Bell Model 249

[Whiskey]

Alright gents, with the advent of the 249 subject coming up in EDW Matt's posting of test birds which got hijacked(way to go Ray) I thought I would share what info I have on the a/c. All being written below has been excerpted out of Mike Verier's Bell AH-1 Cobra book released in 1990 by Opsrey Publishing, unless stated otherwise. Basically its 20 year old info so it might sound odd.

" The first experimental system designed by Bell flew on a civil Model 206L-M Long Ranger in 1978, and the subsequent testing and demonstration period accounted for more than 800 hours in the air. This was followed by a production system designed and certified for a variant of the Huey-derived Model 212. The four-bladed aircraft was redesignated Model 412, and the first of two 'prototypes' flew in 1979, After certification, the first new-build examples of the 412 came off the production line in 1981, and at the same time retro-fit hub-and-blade kits were manufactured to enable existing 212 owners to convert thier a/c to 412 standards.

With all this work on multi-blade systems going on, the company engineers inevitably looked at the prospect of mating the 412 rotor with the Cobra airframe. Such a union would provide an increase in payload and performance that could broaden the appeal of the aircraft considerably: it was also a low-risk modification that would enable Bell to continue its policy of product improvement by evolution rather than revolution.

Accordingly, in December 1979, the Model 249 was flown. This aircraft was a modification of the YAH-1S prototype (70-16019), and with its four-bladed rotor it soon proved to be fast and responsive. Following the succes of the trials, a number of proposals were made to the military based on the multi-blade Cobra, all of which were aimed at extending the useful battlefield life of the aircraft well in the 1990s.

The first of these was the 'improved attack' Cobra(sometimes referred to as the Cobra II in Bell publications). This was to feature a 2000 shp engine, multiplexed wiring, and a full IR-sensor/sighting-system in place of the standard 'optronics' package. The aircraft would therefore be compatible with both AGM-114A Hellfire and TOW missiles, possess a realistic night/adverse weather capability, and perform better during NOE flight. The company suggested that the required modifications could all be incorporated during the remanufacturing cycle of the original 290 'Modernized S' aircraft. In the event, the Army rejected the proposal virtuall out of hand, and put big money into the even more advanced Light Helicopter Experimental (LHX) programme instead. Presumably the faintest whiff of interests in the Bell proposals would have prompted someone in Congress to ask why the very expensive LHX was needed at all, if the Cobra II/Apache combination was such a good one. LHX is still unresolved even now, and the improved Cobra package remains on the shelf. It is interesting to note the comment made in Bell's brochure at the time, which underlined the fact that the proposed improvements '...aim at assuring effectivness of the total (helicopter) force. While the AH-64/ AH-1S 'hi-lo' mix presents a neat budgetary distinction, it is not reasonable to provide combat aviators in a common threat enviroment with a 'hi-lo' probability of survival.'

(Here I left out some paragraphs cause it really wasnt needed to get to the following, but Bell tried to sel the idea to the Germans)

The PAH-2 was the only 249 variant to result in any specific hardware, and even then it was only in representative form. The aircraft would incorporate a combination of many of the improvemtns suggested for the ASH (Advanced Scout Helicopter) programme, but it would retain the standard wing with full provision for TOW, Hellfire, or any alternative European anti-tank weapon as a primary armament. As in the ASH proposal, the inclusion of TADS/PNVS in the nose resulted in the deletion of the turret gun.

The 249 prototype was provided with a dummy nose section that could be interchanged with the gun turret, and it set off for European demonstration tour that included an apperance at the 1908 Farnborough International display. The German Army evaluated the aircraft, along with a wide variety of other types including the AH-64, but ventually decided to design and build thier own PAH-2 in partnership with the French, who by then were looking for a similiar aircraft under the designation HAC.

Unfortunatly for Bell, the US Army also rejected the multi-bladed Cobra. The ASH programme was eventually dropped in favour of the less ambitious Army Helicopter Improvement Program (AHIP), which resulted in the company securing a contract to modify and update nearly 600 early OH-58 Kiowas to a new OH-58D standard. The 'Delta' aircraft features a night-capable, mast mounted sight and a four bladed composite rotor system."

So there ya have it, ya darn Kiowa jocks drove the coolest snake ever into the ground lol. Intersting note however, that the Model 249 then went on to become a test aircraft for the Army's Advanced Rotorcraft Integration (ARTI) programme which was essentually a test run of the avionics system to be used in the LHX. However, and I bet a few of you could figure this out, it also states that 70-16019, was used as a test aircraft before the 249 as well for other purposes.

[rotorwash]

I asked Matt about posting in his thread, honest! It makes more sense to me to have a whole thread dedicated to test helos instead of a "his stuff" thread and a "my stuff" thread. For instance, this thread will be on page ten in a few days cause it's a single subject for which only a selected number of photos exist and for which only a limited amount of info exists. I would put this in the Test Helo thread so it would hang around. But that's just me. In any event, here's another version of the last pic above. It's an official Bell photo from the Wayne Mutza collection.

Ray

Oh, and I think this is "The first experimental system designed by Bell flew on a civil Model 206L-M Long Ranger in 1978" referred to above. Also from the Wayne Mutza collection.

[Whiskey]

Ive got more pics of the 249 in this book but no scanner! Arrgh! Im bustin outta here on tuesday for Korea anyway so it wouldnt make any sense to buy one lol.

[rotorwash]

Ive got more pics of the 249 in this book but no scanner! Arrgh! Im bustin outta here on tuesday for Korea anyway so it wouldnt make any sense to buy one lol.

Zach,

Have a safe trip! I have that book at home. I'll send you scans if you'd like.

Ray

[salvador001]

wow, nice photo of the long ranger with four bladed rotor. Never thought this exist, is this the base model where the 407 came to life?

Rod.

[BrittMac]

I would say to consolidate these new pics in Matt's thread if you can. If not, well, I will enjoy them here. Thanks to both of you for putting up the new pics of the 249 and the LRanger with the 4 blade rotor. Very cool either way.

Brandon

[SteveV22FE]

Here's some more 249 pics from the Bell archives....Notice the fairing over the gun area.

[rotorwash]

Steve,

Excellent stuff! Nice to have an inside source.

Ray

[EDWMatt]

Super info, Zach!

That fills in all the missing pieces!

Interesting shots of the 4-blade Long-Ranger, Ray. I think that may be the same machine Bell was flying at Arlington in 1983. By that time, it had a bulged belly fairing and was equipped with the "Ringfin" Bell was developing at the time. It had a 58D rotor on it then(I think they may have used it a a development ship for the 58D rotor). It was painted in a really ugly gloss olive and orange scheme at the time. They were calling it a "406" (same as a 58D) and the story was it was a test ship for the next Bell civil helo.

Any of you guys are more than welcome to post test aircraft shots to my original "Army Flight Test Pics" thread, BTW

[rotorwash]

Super info, Zach!

That fills in all the missing pieces!

Interesting shots of the 4-blade Long-Ranger, Ray. I think that may be the same machine Bell was flying at Arlington in 1983. By that time, it had a bulged belly fairing and was equipped with the "Ringfin" Bell was developing at the time. It had a 58D rotor on it then(I think they may have used it a a development ship for the 58D rotor). It was painted in a really ugly gloss olive and orange scheme at the time. They were calling it a "406" (same as a 58D) and the story was it was a test ship for the next Bell civil helo.

Any of you guys are more than welcome to post test aircraft shots to my original "Army Flight Test Pics" thread, BTW

Matt,

I know this isn't the same bird, but is this the "ringfin" to which you are referring? By the way, I think a link in your thread to this one would be an excellent idea so it is still accessible to the test aircraft enthusiasts out there even after it is off the front page.

Ray

[EDWMatt]

Matt,

I know this isn't the same bird, but is this the "ringfin" to which you are referring? By the way, I think a link in your thread to this one would be an excellent idea so it is still accessible to the test aircraft enthusiasts out there even after it is off the front page.

Ray

Yup. Similar to that, but a later version. Ringfin looked like this:

[rotorwash]

Matt,

This look like the "406" at some point during it's evolution? Sorry for the poor pic, but it was done before I got my nice scanner.

Ray