Matca D7M Taipan

Matca D7M Taipan
D7M of 60 Regiment Aviation in service camouflauge.
Role	Stealth attack helicopter
National origin	Meridon
Manufacturer	Matca Aerospace
First flight	14 August 2018
Introduction	17 August 2020
Status	In service
Primary user	Meridon Defense Forces
Produced	2019-present
Number built	75 initial production, 10 pre-production
Unit cost	52.2 million MD (D7M A)

The Matca D7M Taipan is a Meridonian twin-turboshaft, two seat, tailwheel-configured, coaxially-bladed, NOTAR-equipped stealth attack helicopter, created by Matca as a replacement for the venerable but aging D6M Adder platform, which while extremely reliable was not able to be built upon with further modifications as required of the next-generation battlefield. Utilizing a number of significant design advances in its design and a number of redundancies, the Adder, while considerably more expensive than the variant it is replacing, is remarkably more capable.

Design

D7M in pre-production green paint.

Operators

Current Operators

• Meridon
• Joseon- 72x D7M A on order for its Marine Corps.

Specifications (D7M)

General Characteristics

• Crew: 2 (pilot, copilot/gunner (CPG)
• Length: 48.5 ft (14.8m)
• Width: 6.6 ft (2m)
• Height: 12.1 ft (3.7m)
• Rotor Height: 14.7 ft (4.48m)
• Wingspan: 15 ft (4.6m)
• Empty Weight: 7,441.9 lbs (3,375 Kgs)
• Max Takeoff Weight: 14,839.7 lbs (6,730 Kgs)
• Powerplant: 2x Regnault-Dawson HMA23 Turboshaft Engines (2,300 HP / 1,715.11 kW each)
• Fuel Capacity: 4,354.1 lbs (1,975 Kgs)
• Rotor Diameter: (x2 - Coaxial) 39.7 ft (12.11m)
• Main Rotor Area: 2,479.57 ft2 (230.36 m2)

Performance

• Maximum Speed: 230 knots (425.96 Km/H / 264.67 MPH)
• Service Ceiling: 17,290' ft (5,270m)
• Rate of Climb: 34 seconds @ 2,012 feet per minute (10.23 M/Sec)
• Wing Loading: 100 lb/sq ft (492 kg/m2)
• Thrust/Weight: 509.69 HP/Ton (0.50 kW/Kg)
• Disc Loading @ MTOW: 5.98 Lbs/sq ft (29.21 Kg/m2)
• Cruise Performance: 620 nmi (1,148.24 Km / 713.48 miles) in 3 hours 50 minutes @ 160 knots (296.62 Km/H / 184 MPH)
• Maximum Performance: 290 nmi (537.08 Km / 333.72 miles) in 1 hour, 15 minutes @ 230 knots (425.96 Km/H / 264.67 MPH)

Armament

• Guns: 1 × Type 97 20mm cannon with 650 rounds
• Payload: 4x internal hardpoints and 6x external hardpoints, capacity up to TBD lbs

Avionics

• AE-161D radar warning reciever
• AO-62 electro-optical distributed aperture system (EO-DAS)
• AE-202 Electronic Warfare/ Defensive Electronic Countermeasures System
• AO-340 electro-optical targeting and designation system
• AW-220 integrated millimeter radar