Search and Rescue (SAR) is one of the most demanding tasks a helicopter and its crew can perform and is typically reserved for only the most experienced pilots and the highest performing helicopter platforms. Norway has a long history in aviation and certainly has many experienced aviators. With the introduction of the latest generation AW101 “SAR Queen”, the country now has the most advanced SAR helicopter fleet in the world.
In 2020, the first six SAR Queen helicopters entered service in Norway, and the fifteenth of sixteen aircraft on order was delivered earlier this year, reaching an important milestone in this successful program. With delivery of the final aircraft scheduled for 2024 and two bases remaining to begin SAR operations with the AW101, deliveries will be completed next year and Leonardo’s 15-year support service will be fully operational.
Norway and Leonardo – a long-standing relationship
Leonardo’s relationship with the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) goes back 50 years, with a focus on helicopter-borne SAR operations. This relationship began with the introduction of the iconic Sea King in the 1970s, manufactured by Leonardo Helicopters (formerly Westland) in Yeovil and possibly one of the most iconic SAR helicopters of all time. This aircraft has been operated by the RNoAF’s 330 Squadron for five decades and will finally be retired from service at the end of 2023.
“The 330 Squadron previously only knew the Leonardo helicopters and used them for search and rescue purposes. “So it’s a very strong relationship that has grown over several decades, and that means we understand how they work and what’s important to them,” said Mark Goddard, senior customer support manager for Norway’s NAWSARH and Polish programs at Leonardo Helicopters UK.
In order to propose a solution to a customer, it is important to understand their operational challenges. For Norway’s all-weather search and rescue mission, many of these challenges arise from the unique geographical and environmental conditions the country faces year-round.
Norway is one of the largest countries in Europe and has a coastline of over 24,000 kilometers, much of which extends to the Arctic Circle, while also being responsible for a vast expanse of water all the way to the North Pole. It is very mountainous and is home to some of the highest peaks in Northern Europe.
This presents aviators with major challenges, from navigating dangerous terrain to dealing with year-round icing conditions to flying in adverse weather – both at sea and on land. Due to the long-standing relationship between Leonardo and the RNoAF, many of these challenges were known and as a result, Leonardo was able to begin developing a helicopter SAR solution that would go beyond the capabilities of the old Sea King.
Leonardo’s new AW101 SAR variant
The result was a brand new variant of the AW101, Leonardo’s highly versatile helicopter, which has been used in some of the world’s most extreme environments – both military and civilian – and achieved great success, particularly in SAR tasks. Three of the members of the Arctic Council chose the AW101 as the vehicle to carry out their responsibilities in this most northern and hostile environment.
“The capabilities of the Norwegian AW101 are world-leading,” said Simon Tutcher, technical manager for the AW101/EH101 programs at Leonardo Helicopters UK. “The AW101 can accomplish the mission when others cannot.”
What sets the Norwegian variant apart from other SAR helicopters is not only the outstanding performance of the AW101, but also a number of state-of-the-art systems installed on the platform that have already directly contributed to saving lives and getting personnel out of harm’s way .
This includes a groundbreaking cell phone tracking system that can locate a missing person using the phone signal alone. This allows crews to fly over adverse weather conditions with the tracking system turned on – rather than conducting search patterns close to the ground – to quickly locate a person and send them a text message that they are on the way. What once took several hours can now take a fraction of that time, increasing the missing person’s chances of survival and freeing the crew and helicopter for further missions.
This is also combined with the next generation Osprey 30 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar – also from Leonardo – which provides crews with exceptional all-weather detection capability both on land and at sea.
“The Air Force has the ability to push the boundaries of its operational norms by leveraging the capabilities and capabilities at its disposal,” Tutcher noted.
Best-in-class range and performance for SAR
The AW101 has an impressive range and capability, allowing crews to fly much further and higher than previously possible with helicopters such as the Sea King.
Crews are now able to fly over mountainous terrain rather than circumnavigating it via coastal navigation, resulting in significantly improved response times.
As described above, this performance also allows the helicopter to fly over adverse weather conditions, improving comfort for crew and passengers and creating a more stable environment for missions.
An active vibration dampening system also reduces crew fatigue during longer distance flights and facilitates the transport and transfer of vulnerable and very sick patients – including heart attack patients and brooding newborns – which would not be possible with a ground-based ambulance or smaller HEMS aircraft.
The Norwegian fleet also has an anti-icing feature which means it can be deployed and flown even when other aircraft would be grounded – and in Norway this can be the case all year round! This is crucial for SAR as many rescue operations occur when people are injured or stranded in remote locations due to poor weather conditions.
Continuous development for even greater performance
Norway’s AW101 platform already meets (and often exceeds) its requirements and excels in its role, but Leonardo and the RNoAF are not done with the platform yet. In close collaboration with the RNoAF and end users, ongoing technical work is being carried out that will further optimize the AW101, benefiting not only Norway, but also existing and future AW101 customers.
“Traditionally, the level of engagement that companies would have with the customer [once the aircraft is delivered] “From a technical point of view, the number of flights would be significantly reduced, but Leonardo continues to maintain a relationship with the customer and from a technical point of view we see the Royal Norwegian Air Force several times a month, including base visits,” Tutcher said.
An example of this relationship is ongoing development updates to the Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS), which is new to the Norwegian AW101 and developed by Leonardo itself and shares commonalities with other Leonardo helicopters including the AW139, AW169 and AW189. The AFCS ultimately reduces the crew’s workload and ensures they can focus on the mission at hand.
By working closely with users, Leonardo has made iterative improvements to the human-machine interface as teams continue to develop their experience with the platform and its operation.
Improving engine performance
Another important area is the Performance Improvement Program (PIP), which provides increased performance for the main gearbox and General Electric (GE) CT7 engines.
“This is the biggest improvement we have made to the AW101 aircraft since installing the GE engines,” Tutcher said.
The PIP does not require any physical change to the engine itself, rather the computer that controls the engine is upgraded to allow more torque and engine power from the main gearbox, particularly for starting. Last year, a Norwegian AW101 completed high-altitude testing in the United States with the upgrade, including safe landing and recovery techniques in the event of engine failure, and testing continued in Europe.
Once certified and deployed, the PIP will provide Norway with additional capabilities for its SAR missions, particularly those conducted at high altitudes. Other AW101 customers with GE engines could also benefit from this upgrade program and are available for mid-life upgrades.
Diploma
Leonardo’s relationship with Norway dates back half a century and will continue for many more decades with the successful delivery of the AW101 SAR Queen. Leonardo is not only committed to delivering a world-class SAR solution for the RNoAF, but also maintains a close collaboration that will ensure Norway and its brave aircrews continue to have leading performance capabilities well into the future.
In our next article we will explore how Leonardo is working closely with Norway to train crews and support the helicopters now in service.
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