Helio HST-550
| Helio HST-550 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Multipurpose aircraft , gunship |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
5th June 1964 |
| Number of pieces: |
20 + unknown number of newly produced models |
The HST-550 Stallion (Eng. Stallion ) was a STOL aircraft from the company Helio Aircraft Corporation which was approved as the HST-550A Stallion in the 1960s. The US Air Force (USAF) military variant was designated the AU-24A Stallion and was a mini gunner aircraft . Today it is back in production as the Helio Stallion .
Helio stallion
In 1994, an older example, an HST-550A, was purchased in order to equip it with another as a reference model for modernization and to use it as a new prototype. This stallion received a new interior, modern flight instruments (glass cockpit) . It is now also available with a three-point landing gear instead of the star wheel.
AU-24A stallion
As a counter model to the Fairchild AU-23A Peacemaker as part of the US Air Force's “Credible Case” program , the AU-24A Stallion was a further development of the civilian Stallion model Helio H-550A Stallion . This was a light equipment transporter with excellent short take-off and landing capabilities. Certification took place in 1965 as the HST-550 and at the end of 1971 15 such aircraft were commissioned. The aim of the program was that the Vietnam War involved the South Vietnamese with an easy-to-use and serviceable, particularly small attack aircraft equipped.
For its military tasks, the Stallion was equipped with five external load stations (two under each wing and one under the fuselage), as well as a device for a side-firing, three-barreled 20 mm gun with ammunition container in the cabin and a TVS-5 night vision device . The evaluation and assessment began in April 1972 and, despite being postponed several times, was completed in May of the same year.
Like the AU-23A, the AU-24A was said to have poor capabilities and would not survive long. Therefore, after the test phase, all 15 aircraft were initially stored in the open air at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. Nevertheless, 14 aircraft were ultimately delivered to the Khmer Air Force.
Military users
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Helio AU-24A stallion | Helio Stallion (New) |
|---|---|---|
| Type | three / four-seat gunner aircraft | STOL small plane |
| span | 12.5 m | 12.73 m (with additional wing end tanks) |
| length | 12.07 m | 12.07 m |
| height | k. A. | 5.05 m (three-legged chassis); 2.82 m (with star wheel) |
| Empty mass | k. A. | 1400 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 2857 kg | 2767 kg |
| Engine | Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 A-27 | P&W Canada PT6A-34 |
| Drive type | Turboprop | Turboprop |
| Drive power | 507 kW | 750 hp |
| propeller | k. A. | 2.56 m (3-blade controllable pitch propeller) |
| payload | k. A. | 1361 kg |
| crew | 1 + 9 | 1 + 9 |
| Runway length | k. A. | 228 meters ( above sea level , standard atmosphere ) |
| Rate of climb | 670 m / min | k. A. |
| Top speed | 348 km / h | k. A. |
| Maneuvering speed | k. A. | 68 km / h (NHN) |
| Cruising speed | k. A. | max .: 348 km / h (3048 m flight altitude) normal: 324 km / h (3962 m flight height) long distance: 259 km / h |
| Range | 716 km | 1945 km (at 259 km / h and 844 kg in wing end tanks) |
| Service ceiling | k. A. | 8840 meters |
| Armament | a 20 mm XM197 gun 1043 kg (max., external load that can be released) |
k. A. |
| Users | Cambodian Air Force | k. A. |
See also
literature
- RW Simpson: Airlife's General Aviation . Airlife Publishing, Shrewsbury 1995, pp. 208-10.
- John WR Taylor : Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1965-66 . Sampson Low, Marston, London 1965.
- John WR Taylor : Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1976-77 . Jane's Yearbooks, London 1976, ISBN 0-354-00538-3 .
- Michael JH Taylor: Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation . Studio Editions, London 1989, p. 506.
- World Aircraft Information Files . Bright Star Publishing, London, S. File 896 Sheet 28.
Web links
- Helio Aircraft LLC, manufacturer website (English)
- Description of the US Air Force (English)