DONAUWÖRTH – Christian Francini, Airbus Helicopters, Senior Operational Marketing Officer introduced the HForce weapon system from Airbus Helicopters as well as the H145M at Airbus Helicopter Deutschland in Donauwörth in Northern Swabia, some 120km Northwest of Munich.

HForce is a generic weapon system developped by Airbus Helicopters that can be fitted onto any military versions of Airbus Helicopters commercial helicopter range. The approach is the militarization of very popular helicopter. As mentinned, Mr. Francini three models has been selected until now :  the light single engine Armed Scout H125M, the light twin engine Light Attack & Utility H145M and the heavy twin engine Utility H225M.

Airbus Helicopters H125M, H145M, H225M.
Photo: Airbus Industrie.

Each model features Monocular Thales Scorpion Helmet Mounted Sight and Display

(HMSD), Wescam NX-15 electro-optical system (EOS), armament pylons, ballistic and guided weapons and air to ground and air to air munitions.

The goal of Airbus Helicopter with HForce is to offer defence agencies which are already equipped with attack heliocopter a means of complement their fleet but also to customers in the early stage of military outfitting, an incremental system featuring realistic options addressimg a wide range of practical needs.

According to Mr. Franchini, the ide ais to integrate a full package of weapons from ballistic to guided weapons at a very affordable price compare to a pure attack helicopter in a incremental way by starting from what exists and works.

HForce is based on 50 years of Airbus Helicopters weapons integration.

The HForce programm has been launched in April 2014.

The first test bench entered into service in May 2015 while the first flight was performed in December 2015 on a H225M.

It has been unveiled to the press in Marignane, in southern France on February, the 22nd, 2016. The firing campaign started recently in Belgium while it is expected that the system will be qualified at the end of 2017.

Drawing on experience with the Tiger attack helicopter, Airbus Helicopters has developed an off-the-shelf solution to address customers’ armament needs. Conceived as a plug ’n play system, HForce’s core hardware is interchangeable from one helicopter to another. Software is specific to each helicopter, as are fixtures for the weapon pods. Armament can be exchanged between helicopters.

This innovative system integrates any kind of weapon (air-to-air, air-to-ground, ballistic or guided) onto any kind of commercial helicopter in the Airbus Helicopters military range. The technically-advanced solution takes into account the different aspects of firing accuracy: weapon recoil, center of gravity, ground clearance or vehicle separation.

HForce covers the entire operational spectrum:

Air-to-ground :

Tanks, armoured vehicles, troops, fire support to troops in contact

Air-to-air :

Aircraft, drones, attack helicopters

Air-to-surface :

Maritime counter terrorism and counter piracy speedboats

As underlined by M. Francini, addressing today’s requirements for counter-terrorism and special forces deployment, HForce adapts helicopters for a wide array of missions.
Armed scout :

Intelligence

Surveillance

Target acquisition

Reconnaissance

Attack :

Deep ops (depending on type of helicopter)

Fire support

Attack & defence

Escort

Utility :

Maritime counter terrorism

Air movement

Combat recovery

CASEVAC

Fire support
Maritime security:

Maritime counter terrorism
Parapublic:

Law enforcement

HForce enables a drastic reduction of workload thanks to experience gained from crew resource management on Tiger helicopters. With the HForce system in place, the crew manage the helicopter’s weapons firing throught the EOS day and night while the pilot flies, exactly like in an attack helicopter. ‘the pilot flies, the gunner fights’

Mr. Franchini concluded his formal presentaiton by recalling that HForce has been developped around three priorities :

Customer satisfaction by proposing a realistic solution covering the full spectrum of flight missions at a cost effective price.

Competitiveness by offering a modular and incremental weapon system, the HForce is an unique solution on the military market

Quality and safety by offering an entire weapons systems developped, integrated and fully qualified by Airbus Helicopters drastically reducing the crew workload.

Airbus Helicopter H145M.
Photo: Philippe Cauchi.

Moving from a conference room to a delivery hangar, Mr. Francini introduced us an actual H145M.

He pointed out that the H145M based on the BK117-D2m, a sub type to the EC145T2/BK117D-2, is reconfigurable for three types of missions :

Utility, Special Operations, Medevac, Search and Rescue :

Equipped with troop seats

Fast rope beams

Stretchers, Rescue hoist

Ballistic protection

Surveillance and Reconnaissance

Fitted with Electro-Optical System

Data recorder

Video Download

Integrated COM/NAV System

Armes Scout (ISTAR)/Light Attack

Equipped with Armament Control Sytem

Helmet Mounted Sight

Pylons with armament

The H145M received its EASA certification last May and the first two has been delivered in December 2015 to the Bundeswehr.

As mentionned by Christin Francini, ‘It is really a plug and play helicopter that can be reconfigured in two hours by two technicians’.

The weapons system is the HForce developped by Airbus Helicopter which include easy to install and to mix according to the mission, ballistic and guided ammunitions.

To manage the HForce weapon system, Airbus Helicopters has selected a mission computer supplied by Rockwell Collins. Nevertheless as underlined by Mr. Francini, the sofware is made by Airbus Helicopter so ‘it is very important we are free to upgrade the system’.

Airbus Helicopter H145M.
Photo: Philippe Cauchi.

The H145M takes advantage of the development of the civilian version the H145.  The Turbomeca Arriel 1E2 of 738shp of the H145 has been replaced by the more powerful Arriel 2E of 77shp equipped with a dual FADEC allowing to perform quicker starting procedures and reducing the crew load.

It has a fast cruise speed of 131kts or 244km/h, a maximum speed of 135kts or 250km/h, a maximum range of 357NM or 662km and n opertional ceiling of 8 858ft or 2 700m.

Compare to the UH-72A Lakota, the engine power of the H145M has been increased by 21%. On single engine operation, the power has been increased by 39%.  In fact, the H145M is the more powerful light twin engine helicopter.

The H145M is offering multi-purpose pylon fixed provisions for axial weapons as well as a Wescam NX15 EOS and a wide range of payload to accomdate customers needs and also ITAR requirements :

Ballistic:

Nexter?20mm cannon

FN Herstal 12,7mm machine gun

68 and 70mm rockets
Guided:

Laser-guided rocket

Air-to-ground missile

Air-to-air missile

Unlike most helicopter in its category, the H145M can carry a commando team while retaining its weapons.

Airbus Helicopter H145M.
Photo: Philippe Cauchi.

Airbus Helicopter H145M.
Photo: Philippe Cauchi.

In spite of the external weapons stations, the access to its cabin is easy thanks to wide sliding doors. The cabin can be equipped with benches as well as stretchers.

Airbus Helicopter H145M.
Photo: Philippe Cauchi.

The unique clamshell access doors in the back makes easy the loading or unloading of the helicopter which is very appreciated for medivac missions as well as for special missions operations.

The fenestron is participating in reducing the noise and increasing the safety of the crew because in case of hitting an obstacle the blades are protected.

By integrating for example the Fenestron, the direct cost of operations has been decreased by more than 10% compared to the Lakota while the time between engine inspections has been raised from 300 to 400 hours. Commonality between Lakota and H145M is about 70 to 75%.

H145M maximum take-off weight (MTOW) is 3,7tons, 115kg more than the Lakota.

The stabilizer has been slightly modified compare to the one on the Lakota. It has been extended by ten centimeters eliminating the need for vertical winglets.  The tailboom is made of composite unlike to save weight and reduce maintenance being corrosion free.

It is also featuring self sealing fuel tanks, hardened windshield, CMC Esterline CMA9000 Flight Management System and integrated COM/NAV systems.

The 15 H145M has been ordered by the German Special Forces, 5 by the Royal Thai Navy and 5 by the Royal Thai Army.

Christin Francini concluded by saying that ‘the market is huge for the H145M because on one hand you have Apache, Tiger and Mangusta, they are expensive very and dedicated only to one type of missions and on the other hand, a lot of countries are looking for a multirole capable of being reconfigured very quickly.