X3 (“x cube”) noise main rotor blades. It will compete high performance. Thanks to the addi- cabin and clamshell doors. It targets a the occupants. First flight is pegged for not yet decided whether it will continue of the X2, which flew approximately compound demonstrator, consider- in the 9,000- to 12,000-pound category. tional power, the enhanced B4 will of the agreed 308) was signed soon after. high-speed cruise of 145 knots. Maxi- early 2013. to produce the S-333 once the S-434 22 hours in total. On Sept. 15, 2010, it ing the “very good outcomes” of the The first version, planned for 2016, have better external-load capacity, thus The Ardiden 3G is a 1,700- to 2,000-shp mum range, with standard fuel tanks, will The design bureau, led by Volody- enters production. achieved a maximum cruise speed of 253 second phase. The third phase would will make use of technologies that have giving it more versatility. variant of the Ardiden 3. be 430 nm. Its list price is $3 million for myr Udvenko, also the designer of knots in level flight, setting an unofficial “investigate further potential of the already been ground-tested. The sec- This announcement follows the “pro- delivery in 2015. the Aerocopter AK1-3 helicopter kit, speed record for a helicopter. concept.” The X3 reached 232 knots at ond iteration, in 2020, will use technol- tocol of intentions” signed in Febru- The company has received letters of is located in Kharkov, Ukraine. The S-76D The S-97 Raider helicopter program 75- to 80-percent power last spring in ogies that are at the feasibility-study Kamov ary last year. In the intervening months, intent for 10 helicopters, filling all the engines, Progress DB/Motor Sich Sikorsky has once again delayed its is the follow-on program to the X2 tech- stage today. For example, fly-by-wire Kamov had considered some other first year’s production slots. A1-450M turboshafts of 465 shp each, S-76D program, now foreseeing FAA nology demonstrator initiative. Sikorsky Eurocopter X3 (FBW) controls will appear on the Ka-226T engine suppliers–Pratt & Whitney Can- are a new Ukrainian design. The con- certification in the second quarter of this research and engineering v-p Mark second version. The Kamov Ka-226T light twin, ada, Motor Sich and NPO Saturn. trols will be fly-by-wire. year. Three prototypes have flown a total Miller said the program will enable the Sagem will design the FBW control a Turbomeca-powered version of the This time, the firmed-up decision Mil So far, Quest is designing a proof-of- of 680 hours. Still to be performed are U.S. military “to evaluate the viability system with sidesticks. The X4 will be Russian coaxial-rotor helicopter, is now seems to have kick-started the pro- concept aircraft and has not yet decided tests such as lightning, fire suppression, of a fast and maneuverable next-gener- the first Western civil helicopter in ser- expected to receive certification next tracted program. Certification is pegged Mi-38 on the size of its first production model. cold weather, high altitude and rotor ice ation rotorcraft.” The program will pro- vice with such controls. The expected year, two years later than the estimate the for 2014. However, Russian Helicopters Two prototypes of the Mi-38 heavy Envisioned applications include VIP, protection. The last three items will not duce two prototype attack aircraft with benefits, for the pilot, are improved han- recently declined to give an update on the twin participated in the flying dis- police, EMS and utility. be part of the basic approval but certi- six-passenger cabins and the ability to dling qualities and more precise fly- development. play at the Maks airshow in Moscow in A four-seat version would cost $2.95 fied later. carry armament. The target cruise speed ing. Passengers will benefit from the The 14,300-pound-mtow Ka-62 will million. It would cruise at 160 knots and Two more prototypes are to join the is 220 knots. o smoother ride of FBW. feature a shrouded tail rotor and an anti- have a maximum endurance of 3.6 hours. program early this year. The The cockpit will look quite differ- icing system. The airframe structure is Mtow would be 4,960 pounds. S-76D program has encountered ent from those of today, with the main 50-percent composite. In addition, the The AVQ incorporates an ejection repeated delays (in 2009, cer- flight-information display projected Fadec-controlled engines will provide capsule that allows the pilot to jettison tification was still planned for onto the windshield itself and the “exceptionally low” fuel consumption. the cockpit and cabin from the aircraft 2010); the company has not been flight path shown in highway-in-the- The Ka-62 can accommodate 12 to 14 in the event of “a catastrophic failure” specific about the root causes of sky style. In a more conventional head- passengers in the cabin or 5,500 pounds (something considerably more serious the delays. down position, a central display will on the hook. Cruise speed stands at than an engine shutdown). After sepa- Recent progress includes present navigation and power infor- 146 knots and range at 415 nm. Rus- ration, ejection thrusters would push the Canadian and U.S. certification mation. On the pedestal, between the sian Helicopters intends to offer the cabin forward and two parachutes would of the Pratt & Whitney Canada two seats, what is likely to be a touch- helicopter for offshore oil operations, deploy. Its developers anticipate that the PW210S engine, two of which screen displays the rest of the information. search-and-rescue missions and corpo- capsule can be safely jettisoned from as power the S-76D. The 1,077- Kamov Ka-226T Mil Mi-38 It is not clear yet whether this rate transportation. low as 300 feet. shp (takeoff rating) PW210S is a

44 Aviation International News • February 2012 • www.ainonline.com www.ainonline.com • February 2012 • Aviation International News 45