Leonardo has revealed that its AW149 has completed more than 70 flight hours of missile trials, as it seeks to further enhance its pitch for the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) New Medium Helicopter (NMH) program.
The program seeks to provide a replacement for the Royal Air Force’s 23 Airbus Puma HC2s support helicopters, which currently have an out-of-service date of early 2025.
At a program update briefing before the 2022 Farnborough Air Show, Leonardo focused on the survivability of the AW149 within a battlefield environment, through the use of Leonardo-supplied defences, including RWRs, chaff and flare dispensers. However, the OEM is also offering a far more comprehensive electronic warfare system for the NMH bid. Much of this new defensive technology for the AW149 has already been developed and used across the UK’s ISTAR fleet, with system elements deemed suitable for the AW149 proposal.
“The AW149 offer for the NHM program will include Leonardo’s Modular Advanced Platform Protection System (MAPPS),” said Tom Chase, Leonardo UK’s Head of Capability Integrated EW Systems. “This will include Miysis directional infrared countermeasure turrets, Seer RWRs, RALM laser-warning receivers and Sage electronic support measures equipment.”
Leonardo revealed that ballistic tests have been conducted on AW149 airframe components — including the main and tail rotor blades — with armour piercing bullets up to 12.7mm. Computer modelling had shown that the crash survivability of the airframe with drop rates up to 42 feet-per-second had demonstrated the AW149’s landing gear and fuel tanks had all proved more than satisfactory.
One key point stressed by Leonardo was the ability of the AW149 to continue to operate in the event the main gearbox loses lubrication — the “run-dry” performance was quoted to be around 50 minutes or 185 kilometers.
Keen to promote the military applications of the platform, the company also revealed the completion of the missile trials, which included the firing of more than 200 guided and unguided rockets in a variety of conditions and from a standoff distance of 3.5 to four kilometres.
“I continue to be impressed with the AW149’s capability as a weapon’s platform,” said Leonardo Helicopters UK senior test pilot Lee Evans. “The aircraft is fast, incredibly agile and a very stable platform for targeting and firing weapons.” The exact type of missile being fired during these trials was not disclosed.
Mike Morrisroe, Head of UK Campaigns for Leonardo Helicopters said he sees an addressable market of about 500 aircraft for a 149-type product. “Within this will be the requirement for external weapons,” he said. “From the outset, in terms of the design through the development and testing, we have had in mind not just rockets, but other weapons.”
The company said it plans to conduct further weapons trials later in the year but did not reveal where these trials will take place or what weapons system will be demonstrated on the AW149.
