Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota Helicopter

Helicopter October 12, 2020

Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota Helicopter

Efran Syah       Comment   

The Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters) UH-72 Lakota is a twin-engine helicopter with a single, four-bladed main rotor. The UH-72 is a militarized version of the Eurocopter EC145 and was built by American Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters, Inc.), a division of Airbus Group, Inc.

The UH-72 is designed to take on a range of missions, from general support and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) to personnel recovery and counter-narcotics operations.

Other than utility transport, the Lakota can be configured for medical evacuation, VIP transport, security and support, and opposing forces training. It is described as the best military aircraft in the inventory for domestic operations, used by the Army National Guard for state support, disaster relief, and homeland defense and by non-deployed active units for MEDEVAC and training.

The UH-72 Lakota light utility helicopter is a military version of the Eurocopter EC145. During the competitive bidding phase, EADS North America used the UH-145 designation for its light utility helicopter entry. The helicopters are being manufactured by Airbus Helicopters at the company’s production centre in Columbus, Mississippi.

The main and tail rotors are high set to allow fast and safe loading and unloading through the main doors and rear-fuselage clamshell doors, even while the rotors are turning. The helicopter has a hingeless rotor system with composite main rotor blades which are 11m in diameter. The rotor configuration provides reduced noise and vibration characteristics. The high-set, twin-blade tail rotor has a diameter of 1.95 m.

The helicopter is powered by two Turbomeca Arriel 1E2 turboshaft engines, each providing 550 kW of take-off power and 516 kW continuous power.

The engines are rated to provide a maximum power of 574 kW for two and a half minutes and 404 kW continuously in one-engine-inoperable-mode fight.

The modular design of the UH-72A Lakota light utility helicopter allows the fast and efficient installation of a range of mission modules.

The first aircraft was delivered to the US Army on 11 December 2006 in Columbus, Mississippi. On 12 December 2006 in an official ceremony. The service estimated that delivery of the planned 345 aircraft would continue until 2017.

Airbus handed over 440 UH-72A Lakota light utility helicopters to the US Army, US Navy and National Guard as of August 2019. The US Department of Defence (DoD) placed orders for more than 478 Lakotas to date.

For ambulance and medical evacuation missions, the cabin can accommodate two stretchers, plus one crew chief (who is qualified to operate the hoist and other aircraft equipment) and one medical attendant. The UH-72A’s Nato standard stretchers and stretcher retainer mounts are supplied by Aerolite of Washington.

Variants

• UH-72A Lakota. An unarmed utility military version of the EC 145.
• UH-72B Lakota. Upgrade of the UH-72A; this configuration is based on the upgraded civilian Eurocopter EC145T2. The model has a Fenestron tail rotor, more powerful engines, enhanced controls, and the Airbus Helionix avionics suite. Will enter service with the ANG in 2021.
• AAS-72X. A proposed armed version of the UH-72 for the US Army's Armed Aerial Scout OH-58D replacement program offered by EADS and Lockheed Martin.
• AAS-72X+. An armed military version of the Eurocopter EC145T2 also proposed for the Armed Aerial Scout program. It was equipped with more powerful engines with an extra 200 shaft horsepower each, a fenestron shrouded tail rotor, and a fully digital glass cockpit.

On 7 June 2013, Thailand requested the sale of six UH-72A Lakotas with associated equipment, training, and support for an estimated cost of $77 million. On 9 October 2013, the Thai government approved $55 million in funds to support the Royal Thai Army's acquisition of six UH-72A helicopters from 2013 to 2015. On 28 March 2014, the Thai Army awarded a $34 million contract to Airbus Helicopter for six UH-72As, fitted with a mission equipment package including the AN/ARC-231 airborne radio terminal; deliveries were to begin by April 2015. On 29 September 2014, Congress was notified of a Thailand request for the sale of another nine UH-72 Lakotas, related equipment, and support. By November 2015, the six helicopters had been delivered.

Operators

• Thailand
• Royal Thai Army
• United States
• United States Army
• United States Navy

General characteristics

• Crew: 1 or 2 pilots
• Capacity: 9 troops or 2 stretchers and medical crew / 1,793 kg payload
• Length: 13.03 m
• Height: 3.45 m
• Empty weight: 1,792 kg
• Max takeoff weight: 3,585 kg
• Powerplant: 2 × Turbomeca Arriel 1E2 turboshaft engine, 738 shp (550 kW) each
• Main rotor diameter: 11 m
• Main rotor area: 94.98 m2
• Blade section: ONERA OA415/OA312 at root; ONERA OA409/OA407 at tip

Performance

• Maximum speed: 153 mph (246 km/h, 133 kn)
• Cruise speed: 90 mph (145 km/h, 78 kn)
• Range: 426 mi (685 km, 370 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 13,182 ft (4,018 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,600 ft/min (8.13 m/s)

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Northrop T-38 Talon Supersonic Jet Trainer

Jet Trainer October 11, 2020

Northrop T-38 Talon Supersonic Jet Trainer

Efran Syah       Comment   

T-38 Talon over Edwards AFB. (U.S. Department of Defense)

The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twinjet supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2020 in several air forces.

Pilots of a T-38 Talon exit the plane for a refueling before continuing on to its next destination April 28, 2015, at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. (Senior Airman Tristin English)

The United States Air Force (USAF) operates the most T-38s. In addition to training USAF pilots, the T-38 is used by NASA. Pilots of other NATO nations fly the T-38 in joint training programs with USAF pilots.

NASA Dryden's T-38 Talon trainer jet in flight over the main base complex at Edwards Air Force Base. Formerly at NASA's Langley Research Center, this Northrop T-38 Talon is now used for mission support and pilot proficiency at the Dryden Flight Research Center. (NASA/Jim Ross)

The T-38 is of conventional configuration, with a small, low, long-chord wing, a single vertical stabilizer, and tricycle undercarriage. The aircraft seats a student pilot and instructor in tandem, and has intakes for its two turbojet engines at the wing roots.

(Alan Wilson / Wki Common)

Its nimble performance has earned it the nickname white rocket. In 1962 the T-38 set absolute time-to-climb records for 3,000, 6,000, 9,000 and 12,000 meters, beating the records for those altitudes set by the F-104 in December 1958. (The F-4 Phantom beat the T-38's records less than a month later.)

The USAF Strategic Air Command (SAC) had T-38s in service from 1978 until SAC's 1991 inactivation. These aircraft were used to enhance the career development of bomber and tanker copilots through the "Accelerated Copilot Enrichment Program." They were later used as proficiency aircraft for all B-52, B-1, Lockheed SR-71, U-2, Boeing KC-135, and KC-10 pilots. SAC's successors, the Air Combat Command (ACC) and the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), continue to retain T-38s as proficiency aircraft for U-2 pilots and B-2 pilots, respectively.

The Air Training Command's (ATC) successor, the Air Education and Training Command (AETC), uses the T-38C to prepare pilots for the F-15C Eagle and F-15E Strike Eagle, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, B-52 Stratofortress, B-1B Lancer, B-2 Spirit, A-10 Thunderbolt, F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.

Most T-38s built were of the T-38A variant, but the USAF also had a small number of aircraft converted for weapons training (designated AT-38B), which were fitted with a gunsight and could carry a gunpod, rockets, or bombs on a centerline pylon.

Variants

• N-156T: Northrop company designation.
• YT-38: Prototypes, two built with YJ85-GE-1 engines, later designated YT-38A and four pre-production aircraft with YJ-85-GE-5 engines, later designated T-38A.
• T-38A: Two-seat advanced training aircraft, production model, 1,139 built.
• T-38A(N): Two-seat astronaut training version for NASA. See T-38N below.
• AT-38A: A small number of T-38As were converted into weapons training aircraft.
• DT-38A: A number of US Navy T-38As were converted into drone directors.
• GT-38A: Permanently grounded aircraft, often due to flight or ground mishap, converted into ground procedural trainers or aircraft maintenance trainers.
• NT-38A: A small number of T-38As were converted into research and test aircraft.
• QT-38A: Unmanned target drone aircraft.
• AT-38B: Two-seat weapons training aircraft.
• T-38C: A T-38A with structural and avionics upgrades.
• T-38M: Modernized Turkish Air Force T-38As with full glass cockpit and avionics, upgraded by Turkish Aerospace Industries under the project codename "ARI" (Turkish: Arı, for Bee).
• T-38N: Former USAF T-38As bailed to NASA and T-38As directly assigned to NASA that received an Avionics Upgrade Program (AUP), modernizing communications and navigation systems, replacing outdated avionics, and adding a weather radar, flight management system, altitude alert systems, and modern controls and displays.
• N-205: "Space trainer" variant proposed in May 1958, with triple rocket engines for vertical launch, and capable of Mach 3.2 and a maximum altitude of 200,000 feet (61,000 m).
• ST-38 or N-205B: Revised proposal in April 1963 for the new Aerospace Research Pilot School, with a rolling takeoff, top speed of Mach 3.3 and a ceiling of 285,000 feet (87,000 m), high enough to qualify its pilots for astronaut wings.
• T-38 VTOL: Proposed vertical takeoff variant with four lift nozzles behind the pilot.

A T-38 Talon, in a Thunderbirds scheme, performing at the Alliance Air Show in Fort Worth, Texas in 2014. (Balon Greyjoy)

As of September 30, 2017, 503 T-38s were still operational with the USAF, with many more in operation around the world.

Most of the USAF variant aircraft (T-38A and AT-38B) have been converted to the T-38C through an avionics upgrade program. Improvements include the addition of a HUD, GPS, INS (Inertial Navigation System), and TCAS. Most jets have also received PMP (a propulsion modification to improve low-altitude engine thrust). Approximately a third of the fleet (those that experience more severe usage) are currently undergoing structural replacements and upgrades, as well as receiving new wings, to extend their service life to 2029.

A T-38 Talon, in a Thunderbirds scheme, performing at the Alliance Air Show in Fort Worth, Texas in 2014. (Balon Greyjoy)

When production ended in 1972, 1,187 T-38s had been built. Since its introduction, it is estimated that some 50,000 military pilots have trained on this aircraft. The USAF remains one of the few armed flying forces using dedicated supersonic final trainers, as most, such as the US Navy, use high subsonic trainers.

A T-38 Talon, in a Thunderbirds scheme, performing at the Alliance Air Show in Fort Worth, Texas in 2014. (Balon Greyjoy)

Besides the USAF, USN and NASA, other T-38 operators included the German Air Force (Luftwaffe), the Portuguese Air Force, the Republic of China Air Force, Republic of Korea Air Force and the Turkish Air Force.

A T-38 Talon, in a Thunderbirds scheme, performing at the Alliance Air Show in Fort Worth, Texas in 2014. (Balon Greyjoy)

As of 2020, the T-38 has been in service for over 50 years with its original operator, the United States Air Force.

In September of 2018, USAF announced the replacement of the Talon by the Boeing T-7 Red Hawk with phaseout to begin in 2023.

A T-38 Talon, in a Thunderbirds scheme, performing at the Alliance Air Show in Fort Worth, Texas in 2014. (Balon Greyjoy)

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 14.135 m
• Wingspan: 7.70 m
• Height: 3.924 m
• Wing area: 16 m2
• Empty weight: 3,266 kg
• Gross weight: 5,361 kg
• Max takeoff weight: 5,485 kg
• Powerplant: 2 × General Electric J85-5A afterburning turbojet engines, 2,050 lbf (9.1 kN) thrust each dry, 2,900 lbf (12,899.84 N) with afterburner (J85-5R after PMP modification)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 746 kn (858 mph, 1,382 km/h)
• Maximum speed: Mach 1.3
• Range: 991 nmi (1,140 mi, 1,835 km)
• Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,000 m)
• Rate of climb: 33,600 ft/min (171 m/s) 
• Wing loading: 69.53 lb/sq ft (339.5 kg/m2)
• Thrust/weight: 0.65

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Mil Mi-6 Heavy Transport Helicopter

Helicopter October 09, 2020

Mil Mi-6 Heavy Transport Helicopter

Efran Syah       Comment   

The Mil Mi-6 (NATO reporting name Hook), given the article number izdeliye 50 and company designation V-6, is a Soviet/Russian heavy transport helicopter that was designed by the Mil design bureau.

It was built in large numbers for both military and civil roles and used to be the largest helicopter in production until Mil Mi-26 was put in production in 1980.

Flown for the first time on 5 June 1957, the Mi-6 was the first Soviet turboshaft-powered production helicopter.

The Mi-6 resulted from a joint civil-military requirement for a very large vertical-lift aircraft, which could be used to add mobility in military operations as well as assist in the exploration and development of the expansive central and eastern regions of the USSR.

The R-7 gearbox and rotor head developed for Mil Mi-6 have a combined weight of 3,200 kg, which is greater than the two turboshaft engines.

Variable-incidence winglets were first mounted on the craft's sides in 1960 to the 30 pre-series units. These wings provide approximately 20% of the lift required during cruise flight.

In its early days, the Mi-6 set many world records, including one for sheer circuit speed at 340 km/h (211 mph). As of 2013, the Mi-6 still holds the FAI record of fastest 5-tonne lift over 1,000 km, in which it flew 284 km/h in 1962.

From 1959 to 1972 at least 500 units were built for various general-transport, utility, firefighting and flying-crane duties, the last two sub-types not being fitted with the large fixed wings, which in other versions bear part of the lift in cruising flight and thus enable higher speeds to be attained. The twin nose wheels and large low-pressure main wheels do not retract.

Normally flown by a crew of five or more, the Mi-6 seats 65 armed troops and can alternatively carry 41 stretcher (litter) patients and two attendants, or a wide range of bulky loads, including vehicles, loaded through rear clamshell doors.

In exercises, fleets of these aircraft have airlifted many kinds of weapons, including FROG-7 rockets on their PT-76 tracked chassis, as well as large radars and heavy artillery. All Soviet armoured personnel carriers, armoured cars and light mechanised infantry combat vehicles can be carried.

The CIS Interstate Aviation Committee cancelled the Mi-6's Type Certificate in October 2002 after the crash of RA-21074 in the Taimyr Peninsula. There have also been reports that the wooden tail rotor blades have reached the end of their service life.

The Mi-6 was by far the world's largest helicopter when it was designed in 1954–56; with a maximum load capacity of 12,000 kg. It was also the world's fastest helicopter; with a top speed of 300 km/h (190 mph).

Countries that have used Mil Mi-6 are Algeria, Belarus, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Laos, Peru, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Soviet Union, and Vietnam

Specifications (Mi-6)

General characteristics

• Crew: 6 (pilot, copilot, navigator, flight engineer, radio operator, technician)
• Capacity: 90 passengers / 70 airborne troops / 41 stretcher cases with 2 medical personnel
• Payload: 12,000 kg maximum internal cargo
• Maximum slung load: 8,000 kg
• Height: 9.156 m
• Wing area: 35 m2 auxiliary wing (when fitted)
• Gross weight: 40,500 kg
• Max takeoff weight: 44,000 kg
• Maximum fuel capacity: 17,250 l (4,560 US gal; 3,790 imp gal)
• Powerplant: 2 × Soloviev D-25V turboshaft engines, 4,100 kW (5,500 shp) each
• Main rotor diameter: × 35 m

Performance

• Maximum speed: 300 km/h (190 mph, 160 kn)
• Cruise speed: 250 km/h (160 mph, 130 kn)
• Range: 970 km (600 mi, 520 nmi) at 1,000 m (3,281 ft) at 40,500 kg (89,287 lb) TOW
• Ferry range: 1,450 km (900 mi, 780 nmi)
• Endurance: 2 hours 51 minutes at 140–160 km/h (87–99 mph; 76–86 kn) at 1,000 m (3,281 ft) and 40,500 kg (89,287 lb) TOW
• Service ceiling: 4,500 m (14,800 ft) up to 42,500 kg (93,696 lb) TOW

Armament

The navigator's station can be equipped with a 12.7 mm (0.500 in) Afanasev A-12.7 machine-gun with up to 270 rounds

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Antonov An-22 "Antei" Heavy Military Transport Aircraft

Airlift Aircraft October 08, 2020

Antonov An-22 "Antei" Heavy Military Transport Aircraft

Efran Syah       Comment   

Antonov_An-22 Antei, 7 September 2008. (Sulivanmark / Wiki Common)

The Antonov An-22 "Antei" (English Antaeus) (NATO reporting name "Cock") is a heavy military transport aircraft designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Soviet Union.

Antonov An-22 landing at Gostomel Airport, 11 September 2016. (Vasiliy Koba / Wiki Common)

Powered by four turboprop engines each driving a pair of contra-rotating propellers, the design was the first wide-body transport aircraft and remains the world's largest turboprop-powered aircraft to date.

Antonov An-22 Antheus at Tolmachevo Airport in Novosibirsk, 12 April 2013. (Alex Polezhaev / Wiki Common)

The An-22 is an impressive aircraft with a take-off weight of 225,000 kg, a fuselage diameter of 6 meters, and it has the world’s biggest propellers with a diameter of 6.2 m.

Antonov An-22 Antei. (Árpád Gordos / Wiki Common)

The An-22 first appeared publicly outside the Soviet Union at the 1965 Paris Air Show. Thereafter, the model saw extensive use in major military and humanitarian airlifts for the Soviet Union, and is still in service with the Russian Air Force.

(Clemens Vasters / Wiki Common)

In the late 1950s, the Soviet Union required a large military transport aircraft to supplement the Antonov An-8 and An-12s then entering service. Originally known as the An-20, the model is a conventional multi-engined high-wing design.

In the early 1960s, the Antonov bureau produced a wooden mock up at its Kyiv, Ukraine, workshops of what was designated the Model 100. The prototype, now designated the An-22, was rolled out on 18 August 1964 and first flew on 27 February 1965.

The prototype was given the name Antheus and, after four-months of test flying, was displayed at the 1965 Paris Air Show. All aircraft were built at the Tashkent State Aircraft Factory and the first military delivery was made to the Air Transport Wing at Ivanovo Airbase in 1969.

Antonov An-22 navigation. (Galak / Wiki Common)

The aircraft was designed as a strategic airlifter, designed specifically to expand the Soviet Airborne Troops' capability to land with their then-new BMD-1 armoured vehicles. The An-22 cargo hold can accommodate four BMD-1s compared to only one in the An-12.

An-22 Сockpit. (Galak / Wiki Common)

It has the capability to takeoff from austere, unpaved, and short airstrips, allowing airborne troops to perform air-landing operations. This is achieved by four pairs of contra-rotating propellers, similar to those on the Tupolev Tu-114.

The propellers and exhaust from the engines produce a slipstream over the wings and large double-slotted flaps. The landing gear is ruggedized for rough airstrips. In early versions tire pressures could be adjusted in flight for optimum landing performance. That feature was removed in later models.

Cabin of UR-64460, a Soviet-era Antonov An-22 cargo plane, in the Technik Museum Speyer, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. (Clemens Vasters / Wiki Common)

The An-22 follows traditional cargo transport design with a high-mounted wing allowing a large cargo space of 33 m in length and a usable volume of 639 m³. The forward fuselage is fully pressurized and provides space for 5 to 8 crew and up to 28 passengers, but the cargo space is pressurized to only 3.55 PSI / 0.245 bar allowing for a lighter airframe.

A door equipped with pressure bulkhead is located at frame 14, separating the cargo attendant's compartment from the main cargo compartment. This allows the rear cargo doors to be opened during flight for paratroops and equipment drop. Like the An-12, the aircraft has a circular fuselage section. The An-22 has set a number of payload and payload-to-height world records.

Antonov An-22. (Dmitry Terekhov / Wiki Common)

Since entering service, the An-22 has set 14 payloads to height records, of which the most impressive was an airlift of metal blocks weighing 100 metric tons (220,500 pounds) to an altitude of 7,848 meters ( 25,748 feet).

Antonov An-22. (Dmitry A. Mottl / Wiki Common)

It is unlikely that a turboprop of this size will be ever built again, and as the aircraft ages, it is only a matter of time before they will be all gone.

Antonov An-22 Antei. (Dmitry A. Mottl / Wiki Common)

Variants

• An-22. Three original prototypes were built at the Antonov facility in Kyiv, Ukraine, with glass nose.
• An-22. Initial production variant with external start system, 37 built at Tashkent.
• An-22A. Improved variant with air-start capability, modified electrical system, and updated radio and navigation equipment, 28 built at Tashkent.
• An-22PZ. Conversion of two An-22s to carry wing centre sections or outer wings of Antonov An-124 or An-225 externally above fuselage. Fitted with third centreline fin.

Several other An-22 variants were projected and constructed by Antonov but never entered serial production, notably a nuclear-powered aircraft and a ballistic missile platform.

Antonov An-22 Antei. (Dmitry A. Mottl / Wiki Common)

Specifications (An-22)

General characteristics

• Crew: 5–6
• Capacity: 28–29 pax / 80,000 kg maximum payload
• Length: 57.92 m approx (dependent on nose config.)
• Wingspan: 64.4 m
• Height: 12.53 m
• Wing area: 345 m2
• Empty weight: 114,000 kg
• Max takeoff weight: 250,000 kg
• Fuel capacity: 43,000 kg maximum
• Powerplant: 4 × Kuznetsov NK-12MA turboprop engines, 11,000 kW (15,000 shp) each (equivalent)
• Propellers: 8-bladed contra-rotating constant-speed reversible-pitch propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 740 km/h (460 mph)
• Range: 5,000 km (3,100 mi, 2,700 nmi) with maximum payload
• Wing loading: 724.6 kg/m2 (148.4 lb/sq ft) max
• Take-off run: 1,300 m (4,265 ft)
• Landing run: 800 m (2,625 ft)

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