EH101 completes tour of Nordic region

June 12th, 1999

A medium-lift Anglo-Italian EH101 helicopter has recently completed a series of flights in the Nordic countries of Denmark, Sweden and Finland which included public flying displays at the Lappeenranta Air Show in Finland and Boden in Sweden.

The flights, which took in a number of military and civil airbases in the Nordic region, demonstrated the suitability of EH101 for the Nordic Standard Helicopter Program. EH Industries Ltd has recently responded to the Request for Information (RFI) by offering the modular EH101 helicopter. EH Industries Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of GKN Westland Helicopters of the UK and Agusta of Italy, acts as design authority and prime contractor for the EH101 helicopter programme.

EH101 Utility Helicopter fitted with air-to-air refuelling probe

EH Industries and its parent companies have formed "EH101 Team Nordic" to co-ordinate the regional marketing activity of EH101 and to develop industrial relationships in the Nordic region.

Ron Jones, Head of European Business at GKN Westland Helicopters, said: "This has been an ideal opportunity for the Team to demonstrate in representative operating environments that EH101 is the aircraft of choice for the Nordic Standard Helicopter Program. We have carried out a number of proving flights during this tour which have highlighted EH101's advanced design and extensive use of the latest technology."

The EH101, under the registration I-L101, completed a total of 50 flying hours during 33 sorties over a ten day period. The aircraft demonstrated its reliability by achieving a total of 0.6 maintenance man hours per flying hour including a 25 hour service which resulted in 100% availability in the Nordic region.

EH101 brings together, for the first time, civil, military, utility and naval requirements in a single integrated programme. In its military utility role, EH101 enables rapid reaction helicopter borne forces to deploy over extended ranges unlimited by weather. EH101 has outstanding capability in search and rescue for which it has cabin space to accommodate over twenty survivors.

The three-engine EH101 is designed to operate in adverse conditions including extremes of temperature, high humidity, icing and dusty environments. Its three engines substantially improve margins of safety, particularly at take-off and landing where it can tolerate the loss of an engine without loss of pilot authority.

It can achieve in excess of 1000km mission range on standard fuel tanks. It can carry more than 16 fully equipped troops at 280km/h (150 knots) or in excess of 4000kg of internal or external stores. Strategic deployment can be achieved by in-flight refuelling.

EH101 is in full production in both Italy and the UK and has now entered service with the British Royal Navy and will be delivered to the Armed Forces of Canada, Italy and the United Kingdom over the next two years, in configurations matching the Nordic primary missions of tactical troop transport, anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue.

Nordic Tour - EH101 registration I-L101 undertook a number of familiarisation flights at the following military and civil airbases in the Nordic region:

Denmark:

  • Karup: Headquarters of both Tactical Air Force and Army Operational Command
  • Vaerlose: Headquarters of Air Material Command
  • 722 Squadron (Search and Rescue)
  • Navy Aviation Squadron - Lynx (fishery protection)
  • 590 Medical Squadron
  • Vandel: Headquarters of Army Aviation

Sweden:

  • Linkoping-Malmen: Ostgota Helicopter Battalion
  • Armed Forces Helicopter Wing
  • Berga: Svea Helicopter Battalion
  • Defence Material Administration
  • Headquarters of Armed Forces
  • Boden: Norrland Helicopter Battalion

Finland:

  • Lappeenranta: Civil airport
  • Utti: Jaeger Army Regiment
  • Halli: Headquarters of Patria Finavitec
  • Finnish Air Force Test Flight Centre
  • Finnish Air Force Technical School

You can contact GKN Westland Helicopters at info@gkn-whl.co.uk
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