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IT IS PROPOSED AGREEMENTS BE CONTRACTED BETWEEN
CLIENTS/CUSTOMERS AND THE UNDERSIGNED TO MANUFACTURE A
HELICOPTER FOR USE BY MEDIUM LIFT OPERATORS AND ARMED
FORCES AND SALE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
THE ROTORCRAFT WILL BE BASED ON A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL
AIRFRAME POWER TRAIN AND ENGINE, BUT WOULD BE MODIFIED
SO AS TO PROVIDE GREATLY ENHANCED PERFORMANCE, PAYLOAD,
SPEED AND MANEUVERABILITY.
IT COULD BE ARMED WITH A NOSE TURRET REMOTE CONTROLLED
20MM CANNON OR HEAVY MACHINE GUN AND A WIDE SELECTION OF
ROCKETS AND MISSILES ON STUB WINGS.
THE VULNERABLE PORTIONS OF THE HELICOPTER, TO INCLUDE
COCKPIT, ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION, WOULD BE ARMORED.
GREAT EMPHASIS WOULD BE PLACED
ON
PRODUCING A TECHNICALLY SOUND, RELATIVELY
UNSOPHISTICATED AND RUGGED ROTORCRAFT, WHICH WOULD ENJOY
LOW OPERATING COSTS, SIMPLE MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES AND
BE DESIGNED FOR USE IN THE LOW INTENSITY WARFARE, WHICH
WILL CHARACTERIZE THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.
BY MODIFYING EXISTING AIRFRAMES AND USING TOTALLY
REMANUFACTURED ENGINES AND COMPONENTS, IT IS ANTICIPATED
THAT THE COST OF PRODUCTION OF THIS ROTORCRAFT WOULD BE
ABOUT ONE THIRD THAT OF THE BELL AH- 1 COBRA
ROTORCRAFT.
THE RELATIVELY LOW COST, RELIABILITY AND PERFORMANCE OF
THE ROTORCRAFT SHOULD INSURE A SUBSTANTIAL WORLDWIDE
MARKET, PARTICULARLY AMONG COUNTRIES WHO DO NOT
ANTICIPATE ENGAGEMENTS ON HIGH INTENSITY BATTLE FIELDS.
ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES, THE PROPOSAL, AS WELL AS; THE
DETAILS OF THE ROTORCRAFT WILL BE EXAMINED IN DEPTH.
THIS VENTURE WOULD BE A HAPPY COMBINATION OF AMERICAN
TECHNOLOGY AND FOREIGN CRAFTSMANSHIP.
IT WOULD PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ESTABLISH A
PROFITABLE AVIATION INDUSTRY OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED
STATES WITH CONSIDERABLE EXPORT EARNINGS, AS WELL AS
PROVIDE ARMED FORCES WITH A MOST USEFUL TOOL FOR USE IN
CURRENT OPERATIONS.
DESIGN OF THE ROTORCRAFT
THE ROTORCRAFT WOULD BE BUILT UP FROM
A SKELETON OF AN EXISTING HELICOPTER AIRFRAM
(ATTACHMENT A). IT WOULD USE THE SAME ENGINE,
TRANSMISSION AND OTHER DYNAMIC COMPONENTS TO INSURE
RELIABILITY AND EASE OF MAINTENANCE.
EXTENSIVE AIRFRAME MODIFICATIONS
WOULD REDUCE THE TOTAL WIDTH OF THE FUSELAGE TO ABOUT
3'8", MODIFY THE COCKPIT TO SINGLE OR DUAL PILOT
CONFIGURATION, SLIGHTLY SHORTEN THE MACHINE OVERALL,
GIVE IT A MORE AERODYNAMIC NOSE AND PROVIDE FOR THE
INSTALLATION OF WINGS (ATTACHMENT B). THE DRAWINGS FOR
THE PROTOTYPE HELICOPTER ARE LOCATED IN ATTACHMENT C.
POWERPLANT
THE STANDARD LYCOMING T53-L– 703
ENGINE WOULD BE FITTED TO THE ROTORCRAFT IN ITS ORIGINAL
CONFIGURATION.
THIS IS CONSIDERED TO BE ADEQUATE
GIVEN THE VERY CONSIDERABLE REDUCTION IN WEIGHT ACHIEVED
BY CUTTING THE CREW FROM FOUR MEN TO ONE, AND THE
REDUCTION OF ABOUT 1,000 LBS. FROM THE FUSELAGE AND
AIRFRAME
ARMOR
IT WILL BE HIGHLY DESIRABLE TO
ARMORPLATE CERTAIN VULNERABLE PORTIONS OF THE
ROTORCRAFT. RECENT EXPERIENCES OF HOSTILITY HAS
INDICATED THE NEED FOR ARMOR AROUND THE ENGINE, PILOT
AND CERTAIN OTHER COMPONENTS. IT IS CALCULATED THAT
ABOUT 1,000 LBS. OF THE OPERATING WEIGHT CAN BE DEVOTED
TO ARMOR PLATING OF AMPLE THICKNESS TO
TURN A 7.62 MM RIFLE BULLET AT CLOSE
RANGE. ACTUAL DETAILS OF THE ARMORING, INCLUDING A
DECISION TO INSTALL BULLETPROOF GLASS, WOULD BE LEFT TO
THE DISCRETION OF THE PURCHASER.
ARMAMENT
IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THE STANDARD
PERMANENTLY INSTALLED MAIN ARMAMENT WILL BE A RAPIDFIRE
.50 CALIBER OR 20MM CANNON IN A REMOTE CONTROLLED
AUTOMATIC TURRET LOCATED UNDER THE CHIN OF THE
HELICOPTER.
THE LUCAS GUN TURRET COUPLED WITH A
SPERRY HELMET SIGHT APPEARS TO BE THE MOST READILY
AVAILABLE RIG AT THIS TIME. ADDITIONAL ROCKETS AND
MISSILES CAN BE MOUNTED ON THE STUB WINGS, TO INCLUDE
THE 2.75 AIR-TO-GROUND ROCKET, VARIOUS ANTITANK
MISSILES, NAPALM CANISTERS, GAS DISPENSERS AND OTHER
MUNITIONS.
PERFORMANCE
BY SUBSTANTIALLY MODIFYING THE
ORIGINAL DESIGN WITH THE ADDITION OF STUB WINGS AND
REDUCTION OF THE FRONTAL AREA OF THE HELICOPTER, THE
OVERALL WEIGHT OF THE ROTORCRAFT WILL BE LIGHTENED.
IT IS EXPECTED THAT PERFORMANCE
FIGURES WILL DRAMATICALLY INCREASE, ESPECIALLY IN THE
REALM OF ACCELERATION, CLIMB RATES, CRUISE AND TOP
SPEED.
THE AIRFOIL CROSS SECTION OF THE STUB WING WILL BE
DESIGNED TO MAXIMIZE LIFT IN THIS FLIGHT REGIME.
IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE ACTUAL LENGTH OF THE WINGS WILL
BE LONGER THAN MOST CURRENTLY IN VOGUE WITH U.S. STUB
WINGS, SO AS TO INCREASE LIFT APPRECIABLY.
FURTHER
MODIFICATIONS
IT WOULD BE HIGHLY DESIRABLE TO
EVENTUALLY PRODUCE A ROTORCRAFT WITH TWIN ENGINES,
PROBABLY, THE WELL PROVEN P&W PT6 TWINPAC, WHICH WOULD
PROVIDE A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN LIFTING POWER,
RELIABILITY AND CONFLICT SURVIVABILITY.
AN INTERIM MODIFICATION WOULD BE INSTALLATION OF THE
LYCOMING T53-L-703 ENGINE WITH 1,800 SHP RATHER THAN THE
STANDARD DASH 13 WITH 1,400 SHP.
ANOTHER USEFUL MODIFICATION WOULD BE THE REPLACEMENT OF
THE SKIDS WITH RETRACTABLE, OR SEMI-RETRACTABLE, LANDING
GEAR, OR FIXED WHEELS.
SUCH A MODIFICATION WOULD ALLOW EASIER GROUND
MANEUVERING, LESS DRAG AIRBORNE AND THE ABILITY TO
TAKEOFF WITH HEAVIER WARFARE LOADS THAN WITH SKIDS AS
THE ROTORCRAFT COULD BE ROLLED OFF THE GROUND.
THE INITIAL ROTORCRAFT WILL BE SINGLE-PILOTED, BUT A
GROWTH VERSION WITH A CO-PILOT/GUNNER, MOUNTED IN TANDEM
WOULD BE DESIRABLE AS THE ROTORCRAFT GROWS FROM A
DAYTIME VFR ROTORCRAFT TO ONE WITH ALL WEATHER
CAPABILITIES.
DELIVERY
SCHEDULE
THE INITIAL ROTORCRAFT WILL BE
DELIVERED ONE TO TWO YEARS AFTER A CONTRACT IS SIGNED.
ALL SUBSEQUENT HELICOPTERS COULD BE DELIVERED AT FIVE
MONTH INTERVALS UNTIL THE CONTRACT IS COMPLETED.
HELICOPTER DIMENSION
LENGTH 57 FEET 1 INCH
HEGHT 13.4 FEET
WIDTH AT ELEVATORS 7 FEET
WIDTH FUSELAGE 3 FEET 8 INCHES
ROTOR SPAN 48 FEET
WEIGHT (empty) approximately 5,000
POUNDS
PERFORMANCE
VNE 165 KNOTS
CRUISE 150 KNOTS
GROSS WT. 10,500 POUNDS
PAYLOAD 5,500 POUNDS PLUS
RATE OF CLIMB (approximate) 3,000
FEET PER MINUTE
Performance specifications will be
verified and adjusted by test flight
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