The Atlas XH-1 Alpha is a prototype

attack helicopter An attack helicopter is an armed helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the offensive capability of engaging ground targets such as enemy infantry, military vehicles and fortifications. Due to their heavy armament the ...

built by Atlas Aviation (now

Denel Denel SOC Ltd is a South African State-owned enterprise, state-owned aerospace and military technology conglomerate established in 1992. It was created when the manufacturing subsidiary, subsidiaries of Armscor (South Africa), Armscor were spli ...

) of South Africa, which used it as a concept demonstrator for the then-planned Rooivalk project.

Development

It was developed from an

Aérospatiale Alouette III The Aérospatiale Alouette III (, ''Lark''; company designations SA 316 and SA 319) is a single-engine, light utility helicopter developed by French aircraft company Sud Aviation. During its production life, it proved to be a relatively popular ...

airframe, retaining that helicopter's engine and dynamic components, but replacing the original cockpit with a stepped tandem one, adding a 20 mm cannon under the chin and converting the undercarriage to tail-dragger configuration. The XH-1 first flew on 3 February 1985,''Air International'' June 1986, p. 599. and soon embarked on a rigorous flight test program to examine the feasibility of a dedicated attack helicopter in southern African conditions. The results were ultimately good enough to convince Atlas and the

South African Air Force "Through hardships to the stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

to go ahead with the development of a dedicated attack helicopter, the

Denel Rooivalk The Denel Rooivalk (previously designated AH-2 and CSH-2) is an attack helicopter manufactured by Denel Aviation of South Africa. ''Rooivalk'' is Afrikaans for "Red Falcon", which refers to the lesser kestrel. Development of the type began in ...

. The XH-1 and Rooivalk are completely different aircraft and share no components. The Rooivalk was developed from the later XH-2 prototype. The sole XH-1 was retired sometime in the late 1980s and was handed over to the

South African Air Force Museum The South African Air Force Museum houses exhibits and restores material related to the history of the South African Air Force. The museum is divided into three locations, AFB Swartkop outside Pretoria, AFB Ysterplaat in Cape Town and at the Por ...

, where it remains to this day.

Specifications (XH-1)

References

* * {{Atlas/Denel aircraft Military helicopters 1980s South African attack aircraft 1980s South African helicopters XH-1 1980s South African experimental aircraft Cold War military equipment of South Africa Single-turbine helicopters Aircraft first flown in 1985

Development

Specifications (XH-1)

See also

References