You are here: UK Essays » Essays » Military » Military Helicopter

Free Essays - Military Essays

Military Helicopter

The modern military relies heavily on highly specialized equipment in order to accomplish tasks quickly and efficiently. Over time, these equipments have had huge advancements and improvements over time. In early history, transportation of troops and supplies into remote and desolate regions was extremely difficult. Armies are forced to march into such areas, risking hazardous terrains as well as ambushes from opposing forces. Navies had little option for air support, leaving them with minimal time to respond to the threat of opposing forces, as well as very few options during the need to abandon the ship. Finally, technological advancements have greatly increased the chance of success for Search and Rescue. With equipment that allow rescuers to reach the site of the incident more quickly, as well as more easily locate the victims. All of these things were due to the introduction and improvement of helicopters. Although helicopters are not as glorious as fighter jets, their contribution to the armed forces is enormous. They improved the way we can deploy troops and supplies, gave the navy ability to spot enemy beyond the range of their radars, Advancements in helicopters have greatly impacted the way military, and more specifically the Canadian military, operates.

The helicopter, although the concept has been around for a long time, was successfully flown twenty-one years after the first manned flight in 1903 by the Wright Brothers. French inventor, Etienne Oehmichen built and flew a helicopter one kilometre in 1924, successfully completing the first rotary winged flight. This is a good 400 years after Leonardo Da Vinci conceived the drawings of an ornithopter flying machine that is the basis for the modern day helicopter. Although the concept of a rotary winged aircraft is simple, no one was able to implicate it, and a practical design was not achieved until 1940. This was when Igor Sikorsky completed his first successful helicopter. Although Sikorsky's helicopter was not the first, it was the basis for all future helicopters, dubbing him the father of helicopters. Sikorsky's helicopter was the first one that had the control to fly safely in the same manner as the modern helicopter. In 1943, Sikorsky delivered the XR-4 to the US Army, making it the first helicopter to be used by the military. Right away, these helicopters saw action, with its first mission taking place in early 1944, where they provided air support operating behind enemy lines in Burma. This is just the beginning of helicopters in the military.

Early helicopters were extremely limited in terms of ability. The rotor turning at high speeds causes vibration as well as instability. Improvements in rotor designs and construction started to remove some of these restrictions. Introduction of things such as the use of metal rotor blades and a better understanding behind the physics of a rotary wing aircraft drastically increased the stability and speed of helicopters. These improvements now allow modern helicopters to be leaps ahead of their predecessors, able to hover on the spot, as well as reach speeds of up to 250mph (current world speed record for a helicopter). With the introduction of more efficient and powerful engines, the range of helicopters has been extended. With the use of turboshaft engines, helicopters now produce way more power than their predecessors, allowing them to carry a greater load. As well, improvement in the design of engines has reduced the amount of space required for the engine, giving helicopters more usable space. All of these improvements have made the helicopter more useful for the military, allowing them to be more efficient at completing tasks.

Canada's first helicopter was designed and built by the three Froebe brothers, a small town near Winnipeg, Manitoba, from in the 1930s. Using steel tubes to build the frame of the helicopter, they mounted a used De Havilland aircraft engine to turn two contra-rotation rotor blades made of steel covered by fabric. Their design was based on whatever information they could find, and was not very effective, with flights that were ruined by severe vibrations and shortage of power. Nevertheless, the Froebe helicopter was able to fly several times, with a total of four hours and five minutes of flight time. The helicopter was set aside when World War II started, and was discovered in a granary, completely intact, and is now currently on display at the Western Canada Aviation Museum in Winnipeg.

In 1947, the Royal Canadian Air Force acquired its first helicopters. They purchased seven Sikorsky H-5/S-51s. The S-51 was based on the classic design of one main rotor with an anti-torque tail rotor. The S-51 was first approved for civilian use in1946, and was later designated the H-5 when it entered into military service. It was one of the first helicopters with any sort of useful lifting capability, as well as sufficient space to allow it to be used for transporting and rescue duties. This helicopter, like most that preceed it, was also used for training purposes. The experience the RCAF had with the S-51s were extremely positive, and providing an excellent basis of operating rotary winged aircrafts, demonstrating the versatility of helicopters.

The Bell 47 Souix was the first helicopter to be commercially licensed, in 1945, reaching full production in 1947. In 1951, the Royal Canadian Navy ordered 3 of these helicopters, making them the first helicopters to be operated by the navy. The Bell 47 started out as a two-seat helicopter, but later variants had up to four seats. Due to the distinctive bubble canopy cabin, the Bell 47 was mostly used for observation, surveying and training. The Canadian Army also acquired several of these helicopters to be used as trainings for pilots to transition from fixed winged to rotary winged aircrafts. This helicopter helped pioneer various uses for the helicopter, proving the benefits of rotary winged aircrafts over conventional ones.

In 1961, the Bell 47 was replaced by the Hiller CH-112 Nomad. The Nomad primarily served as an air observation post for troops. They were also used extensively to train army personnel in the use of the helicopter. In the 10 years difference between the Bell 47 and the CH-112, the output of the aircraft's engine greatly increased, allowing the visually similar CH-112 to reach higher speeds, and carry more. In times of national emergency, it was planned that the CH-112s would be used to provide in-air movement of small urgent supplies, aeromedical evacuation, and various other tasks to restore order to the community. The CH-112 would later be replaced by the CH-136 for air observation post in 1971.

In May of 1954, the Canadian Military received its first heavy lifting helicopter. Unlike the Bell47, these new helicopters can carry a large load, and many more passengers. Three Vertol Model PD-18s, known to the Royal Canadian Navy as HUP-3s, were used by the navy up to January of 1964. The US Navy began using the same helicopter five years prior, allowing improvements to be made before use for the Canadian Military. The design featured two rotors working in tandem, in which blades could be folded for storage in ships' hangars. Both rotors were powered by a single radial engine, producing 550 horsepower. The HUP-2 (an earlier version) was the first production helicopter equipped with an autopilot. Other innovations of the aircraft include electrically operated doors, and an overhead winch that could lower a rescue sling, to provide rescue without crew assistance. This helicopter has a top speed of 108mph, offering a range of 360 miles, and a service ceiling of 10,200 feet. On the downside, due to the low power output of the engine, the aircraft has a useful load of only 1,650 pounds. This helicopter is just the start of the utilization of rotary winged aircrafts within the Canadian Forces, with great room for improvement.

The Vertol H-21B entered service with the RCAF on November 17th, 1955, as a successor to the Vertol PD-18. In 1968, unification of the Canadian Armed Forces redesignated the H-21B as the Vertol CH-125. It was more commonly referred to as the Flying Banana, due to the fact that the aircraft exterior is shaped similar to the curved fruit. The helicopter was built by Piasecki Helicopter, which later became Boeing Vertol, and was the fourth design of tandem rotor helicopters for the company. The Ch-125 was a multi-mission helicopter, able to utilize wheels, skis or floats. It was used extensively for Arctic rescue ad was well adapted for the Canadian weather, due to its excellent performance at low temperatures. The Flying Bananas served in Communications and Rescue Units, as well as Search and Rescue missions, until the entire fleet was replaced on January 12th, 1972. Along with the H-21s, the RCAF purchased 2 H-44 from Vertol, in 1960, and the H-21Bs already in service were converted to H-44Bs. On top of being used for communications, transport, and search and rescue purposes, it can be armed with twin or quad .50 calibre machine guns. The H-21 required a minimum crew of 2 people, but was able to carry up to 22 troops or 12 stretchers. Powered by one Wright R-1820-103 radial engine, generating 1,425hp for both rotors, it was able to carry up to 6250lbs of cargo, making it much more useful than its predecessor, the HUP-3. Although this aircraft has a shorter range and a lower service ceiling, it is able to reach a higher speed of 127mph. Slowly, but surely, technology is allowing helicopters to be more useful in assisting the military. Minor upgrades and improvements kept the H-21 in service all the way until ____ when it was replaced by another tandem rotor helicopter, the Boeing Vertol CH-133 Labrador/Voyageur.

At around the same time, the Canadian Military employed helicopters based on British designs. The Sikorsky HO4S was a British licensed copy of the Sikorsky S-55 (also known as the S-55) helicopter produced in the United States. The HO4S served in the RCAF from 1953 until 1966, performing transport and search and rescue duties. The helicopter had a separate cockpit as well as area for useful work. One of its primary purposes with the Canadian Navy was Search and Rescue standby on the aircraft carriers HMCS Magnificent and Bonaventure. This position, called plane guard, involved recovering aircrafts lost during launch or recovery, assisting in the event of an airplane crash or a ditching. On 21 September 1953, the first such rescue was made when a Sea Fury pilot was picked up a mere 32 seconds after ditching. Since aircraft carriers were new, accidents were common, and the service of the HO4S is very often required. Although the HO4S was great for search and rescue purpose, other militaries experimented with adopting it for armed combat purposes, but due to the low power output of the aircraft (600 horsepower), even with light armament, it proved underpowered. Even still, this aircraft saved the lives of pilots flying off the Bonaventure and Magnificent, showing off the importance of rotary winged aircrafts.

The RCAF also acquired a small number of Sikorsky S-58s. Extremely similar in design to the HOS4S, the H-34 had a 1,525 horsepower radial engine as well as a tail-wheel design landing gear, and folding main rotor and rear fuselage. These improvements greatly increased the capability of these aircrafts to carry load, as well as the efficiency of the military as a whole unit. These helicopters required less space for storage, allowing more to be fitted on each ship. These helicopters were initially purchased for use during the construction of the Mid-Canada radar chain, but were later converted for search and rescue, pilot training, and range patrol operations. With its first flight on March 8th, 1954, it shows that just a couple of years made a huge difference in the technology in helicopters.

The Sikorsky CH-124 Sea King is a twin-engine, single rotor helicopter, originally designed for anti-submarine warfare. It was based on the US Navy's SH-3, and uses components from Sikorsky in the US and assembled in Montreal. The first order of Sea Kings was made in 1963 for 41 aircrafts. With its foldable rotor blades, the Sea King was perfect for operating off ships. Ever since 1983, the Department of National Defence has been seeking a solution to replace the Sea King. The Sea King was notorious for being maintenance extensive and prone to mechanical failures. Initial plans were to upgrade the Sea Kings with new avionics and mechanics. However, by the mid-1980s, the demand for anti-submarine warfare has diminished, and the Canadian Forces were now seeking a replacement that would be designed to provide shipboard support. By this time, the CH-113 was also in desperate need of a replacement, putting a hold on replacing the Sea King. Finally, in July 2004, the announcement to replace the Sea King with the CH-148 Cyclone, starting in 2008, was made. Although the life of the Sea King as been plagued by accidents and incidents, it did offer forty-four years of service.

The Boeing Vertol CH-147 Chinook was acquired by the Canadian Army in 1974, for fulfilling the role of Mobile Command operations, as well as heavy-lift transport. Unfortunately, the first aircraft crashed on its initial delivery flight, showing how that although helicopters have come a long way from their predecessors, there is still room for improvement. The remaining seven CH-147s were used extensively by the Canadian Army to fulfill their airlift transportation requirements. Powered by two 3,300 horsepower turboshaft engines, the Chinook was able to reach top speeds of 180mph, and carry over 10,000lbs in cargo. Although highly versatile, the Chinooks were also extremely maintenance intensive and expensive to operate, so the entire fleet was retired in 1991, due to economical reasons.

At around the same time as the CH-147, the Canadian Army and airforce also purchased the CH-113. The air force version, primarily used for search and rescue, was designated the Labrador, while the army version was designated the Voyageur, and used for medium-lift transport duties. Introduced in 1964, the CH-113 was extremely versatile, being outfitted with a watertight hull, giving it the ability to make marine landings. The range of the CH-113 also had a huge increase in range over its predecessors, giving it a max flying range of 1,110km. As time progressed, the age of the fleet of CH-113s was taking its toll, resulting in astronomical maintenance costs. This led on to the government's decision to replace the CH-113 with the AgustWestland EH101, in 1992. However, subsequently this was cancelled in 1993, due to a change in government. This forced the CF to extend the life of its CH-113 fleet by another 10 years. In 1998, a devastating CH-113 crash, creating the political pressure required to make the government return to the EH101 manufactures and purchase replacements. Delivery of the new aircrafts, designated the CH-149 Cormorant began in 2003, with the last CH-113 retired by 2004. The CH-113 is perhaps the most important helicopter in the history of the CF, with over 40 years of distinguished service, saving countless lives.

In 1968, the Army purchased 10 Bell CH-118 Iroquois to provide light transport. It was based on the US UH-1 Huey, which had huge success in Vietnam. The Iroquois were also used by the air force for roles such as search and rescue, as well as training. Eventually, the Canadian forces began purchasing the Bell CH-135 Twin Huey. Essentially identical to the Iroquois, the Twin Huey utilized the Pratt & Whitney PT-6T Twin-Pac power plant. The Twin Hueys offered the versatility of having more power, as well as the reliability of having two engines. The Canadian Forces recognized the potential for this new helicopter, and assigned it mostly for tactical aviation roles. All CH-118s and CH-135s were replaced In February of 1998 by the Bell CH-146 Griffon, after serving with distinction in a wide variety of CF roles and missions.

The Bell CH-146 Griffon was selected to replace the Hueys because was more versatile than its predecessors. It is currently used for everything from transporting goods to tactical missions. Powered by an upgraded version of the same power plant as the Twin Huey, it shares the same benefits of a twin engine system. With the ability to be armed by a machine gun mounted in the open doorway, the ability to carry up to twelve troops, and a top speed of 162 mph, it is well suited to provide air support for ground troops. In fact, the Griffon has the ability to sling a complete Giat LG-1 artillery gun, making it extremely valuable to artillery regiments. The Griffon uses rails and mounting systems to allow for the addition of specialized kits and equipment to further adapt the aircraft for a specific mission. To further improve the versatility of the Griffon, minor disassembly would permit it to be able to fit inside a CC-130 Hercules, so that it may be rapidly deployed world-wide. All of these characteristics make the Griffon an extremely successful helicopter.

The replacement for the aging Labradors, the CH-149 Cormorant, first entered service in February 2000, with the entire fleet being operational by the end of 2002. The unique three engine design gave the Cormorant massive amounts of power, allowing it to lift huge loads. As well, the tri-engine design allows the Cormorant to recovery from any point of flight should one of its engines fail. Interesting to note, it is standard procedure for the pilot to shut down one of the three engines when on long missions to extend the endurance of the helicopter. It is equipped with innovations such as a full de-icing, allowing it to operate without any issues in icing conditions, as well an on-board active vibration controller to minimize internal noise level. With an extremely large cabin, customizable kit, and rear-ramp access, the Cormorant is able to quickly adapt for each required mission. These overall capabilities make it ideal for Search and Rescue missions in Canada's demanding geography and climate, however that is to say the Cormorant is not without fault. In 2004, the entire fleet of Cormorant were grounded due issues with the tail rotor cracking, and subsequently has been grounded several times since then. This, as well as several other problems forces the Cormorants to spend on average, 22 hours in the shop for each hour in the air, as opposed to the supposed 7 hour of maintenance for one hour of flying.

In 1970, the CF purchased 74 Bell CH-136 Kiowa to replace the old Nomad in the role of light observation helicopter. The Kiowa was extremely advanced in comparison to the Nomad. Improvements include the use of a turbine engine and a much roomier cabin, supplying the crew with more power, as well as keeping them in relative. The helicopter was also an excellent trainer, due to its positive handling characteristics. The tradeoff of this is poor performance at high altitude and high temperature. The Kiowa provided valuable operational service up to its retirement in 1996. Due to the success of the Kiowa, the CF also purchased several Bell CH-139 Jet Rangers for basic training as well as transporting of important military personnel. They are essentially just the civilian version of the Kiowa, with more focus on cabin comfort. The Jet Ranger is still in active service today.

All of these helicopters have to be extremely valuable assets to the Canadian Forces. Although the Canadian Military never used helicopters for active combat roles, they do provide invaluable support and assistance. Helicopters have gone a long way from primitive machines that were extremely noisy and unstable to sophisticated and comfortable means of transportation. As well, they offer the versatility and manoeuvrability to get supplies and personnel into those areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. As well, they have played a significant role in search and rescue, saving countless lives.

All of the essays in this section were written by students and then submitted to us to publish and help others. Thanks to all of the students who have submitted their essays to us. You should not hand in our essays as your own. We do not condone plagiarism! If you need custom essays on your exact essay questions, then have a look at our essay writing service.

Sign up and be the first to receive our latest offers: