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EC725 Helicopter Tested with Exocet Anti-Ship Missiles & AN/APS-143V Radar for Brazilian Navy

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Naval Forces News - Brazil
 
 
 
EC725 Helicopter Tested with Exocet Anti-Ship Missiles & AN/APS-143V Radar for Brazilian Navy
 
A specialized team of Helibras and Airbus Helicopters experts tested for future Brazilian Navy needs a prototype of the EC725 Caracal carrying two MBDA Exocet AM39 anti-ship missiles and a chin mounted Telephonics AN/APS-143 maritime imaging radar system. Eight of the Sixteen EC725 helicopters belonging to the Brazilian Navy will receive this configuration. As part of "Project H-X BR" 50 EC725s were ordered by the Brazilian Ministry of Defense for the three Army corps.
     
A specialized team of Helibras and Airbus Helicopters experts tested for future Brazilian Navy needs a prototype of the EC725 Caracal carrying two MBDA Exocet AM39 anti-ship missiles and a chin mounted Telephonics AN/APS-143 maritime imaging radar system. Eight of the Sixteen EC725 helicopters belonging to the Brazilian Navy will receive this configuration. As part of "Project H-X BR" 50 EC725s were ordered by the Brazilian Ministry of Defense for the three Army corps.
 EC725 Caracal with two AM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles
Picture: Airbus Helicopters / ANTHONY PECCHI
     
More than 20 flights were performed in Marignane, France during a one month period, from April to May 2014.

Experiments performed with such heavy weapons, weighing around 700 kg per missile, are very rare and require close coordination and collaboration among several departments, including the armament, structures, integration, computation, aerodynamics, loads, vibrations and flight tests.
     
A specialized team of Helibras and Airbus Helicopters experts tested for future Brazilian Navy needs a prototype of the EC725 Caracal carrying two MBDA Exocet AM39 anti-ship missiles and a chin mounted Telephonics AN/APS-143 maritime imaging radar system. Eight of the Sixteen EC725 helicopters belonging to the Brazilian Navy will receive this configuration. As part of "Project H-X BR" 50 EC725s were ordered by the Brazilian Ministry of Defense for the three Army corps.
 EC725 Caracal with two AM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles. Note the chin mounted AN/APS-143 maritime imaging radar system. Picture: Airbus Helicopters / ANTHONY PECCHI
     
According to a Brazilian Navy press release, the significant results achieved during these flights in different profiles and maneuvers were satisfactory, and confirmed the predictions of land based testing (vibration tests and associated extensive computer simulations) carried out by Airbus Helicopter and MBDA.

Following the positive results of this first test in France, the certification campaign of this configuration will be conducted in Brazil in 2015 by the Airbus Helicopters-Helibras consortium. Brazilian company HELIBRAS will use a prototype platform which will subsequently be the first EC725 (local designation UH-15A) helicopter to be delivered to the Navy of Brazil.

This is a major technological and operational step that will ultimatly bring state of the art capabilities to the Brazilian Navy's naval aviation.

Introduced in 2005, the EC725 has seen combat service worldwide, including in Afghanistan. Evolved from experience gained with the Cougar family, the EC725 is the latest version of this medium lift (11-ton class) helicopter. The EC725 has operated from ships and ashore. It is a truly multi-purpose, versatile military asset.

The AM39 Exocet is the air-to-surface version of the Exocet family. It can be launched from fighet jets, maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters. With a range of 70 kilometers, the AM39 enables the launcher to remain at stand off distance from enemy air defence. It is in service with the French Navy as well as with several export countires. The AM39 has been extensively used in combat in various operational theatres.

The APS-143C(V)3/ OceanEye system is Telephonics’ high perfor- mance maritime surveillance radar. OceanEye is a durable, lightweight, highly reliable, multi-mode maritime surveillance radar incorporating successful mission critical features of earlier APS-143 versions with technology developed for the AN/APS-147 multi-mode radar flying on the MH-60R, the U.S. Navy’s premier Multi-Mission Helicopter.