Aérospatiale Alouette II

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%A...le_Alouette_II

The Aérospatiale Alouette II (French pronunciation: ?Lark) is a French light
helicopter originally manufactured by Sud Aviation and later Aérospatiale. It
holds the distinction of being the first production helicopter to be powered by
a gas turbine engine instead of the conventional heavier piston powerplant.

On 12 March 1955, the prototype SE 3130 performed its maiden flight. The
Alouette II was a widely used type and popular with operators, with over 1,300
rotorcraft eventually being constructed between 1956 and 1975. It was mostly
used for military purposes in observation, photography, air-sea rescue, liaison
and training, but it has also carried anti-tank missiles and homing torpedoes.
As a civilian helicopter, the Alouette II was used for casualty evacuation (with
two external stretcher panniers), crop-spraying and as a flying crane, with a
500-kilogram (1,100 lb) external underslung load.

A high-altitude derivative, the SA 315B Lama, was developed and entered
operational service in July 1971. The Alouette II also was further developed
into the larger and more powerful Alouette III. In 1975, production of the type
was terminated, having been effectively succeeded by these newer rotorcraft.

Despite being a light helicopter, the Alouette II possesses a reasonable lift
capacity and can carry underslung loads on an external sling; during one
high-profile public demonstration, one helicopter was able to air-lift a compact
Citroen truck weighing in excess of half a ton without visible difficulty. While
flying at sea level, the Alouette II uses only 300 of the powerplant's available
400 hp; accordingly, performance can be maintained while operated at a high
altitude and withinin tropical conditions where the additional power would come
into play. It was capable of flying at altitudes of up to 2,286 meters above sea
level while possessing an average climb rate of 250 meters per second and a
typical maximum range of 563 miles. Various alternative landing gear
configurations could be fitted, including skids, wheels, or pontoons.

The Alouette II is capable of accommodating a seating arrangement for up to five
personnel, including the pilot; access to the cabin was provided via a pair of
side-hinged doors. The compact cockpit was provided with a dome-shapred
windscreen which provided for excellent levels of external visibility. The
Alouette II also made innovative use of armaments. It was the first helicopter
worldwide to be equipped with anti-tank munitions in the form of the SS.11 MCLOS
wire-guided anti-tank missile. In addition to anti-tank missiles, the French
Army chose to arm their Alouette IIs with machine guns, while the French Navy
outfitted theirs with aerial torpedos to conduct anti-submarine warfare (ASW)
duties.

Under operational conditions, the Alouette II often proved to be a relatively
maintenance-intensive rotorcraft. It required a high level of regular
lubrication, the main rotorhead alone featuring 20 grease nipples that had to be
re-lubricated after every five flight hours, while the drive shaft for the tail
rotor was similarly demanding. Due to its high susceptibility to dust ingestion,
some operators would have to remove the Alouette's rectangular sand filters
after every landing in order to clean them.


Role
Light helicopter

National origin
France

Manufacturer
Sud Aviation
Aérospatiale

First flight
12 March 1955

Introduction
2 May 1957

Status
In service

Primary users
Tunisian Air Force
Royal Cambodian Air Force
Pakistan Army
Swiss Air Force

Produced
1956-1975

Number built
1,300+

Variants
Aérospatiale SA 315B Lama

Developed into
Aérospatiale Alouette III

On 2 May 1957, following a series of airborne trials, the Alouette II was
awarded a French domestic certificate of airworthiness, which cleared the type
to enter service with civil operators. Initial production was allocated to
fulfil those orders placed by the French military, as well as by civilian
customers. During 1957, the first deliveries of the Alouette II were made to the
French Army. Shortly thereafter, large-scale orders for the type were received
from serval foreign nations, including the United Kingdom, Federal Republic of
Germany, and Austria.

Almost immediately upon entering service, French forces commenced active combat
operations using their fledgling Alouette II fleet; the type being placed into
heavy use in the Algerian War, during which it made valuable contributions to
France's activities in the theatre. When used as a troop-transport, up to 4
fully equipped soldiers could be airlifted at a time. Additionally, a number of
Alouette IIs were modified to become what has been argued by some to have been
the world's first helicopter gunships; in this capacity, it would have been
typically armed with Nord Aviation-built SS.10 or SS.11 anti-tank missiles.

By 1975, at which point production of the type was terminated, in excess of
1,300 Alouette IIs had been constructed. The rotorcraft was also in use in over
80 countries, including 47 separate armed forces. The Alouette II was produced
and sold under licence by Brazil, Sweden, India and in the United States. While
succeeded in some respect by the SA 315B Lama, which was itself a derivative of
the Alouette II; the French Army ultimately to replaced their Alouette II fleet
with a newly developed observation and reconnaissance helicopter in the form of
the Aérospatiale AS350 Écureuil.

Specifications (Alouette II)

General characteristics
Crew: One
Capacity: Four passengers
Length: 9.66 m (31 ft 9 in)
Rotor diameter: 10.20 m (33 ft 6 in)
Height: 2.75 m (9 ft 0 in)
Disc area: 81.7 m² (881.4 ft²)
Empty weight: 895 kg (1,973 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 1,600 kg (3,527 lb)
Powerplant: One × Turbomeca Artouste IIC6 turboshaft, 395 kW (530 hp) derated to
269 kW (460 hp) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 185 km/h (100 knots, 115 mph) at sea level
Cruise speed: 170 km/h (92 knots, 106 mph)
Range: 565 km (305 nmi, 350 mi)
Endurance: 4.1 hours
Service ceiling: 2,300 m (7,545 ft)
Rate of climb: 4.2 m/s (820 ft/min)




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