Soong OH-1
| OH-1 | |
|---|---|
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| |
Role
|
Scout/observation helicopter |
National origin
|
Monsilva |
Manufacturer
|
Soong Aerospace Company |
First flight
|
6 August 1996 |
Introduction
|
2000 |
Status
|
In service
|
Primary users
|
 Monsilvan Army
|
Produced
|
1996–2019 |
Number built
|
40 as of 2019 |
Unit cost
|
¥147 million (2018 estimate)
|
The Soong OH-1, nicknamed the Soong Tzuko (宋刺客), is a military scout/observation helicopter developed and manufactured by the Soong Aerospace Company. The primary operator is the Monsilvan Army, who originally procured the OH-1 as a domestic produced successor to their existing fleet. In addition to its use as an observation helicopter, it can also be armed to directly participate in combat; such weapons include a limited quantity of air-to-air missiles for self-defense purposes. Several variants of the OH-1 have been proposed, these have included derivatives of the type to serve as an attack helicopter as well as an aborted project to develop a utility helicopter. The project was aborted due to the existence of the Soong KH-4. As of March 2019, a total of 40 OH-1s have entered service with the Monsilvan Army; so far these complement existing helicopters rather than replace them.
Plans to replace many OH-1 models in the army with unmanned aerial vehicles were made in 2022, however no action on these plans has been made as of March 2023.
Development
During the late 1980s, the Monsilvan Army developed a requirement for a new scout/observation helicopter to replace it's original Soong built helicopters. This requirement became the OH-X program for Soong Aerospace. In June 1989, the Monsilvan Army and Soong Aerospace announced their intention to pursue the development of the OH-X. Several proposals to meet the OH-X requirement were submitted by multiple companies. In 1991, Soong's proposal was selected, as predicted, as the prime contractor for the OH-X program, which the company had created in the first place. On 18 September 1992, the Soong design formally appointed by the Department of Defense was declared as the winner. Development was formally launched in October 1992.
In early 1996, the first OH-1 prototype was rolled out. On 6 August 1996, the first of four OH-1 prototypes (designated XOH-1) performed the type's maiden flight. All four prototypes were flying by March 1997. The four prototypes were delivered to the Monsilvan Defence Agency for service testing from June until August 1997. By April of 1998, the flight testing of the prototypes was reportedly around halfway complete. This was after a combined 400 flight hours during testing, further tests focused on flight validation, operational evaluation, and mission equipment functionality. These four prototype aircraft were all later remanufactured to conform to production standards and redelivered under new serial numbers to the Army.
In June 1998, in response to the finalizing of a production contract and an initial order for two OH-1s having been placed earlier that year, the manufacture of production OH-1s formally commenced. By the late 1990s, the Monsilvan Army had announced that it planned to procure between 150 and 250 OH-Xs to meet its requirements. This figure was lower than its previous estimate, likely due to defense budget cuts which took place in 1996 and early 1998. Production of the OH-1 was put on hold in 2009 for unknown reasons, until it resumed later in 2014. Production formally terminated in 2019.
Design
The OH-1 light observation helicopter is a tandem-seat, twin-engine scout helicopter. It has a narrow fuselage fitted with small stub wings and a non-retractable tail wheel undercarriage. The OH-1 is suited to armed scout, light escort, and observation duties. It is equipped with an automatic pilot system with flight holding functionality, while the cockpit features a multi-display system to lower workloads on its two-man crew.
The OH-1 is powered by a pair of turboshaft engines, equipped with Full Authority Digital Engine Controls (FADEC), which drives a four-blade composite main rotor with a bearingless rotor hub along with an anti-torque tail rotor (an enclosed tail-fan unit). The tail rotor uses eight asymmetrically spaced blades to reduce both noise and vibration.
A roof mounted electro-optical sensor turret is located forward of the rotor head, containing a forward looking infrared sensor, a laser rangefinder and a colour TV camera. A total of four hardpoints are fitted under the rotorcraft's stub wings to allow the carriage of external stores, these have a total capacity of 132 kg (291 lb). The outer pylons can carry four guided surface-to-air missiles, while the inner pylons are capable of carrying external fuel tanks for additional range or endurance. No additional armament is typically fitted.
Variants
- XOH-1: Prototype version
- OH-1: Production model, used as an observation helicopter
- AH-2: Proposed attack helicopter derivative that would have featured uprated engines and additional anti-tank armaments; unofficially rejected.
Specifications (OH-1)
General characteristics
- Crew: 2 (pilot and observer)
- Length: 12 m (39 ft 4 in)
- Height: 3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)
- Empty weight: 2,450 kg (5,401 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 4,000 kg (8,818 lb)
- Main rotor diameter: 11.6 m (38 ft 1 in)
- Main rotor area: 105.7 m2 (1,138 sq ft)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 278 km/h (173 mph, 150 kn)
- Cruise speed: 220 km/h (140 mph, 120 kn)
- Range: 550 km (340 mi, 300 nmi)
- Ferry range: 720 km (450 mi, 390 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 4,880 m (16,010 ft)
Armament
- Hardpoints: 4 × hardpoints under stub wings for auxiliary fuel tanks (inner hardpoints) and guided air-to-air missiles (outer hardpoints)
