Design AgustaWestland AW101

1 design

1.1 overview
1.2 powerplant
1.3 armament , defensive systems
1.4 avionics
1.5 crew , cargo

design
overview

aw101 airframe diagram

the aw101 merlin follows conventional design layout, makes use of advanced technologies, such design of rotor blades, avionics systems, , extensive use of composite materials. fuselage structure modular , comprises aluminium-lithium alloy, designed both light , damage-resistant. aw101 designed operating in extreme weather conditions; fitted de-icing system , rated operate in temperatures ranging between −45 +50 °c. aircraft s control systems allow aw101 maintain stable hover in 74 km/h (40 kn) crosswinds.

an active vibration control system, known active control of structural response system, reduces airframe vibration 80% increases crew comfort , minimises buildup of stress on airframe. cockpit fitted armoured seats crew, , can withstand impact velocity of on 10 m/s. dual flight controls provided, though aw101 can flown single person. pilots instrument displays include 6 full-colour high-definition screens , optional mission display; digital map or forward looking infrared (flir) display can installed.

powerplant

probe aerial refuelling

the aw101 powered 3 turboshaft engines. rolls-royce/turbomeca rtm322 , general electric ct7 2 available engine types. rolls-royce rtm322 developed aw101; subsequently adopted on wah-64 apache , nhindustries nh90 helicopters. 80% of aw101s use rtm322 powerplant, according rolls-royce.

the engines power 18.59 metre diameter five-bladed main rotor. rotor blades constructed carbon/glass nomex honeycomb , rohacell foam, edged titanium alloy in sandwich construction. shaping of main rotor blades derived berp rotor blades first used on westland lynx. blade design improves aerodynamic efficiency @ blade tip , reduces acoustic signature. improved berp iv rotors have since been developed; when installed, increases aw101 s maximum takeoff weight.

each engine supplied separate 1,074 litre (276 gallon, 230 imperial gallon) fuel tank using dual booster pumps. optional fourth , fifth tanks can added act reservoir supply, topping main tanks during flight, increasing range or endurance. aw101 can outfitted probe aerial refuelling. self-sealing fuel tanks optional item selected customer. inlet particle separator system can installed, protecting engine when operating in sandy environments.

armament , defensive systems

a merlin hm1 loaded sting ray torpedo

most variants of aw101 equipped self-defence systems, such chaff , flare dispensers, directed infrared countermeasures (infrared jammers), esm (electronic support measures in form of rf heads), , laser detection , warning system. british merlins have been outfitted protective armour against small-arms fire. chin-mounted forward looking infrared (flir) imaging sensor has been fitted variants.

two hardpoints present on underside of airframe on hm1 model can carry 4 sting ray torpedoes or mk 11 mod 3 depth charges. customers have chosen deploy marte anti-ship missile on aw101; of 2011, royal navy considering equipping merlin fleet anti-surface missile. mk1, mk3 , mk3a variants can mount general purpose machine guns in 5 locations in main cabin, aimed out of both door , window apertures. agustawestland has examined integration of rockets , additional ground-attack weapons.

avionics

westland , ibm formed consortium in 1991 perform helicopter s complex systems integration. aw101 features network of helicopter management , mission systems designed reduce pilot workload , enable helicopter undertake wide variety of missions. digital automatic flight control system (afcs) employed aw101. afcs allows operation of four-axis (pitch, roll, yaw , collective) autopilot , automatic stabilisation system, , linked in aircraft s flight management systems. afcs, manufactured smiths aerospace, dual-duplex system using 2 flight computers provide redundancy , fault-tolerance.

the aw101 s navigation system includes gps receiver , inertial navigation system, vhf omnidirectional radio range (vor), instrument landing system (ils), tacan, , automatic direction finding. mk1 , mk3 equipped doppler velocity system (dvs) provides relative ground velocities; dvs linked afcs part of autostabilisation system. safety, aircraft equipped obstacle , terrain avoidance warning systems, traffic collision avoidance system (tcas), , both voice , flight data recorders.

the aw101 equipped blue kestrel search , detection radar capable of 360 degree scanning , can detect small targets far 25 nautical miles. part of royal navy s merlin hm2 upgrade program, lockheed martin implemented series of improvements radar, notably allowing track 40 times number of targets capable. danish eh101s fitted rdr-1600 search , weather radar. royal navy merlins equipped aqs901 anti-submarine system processing sonographic data sonobuoys detect , target submerged submarines. aqs901 derived system on earlier hawker siddeley nimrod maritime patrol aircraft.

the ramp , interior of aw101


crew , cargo

the aw101 typically operated crew of three: pilot, observer, , crewman/operator. pilot able fly majority of mission in hands-off mode, enabled sophisticated autopilot. crew members have individual access management computers , tactical information.

the fuselage has volume of 31.91 cubic metres (1,127 cu ft) , cargo compartment 6.5 metres (21 ft) in length, 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in) wide , 1.91 metres (6 ft 3 in) high. military version of aw101 can accommodate 24 seated or 45 standing combat troops , equipment. alternative loads include medical team , 16 stretchers, , cargo pallets.

the ramp, 1.91 2.3 metres (6 ft 3 in × 7 ft 7 in), can take 3,050-kilogram (6,720 lb) load, allowing carry vehicles such land rovers. ramp , cabin floor fitted flush tie-down points. cargo hook under fuselage can carry external loads of 5,440 kilograms (11,990 lb) via use of semi-automatic cargo release unit (sacru). rescue hoist , hover trim controller fitted @ cargo door. optional cargo winch can installed near rear ramp.