Brantly B-2 Story

Brantly International, Inc., headquartered in Koper, Texas, USA, founded by Newby O. Brantly in 1945 at the end of World War II (1939-1945) founded. After witnessing the capabilities of the new and upcoming designs of this era, Brantley intends to design, develop and produce his own line of helicopters.

The company's first proprietary helicopter product became the privately owned "B-1", which featured a coaxial main rotor group but was not mass-produced primarily due to complexity and cost.

Development and Production

Fresh from a failed attempt at the B-1, Brantley went back to the drawing board to simplify the same design that became the "B-2". The helicopter has a teardrop-shaped fuselage that tapers to the rear and incorporates a simpler three-blade main rotor on the low mast. The empennage contains an equally simple two-blade rotor unit, facing the port side.

There is a glass cover on the nose of the aircraft, which provides the pilot with excellent visibility. The landing gear has a four-point anti-skid arrangement, which contributes to the simplicity of the helicopter. The car can carry a pilot and a passenger.

This compact helicopter entered serial service as the "B-2A" in 1958 and was produced in the 2010s. Total production of the B-2 series was 334 units.

US Army YOH-3B

This same form became the subject of interest to the U.S. Army in the early 1960s as a potential candidate for a light reconnaissance/observation role. Dubbed the "YOH-3B", the vehicle was tested in various conditions/environments at Fort Rucker, proving excellent handling and "outside the cockpit" visibility. However, the Army's recent switch to a turbine-powered helicopter type has taken the YOH-3 out of service.

The sample was then used by the Test and Evaluation Committee for data collection for a period of time.

B-2B

Soon, the B-2B was released online as an improved model form with all new metal main rotor blades. Primary power comes from a 180-horsepower Avco Lycoming IVO-360-A1A air-cooled, fuel-injected piston engine, which provides increased performance. Top speed is 100 mph (90 mph cruising), range is up to 250 miles, and service is capped at 10,800 feet.

The climb rate was reported to be 1,900 feet per second.

Structurally, the helicopter has an overall length of 28 feet, a rotor diameter of 23.8 feet, and a height of 6.10 feet. Curb weight is 1,020 lbs and MTOW is 1,670 lbs.

Variants and related models

The B-2B is also the "H-2" that Brantley and Hines produced jointly between 1976 and 1979. The B-2J10 became a proposed, yet-to-be-built variant of the tandem rotor attached to a larger fuselage to provide greater transport capacity.

The Brantly 305 model is introduced as a larger model, the suit can carry up to 5 people. Brantley's joint venture with China's Qingdao Haili Helicopter Co Ltd produced the unmanned aerial vehicle V750 drone, which first flew in May 2011.

The President of Brantly International, Incorporated is Cheng Shenzong.

Specification

Basic

Year:
1958
Status:
active, on duty
Staff:
1

Production

[334 units]:
Brantly Helicopter Corporation (Brantly International, Incorporated) United States

Roles

- Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC)

- Search and Rescue (SAR)

- Reconnaissance (RECCE)

- driverless

Dimensions

Length:

27.56 ft (8.4 m)

Width:

7.25m

Height:

2.1m

Weight

Curb Weight:

465 kg

MTOW:

760 kg

(Difference: +650lb)

Performance

1 x Avco Lycoming IVO-360-A1A air-cooled piston engine with 180 hp driving a three-blade main rotor and a two-blade tail rotor.

Performance

Maximum Speed:

99 mph (160 km/h; 86 knots)

Service Ceiling:

10,827 feet (3,300 m; 2. 05 miles)

Maximum Range:

249 miles (400 km; 216 nm)

Rate-of-Climb:

1,900 ft/min (579 m/min)

ARMAMENT

None.

VARIANTS

B-2 - Base Series Designation.

B-2A - Initial serial production form.

B-2B - Improved production form.

Brantly 305 - Larger variant carrying five.

B-2J10 - Proposed tandem-rotor concept with enlarged fuselage.

YOH-3B - U. S. Army prototype for light scout / observation role of the 1960s.

H-2 - B-2B model produced under Brantly-Hines label (1976-1979).

V750 UAV - Unmanned air vehicle developed between Brantly and China.

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