Bölkow Bo 105

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MBB Bo 105
Bo 105 A
Bo 105 A in the Deutsches Museum ;
Prototype and test helicopter "HGH"
Type: Light multipurpose helicopter
Design country:

GermanyGermany Germany

Manufacturer:

Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm in Ottobrunn , from 1978 Donauwörth

First flight:

February 16, 1967

Commissioning:

From 1970

Production time:

(DEU) 1967 to 2001
(PHL) from 1972: 40 pieces
(IDN) from 1975: 122 pieces
(ESP) from 1979: 115 pieces
(CAN) 1984 to 2009

Quantity:

So far more than 1640 pieces

The Bölkow Bo 105 is a light helicopter made by the German manufacturer Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB). It was designed from 1961 by Ludwig Bölkow and Emil Weiland at Bölkow Developments KG (from 1965 Bölkow GmbH ) and made its maiden flight on February 16, 1967 .

In addition to its use as a civilian multi-purpose helicopter, the pattern is still mainly used by government users such as the police, the military, civil protection and disaster control, and in air rescue . The newly developed hingeless rotor head was introduced in the Bo 105 and a two -motor drive was used for the first time in civil helicopter construction with two shaft turbines .

development

Jointless 4-blade rotor head of the Bo 105
Rotor head with the four rotor blades of the Bo 105
Bo 105 rotor head

Ludwig Bölkow and Emil Weiland began developing helicopters in Bölkow Developments KG, which was founded in 1955 . Since aircraft construction in Germany was initially banned by the Allies after the Second World War, Bölkow had to catch up with a major development deficit and was faced with strong competition. The aim was to find a niche in the market in which the Bölkow company could hold its own against the established helicopter models. What was not yet available was a light helicopter that was safe (thanks to its twin-engine design and generally redundant design of all important systems as well as a high-lying tail rotor), easy to maintain, easy to fly, suitable for rescue missions and inexpensive to maintain. 60% of the capital required for the development came from loans from the federal government and should be repaid if the helicopter was commercially successful. Bölkow worked with the suppliers in the development community with risk sharing . The transmission specialist ZF Friedrichshafen developed the shaft transmission and made it available for the prototypes free of charge. Other suppliers did the same with their systems.

Rescue helicopter Bo 105 CBS-5 of DRF Luftrettung
Civil defense helicopter Bo 105 C of the BMI / ADAC
30 Pf postage stamp of the definitive series Industry and Technology of the Deutsche Bundespost (14 August 1975)

The Bo 105 was the first helicopter in the world to have a main rotor with a rigid rotor head without flapping and swivel joints as a composite construction, consisting of a solid rotor head made of a titanium alloy with internal elastomer elements for impact dampening and tapered roller blade angle bearings for easy rotation of the rotor blades according to the position of the swash plate .

In the case of the EC 135 , this was further developed into a bearingless rotor head , which has become established in most models.

The cyclical inclination of the rotor plane is achieved via the setting angle of the tiltable rotor blades, which bend more strongly in the direction of flapping with a larger setting angle. This was made possible by using glass fiber reinforced plastic (GRP) for the rotor blades - the result, the Bölkow rotor, was a light but very stable rotor with good aerodynamic properties. The Bo 105 is considered to be the first helicopter type that was able to fly a loop . It is particularly easy to control, which is why it was chosen as a military helicopter (especially for anti-tank defense) in Germany and Sweden.

The Bo 105 prototype completed its first 18-minute first flight with the new rotor on February 16, 1967 with chief test pilot Wilfried von Engelhardt. Although initially experiments were carried out with turbines made in Germany (two MAN shaft turbines with 375 shaft horsepower each  ), Rolls-Royce / Allison 250-C18 shaft turbines, which were developed by the Detroit Diesel Allison Division (DDA) , were used in series production. of General Motors Corporation ; the main rotor transmission, intermediate bevel drive and tail rotor transmission with the designation ZF-FS 72A were supplied by ZF Friedrichshafen AG.

Even before the start of series production, Bölkow merged in 1969 to form the Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) group. The Bo 105 has been continuously improved in many development steps. MBB merged into MBB- ERNO in 1982 , which became part of DASA in 1989 , whose helicopter division was merged into the Eurocopter Group in 1992 (since 2013 Airbus Helicopters ). In 1994 a further modernized version came onto the market with the Bo 105 CBS-5. In addition to the 25.4 cm (10 inch) lengthened cab and the two additional small side windows, the CBS-5 models have an even more efficient main rotor, which comes from a combat value enhancement program of the Bundeswehr , as well as a modified main rotor gearbox ZF – FS 72E.

The MBB Bo 105 served in many technical matters as the starting point for the development of a new helicopter, which was initially called the Bo 108 . However, the companies MBB and Aérospatiale merged before its completion to form what is now the world's largest helicopter manufacturer, Eurocopter , which presented the successor model as the EC 135.

Civil use

Germany

The German air rescue network was established with the Bo 105 in the 1970s . Compared to other helicopters of the time, the Bo 105 offered a very spacious cabin in which the medical equipment and a patient could be transported lying down. The disadvantage is that the patient's legs are not accessible during the flight due to the space available. The new model CBS-5 came for ADAC -Luftrettung, the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) / Federal Border Police and the German Air Rescue (DRF) , which provide the majority of helicopters and pilots in air rescue in Germany, just in time to deal with the somewhat longer one Cubicle to provide relief and to make room for new medical equipment.

Since the Bo 105 no longer meets the new performance requirements of the EU JAR-OPS 3 directive , it was no longer allowed to be used for commercial operations from 2010; this also included air rescue. It was completely replaced by quieter helicopters over the next few years. The major operators of the German air rescue network had completed the phasing out by the end of 2009. The Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) had already decommissioned all Bo 105s by the end of 2008 and sold some of them; the DRF-Luftrettung had completed the phase out by the end of 2009. The Bo 105 of the ADAC air rescue were replaced at the end of 2007. The EC 135 and MBB / Kawasaki BK 117 were mainly used for the successor .

Due to the good controllability and the properties of the hingeless rotor head, the Bo 105 CB received approval for aerobatics in 2005. This makes the Bo 105 the only helicopter to date with such approval. Flying Bulls operate two machines in Europe and two in the USA .

Bo 105 in the livery of the Flying Bulls team in the helicopter museum in Bückeburg

production

production

Production at Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm and Eurocopter Germany ran for more than thirty years. After a total of 1404 units had been built, series production was ended in favor of the successor model EC 135. The last deliveries were made to the BMI - seventeen Bo 105 CBS-5; the Russian and Greek police received individual models in 1997; the police in Baden-Württemberg received a helicopter in 2001; and South Korea received the last ten of a total of twelve machines.

Licensed buildings were manufactured in Spain by CASA and in the Philippines by Philippine Aerospace Development Corporation . In North America, Eurocopter Canada owns the rights to the Bo 105 LS, the model for use under alpine or hot environmental conditions; the last Bo 105 LS-A3 was delivered there in May 2009. The certification program for the first five LS-A1s built in Germany and all other Bo 105 LSs made in Canada were flown in the Chilean Andes. In Indonesia - first at Pertamina, today at PT Nurtanio - it will continue to be produced as NBo 105 ; In March 2009, the last of a total of 122 manufactured machines was delivered to the Indonesian army.

All Bo 105 manufactured by CASA were marked with an "S4" serial number and initially approved with a German test registration. The originally licensed 60 pieces went to the Spanish Army Aviation (FAMET). Most of the rest of the 115 machines manufactured in Spain were delivered to the Iraqi army or the USA. A single Bo 105, with the serial number S4-680, was flown with the registration D-HMUC by the Bavarian police until 2003.

Three-sided view of a Bo 105 A

Series series

Bo 105 A

Pre-series : Six copies, from V1 to V6 first series version with approval in October 1970 and Allison 250 C18 engines with 235 kW each

Bo 105 B

unrealized version with MAN-6022-A3 engine

Bo 105 C

Variants : C23, C-2, CB, CB-2, CB-3, CB-4, CS, CS-2, CBS, CBS-2, CBS-4, CBS-5 ( EC Super-Five ) all with stronger ones Allison 250 C20 engines with 298 kW (405 hp) and 2100 kg, later 2300 kg take-off mass; the CS was a 25 cm stretched variant for business travel, which was delivered from 1977; CB, CBS with Allison-C20B-III engines with 313 kW (425 PS) each, the CBS was a stretched variant for the US market available from 1980 with a take-off weight of 2400 kg (CBS-5: 2500 kg and new rotor blades from 1993 ); the Spanish version HR.15 is a Bo 105CB with a 20 mm Rh 202 cannon from Rheinmetall under the fuselage

Bo 105 CDN

Variants : CDN-B, CDN-B4, CDN-BS, CDN-BS-2, CDN-BS-4, CDN-BS-5

Bo 105 D

Variants : DB, DB-4, DB-5, DS, DBS, DBS-4, DBS-5 Variants with British CAA approval

Bo 105 E-4

obsolete variant for Albania

Bo 105 L

Variants : LS A-1, LS A-2, LS A-3, LS B-1 with an even stronger drive, available from 1984, LS A-3 with more powerful Allison 250 C28 drives each with 373 kW (507 PS ), Approval in July 1986, take-off weight 2600 kg from October 1995 even 2850 kg of external loads; LS B-1 test sample with PW105B

Bo 105 MP

Variants : P, P1-A1, P1M, E-4, anti-tank helicopters for the German army with Allison-C20B-III engines. Bo 105 M = is VBH (liaison and observation helicopter without armament, was a completely independent series)

NBo 105 and NBo 105 S

License construction in Indonesia

Other variants

Bo 106

A widened version that had seven instead of five seats was called the Bo 106. This further development had its maiden flight on September 25, 1973. It was marked D-HDCI and was equipped with more powerful Allison 250 C 20B engines. As the project progressed, it is known that this machine with the serial number S-84 remained the only converted copy. In 1981 the cell of the Bo 106 was bought by the DRF and converted back into a Bo 105 CB-2. Until November 1993 this helicopter flew at the Deutsche Rettungsflugwacht e. V. with the registration D-HCCC. In 1994, parts were finally used to repair the DRF machine Bo 105 CBS-5, serial number S-662 (D-HNNN).

Bo 105 HGH

From 1973 to 1975 the HGH high speed program was carried out at MBB with a Bo 105 (registration: D-HAPE, V-4). On September 25, 1973, a modified Bo 105 HGH (without wings) reached a speed of 200 knots (373 km / h). On March 4, 1975, a further modified Bo 105 HGH, with aerodynamic fuselage cladding, additional wings with a span of 6.20 m, clad main rotor and a "stub landing gear" in the so-called inclination flight at 404 km / h was the target of Reached 400 km / h for helicopters with a hingeless rotor.

Bo 105 E-4

On January 25, 2007, the first Bo 105 E-4 with the serial number 5087 took off from Donauwörth on its maiden flight with ECD test pilot Rene Nater at the helm and examiner Bernhard Röper. The Bo 105 E-4 is the commercialized Bo 105 M (VBH), which is no longer required by the Bundeswehr due to the new military situation and technically differs from the Bo 105 M. At the beginning of 2000, the Federal Office for Defense Technology and Procurement (BWB) and Eurocopter signed a framework agreement on the return and re-marketing. Eurocopter thus ensures that these machines can be supplied to paramilitary and military customers outside the Bundeswehr. On April 24, 2007, the first two of a total of twelve Bo 105 E-4s landed in Tirana / Albania after a transfer flight from Eurocopter Germany / Donauwörth; they are used there as rescue, VIP and liaison helicopters.

Military versions

Bo 105 PAH 1A1

Bo 105 M.

The Bo 105 M emerged from the civilian Bo 105CB, but the transmission was increased in performance and the tail rotor was replaced by a more powerful one. The Bo 105-M replaced the Alouette II as a liaison and observation helicopter (VBH) for the Army Aviation Troops . When the Bo 105-M was taken out of service, there was a gap in demand at VBH, which is why selected PAHs were retrofitted, their weapons system removed and a rear bench seat fitted again. In a second step, these will be converted by Eurocopter and the troops into the new P1M model, so that after the 40 remaining Bo 105 Ms are retired in 2004, according to the current plan, 100 Bo 105 P1Ms will remain in use as VBH. The airframes of the Bo 105 P1A and 1A1 had a lower flight hour load, so that this cost-effective disarmament was decided.

The liaison and observation helicopter was used in the Bundeswehr until the reunification of Germany in the staff squadrons of the Army Aviation Commandos, in the Army Aviation Squadrons of the divisions, the Army Aviation School and an Army Aviation Regiment. After the reunification of Germany, the VBHs were redistributed due to the restructuring of the Bundeswehr. User associations are then the medium-sized transport helicopter regiments, the Heeresfliegerverbindungs- u. Reconnaissance Squadron 400 as well as the Army Aviation School, there as a training helicopter for prospective pilots. The machines were marked with the tactical numbers 80 + 01 to 81 + 00.

Bo 105 P

Anti-tank helicopter Bo 105 PAH 1

The anti-tank helicopter 1 ( PAH 1 ) has a reinforced cell, but corresponds to the Bo 105-M in terms of its avionics and dynamic system. There was also a Singer AN / ASN-129 Doppler radar. Its main armament consists of the wire-guided Franco-German anti-tank guided missile (LFK) HOT , three of which can be carried on each side in horizontally arranged launch tubes. All electronic equipment for missile control and location is mounted on an equipment rack in the rear main cabin area. The gyro-stabilized APX M397 from SFIM, which is mounted directly on the cabin roof above the helicopter commander, is used as a sighting device. The commander looks through a relay lens system over several diversions through these optics (3.2x and 10.8x magnification) and aims with the crosshairs at the object to be attacked. Since the optics are coupled with an infrared locator, the steering system can evaluate and continuously correct the actual deviations of the LFK HOT from the target line of sight after the start.

Bo 105-P (PAH 1 A1)
Cockpit of a Bo 105-P PAH 1 A1

The plans to increase the combat value of the PAH 1 began as early as 1982, and the contract was finally awarded in 1986. In 1983, AN / APR-39 radar warning systems were installed at short notice. The type designated as PAH 1A1 ran from 1991 in a conversion phase to the troops. Externally, the PAH 1A1 can be recognized by the step-like HOT start ramps. KWS included the digitization of the steering computer, the control unit and the actuators for the launch ramps. This increased the ease of use for the commander, and error analysis for the maintenance staff was made easier. In front of the air inlet, a modified inlet protection (MELS) was installed, the front engine fairings changed, the engine oil cooling system revised and rotor blades with around 10% more power installed. These can be recognized by the rounded tips of the leaves. Due to the wider blades, the vibration dampers at the blade attachment also had to be enlarged to 65 mm.

The PAH 1A1 was replaced by the support helicopter Eurocopter Tiger , formerly known as PAH 2, by 2013 . As part of the Griffin Strike exercise at the end of August 2013 at the Artillery School in Idar-Oberstein , the Bundeswehr's Bo 105 fired a sharp shot with the HOT guided missile for the last time before the type was finally retired.

With the Mexican Navy with weather radar and emergency buoyancy aid
Deployment tactics

Due to its excellent maneuverability, the PAH is very well suited for mating flights close to the ground. The flexible rotor system enables highly agile flight maneuvers with only small control inputs. Prior to the deployment, there is a standard briefing on the current weather situation and the topography of the operating area. The approach to the operational area usually follows in formation flight through forest aisles, whereby the helicopters try to remain undetected for as long as possible. Before it is deployed in combat, the PAH is moved to the forward access area, where combat-like refueling (capacity of the fuel tank: 560 liters of kerosene ) can often be carried out. This full tank gives the helicopter a maximum operational radius of around 230 kilometers and the equivalent of two hours of flight. The refueling points are usually close to the firing position and are chosen so that they guarantee short approach and departure routes for the PAH swarm (four machines). This gives the helicopter a greater radius of movement in order to be able to track and fight enemy tanks in the operational area for as long as possible. In addition, the PAH should be exposed to the dangers of enemy weapon systems as briefly as possible during its hovering flight and still bring its own anti-tank missiles as efficiently as possible to the effect against tank spikes. The firing positions are often over forest clearings, rows of trees and hilltops. Its main task is to support its own ground troops in the event of a breakthrough by armored enemy forces. In the firing position, the PAH leaves its cover and aims at the hard target at treetop height. The weapon system of the HOT missiles is operated by the helicopter commander. The attack itself should be carried out like a raid ("snake's hit" from an ambush) from maximum distance, even before the enemy can initiate countermeasures. One of the weak points of the PAH is its high level of vulnerability on the battlefield. He has no defense against artillery fire or even infantry weapons. After the hit, the PAH dives through the obstacle course into the disposal area in order to be refueled and ammunitioned there again. Army aviation tactics provide for a swarm of PAH helicopters to fight enemy tanks over a combat width of around five kilometers.

Dutch Bo 105CBS-4 rescue helicopter PH-KHE of the ANWB Medical Air Assistance (Medical Air Assistance), 2004
Bo 105C PH-RPR of the Dutch police

Countries of operation

In addition, the Bo 105 is used for military purposes in various countries. The military variants used were or are used in these roles, among others: light transport, reconnaissance, connection, etc. Guide; Anti-tank, SAR and various uses as a naval helicopter.

  • Germany 100 × Bo 105 M (VBH) and 212 × Bo 105 P as anti-tank, connection / observation u. Training helicopter
  • Mexico Navy , modernized to CBS-5 standard with cannon / missile armament, FLIR , night vision device and search radar (300 km range)
  • Netherlands ( Koninklijke Luchtmacht ) 30 × Bo 105 M liaison and observation helicopters (VBH) (until 2006) The Dutch police (7) and the ANWB emergency medical service (4) also used the BO-105.
  • Sweden ( Svenska Flygvapnet ) 20 × helicopter 9 short Hkp9A , anti-tank u. VBH and air rescue
  • Albania ( Forca Ajrore Shqiptare ) 12 × Bo 105 E-4 connection / VIP (incoming)

Also: Bahrain , Brunei , Chile , Colombia , India , Israel , Iraq , Jordan , Kenya , Lesotho , Nigeria , Papua New Guinea , Peru , Philippines , Sierra Leone , South Korea , Spain , Uruguay 6 × Bo 105E, United Arab Emirates , Trinidad and Tobago , Sudan .

Technical specifications

Parameter Bo 105 CBS-5
crew 1-2
Passengers 3-5
Length over all 11.86 m
Hull length 8.81 m (8.56 m Bo 105 CB)
Trunk width 1.58 m
height 3.02 m
Main rotor diameter 9.84 m
Tail rotor diameter 1.90 m
Empty mass
  • 1320 kg
  • 1275 kg Bo 105 CB, M
  • 1235 kg Bo 105 C
  • 1301 kg Bo 105 CBS-4
  • 1675 kg Bo 105 P
Max. Takeoff mass
  • 2500 kg (2600 kg with external load)
  • 2100 kg Bo 105 A
  • 2700 kg Bo 105 P
Fuel capacity 456 kg
Cruising speed
  • 243 km / h
  • 204 km / h long-distance cruising speed
Top speed 270 km / h
Max. Rate of climb 9.5 m / s
Service ceiling
  • 3050 m
  • 4265 m Bo 105 P
  • 5120 m Bo 105 M.
  • 6100 m Bo 105 LS
Hover altitude
  • 3200 m (with ground effect)
  • 2430 m (without ground effect)
Range 574 km or 3.5 h flight time (without reserves)
Engines two Rolls-Royce / Allison 250
C20B III with 313 kW (426 hp) each

Armament

On-board cannon in the tower under the hull
Payload of up to 400 kg on two external load frames
Air-to-air guided missile
Air-to-surface guided missiles ( anti-tank guided missiles )
Unguided air-to-surface missiles
  • 2 × TBA 68-12C rocket tube launch containers for 12 × unguided SNEB air-to- surface rockets each ; Caliber 68 mm
  • 2 × SNIA rocket tube launchers for 28 × unguided SNIA air-to-ground missiles; Caliber 50 mm
  • 2 × SNI BPD HL-12-70 rocket launch containers with 12 × unguided air-to-surface missiles each; Caliber 70 mm / 2.75-inch
External container

Trivia

A Bo 105 M has been erected as a memorial in the Kamen Cross since 2011 as part of the installation by the artist Alfred Gockel . The interior has been removed and the helicopter shows the typical yellow paintwork of an ADAC rescue helicopter.

literature

  • Pioneer of modern helicopter technology: Bo 105 celebrates its 50th birthday. In: FliegerRevue No. 4/2017, pp. 50–51.
  • Bernd Vetter / Frank Vetter: MBB BO 105 , Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, 2016, ISBN 978-3-613-03854-7 .

Web links

Commons : Eurocopter Bo 105  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Jointless rotor systems compensate for mechanical impacts by using flexible materials at the rotor blade root ( Memento from January 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 597 kB)
  2. Ability to loop according to the Gatow Air Force Museum
  3. Sikorsky S-52 First Helicopter Loop - 1949 on YouTube
  4. Bo 105 of the Flying Bulls , February 7, 2012 ( Memento of February 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  5. Internet edition of the Flugrevue , May 1, 2009
  6. Press release from Indonesian Aerospace , March 19, 2009  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.indonesian-aerospace.com  
  7. MBB Bo105 ( Memento from March 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  8. AIR Enthusiast International (Airscene) January 1974, p. 4
  9. Heinz Glump: GRIFFIN STRIKE - Trend-setting exercise for future operations. German Army (online), September 2, 2013, accessed on September 2, 2013 : “The Bo 105s fired HOT anti-tank guided missiles for the last time before they were retired. Brigadier General Alfons Mais, the commander of the Army Aviation Weapons School, regretted the retirement. From now on, the capability gap is closed by the Tiger combat helicopter. It has also been in use in Afghanistan since the beginning of 2013. "
  10. English snake bite
  11. Mission concepts using the example of foreign armies: Germany, Allgemeine Schweizerische Militärzeitschrift: ASMZ, 1985
  12. The BO-105 was not used as an anti-tank helicopter in the Netherlands, but as a liaison and observation helicopter (VBH) (see Dutch Wikipedia article BO-105 )
  13. FlugRevue November 2009, pp. 53–56, Bo 105
  14. https://www.derwesten.de/incoming/acht-engel-fuer-das-kamener-kreuz-id5010124.html
  15. https://rth.info/news/news.php?id=1070