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47-508: The Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters ) AS565 Panther is the military version of the Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin medium-weight multi-purpose twin-engine helicopter . The Panther is used for a wide range of military roles, including combat assault, fire support, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, search and rescue, and medical evacuation. During the 1980s, French aerospace firm Aerospatiale decided to develop

94-492: A 4-axis automatic flight control system (AFCS), flight management system (FMS), and an advanced search radar . The design of the cockpit and avionics systems, such as the engine management system, provides a high level of automation as part of an effort to reduce workload upon the pilots. The cockpit was deliberately designed with extra panel space to accommodate future upgrades and additional instrumentation that may be installed. The principle element of ASW-configured Panthers

141-473: A 98% availability rating throughout the trial period, clearing the way for the full modernisation program to proceed. Following positive experiences of operating a pair of Aerospatiale SA366G Dauphins , the Israeli Air Force opted to procure five AS565MA helicopters, locally designated as Atalef . Their mission is to extend the naval reach of Israel's defense forces, they can be deployed on board

188-551: A glass cockpit containing new avionics and radio systems, a four-axis autopilot, a new weather radar , NVG-compatibility, and measures to reduce pilot workload, and shall extend the airframe's service life for a further 25 years. In March 2014, the first two Panther K2 rotorcraft were delivered to the Brazilian Army. In September 2014, the Panther K2 passed its technical operation evaluation, having reportedly demonstrated

235-428: A maximum of eight Mistral air-to-air missiles , or a maximum of eight HOT anti-tank missiles ; all of which can be mounted onto a universal weapon support beam. The weapon systems are integrated with a Crouzet HDH-2A electronic sight and the autopilot, the latter of which provides automatic flight handling assistance during weapons deployment to avoid negative tendencies such as nose droop. For improved survivability,

282-612: A purpose-built military version of their popular Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin . The civil SA365 N variant of the Dauphin was used as the starting point for the project; the new rotorcraft was designed to perform utility, anti-tank , troop-transport, and maritime operations. On 28 February 1984, the military variant prototype, designated as the AS365M and later named Panther, conducted its first flight. A total of three prototypes were built. In May 1986, Aerospatiale formally launched production of

329-433: A regular passenger transport layout, the cabin can accommodate up to 12 passengers in addition to the two pilots; up to seven passengers can be accommodated in a VIP layout. Access to the cabin is via large sliding doors on either side of the helicopter, built-in boarding steps are typically installed to ease the boarding of passengers. While the cockpit is typically equipped with dual flight controls for two-man operations,

376-581: A response to increasing acts of piracy in the Gulf of Aden , since 2008, Panthers have been routinely dispatched upon multiple French frigates that have conducted deployments in support of Operation Atalanta , a long term pan-European counter-piracy operation. In the Aden, the Panther has been typically used for maritime patrol, surveillance and troop-transport missions, such as the transportation of strike teams and

423-481: A single dual-chamber rear servo-unit for tail rotor pitch control. Other major avionics include 10.4-inch (26 cm) multi-mission touch screen displays, weather radar , global positioning system (GPS) receiver, traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS), automatic voice alarm device (AVAD), health and usage monitoring system (HUMS), quick access records for helicopter flight data management, and digital audio communication system (DACS). In February 1980,

470-413: A stand-by hydraulic system for emergency use, such as deployment of the landing gear. Electrical power is provided by a pair of starter generators and a NiCad (Nickel-Cadmium) main battery; an emergency battery is also present. The combination of the rotorcraft's Starflex main rotor and Fenestron tail provides a low-noise and low-vibration flight experience for those on board; Airbus Helicopters has claimed

517-979: A successful mission off the Waterford coast. The four crew members were killed in the collision. On 4 April 2015, an AS365 owned by Orion Corridor Sdn Bhd, crashed in Semenyih near Kajang, Malaysia . All six people on board, including the ex-ambassador of Malaysia to the US and Rompin MP, Jamaluddin Jarjis , and others were killed. The helicopter was coming from a wedding party of the Malaysian Prime Minister's daughter. Data from Eurocopter.com General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists HELRAS HELRAS

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564-458: A task flow line, as well as a 30 per cent reduction in component lead times. The AS565 Panther is a twin-engine medium-sized multi-mission rotorcraft. It is capable of performing various naval and land-based missions, such as maritime security , search and rescue (SAR), casualty evacuation (CASEVAC), vertical replenishment , surveillance , special forces operations , anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and Anti-surface warfare (ASuW). The Panther

611-428: A time in addition to the two pilots flying the aircraft. The main cabin can be rapidly reconfigured to conduct various roles, such as troop-transport, SAR, and MEDIVAC missions; optional equipment includes a full medical suite, forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera, emergency flotation, loudspeaker , variable-speed hoist, cargo sling, search light , and a stretcher-support structure. Various avionics are present upon

658-474: A total of 15 of the type, with additional Dauphins on order. By 1991, the Dauphin was being operated by 138 customers across casi 45 nations. In December 2006, Eurocopter president Fabrice Brégier stated that between 30 and 40 Dauphins were being delivered each year. By 2012, more than 1,000 AS365/366/565 versions had been produced; Pawan Hans took delivery of the 1,000th Dauphin produced in April 2011, at which point

705-399: A total of four conventional doors to access the main cabin are typically installed, which can be optionally replaced by a single clamshell air stair entrance instead. Various portions of the rotorcraft are made from composite materials, such as the rotor blades that made of carbon fiber , other materials are used in portions of the fuselage. The fuselage features anti- corrosion protection and

752-424: Is powered by a pair of Turbomeca Arriel turboshaft engines, which drives the rotorcraft's main rotor as well as the fenestron anti-torque tail rotor device. The flight profile of the Panther has been described as being easy to manoeuver, possessing generous g-force limitations and a high level of stability. In the commando-transport configuration, the Panther may carry up to 10 fully armed soldiers on board at

799-416: Is structurally reinforced for an optional hoist or cargo sling to be installed, various other mooring and gripping points are also fitted on the rotocraft's exterior surface. Various types and models of radar can be installed in the Dauphin's nose. The main cabin area is designed to be reconfigurable, a feature which is promoted to emergency medical service (EMS) and search and rescue (SAR) operators. In

846-581: Is the Helicopter Long-Range Active Sonar ( HELRAS ), a dipping sonar equipped with a descending array of seven projection elements and a receiving array equipped with eight extending arms, which is capable of detecting submarines up to 500 meters below the water's surface. According to Airbus Helicopters, the Panther family has been qualified to operate from the flight decks of over 100 classes of NATO vessels, and complies with NATO standardization agreements. The compact size of

893-454: Is typically powered by a pair of Turbomeca Arriel turboshaft engines; on later variants, these are equipped with FADEC units, which provide additional functionality such as an automated start-up sequence and a training mode. The engines drive the rotorcraft's foldable Starflex main rotor and its Fenestron anti- torque tail rotor via two separate transmissions; these gearboxes are also connected to two separate hydraulic systems as well as

940-511: The Aérospatiale SA 365 Dauphin 2 , is a medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter produced by Airbus Helicopters . It was originally developed and manufactured by French firm Aérospatiale , which was merged into the multinational Eurocopter company during the 1990s, and since 2014 Eurocopter was renamed Airbus Helicopters. Since entering production in 1975, the type has been in continuous production for more than 40 years, with

987-675: The Eurocopter Tiger . On 31 May 2011, the first of 16 Standard 2 Panthers was delivered back to the French Navy. In 1988, the Brazilian Army Aviation Command took delivery of its first Panther helicopter, which was produced locally by Helibras . In January 2010, Helibras was awarded a contact to upgrade 34 AS365K Panthers to the new AS365 K2 standard. Changes on the Panther K2 include new Turbomeca Arriel 2C2CG engines which produce 40% more power,

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1034-673: The Gulf War , the Royal Saudi Navy engaged five Iraqi patrol boats using a number of Panther helicopters, a total of 15 AS 15 TT Anti-ship missiles were fired. As of 2015, more than 250 navalised variants of the AS 565MB Panther have been in service with operators across 20 nations. In 2014, the Indonesian Navy opted to procure 11 ASW-equipped Panthers through Indonesian Aerospace (PTDI); Airbus Helicopters shall produce

1081-664: The Israeli Navy 's Sa'ar 5-class corvettes when required; the rotorcraft are equipped with long range sensors to identify targets in the Mediterranean and a datalink to convey sensory data to the corvettes, their combined sensory capability has reportedly helped foil several attempted terrorist attacks. The AS565MA is the only rotorcraft in Israeli service capable of locating people at sea during day or night conditions, and can operate in nearly all sea conditions. During

1128-561: The radar signature is reduced due to the use of composite materials across the airframe and the use of the fenestron tail rather than a conventional tail rotor; low infrared paints are also typically applied to the exterior surfaces and jet exhaust dilution devices are installed on the engines to reduce the Panther's infrared signature. Damage resistance is increased by the adoption of self-sealing fuel tanks and armor-plated crew seating. The French Naval Aviation took delivery of 15 Panthers between 1993 and 1998 for maritime operations. As

1175-612: The 1980s, the SA 365 N was used as the basis for a militarised version of the Dauphin, initially designed as AS 365 K, which was used to perform utility, troop-transport, and maritime operations, widely known as the Eurocopter Panther . A variant of the Dauphin was specifically developed for and operated principally by the United States Coast Guard under the designation HH/MH-65 Dolphin . The SA 365 M model of

1222-578: The AS365 N variant of the Dauphin holds the world speed record for a 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) course, set at 372 km/h (231 mph) in 1991. The Dauphin is flown by a range of private operators, companies, emergency services, government agencies and air charter companies. On 2 July 1999, an AS365F operated by the Irish Air Corps hit a sand dune in thick fog in Tramore while returning from

1269-479: The AS365M, at which point the firm anticipated more than 400 Panthers to be sold in the long term. The first production model, which was initially designated as the AS365 K, was shortly re-designated and became widely known as the AS565 Panther. Early models were powered by a pair of Turbomeca Arriel 1M1 turboshaft engines; in 1995, Eurocopter began offering higher powered versions of the Panther that used

1316-477: The Dauphin can be readily flown by a single pilot while operating under instrument flight rules ; this was achieved in part by avionics such as the 4-axis Dual Digital Automatic Flight Control System (older production aircraft use a 3-axis flight control system with integrated autopilot instead) to reduce crew workload. The principal flight control system are connected to a total of 3 dual-chamber primary servo -units for cyclical and collective pitch control, and

1363-670: The Dauphin has also been manufactured under licence in China as the Z-9 by the Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation ; the Z-9 was subsequently developed into the armed Z-9W and Z-19 attack helicopter . The AS365 Dauphin is a twin-engine helicopter capable of travelling long ranges, and well suited to operating in climates of a high ambient temperature or at locations of significant altitude. The Dauphin

1410-451: The French Navy and allies; they are fitted with a haul-down Harpoon in order to ease shipboard landings in rough weather. By 1980, a total of 265 AS360/361/365 Dauphins had been delivered, 90% of these deliveries were to foreign customers in a total of 23 different nations. Amongst the biggest early customers for the type was Saudi Arabia , which ordered 24 Dauphins, and Angola , with an order for 17 Dauphins. The largest civil customers of

1457-441: The Panther has enabled the type to be operated from smaller ocean-going vessels such as corvettes . To aid in shipboard landings under rough sea conditions and high winds, some variants can be furnished with the hydraulic Harpoon deck-lock securing device. The Panther can be armed with several different sets of munitions and armaments, dependent upon the intended role. Munitions include 20mm pod-mounted cannons , 68mm rocket pods,

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1504-409: The Panther; some variants are fitted with the advanced human-machine interface (HMI) glass cockpit . It features the vehicle and engine multifunction display (VEMD), integrated electronic standby instrument (ESI), usage monitoring system (UMS), traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS), terrain awareness and warning system (H-TAWS), and dedicated mission display coupled with a multi-sensor processor,

1551-410: The SA 356C Dauphin was succeeded by the more capable SA 365 N. Amongst several major design changes and improvements, the SA 365 N featured more powerful engines, greater use of composite materials , a better cabin arrangement, and retractable landing gear. Further improvements were made with the introduction of the SA 365 N1, which had a substantially redesigned Fenestron anti-torque device, and with

1598-543: The SA 365 N2, which was equipped with more powerful Turbomeca Arriel 1C2 turboshaft engines. In January 1990, the overall type was formally redesignated as the AS365. The AS365 Dauphin is one of Eurocopter's more successful helicopter designs; and has been widely used as a corporate transport, airborne law enforcement platform, emergency medical services (EMS) helicopter, electronic news gathering platform, and search and rescue helicopter. The base Dauphin has been further developed into several purpose-built variants. During

1645-1037: The base rotorcraft and deliver them to PTDI's facility in Bandung , Indonesia and separately install mission systems such as the ASW suite. In the Asian market, the European-built Panther has had limited sales mainly due to export competition from the Chinese-built Harbin Z-9 , itself a license-built derivative of the Dauphin alike to the Panther. Data from General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin The Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters ) AS365 Dauphin ( Dolphin ), also formerly known as

1692-434: The first series production Dauphin was used to break three separate speed-related world records in separate journeys between Battersea , London , United Kingdom and Issy-les-Moulineaux , Paris , France . In 1985, a new model of the Dauphin, the AS365 F, became the first rotorcraft in the world to fly with flight instruments being displayed in electronic displays, which replaced the traditional instrumentation; this variant

1739-689: The first twin-engine Dauphin prototype performed its first flight; the prototype soon demonstrated an airspeed of 170 knots in level flight and set multiple speed records, among them the Paris-London trip at an average of 321 km/h. The initial production variant entered service under the original designation of SA 365C; French certification of this model was received in July 1978, with US FAA and British CAA certification following later that year. Deliveries to customers began in December 1978. In 1982,

1786-487: The last delivery in 2021. The intended successor to the Dauphin is the Airbus Helicopters H160 , which entered operational service in 2021. The Dauphin 2 shares many similarities with the Aérospatiale SA 360 , a commercially unsuccessful single-engine helicopter; however the twin-engine Dauphin 2 did meet with customer demand and has been operated by a wide variety of civil and military operators. Since

1833-467: The new Turbomeca Arriel 2C engine instead. In February 2016, Airbus Helicopters promised to relocate the global production line for the AS565 Panther to India if it is selected by the Indian Navy for a proposed utility helicopter acquisition. In April 2016, the production rate of the AS565 Panther was announced to have been substantially increased following a switch from a static production line to

1880-472: The product line (and the EC155). The SA 365/AS365 Dauphin 2 is a twin-engine development of the commercially unsuccessful single-engined Aérospatiale SA 360 Dauphin ; only a year after the SA 360's entry into service, Aerospatiale had recognized that a platform powered by two engines rather than one was better suited to both civil and military operations, thus a redesign program was initiated. On 24 January 1975,

1927-490: The retrieval of detainees. In May 2009, France announced a major mid-life upgrade program for the Aeronavale's Panther fleet, focused on cockpit upgrades and improved defensive/offensive equipment. The additions and alterations include a new glass cockpit compatible with night vision goggles (NVG), electro-optical sensors, a new anti-jamming radio, Link 11 data-link, and a self-protection system based on that used on

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1974-466: The sound emissions of the AS365 N3 to be 3.1 decibels below International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, making it the quietest helicopter in its class. The Dauphin can take off under a full load from sea level under Category A conditions. The main fuselage of the rotorcraft comprises the cabin area, a separate luggage compartment, and a retractable tricycle landing gear arrangement;

2021-438: The type has been Indian operator Pawan Hans , who by 2003 had a fleet of 19 Dauphins (nearly two-thirds of their total rotary fleet) and were in the process of procuring another 1 Dauphins to allow older aircraft to be phased out; they have been frequently used to support offshore oil extraction activities. In February 1991, it was announced that the 500th Dauphin had been delivered to Bond Helicopters , who at that time operated

2068-682: The type was reportedly in service with over 300 operators worldwide. Prior to the 2004 Summer Olympics , five AS 356N3 Dauphins were procured for the Hellenic Coast Guard for harbor surveillance purposes. Between 2009 and 2012, the Army Air Corps of the United Kingdom took delivery of five Dauphins, these were assigned to No. 658 Squadron AAC to replace four AgustaWestland A109 helicopters being used to support Special Air Service (SAS) operations. As of 2014 ,

2115-547: The type's introduction in the 1970s, several major variations and specialised versions of the Dauphin 2 have been developed and entered production, including the military-oriented Eurocopter Panther , the air-sea rescue HH/MH-65 Dolphin , the Chinese-manufactured Harbin Z-9 , and the modernized Eurocopter EC155 (formerly known as the EC155 B1). The Airbus Helicopters H160 replaced the AS365 in

2162-817: Was first developed in the 1970s by Bendix, FIAR and British Aerospace . Another rival system was called FLASH (Folding Light Acoustic System for Helicopters). In the 1980s, the system was supplied by Bendix. A competitor of HELRAS is the Low Frequency Active Sonar (LFAS). It can detect submarines up to 60NM. Parts for the system are made by Rolls-Royce North America . The system has been fitted to EH101, S70B, NH90, CH-148, AS532SC, AB412, and AS565 with helicopter of navies such as Italy, Turkey, Greece, Netherlands, Canada, Singapore, Thailand, Chile, Brazil, Indonesia, and Morocco. The system has also been fitted to unmanned surface vessels Seagull and RHIBs for Israel and USN. This naval article

2209-608: Was first procured by the Irish Air Corps for SAR operations. The French Navy operated the Dauphin, in addition to the dedicated military-orientated Panther variant, to conduct various missions such as the Dauphin Service Public which involves various duties from seaborne SAR, maritime monitoring, and responding to distress calls. French Navy Dauphins are commonly deployed on board the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle as well as onboard other vessels of

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