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The Helio H-550 Stallion was an STOL utility aircraft developed in the United States in the 1960s. Initially conceived as a turboprop-powered variant of the [[Helio Courier], it eventually emerged as a completely new design of the same general configuration. It was a much larger aircraft than the Courier, and Helio soon discovered that it was too expensive for the market.
The USAF. however, emerged as a buyer for the design, purchasing the aircraft for the Credible Chase programme as the AU-24A. This was the gunship version of the Stallion, with a PT6A-27 680 shp turboprop, equipped with a General Electric XM-197 three-barrel 20 mm Gatling gun was mounted in the left cargo door. It also had five underwing and fuselage hardpoints. Of the 17 aircraft purchased, fourteen or fifteen were eventually sold to the Cambodian (Khmer) Air Force.
[edit] Variants
- H-550 - prototypes (2 built)
- H-550A - production version (18 built)
- H-634 Twin Stallion - version with twin Allison 250 turboprops mounted on a beam across the nose of the aircraft (not built)
- H-1201T Twin Stallion - version with twin engines in underwing nacelles, retractable undercarriage, tiptanks, and underwing cargo pods (not built)
[edit] Specifications (H-550A)
General characteristics
- Crew: One pilot
- Capacity: 10 passengers
- Length: 39 ft 7 in (12.07 m)
- Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.50 m)
- Height: 9 ft 3 in (2.81 m)
- Wing area: 242 ft² (22.5 m²)
- Empty weight: 2,825 lb (1,281 kg)
- Gross weight: 5,100 lb (2,313 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27, 680 hp (507 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 226 mph (364 km/h)
- Range: 1,090 miles (1,755 km)
[edit] References
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 506.
- World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing, File 896 Sheet 28.
- Simpson, R. W. (1995). Airlife's General Aviation. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing, 208-10.
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