Tyrandis
04-08-2007, 00:19
http://avia.russian.ee/foto/mcdonnell_lhx_2.jpg
TRA-92 "Eiko" Light Attack Helicopter
[Abstract]
The TRA-92 (Tactical Rotary-wing Attack, Model 92) Light Attack Helicopter was developed by Tyrandis Precision Machine Import/Export Corporation to fill the Federal Ground Service's pressing need for an armed scout platform. With the gradual evolution of the TFGS towards a fully-modern, network-centric warfighting doctrine, this deficiency was identified as extremely critical; TRA-92 addressed this perceived issue by providing all-weather reconaissance capabilities that other tactical or strategic assets may be unable to furnish due to various factors. The design supplements and greatly enhances the lethality and effectiveness of its associated ground force with unmatched intelligence-gathering and combat capabilties. Officially nicknamed "Eiko" (Glory), these helicopters serve primarily as supporting elements of a larger deployment during coordinated air-land operations or through independent action. The overall function of the TRA-92 "Eiko" Light Attack Helicopter is to ensure total dominance of the extant battlespace by facilitating the execution of division-level ground operations through timely reconnaissance and interdiction of engaged hostile forces. Combining superb low-observable performance, fully-integrated mission avionics, and an advanced sensor suite, the TRA-92 Light Attack Helicopter will ensure TFGS superiority in rotary-wing aviation on the battlefield of the future.
[Design/Airframe]
The physical frame of the TRA-92 Light Attack Helicopter was intended to maximize survivability and reduce vulnerability to detection by tactical air and ground based systems. The primary role of the helicopter entails the acquisition of accurate, valuable real-time intelligence of enemy manuever from standoff range while remaining unseen - TPMI/EC thus engineered Eiko to give off minimal levels of environmental and electro-optical signatures. This was achieved through an all-composite fuselage, constructed primarily from carbon fiber-reinforced polyketone thermoplastic composite. This material was chosen due to its outstanding toughness, impact resistance, damage tolerance, as well as superb high-temperature performance. However, the main advantage over a more conventional metal frame lay in reduced RADAR Cross Sectional properties. Additional efforts to reduce RCS are also evident - RADAR Absorbent Structure [RAS] panels of honeycombed Kevlar sections, treated with carbon glazing and bonded to carbon filaments on the front and back, are mated under the exterior layer. The RAS panels have very small gaps between honeycombs in order to improve structural strength, and are intended to absorb RF signals in the high-frequency region found on tactical short-range air defense systems. Areas of particularly high reflection on the fuselage are treated with circuit analogue RADAR Absorbent Material [RAM], thin sheets of copper wire arranged in complex geometric patterns that scatter RF waves and reduce return intensity. Finally, the fuselage incorporates a geometrically dispersing shape developed using computational RCS modeling techniques, and shunts incoming RADAR signals away its originating point through the application of Brewster's angle.
All elements of the TRA-92 Light Attack Helicopter's design emphasize its low observable characteristics. Instead of using a standard main and tail rotor, Eiko employs a NOTAR control scheme. The TRA-92 eliminates the need for a tail rotor to counteract torque by enclosing a variable pitch fan the aft fuselage section immediately forward of the tail boom. The fan forces low pressure air through two slots on the right side of the tailboom, causing the downwash from the main rotor to hug the tailboom, which produces lift with control assisted by vertical stabilizers and a jet thruster. Use of this unconventional system allows for significantly reduced acoustic signature; TRA-92 is believed to be approximately 60% quieter than existing designs by eliminating interaction between tail and main rotor wakes. Additionally, the design's operational envelope is increased by enabling the helicopter to fly much closer to landscape obstacles such as telephone lines or trees without fear of having its tail rotor shorn off. Landing gear and armament are carried internally to promote stealth characteristics, as well as improve aerodynamic performance by reducing drag. The combined wing-sponson assembly has sufficient capacity to house six hardpoints for a variety of munitions, and improves lift. The cannon is rotated 180 degrees and stored in a fairing behind its turret when not in use.
For crew protection, areas around the TRA-92's cockpit are secured against ballistic projectiles with lightweight Ti-6V-4Al titanium backed by aramid fiber. Vulnerable sections of the airframe, particularly near the tail assembly and powerplants, are reinforced with hybrid composite armor. These are metal composite foam panels, comprised of two outer layers of titanium metal matrices with interwoven monofilament silicon carbide whiskers, and an aluminum foam core sandwiched between them. Although expensive and difficult to fabricate, the hybrid composite has remarkable toughness values, can sustain multiple hits while retaining protective qualities, and is significantly lighter than materials with similar levels of performance. The cockpit is also sealed and pressurized to prevent chemical or biological weapons from incapacitating the TRA-92's operators.
Pilot and Weapons Service Officer are seated in a tandem configuration. The pilot is upfront, while the gunner sits behind him unlike most designs, a design choice inspired by the ACI-37B Corvus which currently serves as the Federal Ground Service's helicopter gunship platform. However, the WSO is seated in an elevated position relative to the pilot, in order to improve visibility and operational effectiveness in case of sensor or systems malfunction. Both seats are offset from the centerline in order to increase situational awareness in the forward hemisphere. This unorthodox arrangement serves to improve the pilot's ability to fly the TRA-92 Light Attack Helicopter while impacting the gunner's ability to operate his weapons minimally as he retains a clear field of view of his surroundings and unobstructed access to his weapons stations.
Layout of the crew stations on the TRA-92 was intended to keep workload minimal, allowing pilot and gunner to concentrate on mission objectives. The canopy is manufactured from ballistic plexiglass and polarized to eliminate optical glint. This lamination process improves both visibility and reduces visual signature. At each crew station lie four AMLCD Multi-Functional-Displays which render a variety of flight and sensor information. There is no conventional Heads-Up-Display; this is replaced in function with the use of Helmet Mounted Displays. The flight helmet utilized in the TRA-92 Eiko is an advanced, self-contained system, combining HMD, night vision equipment, microphone and headphones. Thanks to advancements in engineering techniques pioneered by TPMI/EC, the system is 20% lighter than previous-generation helmets even with the addition of the integrated electronic equipment, and provides the same level of protection. The HMD projects critical information onto a semi-reflective transparent visor in front of the pilot, and shares the symbology library used in the MFDs. Additionally, motion-tracking capabilities are built into the flight helmet with a full six-degrees of freedom. Targeting interfaces for fire control are slaved to the helmet, providing 'look-shoot' capability.
[Avionics]
In order to conserve developmental time and costs, TPMI/EC selected the MADHAT (Modular Advanced Dynamic Helicopter Avionics Suite) electronics architecture originally used in the ACI-37B Corvus for integration with the TRA-92 Eiko. Also, and of great significance, this design choice greatly simplified incorporation of the TRA-92 into overall TFAS force structure and inventories as common logistics facilities may be used in both helicopters. MADHAT is a comprehensive distributed computing solution which blends numerous and disparate sensor, mission-critical utility, and communications systems into a seamlessly integrated package. Every individual element of the TRA-92's mission equipment is centrally processed by MADHAT with built-in self-diagnostic capability to simplify logistics. The modular nature of the architecture additionally reduces TRA-92's maintenance requirements as most systems are packaged as easily-accessible line replaceable units.
Flight control for the TRA-92 Light Attack Helicopter is provided by a multiply-redundant, fly-by-wire electronic control system in order to improve pilot feedback responsiveness and reduce weight as compared to older hydraulic-assisted mechanisms of similar function. Although TPMI/EC considered implementation of fly-by-light for the design, the specialized and fragile tooling necessary to maintain such systems was deemed unacceptable. Establishing such facilities in suboptimal conditions that TRA-92 may encounter during the course of a combined air-land operation (for example, hastily erected Forward Air Bases to support a ground offensive) was determined to be unfeasible. However, FBL retains one critical advantage over the copper-wire system utilized in the TRA-92 Light Attack Helicopter - immunity to electromagnetic interference. In order to compensate for this issue, the control system utilized in Eiko is hardened against potentially harmful EMI through the application of Electric Wave Absorbing Material. EWAM is a non-woven, six-layer cloth comprised of stainless steel and polyethyl fibers, and protects the helicopter from influence by EMI. Additionally, the system reduces workload by enabling automatic hover or manuever while the pilot may focus his attention on other concerns.
As the primary role of the TRA-92 is armed reconnaissance, the helicopter features a wide variety of sensor systems providing acquisition, tracking, and, if necessary, fire control capabilities. All outputs from the helicopter's individual different subsystems are centrally processed by MADHAT, which implements sensor fusion for the TRA-92's crew in order to reduce workload and ensure data integrity.
Installed above the main rotor is a compact radome that houses a millimetric wave fire control RADAR, with range estimated at 34 km under optimal conditions. The elevated position enables the system to retain functionality while the TRA-92 remains concealed by physical obstacles. Under the same principle, the gunner sight is positioned in a mast assembly considerably higher than the main rotor. The sight is composed of a gimballed dual imaging infrared and electro-optical sensor system housed in a stabilized mount. A combined laser rangefinder/designator shares the assembly, and enables the TRA-92 to safely mark targets for on- or offboard weapons systems (such as ATGMs launched from supporting gunships) from standoff range. The IIR system includes a separate imager operating in Short Wave InfraRed (SWIR) frequencies which significantly degrades the efficacy of hostile optical camouflage. Every system is tightly integrated with cockpit displays, greatly enhancing the situational awareness of pilot and gunner.
The TRA-92 Eiko is only a single component in the network-centric force utilized by the TFGS, however, and as a result special attention was paid to the communications systems used by the helicopter. This is the domain of the Integrated Communication Navigation Identification Avionics system, which combines the functions of current communications equipment, such as HF SSB (High Frequency-Single Side Band), VHF/UHF, SINCGARS, Have Quick, EJS, JTIDS, various navigational aids and transponder/interrogator facilities compatible with NATO-standard IFF systems. Eiko enhances the situational awareness of its associated fast-moving forces by providing up to the minute tactical intelligence from its advanced sensor suite. Every output processed by the MADHAT central architecture may be transmitted to friendly forces via Joint Tactical Information Distribution System or other comparable battle management interfaces. In this way, data gathered by the TRA-92 Light Attack Helicopter may be analyzed and exploited by commanders on the ground.
[Countermeasures]
Due to the high attrition rate suffered by rotary-wing aircraft, TPMI/EC developed a sophisticated Integrated Electronic Warfare system to defeat tactical air defense systems in wide circulation. Internal design studies conducted by the company found that the primary threat to the TRA-92 would come from short-range surface to air missiles; Eiko thereby features a number of passive and active countermeasures designed to defeat these threats. Most effective is an infrared signature suppression system built into the airframe, that draws in cooler air from an inlet above the tailboom and mixes it with the hotter engine exhaust, which serves to reduce IR signature to approximately 1/4 that of extant designs. A super heterodyne RADAR Warning Receiver serves to alert crewmen if they are being illuminated by hostile transmitters, while a LASER Warning Receiver performs the same function for beam-riding weapons such as Starstreak. Housed in the tail assembly is an intelligent flares/chaff dispenser that is networked to the passive alert systems, deploying decoys in the direction of a perceived threat in order to maximize effectiveness.
The TRA-92 also includes a set of active jamming equipment. The ADN-2 infrared jammer makes use of a gimballed low-powered microwave laser to detect and jam incoming IR missiles. In order to preserve stealth characteristics, transparent lens covers manufactured from selectively permeable plastic shields the device from RADAR visibility when not in use. The system is capable of jamming multiple IR and UV frequencies simultaeneously to provide improved performance. The NRV-27 is the TRA-92’s RF jammer which emits radio frequency signals that interfere with hostile transmitter operation. The use of a directional, super heterodyne receiver in the TRA-92 enables it to engage in DRFM (digital radio frequency memory) jamming in addition to standard noise jamming modes. In the DRFM mode, the TRA-92 Light Attack Helicopter manipulates received radar energy and retransmits it to change the return the hostile RADAR sees. This technique serves to provide conflicting and confusing information for enemy interpretation. For example, the NRV-27 may change the range the transmitter detects through alterations in the delay in pulse transmission or the velocity the radar detects by changing the doppler shift of the transmitted signal. The combination of sensitive and precise passive monitors paired with directional active countermeasures improves the survivability of the TRA-92 platform by a significant margin.
[Specifications]
Personnel: 2 (Pilot, Weapons Service Officer)
Dimentions:
Length: 14.8m
Height: 3.5m, 4.8m including mast-mounted sensor system
Rotor Diameter: 12.6m
Weights:
Empty: 3,820 kg
Standard loadout: 6,250 kg
Max. takeoff: 7,200 kg
Speeds:
330 km/hr cruise, 350 km/hr dash
Rate of climb: 6.15 m/s
Powerplant: 2x TA-520 Mk. 20 gas turboshafts, each providing 2,788 SHP
Range: 540 km (internal fuel)
Armament:
Six internal slots mounted in combined sponson/wings; eight external slots on an optional Enhanced Fuel and Armament Management mounting attachment. All are capable of holding unguided rockets, IR-guided Air to Air Missiles, and Anti-Tank Guided Missiles. Each slot accomodates one ATGM, two AAMs, or a pack of four FFARs.
One 30x135mm CIGM-30-4 autocannon, firing Cased-Telescoping-Ammunition. The CIGM-30-4's projectile is surrounded with a high density molded propellant charge, enclosing the assembly in a cylindrical steel case. When the round is fired, a small charge located immediately behind the cannon round accelerates it into the TCIGM-1's barrel before the main charge ignites. This unorthodox arrangement serves to greatly enhance muzzle velocity and lethality against selected targets.
[Price for Export]:
$27,500,000 USD
TRA-92 "Eiko" Light Attack Helicopter
[Abstract]
The TRA-92 (Tactical Rotary-wing Attack, Model 92) Light Attack Helicopter was developed by Tyrandis Precision Machine Import/Export Corporation to fill the Federal Ground Service's pressing need for an armed scout platform. With the gradual evolution of the TFGS towards a fully-modern, network-centric warfighting doctrine, this deficiency was identified as extremely critical; TRA-92 addressed this perceived issue by providing all-weather reconaissance capabilities that other tactical or strategic assets may be unable to furnish due to various factors. The design supplements and greatly enhances the lethality and effectiveness of its associated ground force with unmatched intelligence-gathering and combat capabilties. Officially nicknamed "Eiko" (Glory), these helicopters serve primarily as supporting elements of a larger deployment during coordinated air-land operations or through independent action. The overall function of the TRA-92 "Eiko" Light Attack Helicopter is to ensure total dominance of the extant battlespace by facilitating the execution of division-level ground operations through timely reconnaissance and interdiction of engaged hostile forces. Combining superb low-observable performance, fully-integrated mission avionics, and an advanced sensor suite, the TRA-92 Light Attack Helicopter will ensure TFGS superiority in rotary-wing aviation on the battlefield of the future.
[Design/Airframe]
The physical frame of the TRA-92 Light Attack Helicopter was intended to maximize survivability and reduce vulnerability to detection by tactical air and ground based systems. The primary role of the helicopter entails the acquisition of accurate, valuable real-time intelligence of enemy manuever from standoff range while remaining unseen - TPMI/EC thus engineered Eiko to give off minimal levels of environmental and electro-optical signatures. This was achieved through an all-composite fuselage, constructed primarily from carbon fiber-reinforced polyketone thermoplastic composite. This material was chosen due to its outstanding toughness, impact resistance, damage tolerance, as well as superb high-temperature performance. However, the main advantage over a more conventional metal frame lay in reduced RADAR Cross Sectional properties. Additional efforts to reduce RCS are also evident - RADAR Absorbent Structure [RAS] panels of honeycombed Kevlar sections, treated with carbon glazing and bonded to carbon filaments on the front and back, are mated under the exterior layer. The RAS panels have very small gaps between honeycombs in order to improve structural strength, and are intended to absorb RF signals in the high-frequency region found on tactical short-range air defense systems. Areas of particularly high reflection on the fuselage are treated with circuit analogue RADAR Absorbent Material [RAM], thin sheets of copper wire arranged in complex geometric patterns that scatter RF waves and reduce return intensity. Finally, the fuselage incorporates a geometrically dispersing shape developed using computational RCS modeling techniques, and shunts incoming RADAR signals away its originating point through the application of Brewster's angle.
All elements of the TRA-92 Light Attack Helicopter's design emphasize its low observable characteristics. Instead of using a standard main and tail rotor, Eiko employs a NOTAR control scheme. The TRA-92 eliminates the need for a tail rotor to counteract torque by enclosing a variable pitch fan the aft fuselage section immediately forward of the tail boom. The fan forces low pressure air through two slots on the right side of the tailboom, causing the downwash from the main rotor to hug the tailboom, which produces lift with control assisted by vertical stabilizers and a jet thruster. Use of this unconventional system allows for significantly reduced acoustic signature; TRA-92 is believed to be approximately 60% quieter than existing designs by eliminating interaction between tail and main rotor wakes. Additionally, the design's operational envelope is increased by enabling the helicopter to fly much closer to landscape obstacles such as telephone lines or trees without fear of having its tail rotor shorn off. Landing gear and armament are carried internally to promote stealth characteristics, as well as improve aerodynamic performance by reducing drag. The combined wing-sponson assembly has sufficient capacity to house six hardpoints for a variety of munitions, and improves lift. The cannon is rotated 180 degrees and stored in a fairing behind its turret when not in use.
For crew protection, areas around the TRA-92's cockpit are secured against ballistic projectiles with lightweight Ti-6V-4Al titanium backed by aramid fiber. Vulnerable sections of the airframe, particularly near the tail assembly and powerplants, are reinforced with hybrid composite armor. These are metal composite foam panels, comprised of two outer layers of titanium metal matrices with interwoven monofilament silicon carbide whiskers, and an aluminum foam core sandwiched between them. Although expensive and difficult to fabricate, the hybrid composite has remarkable toughness values, can sustain multiple hits while retaining protective qualities, and is significantly lighter than materials with similar levels of performance. The cockpit is also sealed and pressurized to prevent chemical or biological weapons from incapacitating the TRA-92's operators.
Pilot and Weapons Service Officer are seated in a tandem configuration. The pilot is upfront, while the gunner sits behind him unlike most designs, a design choice inspired by the ACI-37B Corvus which currently serves as the Federal Ground Service's helicopter gunship platform. However, the WSO is seated in an elevated position relative to the pilot, in order to improve visibility and operational effectiveness in case of sensor or systems malfunction. Both seats are offset from the centerline in order to increase situational awareness in the forward hemisphere. This unorthodox arrangement serves to improve the pilot's ability to fly the TRA-92 Light Attack Helicopter while impacting the gunner's ability to operate his weapons minimally as he retains a clear field of view of his surroundings and unobstructed access to his weapons stations.
Layout of the crew stations on the TRA-92 was intended to keep workload minimal, allowing pilot and gunner to concentrate on mission objectives. The canopy is manufactured from ballistic plexiglass and polarized to eliminate optical glint. This lamination process improves both visibility and reduces visual signature. At each crew station lie four AMLCD Multi-Functional-Displays which render a variety of flight and sensor information. There is no conventional Heads-Up-Display; this is replaced in function with the use of Helmet Mounted Displays. The flight helmet utilized in the TRA-92 Eiko is an advanced, self-contained system, combining HMD, night vision equipment, microphone and headphones. Thanks to advancements in engineering techniques pioneered by TPMI/EC, the system is 20% lighter than previous-generation helmets even with the addition of the integrated electronic equipment, and provides the same level of protection. The HMD projects critical information onto a semi-reflective transparent visor in front of the pilot, and shares the symbology library used in the MFDs. Additionally, motion-tracking capabilities are built into the flight helmet with a full six-degrees of freedom. Targeting interfaces for fire control are slaved to the helmet, providing 'look-shoot' capability.
[Avionics]
In order to conserve developmental time and costs, TPMI/EC selected the MADHAT (Modular Advanced Dynamic Helicopter Avionics Suite) electronics architecture originally used in the ACI-37B Corvus for integration with the TRA-92 Eiko. Also, and of great significance, this design choice greatly simplified incorporation of the TRA-92 into overall TFAS force structure and inventories as common logistics facilities may be used in both helicopters. MADHAT is a comprehensive distributed computing solution which blends numerous and disparate sensor, mission-critical utility, and communications systems into a seamlessly integrated package. Every individual element of the TRA-92's mission equipment is centrally processed by MADHAT with built-in self-diagnostic capability to simplify logistics. The modular nature of the architecture additionally reduces TRA-92's maintenance requirements as most systems are packaged as easily-accessible line replaceable units.
Flight control for the TRA-92 Light Attack Helicopter is provided by a multiply-redundant, fly-by-wire electronic control system in order to improve pilot feedback responsiveness and reduce weight as compared to older hydraulic-assisted mechanisms of similar function. Although TPMI/EC considered implementation of fly-by-light for the design, the specialized and fragile tooling necessary to maintain such systems was deemed unacceptable. Establishing such facilities in suboptimal conditions that TRA-92 may encounter during the course of a combined air-land operation (for example, hastily erected Forward Air Bases to support a ground offensive) was determined to be unfeasible. However, FBL retains one critical advantage over the copper-wire system utilized in the TRA-92 Light Attack Helicopter - immunity to electromagnetic interference. In order to compensate for this issue, the control system utilized in Eiko is hardened against potentially harmful EMI through the application of Electric Wave Absorbing Material. EWAM is a non-woven, six-layer cloth comprised of stainless steel and polyethyl fibers, and protects the helicopter from influence by EMI. Additionally, the system reduces workload by enabling automatic hover or manuever while the pilot may focus his attention on other concerns.
As the primary role of the TRA-92 is armed reconnaissance, the helicopter features a wide variety of sensor systems providing acquisition, tracking, and, if necessary, fire control capabilities. All outputs from the helicopter's individual different subsystems are centrally processed by MADHAT, which implements sensor fusion for the TRA-92's crew in order to reduce workload and ensure data integrity.
Installed above the main rotor is a compact radome that houses a millimetric wave fire control RADAR, with range estimated at 34 km under optimal conditions. The elevated position enables the system to retain functionality while the TRA-92 remains concealed by physical obstacles. Under the same principle, the gunner sight is positioned in a mast assembly considerably higher than the main rotor. The sight is composed of a gimballed dual imaging infrared and electro-optical sensor system housed in a stabilized mount. A combined laser rangefinder/designator shares the assembly, and enables the TRA-92 to safely mark targets for on- or offboard weapons systems (such as ATGMs launched from supporting gunships) from standoff range. The IIR system includes a separate imager operating in Short Wave InfraRed (SWIR) frequencies which significantly degrades the efficacy of hostile optical camouflage. Every system is tightly integrated with cockpit displays, greatly enhancing the situational awareness of pilot and gunner.
The TRA-92 Eiko is only a single component in the network-centric force utilized by the TFGS, however, and as a result special attention was paid to the communications systems used by the helicopter. This is the domain of the Integrated Communication Navigation Identification Avionics system, which combines the functions of current communications equipment, such as HF SSB (High Frequency-Single Side Band), VHF/UHF, SINCGARS, Have Quick, EJS, JTIDS, various navigational aids and transponder/interrogator facilities compatible with NATO-standard IFF systems. Eiko enhances the situational awareness of its associated fast-moving forces by providing up to the minute tactical intelligence from its advanced sensor suite. Every output processed by the MADHAT central architecture may be transmitted to friendly forces via Joint Tactical Information Distribution System or other comparable battle management interfaces. In this way, data gathered by the TRA-92 Light Attack Helicopter may be analyzed and exploited by commanders on the ground.
[Countermeasures]
Due to the high attrition rate suffered by rotary-wing aircraft, TPMI/EC developed a sophisticated Integrated Electronic Warfare system to defeat tactical air defense systems in wide circulation. Internal design studies conducted by the company found that the primary threat to the TRA-92 would come from short-range surface to air missiles; Eiko thereby features a number of passive and active countermeasures designed to defeat these threats. Most effective is an infrared signature suppression system built into the airframe, that draws in cooler air from an inlet above the tailboom and mixes it with the hotter engine exhaust, which serves to reduce IR signature to approximately 1/4 that of extant designs. A super heterodyne RADAR Warning Receiver serves to alert crewmen if they are being illuminated by hostile transmitters, while a LASER Warning Receiver performs the same function for beam-riding weapons such as Starstreak. Housed in the tail assembly is an intelligent flares/chaff dispenser that is networked to the passive alert systems, deploying decoys in the direction of a perceived threat in order to maximize effectiveness.
The TRA-92 also includes a set of active jamming equipment. The ADN-2 infrared jammer makes use of a gimballed low-powered microwave laser to detect and jam incoming IR missiles. In order to preserve stealth characteristics, transparent lens covers manufactured from selectively permeable plastic shields the device from RADAR visibility when not in use. The system is capable of jamming multiple IR and UV frequencies simultaeneously to provide improved performance. The NRV-27 is the TRA-92’s RF jammer which emits radio frequency signals that interfere with hostile transmitter operation. The use of a directional, super heterodyne receiver in the TRA-92 enables it to engage in DRFM (digital radio frequency memory) jamming in addition to standard noise jamming modes. In the DRFM mode, the TRA-92 Light Attack Helicopter manipulates received radar energy and retransmits it to change the return the hostile RADAR sees. This technique serves to provide conflicting and confusing information for enemy interpretation. For example, the NRV-27 may change the range the transmitter detects through alterations in the delay in pulse transmission or the velocity the radar detects by changing the doppler shift of the transmitted signal. The combination of sensitive and precise passive monitors paired with directional active countermeasures improves the survivability of the TRA-92 platform by a significant margin.
[Specifications]
Personnel: 2 (Pilot, Weapons Service Officer)
Dimentions:
Length: 14.8m
Height: 3.5m, 4.8m including mast-mounted sensor system
Rotor Diameter: 12.6m
Weights:
Empty: 3,820 kg
Standard loadout: 6,250 kg
Max. takeoff: 7,200 kg
Speeds:
330 km/hr cruise, 350 km/hr dash
Rate of climb: 6.15 m/s
Powerplant: 2x TA-520 Mk. 20 gas turboshafts, each providing 2,788 SHP
Range: 540 km (internal fuel)
Armament:
Six internal slots mounted in combined sponson/wings; eight external slots on an optional Enhanced Fuel and Armament Management mounting attachment. All are capable of holding unguided rockets, IR-guided Air to Air Missiles, and Anti-Tank Guided Missiles. Each slot accomodates one ATGM, two AAMs, or a pack of four FFARs.
One 30x135mm CIGM-30-4 autocannon, firing Cased-Telescoping-Ammunition. The CIGM-30-4's projectile is surrounded with a high density molded propellant charge, enclosing the assembly in a cylindrical steel case. When the round is fired, a small charge located immediately behind the cannon round accelerates it into the TCIGM-1's barrel before the main charge ignites. This unorthodox arrangement serves to greatly enhance muzzle velocity and lethality against selected targets.
[Price for Export]:
$27,500,000 USD