MD Helicopters Inc. (MDHI) this week said its new MD 540F, a candidate for any potential Army Armed Scout Helicopter program, successfully completed the first phase of live fire exercises.
The firing exercise is one milestone in a development plan to complete overall validation and eventual FAA certification of the new aircraft.
During the week of Feb. 25, the MD 540F was tested at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., to begin qualification of its weapons platform. The 540F is engineered to support an advanced, lightweight weapons platform with four stations. Various mixes of guns, rockets and missiles can be carried simultaneously, the company said.
The aircraft successfully completed the first phase of live fire exercises, including 15 engagements with M3P .50-Caliber guns. Additional validation testing was completed on the L3 Wescam [LLL] MX-10D sensor and the Mace Aviation weapons platform. The aircraft responded extremely well and demonstrated exceptional performance during hover, diving and running fire engagements, the company said.
Weapons platform testing will be conducted later this year to confirm MD 540F performance and precision strike capabilities with laser-guided rockets and Hellfire missiles.
“We are extremely pleased with the results of the live firing exercise and overall in-flight performance of the 540F aircraft,” said Lynn Tilton, CEO of MDHI. “Our steadfast aim is to deliver a robust light attack helicopter with the lethal strike power, stability and accuracy only available in much larger and more costly aircraft. As we have demonstrated to the U.S. Army on multiple occasions and past programs, the 540F development program will remain on schedule and deliver exceptional performance on all fronts.”
The day before, MDHI revealed it has chosen the Rolls-Royce M250-C47E engine to power the MD 540F armed scout helicopter.
Carl Schopfer, president of MDHI, said: “This engine will efficiently deliver all the power necessary to achieve hot and high performance, while surpassing the increased payload demands of our weapons platform. Similar to the 540F, this engine has evolved from a mission proven platform and utilizes the latest technology to advance aircraft performance.”
In September, the 540F completed its voluntary flight demonstration for Armed Aerial Scout with the Army.
European Aeronautic Defense And Space Co. (EADS) Finmeccanica’s AgustaWestland, Sikorsky [UTX] Bell Helicopter [TXT] and Boeing [BA] are all preparing for a potential AAS competition.
The Army is expected to make its decision to move ahead on an AAS program or continue with and modernize the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior (Defense Daily, Jan. 9).
The 540F is an upgrade to the popular MD 530F, boasting a 6-bladed, fully articulated rotor blade system made up entirely of composite material, in addition to a more rugged landing skid built for heavier take-off and landing weights. MDHI engineers have bolstered performance to achieve a dramatic increase in max gross take-off weight and useful load capability. This increase will allow the MD 540F to carry a full avionics and weapons package while hovering at 6,000 feet/95°F.