Kawasaki MCH-101 AMCM helicopter

[Triton]

Photo of Kawasaki MCH-101 Advanced Mine Counter Measures (AMCM) helicopter.

Japan’s fleet of 11 MCH-101 airborne mine counter-measures helicopters are closely derived from AgustaWestland’s 3-engined AW101 heavy maritime helicopter, and most are being built in Japan under license by Kawasaki. Mission equipment will include the AN/AQS-24A mine hunting side scan sonar, the AN/AES-1 airborne laser mine detection system, and the MK-104 acoustic minesweeping system. ECH-101s have good range, and can operate from shore. As an alternative, they can be embarked aboard Japanese ships, especially the JMSDF’s 19,000 ton Hyuga-class "helicopter destroyers."

Source:
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Japans-MCH-101-All-your-mine-are-belong-to-us-07598/

 

[Triton]

Kawasaki MCH-101 illustration

Source:
http://doorstep10.egloos.com/3803195

 

[Stargazer]

The Merlin looks sleek in front view, dull in side view... but what an ugly S.O.A.B. from the rear!!!

 

[Triton]

The Merlin looks sleek in front view, dull in side view... but what an ugly S.O.A.B. from the rear!!!

Stargazer2006, what is the point of critiquing aviation projects based on aesthetic criteria? The Kawasaki MCH-101 helicopter isn't a consumer product like an automobile. This isn't a new BMW where we are critiquing design changes for the new model year or discussing whether the design conveys the right image for its driver or whether it is just the right shade of blue. This is a military vehicle. How important should aesthetic considerations be for a mine-hunting helicopter?

 

[Stargazer]

The Merlin looks sleek in front view, dull in side view... but what an ugly S.O.A.B. from the rear!!!

Stargazer2006, what is the point of critiquing aviation projects based on aesthetic criteria?

Probably none, but if the aesthetics were irrelevant, we'd all probably have a different hobby than aviation projects, don't you think so?

 

[Jemiba]

Above all:
- "Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder ."

A supporting argument for Triton could be:
- "Form follows function."

But the old say "If an aircraft looks right, it is right !" could well be a clue, that
not everything, we see in an aircraft, is just dictated by technical demands. And at least
for older aircraft, there certainly were fetails, that were designed following aesthetic reason,
sometimes probably even making parts more complex, than actually needed. Just take the
planform of the typical fins of deHavilland aircraft.
Would be interesting to gain an insight into nowadays designs with regards to this point. Honestly
I don't think, that all details are designed with just technical reasons in mind. For example, got the
nose of the B787 its new shape, compared to, say the 767, really just for aerodynamic reasons, or
maybe as a signal to potential customers "look, that's REALLY a new aircraft !", Aircraft, civil and
even military ones, are ordered by human beings, which probably find it hard, to leave behind their
aesthetical feelings at the wardrobe.

 

[fightingirish]

First MCH-101 delivered to JMSDF
The first Airborne Mine Counter Measures (AMCM) equipped MCH-101 helicopter has been delivered to the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force.
The development of the AMCM variant of the AW101/MCH-101 has been led by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, as prime contractor, with AgustaWestland providing technical support.
The AW101/MCH-101 is one of only two helicopter types capable of towing the AN/AQS-24A and the only modern helicopter type.

Photo: AgustaWestland - FIRST AIRBORNE MINE COUNTER MEASURES MCH-101 DELIVERED TO THE JAPAN MARITIME SELF DEFENSE FORCE

 

[TomS]

Looks like a configuration change here. In the previous drawings, the tow body rested on the ramp, which was lowered to horizontal and braced. Now,. the tow body seems the be hanging vetrtically from an overhead frame at the top of the cabin and the ramp itself seems to have been removed completely.