Aviation / Aerospace

Brantly B-2

Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) [ 1958 ]

The Brantly B-2 light utility helicopter has sustained a meaningful presence on the world stage despite its 1950s origins.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 01/19/2021 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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The Brantly Helicopter Corporation (Brantly International, Inc.), headquartered out of Coppell Texas, USA was founded at the end of World War 2 (1939-1945) in 1945 by Newby O. Brantly. Brantly intended to design, develop, and produce his own line of helicopters after having witnessed the capabilities of new and upcoming designs of the period. The company's own first helicopter product became the private-owner-minded "B-1" which carried a coaxial main rotor set but did not see serial production mainly due to complexity and cost.

Development and Production

Fresh off the heels of the failed B-1 attempt, Brantly returned to the drawing board to simplify this same design which became the "B-2". The helicopter carried a teardrop-shaped fuselage, which tapered aft, and held a simpler three-bladed main rotor atop a low mast. The tail unit incorporated an equally-simple two-bladed rotor unit facing port side. At the nose of the aircraft was a glass cover which offered excellent vision for the pilot. The undercarriage was of a four-point skid arrangement adding to the simplicity of the helicopter. The vehicle could carry the pilot and a sole passenger.

This compact helicopter was introduced for series service as the "B-2A" in 1958 and went on to see production into the 2010s. Total production of the B-2 series has netted 334 vehicles.

The U.S. Army's YOH-3B

This same form became the subject of United States Army interest in the early part of 1960 as a potential candidate for the light scout / observation role. The vehicle, as "YOH-3B", was tested at Fort Rucker under various conditions / environments where its handling as well as "out-of-the-cockpit" vision proved excellent. However, the Army's recent shift to turbine-powered helicopter types left the YOH-3 out of the running. This example was then used for a time longer by the Test and Evaluation Board for data collection.

B-2B

Before long, the B-2B was brought online as an improved model form incorporating all-new metal main rotor blades. Primary drive power came from an Avco Lycoming IVO-360-A1A air-cooled, fuel-injected piston engine of 180 horsepower offering improved performance. Maximum speeds reached 100 miles-per-hour (cruising speeds of 90 mph) with a range out to 250 miles and service ceiling up to 10,800 feet. Rate-of-climb was listed at 1,900 feet-per-minute.

Structurally, the helicopter carries an overall length of 28 feet, a rotor diameter of 23.8 feet, and a height of 6.10 feet. Empty weight is 1,020lb against an MTOW of 1,670lb.

Variants and Related Models

The B-2B was also produced jointly between Brantly and Hines between 1976 and 1979 as the "H-2". The B-2J10 became a proposed, yet unbuilt, tandem-rotor variant attached to a dimensionally larger fuselage for greater transport capabilities.

The Brantly 305 model was introduced as a dimensionally larger form, this set to carry up to five people. A joint-venture between Brantly and Qingdao Haili Helicopters Company, Ltd of China has resulted in the V750 UAV, an unmanned air vehicle which went into the air for the first time during May of 2011. Brantly International, Incorporated includes Cheng Shenzong as its president.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1958

Origin

United States

Status

ACTIVE
In Active Service.

Crew

1

Production

334
UNITS

Brantly Helicopter Corporation (Brantly International, Incorporated) - USA

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

China; United States

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Special-Mission: MEDical EVACuation (MEDEVAC)
Extraction of wounded combat or civilian elements by way of specialized onboard equipment and available internal volume or external carrying capability.

✓ Special-Mission: Search & Rescue (SAR)
Ability to locate and extract personnel from areas of potential harm or peril (i.e. downed airmen in the sea).

✓ Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

✓ Unmanned Capability
Aircraft inherently designed (or later developed) with an unmanned capability to cover a variety of over-battlefield roles.

Length

27.6 ft
(8.40 m)

Width/Span

23.8 ft
(7.25 m)

Height

6.9 ft
(2.10 m)

Empty Wgt

1,025 lb
(465 kg)

MTOW

1,676 lb
(760 kg)

Wgt Diff

+650 lb
(+295 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Brantly B-2 production variant)

Installed: 1 x Avco Lycoming IVO-360-A1A air-cooled piston engine developing 180 horsepower and driving three-bladed main rotor and two-bladed tail rotor.

Max Speed

99 mph
(160 kph | 86 kts)

Ceiling

10,827 ft
(3,300 m | 2 mi)

Range

249 mi
(400 km | 741 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

1,900 ft/min
(579 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Brantly B-2 production variant. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None.

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

B-2 - Base Series Designation.

B-2A - Initial serial production form.

B-2B - Improved production form.

Brantly 305 - Larger variant carrying five.

B-2J10 - Proposed tandem-rotor concept with enlarged fuselage.

YOH-3B - U.S. Army prototype for light scout / observation role of the 1960s.

H-2 - B-2B model produced under Brantly-Hines label (1976-1979).

V750 UAV - Unmanned air vehicle developed between Brantly and China.

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