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==Development== | ==Development== | ||
The race to develop a helicopter which could be produced domestically inside of Charnea began in 1977 with the imposition of several arms embargoes on the country in response to its escalation of the ongoing [[Ninvite War]]. [[Onekawa-Nukanoa|Onekawan]] businessman [[Tonga Eruere]] saw the potential to seize control of the now wide open Charnean aircraft market and established Eruere Enterprises with the goal of filling the Charnean military's demand for aircraft. Helicopters were in particularly high demand by the military as they were both sorely needed for the increasing number of airmobile counterinsurgency formations being deployed in the ongoing conflict | The race to develop a helicopter which could be produced domestically inside of Charnea began in 1977 with the imposition of several arms embargoes on the country in response to its escalation of the ongoing [[Ninvite War]]. [[Onekawa-Nukanoa|Onekawan]] businessman [[Tonga Eruere]] saw the potential to seize control of the now wide open Charnean aircraft market and established Eruere Enterprises with the goal of filling the Charnean military's demand for aircraft. Helicopters were in particularly high demand by the military as they were both sorely needed for the increasing number of airmobile counterinsurgency formations being deployed in the ongoing conflict while also being some of the most vulnerable pieces of equipment on the battlefield, being lost to enemy fire more frequently than any other type of vehicle. Tonga Eruere hired a team of engineers to come up with a design proposal for a craft which would be capable enough to meet the needs of the Charnean military and yet also simple and cheap enough to manufacture inside of Charnea in order to avoid the sanctions and arms embargoes. | ||
Eruere's engineers came up with a number of techniques to simplify the manufacturing process for the proposed design, such as the reduction of the powerplant to just a single simplified engine and the use of a {{wp|Rolling (metalworking)|rolled sheet}} construction technique for the fuselage which had been already been used by some Charnean manufacturing plants, namely those of the [[Akayon Corporation]]. In order to simple enough to manufacture domestically and cheap enough for the Charnean military to afford in significant numbers, the decision was made early in the process to create a relatively small and lightweight helicopter which would have limited passenger capacity. The design was reviewed by Charnean military procurement officials, who issued their preliminary approval awaiting Tonga Eruere's efforts to finish building and equipping a production plant capable of actually manufacturing the proposed design. This was completed in 1981, 4 years after Tonga Eruere started the project, delivering three Ashwal helicopters to the Army that year although production would soon accelerate to a rate of 2 per month by 1984 at the height of the Ninvite War. | Eruere's engineers came up with a number of techniques to simplify the manufacturing process for the proposed design, such as the reduction of the powerplant to just a single simplified engine and the use of a {{wp|Rolling (metalworking)|rolled sheet}} construction technique for the fuselage which had been already been used by some Charnean manufacturing plants, namely those of the [[Akayon Corporation]]. In order to simple enough to manufacture domestically and cheap enough for the Charnean military to afford in significant numbers, the decision was made early in the process to create a relatively small and lightweight helicopter which would have limited passenger capacity. The design was reviewed by Charnean military procurement officials, who issued their preliminary approval awaiting Tonga Eruere's efforts to finish building and equipping a production plant capable of actually manufacturing the proposed design. This was completed in 1981, 4 years after Tonga Eruere started the project, delivering three Ashwal helicopters to the Army that year although production would soon accelerate to a rate of 2 per month by 1984 at the height of the Ninvite War. | ||
Revision as of 19:14, 20 October 2023
| Eruere Ashwal | |
|---|---|
| |
| An Ashwal armed 70mm rockets | |
| Role | Light utility helicopter |
| National origin | Charnea |
| Manufacturer | Eruere Enterprises |
| Introduction | 1981 |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | Charnean Army |
| Produced | 1981–present |
| Number built | 421 |
The Eruere Ashwal (Tamashek: ⴰⵛⵡⴰⵍ, tr. "Locust") is a light multipurpose single-engine military helicopter manufactured by Eruere Enterprises in Ekelhoc, Charnea. It was the first indigenous helicopter to be designed and produced in Charnea at the time of its introduction in 1981. The Charnean defense industry, under pressure from sanctions and an arms embargo, bankrolled the development in an effort to establish domestic production of helicopters to resupply the Charnean Army.
Development
The race to develop a helicopter which could be produced domestically inside of Charnea began in 1977 with the imposition of several arms embargoes on the country in response to its escalation of the ongoing Ninvite War. Onekawan businessman Tonga Eruere saw the potential to seize control of the now wide open Charnean aircraft market and established Eruere Enterprises with the goal of filling the Charnean military's demand for aircraft. Helicopters were in particularly high demand by the military as they were both sorely needed for the increasing number of airmobile counterinsurgency formations being deployed in the ongoing conflict while also being some of the most vulnerable pieces of equipment on the battlefield, being lost to enemy fire more frequently than any other type of vehicle. Tonga Eruere hired a team of engineers to come up with a design proposal for a craft which would be capable enough to meet the needs of the Charnean military and yet also simple and cheap enough to manufacture inside of Charnea in order to avoid the sanctions and arms embargoes.
Eruere's engineers came up with a number of techniques to simplify the manufacturing process for the proposed design, such as the reduction of the powerplant to just a single simplified engine and the use of a rolled sheet construction technique for the fuselage which had been already been used by some Charnean manufacturing plants, namely those of the Akayon Corporation. In order to simple enough to manufacture domestically and cheap enough for the Charnean military to afford in significant numbers, the decision was made early in the process to create a relatively small and lightweight helicopter which would have limited passenger capacity. The design was reviewed by Charnean military procurement officials, who issued their preliminary approval awaiting Tonga Eruere's efforts to finish building and equipping a production plant capable of actually manufacturing the proposed design. This was completed in 1981, 4 years after Tonga Eruere started the project, delivering three Ashwal helicopters to the Army that year although production would soon accelerate to a rate of 2 per month by 1984 at the height of the Ninvite War.
Design
The Ashwal is a single-design powered by Eruere's proprietary Turbomech 1A powerplant turning a three-bladed rotor. This propulsion system grants the helicopter a service ceiling over 5,000 meters, exceptionally high for a craft of this type. Composite materials are used in both the rotors and the aircraft's main body in order to reduce the manufacturing cost as well as to cut down on corrosion and thus maintenance costs for the airframes over time. The fuselage was also designed with some limited noise dampening features in order to meet the military's request for a low-noise cabin so that troops onboard could be briefed on their mission in-flight.
Weapon mounting points on either side of the fuselage allow for various configurations of armaments to be attached to the base helicopter type, including 70mm unguided rocket launchers, air-to-ground ATGMs, 12.7mm machineguns and 20mm autocannons. This would also allow military aircraft to be easily disarmed and potentially resold to the civilian market, a feature that Tonga Eruere insisted upon as he anticipated a new market for for civilianized version of the Ashwal to emerge after the war.
Service History
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Capacity: 4 passengers
- Length: 10.93 m (35 ft 10 in) (fuselage length)
- Height: 3.34 m (10 ft 11 in)
- Empty weight: 1,220 kg (2,690 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 2,250 kg (4,960 lb)
- Fuel capacity: 540 L
- Powerplant: 1 × Turbomech 1A turboshaft, 632 kW (847 shp)
- Main rotor diameter: 10.69 m (35 ft 1 in)
- Main rotor area: 89.75 m2 (966.1 sq ft)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 246 km/h (153 mph; 133 kn) (max cruise)
- Never exceed speed: 287 km/h (178 mph; 155 kn)
- Range: 648 km (403 mi; 350 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 5,280 m (17,320 ft)
- Rate of climb: 10.30 m/s (2,028 ft/min)
Armament
Able to equip 2 of:
- 20 mm autocanon
- 12.7 mm machine gun pod
- 7 x 70mm unguided rocket launcher
- TEL-6 Esayn anti-tank missiles