The Eurocopter EC725 Caracal, now called Airbus Helicopters H225M, is a long-range tactical transport military helicopter developed from the Eurocopter AS532 Cougar for military use. It is a twin-engined aircraft and can carry up to 28 seated troops along with two crew, depending on customer configuration. The helicopter is marketed for troop transport, casualty evacuation, and combat search and rescue duties, and is similar to the civilian EC225 Super Puma.
The EC725 is based on the Eurocopter AS 532 Cougar, improving upon the design with a five-blade composite main rotor incorporating a new airfoil shape to reduce vibration levels. The helicopter can be fitted with removable armour plating to protect the troops and is powered by two Turbomeca Makila 1A4 turboshaft engines mounted over the cabin, which feature a dual-channel full authority digital engine control (FADEC) system. They can be fitted with an anti-icing system to enable the aircraft to operate in very cold climates. Other improvements include a reinforced main rotor gearbox and an all glass cockpit. The cockpit is equipped with an integrated display system featuring a digital map and active-matrix liquid-crystal display.
General characteristics
Crew: 1 or 2 (pilot + co-pilot)
Capacity: 1 chief of stick + 28 troops or 5,670 kg (12,500 lb) payload
Length: 19.5 m (64 ft 0 in)
Height: 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)
Empty weight: 5,330 kg (11,751 lb)
Gross weight: 11,000 kg (24,251 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 11,200 kg (24,692 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Turboméca Makila 2A1 turboshaft engines, 1,776 kW (2,382 hp) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 324 km/h (201 mph, 175 kn) in level flight
Cruise speed: 262 km/h (163 mph, 141 kn)
Never exceed speed: 324 km/h (201 mph, 175 kn)
Range: 920 km (570 mi, 500 nmi)
Ferry range: 1,253 km (779 mi, 677 nmi)
Service ceiling: 6,095 m (19,997 ft)
Rate of climb: 7.4 m/s (1,460 ft/min)
The EC725 can be equipped with various military equipment and armaments, such as a pair of 7.62 mm FN MAG machine guns mounted within forward left and right windows, or a pair of 68 mm (2.75") Thales Brandt or Forges de Zeebrugge side-mounted rocket launchers, each with 19 rockets, or the MU90 Impact aerial-launched torpedo. Furthermore, a combination of gun pods, rocket pods and Hellfire air-to-surface missiles can be mounted externally via the HForce Generic Weapon System (GWS) and targeted with Thales Scorpion helmet-mounted sight display (HMSD) and Wescam electro-optical sensor. The Exocet anti-ship missile has also been integrated upon Brazilian Navy EC725s. Brazilian EC725s are equipped with a Helibras-built countermeasures suite, which includes chaff and flares to confuse radar and heat-guided missiles respectively; Thales has also produced self-protection systems to equip French EC725s.
Eurocopter developed four primacy cabin configurations for the type. The Troop Transport version contains a seating arrangement for a maximum of 29 troops, in addition to the crew. A dedicated VIP transport version is designed to contain between 8 and 12 passengers. The Casualty Evacuation version can carry up to 12 stretchers along with a total of four seated medical staff. The Combat SAR configuration is fully equipped to perform search and rescue duties in a combat environment.nAccording to Airbus Helicopters, the H225M is capable of undertaking various mission roles including combat search and rescue, long-range tactical transport, aeromedical transport, logistic support and shipboard maritime operations. The helicopter has day and night time search and rescue capabilities by way of a search radar and forward-looking infrared (FLIR); these allow the EC725 to be flown under visual meteorological and instrument flight rules conditions.
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