Airbus Helicopters AS350 Ecureuil/Astar

Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) [ 1975 ]

The AS350 system is a widely-used utilitarian type helicopter covering military, commercial and security needs.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/14/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

Advertisements

The AS350 was originally designed to replace the aging Sud Aviation / Aerospatiale Alouette II light utility helicopter series. The AS350 appeared first under the Aerospatiale brand label but is now known under the Eurocopter name. First flight was achieved on June 26th, 1974 with introduction of the system taking place in 1975. The helicopter has been in production ever since and has become a fixture in the inventories of dozens of nations around the world.

The AS350 maintains an impressive streamlined appearance. The pilot and (optional) co-pilot are seated in the forward portion of the fuselage with excellent visibility forward, below, above and to the sides. Entry is via a hinged automobile-style door. The passenger cabin - with room for six - offers hinged doors to either side of the fuselage with large windows. The Turbomeca powerplant sits atop and to the rear of the passenger cabin with exhaust jettisoned out through a cylindrical system aft. The rotor mast fits the main rotor high away from the fuselage and is made up of a three-bladed main rotor system. The empennage, adding to the AS350's distinct look, is long and slender and sports horizontal planes at about midway. The tail section is made up of a dorsal vertical tail fin with a shorter ventral fin below. The tail rotor sits to the starboard side of the aircraft. The undercarriage features a fixed skid arrangement.

Military operators of the AS350 series include Australia, Brazil (Brazil has built single- and twin-engined versions locally under license by Helibras), Chile, Ecuador, Vietnam and the United Kingdom among others. The AS350 fits equally well within the realm of security operations and is used as such by police forces in Austria, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, South Africa and the United States - US police forces being a quantitative user of note. The AS350 has also found a home in the civilian markets of the world and operates in this capacity for Austria, Chile, Finland, Hungary, Iran, Iceland, Italy, New Zealand and Sweden among others (see variants list for full report). Air tours across Hawaii make heavy use of the AS350 series in their scenic flights over the various islands.

The AS350 has since been branched out into a twin engine known as the AS355 Ecureuil 2 and the single-engine EC130 Ecureuil while the AS350 is marketed in North America as the Astar.

Israel's Elbit Systems has ordered four H125s to modify for Israeli Police service. Introduction is expected for 2016.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1975

Origin

France

Status

ACTIVE
In Active Service.

Crew

1

Production

3,000
UNITS

Aerospatiale / Airbus Helicopters (Eurocopter) - France

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

National flag of the United Arab Emirates

Albania; Algeria; Australia; Benin; Botswana; Brazil; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cambodia; Canada; Central African Republic; Chile; China; Comoros; Denmark; Djibouti; Ecuador; France; Gabon; Guinea; Israel; Jamaica; Malawi; Malaysia; Mali; Mauritius; Mexico; Morocco; Nepal; Paraguay; Peru; Rwanda; Singapore; Trinidad and Tobago; Tunisia; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; Uruguay; Venezuela; Austria; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Ireland, Netherlands; New Zealand; Norway; Philippines; Portugal; South Africa; United States; Bhutan; Finland; Germany; Greenland; Hungary; Iran; Iceland; Nepal; Puerto Rico

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

✓ Commercial Aviation
Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, ferrying both passengers and goods over range.

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

Length

139.3 ft
(42.45 m)

Height

10.6 ft
(3.24 m)

Empty Wgt

2,736 lb
(1,241 kg)

MTOW

5,666 lb
(2,570 kg)

Wgt Diff

+2,930 lb
(+1,329 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Eurocopter AS350 B3 production variant)

Installed: 1 x Turbomeca Arriel 2B or 2B1 turboshaft engine developing 847 horsepower.

Max Speed

178 mph
(287 kph | 155 kts)

Ceiling

16,549 ft
(5,044 m | 3 mi)

Range

408 mi
(657 km | 1,217 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

1,959 ft/min
(597 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Eurocopter AS350 B3 production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

Usually none but can be mission-specific as needed and based on operator.

Supported Types

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

AS350 - Prototype Model Designation

AS350 "Firefighter" - Fire Fighter Variant

AS350 B - Fitted with 1 x Turbomeca Arriel 1B engine.

AS350 B1 - Fitted with 1 x Turbomeca Arriel 1D engine.

AS350 B2 - Fitted with 1 x Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 engine; increased overall weight.

AS350 B3 - Fitted with 1 x Turbomeca Arriel 2B digitally-controlled engine.

AS350 B3/2B1 - Increased MTOW; dual hydraulic arrangement.

AS350 BA - Fitted with 1 x Turbomeca Arriel 1B engine; redesigned main rotor blades.

AS350 BB - Fitted with Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 series engine; selected by British Ministry of Defense.

AS 350 C "A-Star" - Fitted with Lycoming LTS-101-600A2 engine primarily for North American markets.

AS 350 D "A-Star" / "A-Star Mark III" - Fitted with Lycoming LTS-101 series engine; primarily for North American markets.

AS350 L1 - Militarized AS350 B1; fitted with Turbomeca Arriel 1D turboshaft engine of 684shp.

AS350 L2 - Militarized AS350 B2; fitted with Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 turboshaft engine of 732shp.

HB350 B "Esquilo" - Militarized variant for use by Brazilian Air Force; sans armament.

HB350 B1 "Esquilo" - Militarized Variant for use by Brazilian Navy.

HB350 L1 - Militarized Variant for use by the Brazilian Army.

CH-50 - Brazilian Designation for HB350 B "Esquilo" model; production by Helibras.

TH-50 - Brazilian Designation for HB350 B "Esquilo" model; production by Helibras.

UH-12 - Brazilian Designation for HB350 B1 "Esquilo" model; production by Helibras.

HA-1 - Brazilian Designation for HB350 L1 model; production by Helibras.

Eurocopter Squirrel HT.1 - RAF Designation of AS 350 BB; trainer variant.

Eurocopter Squirrel HT.2 - British Army Air Corps trainer based on the AS 350 BB

AS355 - Prototype Model Designation of twin-engine version.

AS355 E - Production Model Designation; fitted with 2 x Allison 250 turboshaft engines; designated as "Twin Star" in North American market.

AS355 F - "Improved" AS355; new main rotor blades.

AS355 F1 - Fitted with Allison C20F engines; increased MTOW.

AS355 F2 - Fitted with Allison C20F engines and new transmission system; increased MTOW.

AS355 M - Militarized Variant of the AS355 F1 model.

AS355 M2 - Militarized Variant of the AS355 F2 model.

AS355 N "Ecureuil 2" - Fitted with 2 x Turbomeca Arrius 1A series digitally-controlled engines; designated "TwinStar" in North American market.

As355 NP "Ecureuil 2" - Fitted with 2 x Turbomeca Arrius 1A1 turboshaft engines and new gearbox; increased MTOW.

HB.355F "Ecureuil 2" - License-production Brazilian models under Helibras brand.

HB.355N "Ecureuil 2" - License-production Brazilian models under Helibras brand.

Soloy Super D = AS350 BA model fitted with LTS101-600A-3A engine.

Soloy Super D2 - AS350 B2 model fitted with LTS101-700D-2 engine.

Heli-Lynx 350FX1 - AS350 BA model powered by LTS101-600A-3A engine.

Heli-Lynx 350FX2 - AS350 BA or AS350 B2 models powered by LTS101-700D-2 engine.

Otech AS350BA+ - AS350 BA model powered by LTS101-600A-3A engine.

Heli-Lynx 355FX1 - Fitted with Allison C20F engine.

Heli-Lynx 355FX2 - Fitted with Allison C20F engine.

Heli-Lynx 355FX2R - Fitted with Allison C20R engine.

Starflex AS355F1R - AS355 F1 model fitted with Allison C20R engine.

Starflex AS355F2R - AS355 F2 model fitted with Allison C20R engine; new tail rotor blades.

H125

Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway

Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift

Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War

Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War

Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era

Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.

Images Gallery

1 / 1

Image of the Airbus Helicopters AS350 Ecureuil/Astar