The Aerospatiale SA366 Dauphin 2 is a twin-turbine medium-weight multipurpose helicopter manufactured by French firm Aerospatiale. Developed as a successor to the SA365 Dauphin 2 and HH-65A Dolphin, the SA366 trades outright speed and service ceiling for improved range over its predecessors. The versatile helicopter found use by Schaft Enterprises Japan (SEJ), the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) of Japan. Marketed internationally as the Dauphin 2, the SA366 was christened "Hayabusa" (Falcon) in Japanese civilian and police use, and "Hiyodori" (Brown-Eared Bulbul) by the FDMA.
Design[]
The SA366 is a streamlined development of the earlier SA365, with a narrower fuselage and overall smaller passenger compartment. Large windows on its pointed nose provide excellent visibility in all directions for its pilots. Beneath the cockpit, a rearview mirror is mounted to give the pilots a better view of the ground during landing. Additionally, a fixed searchlight in an aerodynamic housing is mounted on the port side of the nose for nighttime operations. On each side of the fuselage, there are two large doors for ease of entry and exit, each with its own large viewing window. Behind the aftmost doors, a small window is installed for passengers in the back row of seats. The SA366 is equipped with wheeled tricycle-style landing gear; the front landing gear retracts into a cavity in the fuselage between the pilot seats, and the main gear retracts into a pair of podded fairings mounted to the rear of the fuselage.
A pair of small, lightweight turbines mounted atop and to the rear of the fuselage drive the four-bladed main rotor of the SA366. The fuselage itself tapers into a substantial tail boom, attached to which are a pair of trapezoidal horizontal stabilizers. At the end of the boom is a large, heavily-swept downward-pointing vertical stabilizer that surrounds a Fenestron-style tail rotor.
The interior of the SA366 provides less overall space than the earlier SA365 and is able to be configured for various different missions. Each pilot's seat is equipped with a cyclic control, collective control, and yaw pedals, but the rest of the cockpit instrumentation and controls are shared, mounted on a center console between the seats. Behind the cockpit, the passenger compartment has enough space for two rows of seats, giving the SA366 a passenger capacity of five. SEJ opted to equip its SA366s with advanced command and observation equipment in lieu of passenger seats, and can carry two crew members to operate this equipment.
Operational History[]
The SA366 is a popular multipurpose helicopter, and can be seen on various occasions. Following the battle at the Tokyo harbor gate, a SEJ-marked helicopter was dispatched to retrieve the pilot of the Griffon.
Specifications[]
General Characteristics:
- Crew: 2 pilots
- Length: 13.15 m (43.14 ft)
- Width: 3.78 m (12.40 ft)
- Height: 4.12 m (13.52 ft)
- Weight: 4.81 mt (5.30 t)
Performance:
- Maximum Speed: 294 km/h (159 kts, 183 mph)
- Service Ceiling: 4,325 m (14,190 ft)
- Range: 836 km (451 nm, 519 mi)
Gallery[]
