Pakistan Army Aviation

[Arsalan]

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i think we are getting tiger for sure now 18 tiger helicopters

sir. can you kindly tell us what made you think so??

[Blackpearl]

Pakistan not getting Tiger helicopter due to exorbitant cost, but France has offered Fennac as armed scout helicopter.

[batmannow]

AS 550 Fennec - Single-Engined Light Military Helicopter


Key Data

Crew1 pilot
Passenger Capacity,5 equipped troops
Rotor Diameter10.69mTail Rotor Diameter1.86m
Overall Length With Rotors Turning12.94mFuselage Length12.94mWidth With Blades Folded2.53m

The Eurocopter AS 550 Fennec single-engine helicopter is operational with the Singapore armed forces, the Royal Australian Army, the Brazilian Army and Air Force, the Danish Army, the French Army and the United Arab Emirates Army.

The Fennec belongs to the Ecureuil / Fennec family of helicopters which includes: the single-engine military AS 550 Fennec and civil AS 350 Ecureuil; twin-engine naval AS 555 Fennec and civil AS 355 Ecureuil; and the civil EC 130 single-engine helicopter. Over 3,150 helicopters of the family have been ordered, of which 2,500 have been delivered and are operational in over 70 countries.

The army of Pakistan has ordered a number of AS 550 helicopters, to be delivered from the end of 2008.

The AS550 Fennec can be fitted for anti-tank, air-to-air combat, ground support and training missions and it is also used in the utility transportation role. The combat version is called the AS 550C3.

The helicopters are in production at Eurocopter's engineering and production facilities at Marignane in France, and they are also built under licensed production agreements in Brazil and in China.

The maximum speed is 287km/h and the service ceiling is 5,280m. With maximum fuel the helicopter achieves a range of 666km.

A proposed order of 197 Fennec helicopters by India was cancelled in December 2007.?

AS 550 Fennec design
The AS 550 is of light construction based on a reinforced high-strength glass fibre and aramid airframe. The Starflex main rotor head and blades are also of composite materials for added strength and weight reduction. The engine cowlings are armoured for protection.

The helicopter is fitted with armoured seats and can carry the pilot and up to five troops. The cabin can also be configured for medical evacuation with capacity for one stretcher patient and two doctors. For cargo carrying, the cabin can take a 3m³ load.

"The combat version of the
AS 550 Fennec is called the AS 550C3."The military AS 550 is fitted with sliding doors on each side rather than the hinged door fitted on the civil AS 350 variant. The 1m³ baggage compartment is installed behind the main cabin and is accessed via a door on the starboard side.

A cargo sling, rated at 1,160kg, and a 204kg hoist can be used.

AS 550 cockpit systems

The cockpit is equipped with single controls and is night-vision compatible. The navigation suite includes a global positioning system, a VHF Omnidirectional Radio Ranger and Instrument Landing System (VOR/ILS), an automatic direction finder, distance measuring equipment and a marker beacon transponder. The secure communications systems are fitted according to the customer country's specification.

The pilot has a vehicle and engine multifunction display which allows shows the main vehicle and engine parameters on a dual LCD screen.

Fennec weapons systems

The helicopter is fitted with a wide range of weapon systems to suit the operational requirements of the country's forces. Weapon fits include anti-tank missiles, rockets or guns. The Danish Army AS 550C2 helicopters are armed with the Systems & Electronics (formerly ESCO) HeliTOW sighting system and TOW anti-tank missiles. The HeliTOW sight is roof-mounted and contains direct view optics, day and/or night sight and laser rangefinder.

The AS 550 can be fitted with two Forges de Zeebrugge rocket launchers which carry seven 2.75in rockets each, or two Thales Brandt 68mm launchers with 12 rockets each. The helicopter has been fitted with the Giat 20mm gun type M621, and the FN Hershal twin 7.62mm and 12.7mm machine gun pod.

The surveillance and observation systems include a forward-looking infrared, optical cameras and Spectrolab SX 16 searchlights. Thales Detexis EWR-99 radar warning receiver and Alkan ELIPS countermeasures dispenser can be fitted.

"The AS 550 construction is based on a reinforced high-strength glass fibre and aramid airframe."Engines
The single Turbomeca Arril 2B engine provides 632kW take-off power. The engine is fitted with Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC). The main gearbox has a 45-minute dry run capability.

The self-sealing plastic fuel tank has a capacity of 540l. An auxiliary fuel tank can be installed in the cabin to provide an additional 475l of fuel for extended-range operations.

Landing gear
The helicopter has steel tube skid-type landing gear. Emergency flotation gear is fitted for operation over water.
Army Technology

maybe , this machine is good, but surly it, is not made for PAKARMY!

[TaimiKhan]

The Chinese Armed Version of Z-11, Licensed copy of Fennec AS-550

[HAIDER]

What happened to Super Cobra offer ?

[fatman17]

What happened to Super Cobra offer ?

there wasnt one!

[batmannow]

there wasnt one!

YES, THERE wasnt was!
i guss, our COAS should take strong stand, on these issues, i guss its more on stake for USA & THE WEST? they(PAKARMY) certainly can get more thn , these(2nd gen) SUPERCOBRA'S , ****?

And its the time, now!

[batmannow]

The Chinese Armed Version of Z-11, Licensed copy of Fennec AS-550

So, if pakarmy goes for "Fennec AS-550", I will fully support , a full scale investigation in the matters!

[TaimiKhan]

So, if pakarmy goes for "Fennec AS-550", I will fully support , a full scale investigation in the matters!

I am myself very surprised that why PA bought expensive french helicopters, when we could have gone for the Z-11 a copy of AS-550 Fennec or even the Chinese Z-9 has been improved a lot & an armed version is there too.

But my analysis is that, PA bought these with the US funds, and US may have the condition that we go only for western equipment, so may be we could not buy these Chinese ones.

[TOPGUN]

Super cobra's are needed simple ! and we might even be able to get them if we keep a strong stand to the US ! furthermore, any others forget about it its not happening from anywhere or anyhow! the US is are our only chance .

[TaimiKhan]

Single engined cobras are more then enough, low maintenance cost, less ground crew required for maintenance & will have better operational availability.

We should get the latest single engined cobras more with the ability to fire laser guided weaponry.

Approx 60 cobras in service, 80 to 100 figure would be more then enough to counter the talibans & have a decent anti-armor capability against India.
But spare problems may haunt us, so we use them till the below shown babies come online.

The Chinese WZ-10



The Future Turkish T-129

[fatman17]

I am myself very surprised that why PA bought expensive french helicopters, when we could have gone for the Z-11 a copy of AS-550 Fennec or even the Chinese Z-9 has been improved a lot & an armed version is there too.

But my analysis is that, PA bought these with the US funds, and US may have the condition that we go only for western equipment, so may be we could not buy these Chinese ones.

french weapons cannot be funded by US funds

[Arsalan]

it is also not only the buying cost that must be kept in mind but what is more important for me is running cost ncluding fuel consumptions and maintainance.
super cobras are undoubtledly a beast of an attack helo but can become a nightmare for pakistan to keep operational as they are subjected to massive maintainance costs and man hours!
this is the field where te new, Z10 and T129 out smart the cobras!!
these two choppers are also more or less on par with super cobras in specs!!

as for the fennec deal, nothing can be said unless the amount of money we are spending on them is cleared! if they are cheap thengood as a scout helo but if they are of the same price tag as the Z9 or anything like that an investigation should be carried about the deal!!

regards!

[Blackpearl]

Last year there was a proposal by Northrop Grumann to upgrade the avionics of F model Cobras of Pak Army with AH-1Z avionics. The upgradation would hav given Pak Cobras Gen III FLIR Surveillance and Targetting System (STS), AH-1Z Gen II mission computer, coloured MFDs, improvement in navigational system integrated with INS/GPS. However, there was no proposal to re-equip with Hellfire instead of TOWs.

Somehow the proposal was not implemented, and present cobras have the same fire control system developed in early 80s/late 70s which is prone to malfunction. Pakistan was strongly pursue the case with USA for upgradation of existing cobra fleet, just like F-16s are undergoing MLU. Fennec can never be alternative to a dedicated anti armour helo, however it fits, in the role of an armed scout helo.

[fatman17]

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Last year there was a proposal by Northrop Grumann to upgrade the avionics of F model Cobras of Pak Army with AH-1Z avionics. The upgradation would hav given Pak Cobras Gen III FLIR Surveillance and Targetting System (STS), AH-1Z Gen II mission computer, coloured MFDs, improvement in navigational system integrated with INS/GPS. However, there was no proposal to re-equip with Hellfire instead of TOWs.

Somehow the proposal was not implemented, and present cobras have the same fire control system developed in early 80s/late 70s which is prone to malfunction. Pakistan was strongly pursue the case with USA for upgradation of existing cobra fleet, just like F-16s are undergoing MLU. Fennec can never be alternative to a dedicated anti armour helo, however it fits, in the role of an armed scout helo.

correct - it was a US$115m deal to upgrade 8 Cobras but the funds was diverted to upgrade F-16s - maybe this proposal can still come through at a later date!

as u can see, it seems very expensive! nearly 15m / helo!!!...and whats the use of the upgrade if you dont get the hellfires!