Inspired by, and drawing on some of the development work done with a South African company, European aerospace company Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter and part of Airbus Group) has created a system that allows its extensive range of civilian helicopters to be militarised and armed. This system is designated H-Force.

The previously developed Stand-Alone Weapons System (Saws) was developed by the then Eurocopter and South Africa’s Advanced Technologies & Engineering (better known as ATE and now Paramount Advanced Technologies). Saws was designed to allow the arming of light military utility and observation helicopters produced by the then Eurocopter. converting them into light attack helicopters. Saws allowed these machines to be fitted with gun pods, rocket pods and guided missiles and the system was sold commercially to at least one Middle Eastern country in a programme led by the European manufacturer and fitted to EC635 (since redesignated H135M) helicopters (the package also included Denel Dynamics Ingwe antitank missiles, integrated with the Saws).

However, H-Force is an entirely new product, developed by Airbus Helicopters, and, unlike Saws, is, to reiterate, intended to be fitted to the company’s civil helicopter designs. This is because civil-standard helicopters are cheaper to buy than military-standard helicopters (of which Airbus Helicopters has a wide and comprehensive range, covering light utility and observation, armed scout and light attack, attack, and medium and heavy utility and transport machines).

“The aim is to militarise best-selling civil helicopters because they are affordable and high performance,” explained company senior operational marketing manager Christian Fanchini in a recent presentation. “The system is exhaustive and flexible, covering the operational spectrum for a real and multipurpose armed helicopter.”

The H-Force system allows the fitting of air-to-ground, air-to-surface (marine targets) and even air-to-air weapons. It can accommodate both ballistic and guided weapons. The system is modular and can be implemented in an incremental manner. It is centred on a core avionics system (or mission computer) and the associated wiring harness, and a helmet-mounted sighting display (HMSD).

Customers have four options. Option 0 sees the helicopter fitted with the system’s fixed parts and harness, making it ready to be easily equipped with H-Force. Option 1 adds the core capabilities (computer and HMSD) plus armament pylons and ballistic weapons, with the weapons aimed and fired by the pilot using the HMSD. Option 2 adds an electro-optical sight (EOS) mounted in a turret to the avionics and a dedicated gunner to the crew. The weapons remain ballistic only, but can be aimed and fired by the gunner using the EOS or by the pilot using the HMSD. Option 3 adds guided weapons to the mix, again aimed and fired either by the gunner (using the EOS) or pilot (using the HMSD).

The ballistic weapon options include 12.7 mm machine gun pods, 20 mm cannon pods and 70 mm unguided rocket pods. Guided weapon options include laser-guided rockets, air-to-ground missiles (if requested) and – representing future growth potential – air-to-air missiles. Potential targets include, on land, enemy troops, light vehicles, armoured vehicles and even tanks; on water, small fast boats, small patrol boats; and, in the air, other helicopters, unmanned air vehicles and even fixed-wing ground attack aircraft.

The H-Force programme was launched in April 2014 and the central test unit bench started operating in May 2015. The first flight of the system was in last December and it was unveiled publicly in late February. The first weapons firing trials were carried out in May and June in Belgium. The final qualification of the system on the aircraft is scheduled to be achieved before the end of next year.

“The system is accurate and affordable,” he highlights. “Airbus Helicopters can turn its commercial aircraft into a light attack helicopter. Airbus Helicopters’ offer is realistic, an exhaustive answer, available and affordable.”