The HESA Shahed 278 ( fa, شاهد ۲۷۸) is an Iranian-made light

utility helicopter A utility helicopter is a multi-purpose helicopter capable of fulfilling many different roles. Civil Many civilian helicopters are made for utility work such as agricultural aircraft. Many police and fire departments maintain and operate utili ...

. Iran's ''Shahed Aviation Industries Research Center'' plans to produce several variants of ''Shahed'', according to sources. The first platform was the ''Shahed-278 (Oh-78)'', described as a light reconnaissance helicopter, armed with weapons and sensors. Test flights of the ''Shahed-278 (Oh-78)'' began in 200

Design

The composite ''Shahed-278'' is a relatively light helicopter with 682 kg of empty weight. It is a four-seater; intended for dual military/civil use, though designed primarily to meet military requirements. It was designed entirely in Iran, according to the manufacturer, although some sources report use of locally made airframe and dynamic components of the

Bell 206 JetRanger The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- and twin-engined helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec, plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter progr ...

. Although designed by the ''IRGC'', this helicopter is scheduled to be produced by HESA. Shahed-278 has a four hours flight endurance and newer models can be equipped with MFD displays. The newer models are 11.82m long, 1.92m wide and 2.98m high. Body weight is increased to 750 kg. Maximum takeoff weight is 1450 kg, and maximum engine power is 420 hp. The OH-78 variation of Shahed-278 is armed with 70mm rockets with a range of 0.5–5 km. A 12.7 mm gun is installed under the nose. The helicopter is equipped with a night-and-day vision system and a data recording system can be added as an option. The OH-78 body is reinforced and the body shape is slightly different from the other versions.

Design

Specifications

References

See also