The EH-101 Merlin is a multi-purpose helicopter jointly developed by the United Kingdom and Italy, which can be used to transport special forces or provide support for amphibious missions from ships and aircraft carriers.
EH-101 Merlin History
The EH-101 Merlin is a multi-purpose helicopter that made its first flight in June 1987 and entered service in 1990. The primary users of the helicopter are the British Royal Navy, the British Royal Air Force, the Italian Navy, the Algerian Navy, the Royal Danish Air Force, the Indian Air Force, the Portuguese Air Force, and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Agency.
EH-101 Merlin Body Structure
The fuselage structure of EH-101 is composed of traditional and composite materials. The design adopts multiple structural techniques as much as possible.
The main components can still function after being damaged. The fuselage structure, engine, primary system, and avionics system of each type of EH-101 are the same. The main difference lies in the unique equipment required to perform different tasks.
The EH-101 adopts a 5-piece main rotor with high performance and safety. The main rotor combines two variable-section wing profiles and swept wings, and its performance is 30% higher than that of traditional rotors.
The helicopter’s main rotor blade consists of a large amount of carbon fiber. The trailing edge of the blade and the parts with high centrifugal force can strengthen the toughness and torsional strength after using carbon fiber material. The blade uses glass fiber along the span direction, which is made of composite materials.
