Lockheed Martin VH-71
| Lockheed Martin VH-71 Kestrel | |
|---|---|
 VH-71 Kestrel on Marine Corps Base Quantico |
|
| Type: | Medium-weight transport helicopter |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
June 3, 2007 |
| Commissioning: |
Development canceled in 2009 |
| Production time: |
Was never mass-produced |
| Number of pieces: |
9 |
The Lockheed Martin VH-71 Kestrel was a variant of the AgustaWestland AW101 , which was intended to replace the US Marine Corps' fleet of helicopters for transporting the US President in 2007 (see Marine One ).
history
Flight testing
The first VH-71 prototype (Test Vehicle # 2 / TV-2) made its maiden flight on June 3, 2007 at the AgustaWestland plant in Yeovil , UK. Lockheed Martin used a converted EH101, known as the TV-1, for basic flight testing in the United States. This also included landings in front of the White House .
The first newly produced VH-71 (Pilot Production # 1 / PP-1) also completed its maiden flight in Yeovil on September 22, 2008. The US Air Force transported the machine on a C-17 to Naval Air Station Patuxent River for further tests. Numerous soil tests were carried out there before the program was discontinued.
End of project
In February 2009, the newly appointed US President Obama proposed to then Defense Secretary Robert Gates to stop or even cancel the program. He justified this with the increase in costs totaling US $ 13 billion for the 28 planned machines. Ultimately, the development and procurement contract with Lockheed Martin was terminated in June 2009. The money released should instead be used to modernize the existing VH-3D and VH-60N machines. The nine pre-production helicopters that have already been delivered were sold to the Canadian Air Force as spare parts donors in July 2011 for only US $ 164 million.
variants
- VH-71A
- Output version.
- VH-71B
- Unrealized variant with increased range and revised navigation system.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 4th |
| Passengers | 14th |
| overall length | 22.18 m |
| Rotor diameter | 18.59 m |
| height | 6.65 m |
| Empty mass | 10,500 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 15,600 kg |
| Top speed | 309 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 4575 m |
| Rate of climb | 10.2 m / s |
| Range | 1389 km |
| Engine | three General Electric CT7-8 shaft turbines with 1879 kW each |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Gibbs: Obama puts new presidential helicopters on hold. CNN Politics, February 24, 2009, accessed September 6, 2011 .
- ^ Defense companies - In the line of fire. The Economist, March 19, 2009, accessed October 8, 2019 .
- ^ US Navy terminates VH-71 presidential helicopter contract. Flightglobal.com, June 2, 2009, accessed October 8, 2019 .