Davenport Aviation will next year perform the first test firing of guided munitions from its Virtus, an armed variant of the Airbus Helicopters AS350/H125 light-single.
That activity will build on a firing campaign in January using unguided 2.75in rockets from the platform.
Conceived as a lower-cost alternative to an armed version acquired direct from the manufacturer, the Virtus has only been in development since July last year.
“We went from concept to first shot in seven months,” says Chris Arnold, director of government sales, speaking to FlightGlobal at the Verticon exhibiton in Atlanta.
In fact, were it not for the US government shutdown last year, the pace of development would have been even faster, he notes.
A modular concept, the Virtus will allow each customer to tailor the weapons package to their individual requirements.
But as a self-funded development, Arnold says the “starting point” – or its baseline configuration – is built around a seven-shot rocket launcher and podded Dillon Aero minigun.
However, Arnold says “the system is able to handle up to a Hellfire missile” – Lockheed Martin’s ubiquitous anti-tank weapon. “That’s the hardest use case with the weight and firing load,” he adds.
Davenport’s weapons station is mounted using a similar attachment system as the Helitak firefighting system for the same helicopter, simplifying its installation and increasing the platform’s multirole credentials.
“What our partners and allies need is one aircraft type that can be moved in and out through different missions,” he says. “It can go from weaponised to firefighting within one hour.”
Davenport is currently working through the supplemental type certification required for the system, allowing it to commence deliveries “within 12 months”.
It will be available for all AS350s from the B2 variant onwards all the way up to new-build H125s.
“We are able to provide the international market with the best single-engined helicopter with US solutions and US relations that foreign partners and allies desire,” he says.
Other partners on the programme include XP Services, Ember Solutions, RSG, Teledyne FLIR and Moog.
Airbus Helicopters has previously promoted an variant of the H125, which it calls the AH-125 Ares. This would be assembled at its production line in Columbus, Mississippi.
