PP.1 - The First Merlin
This is the first prototype of the European Helicopter Industries medium-lift helicopter that, through a typo, became known as the EH-101.
The first prototype, PP.1 (above), first flew on 9 October 1987, and less than a year later, here it is giving a flying display at the Farnborough Air Show in September 1988. It was displayed in a proposed colour scheme for the Royal Navy's Merlin anti-submarine variants, but the design was never adopted.
Various anti-submarine, utility, transport and search-and-rescue versions fly with the Royal Navy and military elements of Canada, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Portugal and Japan. The RAF flew a variant, but all the airframes have now been transferred to the Royal Navy and are undergoing upgrades such as folding rotor blades to allow routine use aboard ships. VIP versions are flown by Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Nigeria and Turkmenistan.
At one time a variant, the VH-71 Kestrel, produced under license by Lockheed Martin was proposed as the next US Presidential helicopter. However, this fell through after seven had been delivered when the costs involved in modifying the basic design ballooned out of control.
PP.1 - The First Merlin
This is the first prototype of the European Helicopter Industries medium-lift helicopter that, through a typo, became known as the EH-101.
The first prototype, PP.1 (above), first flew on 9 October 1987, and less than a year later, here it is giving a flying display at the Farnborough Air Show in September 1988. It was displayed in a proposed colour scheme for the Royal Navy's Merlin anti-submarine variants, but the design was never adopted.
Various anti-submarine, utility, transport and search-and-rescue versions fly with the Royal Navy and military elements of Canada, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Portugal and Japan. The RAF flew a variant, but all the airframes have now been transferred to the Royal Navy and are undergoing upgrades such as folding rotor blades to allow routine use aboard ships. VIP versions are flown by Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Nigeria and Turkmenistan.
At one time a variant, the VH-71 Kestrel, produced under license by Lockheed Martin was proposed as the next US Presidential helicopter. However, this fell through after seven had been delivered when the costs involved in modifying the basic design ballooned out of control.