The
Eurocopter EC635
(now
Airbus Helicopters H135M
) is a multi-purpose light
helicopter
developed by Eurocopter (now
Airbus Helicopters
) as a military version of the
Eurocopter EC135
. It is a twin-engined aircraft and can carry up to 8 people, including the pilot, and a range of military equipment or armaments. The helicopter is marketed for troop transport, medical evacuation, cargo transport, reconnaissance and surveillance and armed combat support missions.
[1]
Development
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]
The Eurocopter EC635 was developed to meet a
Portuguese Army
requirement for a light
fire support
and
medical evacuation
helicopter, as part of its programme for the raise of a specialist army aviation unit, the
UALE
. The EC635 was first revealed at the Aviation Africa exhibition in May 1998 and the
Portuguese Ministry of Defence
subsequently signed an agreement for nine EC635 T2 helicopters equipped with
Turbomeca
Arrius 2B2
engines, at a cost of €35 million in October 1999.
[2]
Delivery of the first Portuguese aircraft was expected to begin in 2001; however, continual delays in production led to the Portuguese Ministry of Defence canceling the contract in August 2002, citing Eurocopter's failure to deliver all aircraft between August 2001 and April 2002 as the reason. Eurocopter claimed that disagreements over the integration of weapons systems on the helicopter were the reason for the cancellation.
[3]
The
Royal Jordanian Air Force
agreed to purchase the 9 Portuguese helicopters in October 2002 and the first aircraft was delivered in July 2003. Jordan ordered a further 4 helicopters in January 2006
[4]
and deliveries of all machines were completed in 2007.
In April 2006, the Swiss Defence Procurement Agency (Armasuisse) ordered 20 EC635s for the
Swiss Air Force
, to replace the aging
Aerospatiale Alouette III
in performing transport and advanced training missions. The first four aircraft were built by Eurocopter, with the remaining 16 being built by
RUAG Aerospace
in
Alpnach
, Switzerland, and deliveries were as expected completed between March 2008 and December 2009.
[5]
[6]
[7]
Design
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The EC635 is based on the
Eurocopter EC135
, improving upon the design for military operations and making the helicopter capable of carrying weapons systems. The helicopter is fitted with a choice of powerplants, depending on customer requirements, and can be powered by two
Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206B2
(EC635 P2+), or two
Turbomeca Arrius 2B2
(EC635 T2+). The powerplant is mounted over the baggage compartment and features a
Full Authority Digital Engine Control
system. The engines power a
fibre-reinforced
composite
Bearingless Main Rotor (BMR) with four blades, and the familiar
Fenestron
enclosed tail rotor, both of which reduce vibration and noise levels. Vibration levels are further reduced by a built-in Anti Resonance Isolation System (ARIS). The EC635 can be fitted with either a conventional cockpit consisting of a traditional dashboard or a
glass cockpit
, which utilizes a
Thales
'Avionique Nouvelle' suite with MEGHAS Flight Control Display System and
active matrix liquid crystal displays
.
[
citation needed
]
There are four configurations designed by Eurocopter for the EC635. The Troop Transport version can be fitted with utility seats to carry up to 7 troops with a pilot, or passenger seats to carry up to 6 people and a pilot. The Medical Evacuation version can carry 1 or 2
litters
with up to 5 seated medical workers. The Cargo Transport version has 4.9 m
3
(173.04 ft
3
) of space for cargo, while the Armed Mission version is equipped with specialist equipment and weapons for combat (such as the 70-mm-rocket launcher FZ233 from Belgian manufacturer
Forges de Zeebrugge
). The helicopter can also be fitted with a
FLIR
camera turret, an infra-red capable search light,
SAR
weather radar
and electronic equipment for Observation Missions.
[
citation needed
]
Armed EC635s typically feature the Stand Alone Weapon System (SAWS) kit, which comprises a mission and firing control computer onto which various weapon systems and sensors can be integrated; such weapons have included 12.7 mm gun pods, a 20 mm cannon,
70 mm rockets
and
ZT3 Ingwe
anti-tank missiles.
[8]
Operational history
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In March 2008, the
Swiss Air Force
received 18 EC635 P2s. The helicopters are to replace their aging fleet of
Alouette IIIs
in the utility and training role, two of the aircraft are in VIP configuration.
[9]
[10]
In 2009,
Iraq
bought 24 EC635 T2+ helicopters.
[11]
The first two were delivered to Iraq on 8 May 2011.
[12]
The
Iraqi Army
has used its EC635s in combat against militants of the
Islamic State
during the
Iraqi Civil War
.
[8]
On 12 December 2014, an
Iraqi Army
EC635 helicopter was shot down by an insurgent-launched shoulder-fired rocket on the outskirts of the city of
Samarra
, about 95 kilometers north of
Baghdad
, killing the two pilots on board.
[13]
Another EC635 was hit by enemy fire on 22 April 2015 and written off. Both crew members survived.
[14]
On 13 July of the same year, an EC635 was damaged by shrapnel, either from its own ordnance or due to enemy fire, in the
Fallujah
area. The helicopter caught fire and crash-landed, but both crew members were unharmed.
[15]
Variants
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- EC635 T1
- Certified in 2001, same design as the EC135 T1 with structural reinforcement of cabin structure and powered by two
Turbomeca Arrius 2B2
turbine engines.
- EC635 P2
- Powered by two
Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206B2
turbine engines.
- EC635 T2
- Powered by two
Turbomeca Arrius 2B2
turbine engines.
- EC635 P2+
- Certified in 2006, same design as the EC135 P2+ with structural reinforcement of cabin structure and powered by two PW206B2 turbine engines.
- EC635 T2+
- Certified in 2006, same design as the EC135 T2+ with structural reinforcement of cabin structure and powered by two Arrius 2B2 turbine engines.
Operators
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]
-
Iraq
-
Jordan
-
Spain
-
Switzerland
-
UK
- Army Air Corps
: 5 H135M ordered, Project Matcha, Gazelle replacement. Mothballed upon delivery
[18]
-
Kurdistan Region
:
- Peshmerga Air Support/ 1st Aviation Squadron: 6+ EC635
Specifications (EC635 P2)
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]
Data from
Eurocopter EC635
[19]
fas.org
[20]
General characteristics
- Crew:
1 pilot
- Capacity:
up to 8 troops or 1,443 kg (3,181 lb) payload
- Length:
10.21 m (33 ft 6 in)
- Height:
3.62 m (11 ft 11 in)
- Empty weight:
1,467 kg (3,234 lb)
- Max takeoff weight:
2,900 kg (6,393 lb)
- Powerplant:
2 ×
Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206B2
turboshaft engines, 609 kW (817 hp) each
- Main rotor diameter:
10.2 m (33 ft 6 in)
- Main rotor area:
81.7 m
2
(879 sq ft)
Performance
- Maximum speed:
259 km/h (161 mph, 140 kn)
- Cruise speed:
254 km/h (158 mph, 137 kn)
- Never exceed speed
:
278 km/h (173 mph, 150 kn)
- Range:
650 km (400 mi, 350 nmi)
- Service ceiling:
6,095 m (19,997 ft)
- Rate of climb:
10.9 m/s (2,150 ft/min)
See also
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Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
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]
Notes
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]
- ^
"Aircraft helicopter military, military helicopter EC 635 - Eurocopter, an EADS company"
. Archived from
the original
on 15 December 2009
. Retrieved
17 December
2009
.
- ^
Helis.com ? Nine EC635 Helicopters For The Portuguese Army
- ^
Helis.com ? Portugal Cancels EC635 Contract
- ^
Defense Aerospace - Jordan AF orders 4 additional EC635s
- ^
Defense Aerospace - Swiss Military order 18 EC635s, 2 EC135s
- ^
Defense Aerospace - Final EC635 delivered to Swiss Air Force
- ^
Airforce Technology - Projects EC635
- ^
a
b
Martin, Guy.
"Iraqi EC635 Stand Alone Weapon System, Ingwe contract concluded."
defenceweb.co.za
, 4 August 2015.
- ^
"Eurocopter EC635"
. Swiss Air Force. 15 December 2010. Archived from
the original
on 20 June 2015
. Retrieved
27 February
2011
.
- ^
Eurocopter Press Release ? First Eurocopter EC635 For Swiss Air Force Takes To The Air
Archived
26 September 2007 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Delalande 2016
, p. 42
- ^
Delalande 2016
, p. 43
- ^
"Islamic State group shoots down Iraqi helicopter"
.
Stars and Stripes
. 13 December 2014.
- ^
Delalande 2016
, pp. 66, 76
- ^
Delalande 2016
, pp. 67, 76
- ^
Delalande 2016
, p. 72
- ^
a
b
"World Air Forces 2022"
. Flightglobal Insight. 2022
. Retrieved
4 February
2022
.
- ^
Sheridan, Dannielle.
"Helicopters worth £35m mothballed before flying a single minute"
.
The Telegraph
.
- ^
"Eurocopter EC635 Technical Data Manual"
(PDF)
. Eurocopter. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 30 September 2007
. Retrieved
23 July
2007
.
- ^
"EC635 ? Light Utility Helicopter (LUH)."
fas.org, 12 May 2009.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Delalande, Arnaud (2016).
Iraqi Air Power Reborn: The Iraqi air arms since 2004
. Houston: Harpia Publishing.
ISBN
978-0-9854554-7-7
.
External links
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Civil helicopters
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Military helicopters
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Experimental helicopters
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