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Airbus Helicopters H120 Colibri (EC120)

1998 MODERN AIRCRAFT

History of Airbus Helicopters H120 Colibri (EC120)

The helicopter market is as diverse as any other in the world, and companies are determined to cut their fair share of revenue and retain existing customers, while also trying to attract new ones. In addition, helicopters are designed and developed more deeply than traditional fixed-wing aircraft due to different forces - helicopters must be able to hover, fly routinely, land in remote parts of the world, and perform a variety of operations. Ground level for weather and environmental conditions. Thus, the Eurocopter EC120 "Colibri" ("Hummingbird") was born out of the world's three largest defense industry players - Aerospatiale / Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters) in France, Harbin in China and STAero in Singapore.

The result is an acclaimed lightweight utility platform with over 550 examples since production began in 1995.

Aerospatiale at the time wanted to replace their light helicopter Gazelle and SA315 product lines and started working on the "P120L" product. To help finally complete a complex and expensive job, the company turned to international partners to shoulder the burden of development and manufacturing. This culminated in the merger of China National Aviation Technology Import and Export Corporation (AVIC Harbin) and Singapore Technology Aerospace Corporation (STAero). The project officially started in February 1990, and it was agreed that Aerospatiale would retain 61% of the ownership and management of the project, CATIC 24% and STAero the remaining 15%. The project was officially launched in October 1992, with Aerospatiale being incorporated into the Eurocopter brand label.

In January 1993, the product was officially named "EC120".

The projects are divided as follows: Eurocopter engineers are responsible for the main rotor and gearbox (among other things), CATIC is responsible for manufacturing the fuselage, fuel system and landing gear, while STAero is responsible for formulating the composite materials and building the passenger cabin and was commissioned to install the doors and Complete the tail. Final assembly will be carried out by Eurocopter in Marignane, France, including the installation of avionics, hydraulic and electrical systems and other key internal components.

The prototype was completed in 1995, and the first flight took place on June 9 of the same year. The design is extremely stylish, with thick glass in the nose section, providing excellent visibility for the crew. The fuselage is round and streamlined from nose to tail.

The engine bay is located on top of the passenger cabin, and the engine drives a three-blade main rotor unit. The tailstock houses a drive shaft for an eight-blade fenestron ducted tail rotor buried in the vertical stabilizer. The tail rotor cover provides quieter operation at the cost of complexity. Added horizontal plane along the side near the midpoint of the tailstock.

A simple twin-glide landing gear arrangement is used for landing maneuvers. Inside, there are side-by-side seating for two crew members and seating for up to four passengers.

Power selected comes from a Turbomeca TM319 "Arrius" 1F Series 504 hp turboshaft engine. Performance includes a top speed of 172 mph, a cruising speed of 138 mph, a range of up to 440 miles and a service ceiling of 17,000 feet.

After the first prototype performed well in early testing, the consortium went a step further and added a second in late 1996. The product was shown to visitors at the Helicopter Association International (HAI) event in Anaheim in February 1997. California, which led to the initial order. Certification was obtained in June of that year, and the service was launched in 1998a challenge for systems such as Bell's 206, 407, and 505. The first EC120 was delivered in January 1998.

Added production line in Australia to meet market demand.

This helicopter has found a home in all major markets - civilian, government and military. In Australia (Search and Rescue), Brazil (Police), Canada (Police), Germany (Police), Iraq (Police), Lithuania (Border Patrol), Spain (Police) and the United States (Department of Homeland Security). The armies of China, France, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Spain have all used this model in service (the Chinese version is named "HC120", and the global standard EC120 model is named "EC120B").

Many services use helicopters for their intended light utility roles, while others are pushing them into helicopter training roles.