CHALLENGES


All told, the Bell 407MRH is an impressive aeronautical accomplishment; one that proves that it is possible to adapt commercial technology for military applications.


According to Adam Gunn, bridging the gap between the two was the hardest part. “Our real efforts went into developing the prototype 407MRH; finding ways to make a commercial platform serve a range of military requirements without compromising the 407GXP’s fundamental characteristics,” he said. “Once we worked out those issues, the rest was relatively easy.”


“The biggest challenges were balancing the military technology with its impact on the 407MRH’s payload capacity and available space,” Gunn said. “The 407GXP is a great aircraft, and the Garmin 1000H is an excellent avionics suite. Our mission was to respect these facts, while adding the military special mission equipment (sensors, weapons, and mounting structures) that provide the multi-role capability that our clients require.”


The 407MRH’s camera system is a good example of what Southeast/NorthStar and its other partners had to contend with. Before FLIR developed the lightweight Star SAFIRE 260-HLD turret – delivering six payloads within a 9-10” gyro-stabilized unit – the thought of having to use a larger turret weighing 100+ lbs or more haunted the helicopter’s design team.


“Every pound of mass that we had to allocate to the turret took away from our remaining payload capacity,” McDougall said. “Having IR, visible light, and low light cameras and a good laser designator inside a ~55 lbs gimbal made a big difference.” Similar solutions like the 407MRH’s lightweight carbon fiber door minimized the demands on the helicopter’s payload capacity, thereby maximizing its performance.


70


May/June 2017


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