Iranian Helicopter Prototypes and Projects

hesham · 27 November 2006

Hi,

Zafar-300 :an Iranian attack helicopter based upon the American Bell
Model-206A Jetranger utility helicopter ,adapt for a military
gunship role.

Matej · 27 November 2006

hesham said:
Zafar-300: an Iranian attack helicopter based upon the American Bell

Probably the ugliest attack helicopter.

Orionblamblam · 27 November 2006

Certainly the cheapest-looking.

thewanderingmind · 28 November 2006

Orionblamblam said:
Certainly the cheapest-looking.

Unfortunately, looks don't count when something's shooting at you. My query is: Have they built more than a mock-up? I'd hate to think of a squadron of cheap-looking, ugly attack helicopters coming after any of our troops!

Orionblamblam · 28 November 2006

thewanderingmind said:
I'd hate to think of a squadron of cheap-looking, ugly attack helicopters coming after any of our troops!

Better than than well-built attack helicopters. In fact... I fully support the concept of my enemies attacking my nation's military with the cheapest, least-capable and least-survivable weapons they can find.

thewanderingmind · 28 November 2006

Orionblamblam said:
thewanderingmind said:

I'd hate to think of a squadron of cheap-looking, ugly attack helicopters coming after any of our troops!

Click to expand...

Better than than well-built attack helicopters. In fact... I fully support the concept of my enemies attacking my nation's military with the cheapest, least-capable and least-survivable weapons they can find.

Amen! Amen! Amen!

boxkite · 31 December 2006

Zafar-300 :an Iranian attack helicopter based upon the American Bell
Model-206A Jetranger utility helicopter ,adapt for a military
gunship role.

Another helicopter project from Iran is the AII AVA-505 Thunder (formerly known as IR-H5), powered by an unidentified turbocharged piston engine (242 kW) or a diesel piston engine (optional).

First flight then planned in 1999, but not confirmed by October 2000.

Source: JAWA 2001-2002

Jemiba · 10 February 2011

Triggered by a photo in one of the recent AirInternational issues, I've made a 3-view
of the HESA Shahed 285 attack helicopter. Based on the Bell Jet Ranger, it is a single
seat aircraft, built in an attack/reconnaissance and a naval attack version. To my opinion,
it doesn't really match, what generally is understood by the term "attack helicopter".
Weapons load seems to be quite low, the nose mounted machine gun has a very limited arc of
traverse (or maybe it is even fixed, another variant seems to have a turnable gun) and in the
attack/reconnaissance version no sensors are recognisable. So, still yet a role over the
battlefield is hard to imagine, I think.

Stargazer · 10 February 2011

Jemiba said:
Triggered by a photo in one of the recent AirInternational issues, I've made a 3-view
of the HESA Shahed 285 attack helicopter.

Is that from Iran?

hesham · 10 February 2011

Yes;

http://uskowioniran.blogspot.com/2010/11/5th-kish-iran-air-show-photos.html

Jemiba · 10 February 2011

"Is that from Iran?"

Sorry, forgot this !
We had the Shahed 285 already here in this forum as a side note, but I couldn't
find it anymore.
Forerunner of the latest versions was this one, still a two-seater:
(from: http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/3/2/7/1746723.jpg)

Stargazer · 10 February 2011

Interesting. Thanks! And did you notice how the Arab lettering below the cockpit window makes it look like a cartoon helo smiling? ;D

Jemiba · 11 February 2011

Here are sideviews of the mentioned attack variant with (probably)
a turnable gun under the nose and the naval attack variant, designated
285C, or AH-85C. It was either shown with eight tube launched missiles,
or two larger ASM, looking similar to my opinion to the AS.30 Martel.
Thought of it to be the Kosar, but it seems to be longer than this.
Any clue ?

You can find photos here:
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?157780-Iranian-attack-helicopter-Shahed-285/page13

Stargazer · 11 February 2011

Nice job, Jens! Thanks for sharing.

Spook · 4 September 2014

According to www.mashreghnews.ir/fa/news/341244/, three new helicopter projects are executing their last trials and are waiting for the acceptance certificate(s).

The first project is a piston engined helicopter which acts as a trainer for a pilots.

The second project is called Saba, which by look of it, resembles the Shahed 278 and also pretty much Bell 249. Saba can carry 8 passengers and its equipped with two engines. Its can fulfill maritime, search and rescue and commercial needs.

The third project is called Homa, a medium weight helicopter, which looks to be a hybrid of Bell 412 and 214ST. Homa can carry 14 passengers and its overall RCS can be reduced if necessary. Homa can also be equipped with different armaments if necessary, 2nd Br.General Ahmad Abadi CEO of Panha stated yesterday.

kcran567 · 4 September 2014

Matej said:
hesham said:

Zafar-300: an Iranian attack helicopter based upon the American Bell

Click to expand...

Probably the ugliest attack helicopter.

Would be perfect for border control or use by a militarized police force against civilians, rioters, and the like.

Kiltonge · 4 September 2014

The scale of Iranian helicopter procurement plans in the 1970s was staggering. In addition to 300+ Bell 214s directly, local production at Isfahan was to run into the hundreds as well!

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1976/1976%20-%201050.html

But was there a license issued for 209 production, or just for the 214?

alertken · 8 September 2014

Bell provided techno-assistance and manpower to IHSRC (IIRC: Iran Helicopter Supply and {?Renewal} Co)/Isfahan, set up in 1976 to support flocks of AB.206 - the School there was in 1977 (said in Iran to be) the most active heli-site in the World - and to licence-build B.214ST. The engine repair facility of IACI/Mehrabad (Iran Aircraft Industries), itself assisted by NWASI (Northrop), was to be expanded to build its GE CT7. In early-1977 the Ministry of War elected to buy finished product from US (you are free to surmise why they changed). All lapsed, 12/78.

Spook · 1 December 2014

First photos of IHSRC Homa prototype; Iran's first domestically-built medium helicopter

Homa is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium helicopter with the following characteristics:

Crew: 2 pilots
Capacity: 13 passengers
Empty weight: 6,164 lb
Useful load/ Gross weight: 0.47
Rotor diameter: 46 ft
Tail Rotor Diameter: 8 ft
Engine: 2 × PT6T-3B&D
Engine Power: 1600 (shp)
Max Cruise speed: 122 knots (140 mph, 226 km/h)
Rate of climb: 1,320 ft/min
Range: 283 nmi
Service ceiling: 16,300 ft

Spook · 1 December 2014

persil · 30 December 2023

thewanderingmind said:
Unfortunately, looks don't count when something's shooting at you. My query is: Have they built more than a mock-up? I'd hate to think of a squadron of cheap-looking, ugly attack helicopters coming after any of our troops!

Hi guys. Last two days I spent digging into so called Zafar helicopters - that one - the Zafar 300 - and one other (I leave it for another post).

According to couple of sources I was able to find, yes, it was not a mock-up - it actually flew, and Jane's All the world's aircraft of 1991/92 actually claims it accumulated around 100 FH.

I think I found that prototype standing in an exposition of some kind of aviation museum/permanent exhibition in Tehran (here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/DfH63yMMKEErm3Cp9)

There was also a page describing (among others) this helicopter - www.rphiran.com - unfortunately it is offline now, but you can still find in on Way-back-machine (here)

Anyway, links and list to sources I found so far are in the tab Data Sources here:

Ministry of Revolutionary Guards: Zafar 300 { وزارت سپاه: ظفر ۲۰۰ } - General data

Ministry of Revolutionary Guards: Zafar 300 { وزارت سپاه: ظفر ۲۰۰ } available data.

rotorcraft.info

persil · 1 January 2024

The other Zafar helicopter, which I came across many years ago and just took snapshot of the forum it was described, is the so called Zafar 500. These days online translators are easier to use on the entire page. Also web archives helps to locate additional data. After my recent research I figured out that:

Lead designer of the Zafar 300 - Mr Akbar Akhundzadeh { اکبر آخوند زاده } - together with other engineers started a company called Helisa { هلیسا } (sometimes called Helisa Zafar { هلیسا ظفر }). They designed around 1996 a 4-5 seat helicopter which is in fact a deeper modification of Alouette III. It was called Zafar 500 { ظفر ۵۰۰ } .There is just a bunch of technical information that I was able to find, maybe you can add something more. My summary:

Helisa: Zafar 500 { هلیسا: ظفر ۵۰۰ } - General data

Helisa: Zafar 500 { هلیسا: ظفر ۵۰۰ } available data.

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