Royal Navy Wildcat vs USCG Dolphin Comparison

A helicopter mechanic’s thoughts of the British Royal Navy AW159 Wildcat and USCG MH-65 Dolphin.

[@FinsburyPhil]

The Lynx, the aircraft that the Wildcat was developed from, does I think still hold the world speed record for a non-compound helicopter at nearly 250mph. It's also fully aerobatic.

[@fulcrumsmokingtincity]

230mph I think was it??

[@pauldavison7105]

​@@fulcrumsmokingtincity249.09 mph actually

[@mrsniff3676]

251 mph to be fair 😂😂😂

[@alexs.4340]

But the As365n3/MH65E has an higher VNE @175kts and a 150 kts Cruise speed. And it has an unbeaten record: French crew of three - Guy Dabadie (test pilot), Bernard Fouques (engineer) and Michel Sudre (mechanic) - gained a speed of 372 km/h in the Aerospatiale prototype Dauphin AS 365 X on 19 November 1991, in Istres, France and made records in the categories of E-1, E-1e and E-Absolute.

[@dw7920]

'What we try to do is not fly near wires..' 🙌

[@GRAPPAHOLICS]

@@dw7920 Glad you got a kick out of that

[@JBHRN]

Thank you for your service to our nation. Our Coasts and National Defense needs are more secure due the sacrafices made by you and those borne by your family in your time separated from them when you were dedicated to the mission of the USCG. Your family is a national assett and deserve recognition for their sacrafices along side yours. SEMPER PARATUS COASTIE and NR maintain. JB Hall APRN, MSN

[@GRAPPAHOLICS]

Thank you for your kind words and your time watching my video.

[@chrisd2704]

Nice vid. The Army has dual controls up front with 2 pilots and we use the aircraft in a very different role as a recce platform, Battlefield support and C2. Armament is usually a crew-served 50-cal HMG and CAS is another key role 👍🏻 With the blades, if you research 'BERP' you'll find a bunch of info on the design - they offer a bunch of advantages but were developed for the Lynx speed record (which it still holds). The random thing on the right door is an ice accretion meter Good to see a walkround of the Dolphin too! 🤘🏻🇬🇧

[@GRAPPAHOLICS]

Wow that’s great info. My coworker was very curious about the ice meter. I wonder if he looked it up yet. I’ll be sure to tell him next time I see him.

[@tc5273]

Mr D is that you? 😂😂 Thought this vid might pop up in your feed too.

[@chrisd2704]

@@tc5273 😎 you know it 😛

[@Akm72]

The pilot mentioned two weapons in the video; Martlet and Venom. Martlet is a small 29lb general purpose missile that was developed from a shoulder-fired MANPAD (and is is currently being used by the Ukrainians from ground launchers). The Wildcat is intended to be able to carry 20 of them at a time (though I think they're currently restricted to 10). The closest US equivalant is probably the laser-guided version of the 70mm Hydra rocket. The Sea Venom is larger and far more capable 260lb anti-ship missile, Wildcat can carry 4 of them at a time. It's designed to engage small surface vessels up to corvette size. The closest US equivalant would be something like the old AGM-119 Penguin or the AGM-114 Hellfire.

[@GRAPPAHOLICS]

That’s very cool to know. Thank you for sharing!

[@Akm72]

@@quasar_33b I believe the primary combat role for the Wildcat in the Royal Navy is anti-surface warfare with the much larger Merlin concentrating on the anti-submarine role, so maybe they don't carry Stingray torpedoes or depth charges very often.

[@davec5153]

It can also carry a couple of stingray torpedoes.

[@paulsteaven]

In South Korean and Philippine Navies, their Wildcats carries better and longer range Spike NLOS aside from rockets and torpedoes.

[@commodorce6431]

@@Akm72actually I think it’s more of ships personal ASW heli instead of fleet wide

[@tc5273]

Great vid. Just a quick one on the Wildcat head. Its actually a late 60s'/early 70s design that we had on the Lynx (they are actually the same heads we took off the old aircraft and put on the Wildcat). As was mentioned, its a solid titanium star with titanium extension arms. As with the Dolphin, it has no flapping or dragging hinges and the properties of the material allows it to flex. The stiff blades and tip droop makes it an incredibly responsive aircraft. Just like a Formula 1 car that has very little suspension travel, a steering input is incredibly precise and rapid. (I fly the AH1 version btw)

[@vfr-andy3133]

The wheel pivot is so that the wheels can be offset by 45 degrees. It holds her steady landing at sea and in the rough :-) Great video thank you guys.

[@GRAPPAHOLICS]

That make sense!

[@anthonyashton8330]

It also allows them to flick a switch turning the front wheel to turn to 90 degrees left or right they can turn around on the spot it’s cool to see it do that

[@dave6051]

(Pedantic post, beware!) It’s 27.5 degrees! It so that the wheels, including the nose wheel turned by 90 degrees, conform to a circle centred around the deck lock which allows the aircraft to turn on deck while secured to it. Great engineering!

[@vfr-andy3133]

Legend, Ty Dave :-)

[@ashleyivins7510]

Awesome lads great video 👍🏻🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@GRAPPAHOLICS]

Thanks for checking it out!

[@Gilberto90]

It's great to see our two countries working together like this! I've always wondered what the delineation in responsibilities are between the US Navy and US Coast Guard? There seems to be a significant overlap especially when it comes to law enforcement. I think I've seen US Coast Guard vessels on freedom of navigation exercises in the Taiwan Strait but they also rescue people near the US. It seems like you guys are busy anyway! We have a Coastguard in the UK but they mainly act to coordinate rescue by civilian (RNLI boats) and military (RAF and Navy Helicopter) assets. Basically if you see someone in trouble at sea you call the emergency number, 999, and ask for the Coastguard. Our Coastguard arn't military either but they do wear uniforms.

[@GRAPPAHOLICS]

I think it is great as well. It does seem like the law enforcement side has much more overlap into other countries. That’s cool to know about the Coast Guard in the UK. We are still a very small branch compared to the others in the US.

[@dave6051]

The Department of Defence (including US Navy) doesn’t have the Law Enforcement power that the US Coast Guard has under Department of Homeland Security ownership. When pure military has to do Law Enforcement it needs DHS support to do it, hence USCG involvement. The same is true in the UK between the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office.

[@milespostlethwaite1154]

I like the look of the Dolphin. Very streamlined. I bet it slips through the air with minimum drag. Also beautiful paint job.

[@GRAPPAHOLICS]

I would agree with that, thanks for watching!

[@sambarbosa832]

Mad video would love to see a vid like this on the h-60

[@bugattieb110ss]

The pins in the main undercarriage can be manually released to allow the wheels to be towed out 45 degrees on either side (using a manual L-shaped towing out bar) when operating from a ship's flight deck that has a harpoon grid. This enables the aircraft to rotate around the harpoon whilst it is engaged in the grid while holding it to the deck. The nosewheel rotates 90 degrees to allow it (with rudder pedal input from the pilot) to rotate the aircraft 360 degrees pivoting around the harpoon. When HMS Coventry rolled over and sank during the Falklands War, her Lynx remained attached to the deck, even though it was unmanned - that's how powerful that harpoon system is! The 'paddles' on the tips of the blades are BERP tips (standing for British Experimental Rotor Program), again developed for the Lynx. They dramatically increase the efficiency (lift) that the blade produces. The main rotor speed (Nr) on a Lynx / Wildcat is relatively high (about 260rpm if memory serves) so the tips of the blades are transonic and therefore require a different aerodynamic profile to remain efficient.

[@dusty4459]

Great video nice walk around. The U.K also uses Dauphin 2 helos which is kind of a cousin to what you work with.

[@GRAPPAHOLICS]

Nice. Those look to have a bit more room in the cabin which is definitely desirable for search and rescue

[@anthonyashton8330]

There called blue streak because there painted blue,used by the the sas counterterrorism teams so if you see one following you be afraid

[@scollyb]

Not an expert but i believe the wheels pivot to allow it to turn it into the wind for take off.

[@user-ol1qm9ey7g]

มันก็สุดยอดมากสนใจทั้ง 2 รุ่นนั่นแหละอยู่ที่ข้อเสนอราคา กับเครื่องที่จะต้องนำมาทดแทนในอัตรา 1 ต่อ 1 เมื่อเกิดการสูญเสีย

[@rymoe6299]

Used to be called Lynx I done many Loop de Loop on these in Northern island

[@brendanmckee5843]

Did you happen to do any weapons training at camp Lejeune? Not sure how it is on the rotary wing side but with fixed wing we see the Brits like to label all their hyd lines with orange paint for some reason.

[@brendanmckee5843]

@@quasar_33b on what aircraft?

[@Cartoonman154]

It looks even better with 20 martlets on it or 10 martlets with 2 anti-ship missiles attached.

[@davidmcgrath5814]

Hi, what is the eggbeater in reality? Antenna? Thank you.

[@GRAPPAHOLICS]

Yes sir! One of several communication options.

[@davidmcgrath5814]

@@GRAPPAHOLICSthank you kindly. Over here in Ireland our Irish Air Corps operated the SA365F Dauphin ( Doh Fan ) 2 in SAR & Utility & Troop Transport, the Irish Air Corps is the Military Air Arm of the Irish Defence Forces.

[@GRAPPAHOLICS]

@@davidmcgrath5814 Awesome to have a viewer in Ireland! My brother is heading there next week for vacation.

[@davidmcgrath5814]

@@GRAPPAHOLICSHope he has a lovely time!

[@iammyriad71]

The wildcat has A Royal Marines sniper in the back.

[@GRAPPAHOLICS]

That’s awesome! That might be why they were here as we have coast guard snipers as well

[@iammyriad71]

@@GRAPPAHOLICS kzbin.infoqt_tSqUduZ4?feature=share

[@steve-iw2bg]

the pins in the landing gear are for angling the wheels out so it doesn't roll around on a heaving flight deck. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHusi4eCZ7-se9k

[@GRAPPAHOLICS]

Great video. On our dolphins we set the parking brake for the two main landing gear wheels and the nose wheel lock so it doesn’t move. I wonder how much difference the angled mains makes. Neat idea.

[@steve-iw2bg]

@@GRAPPAHOLICS look up the royal navy Westland wasp helicopters I think they were the first to do it

[@GRAPPAHOLICS]

@@steve-iw2bg will do!

[@Gigfjjuh346]

@@GRAPPAHOLICS The wheels are angled (45 degrees outboard on the mains I believe) to allow for turning the aircraft into wind, without changing course of the mothership. There is a difference between the Army (AH.1) and Navy (HMA2) regarding the nose gear, one is castering and one is a straight or full left/right only system, I believe the HMA2 is the latter, but not certain on that. Holding the aircraft in place on deck is the role of the harpoon system (a claw that comes down and clips onto a grill in the deck, also rotatable to allow for aircraft heading adjustment while not releasing from the deck) and the negative pitch on the collective (as it sounds, literally angles the blades so they produce a downwards force, rather than lift, holding the helicopter on the deck). You can see the harpoon system in the video Steve provided above^

[@papascheid7807]

So the grounding ports on the 39 are not functional anymore? I here the sound of a warrant officer losing his mind. Tighten up scooter.

[@Rabies4818]

Why would the navy opt for single set of flight controls in a combat helicopter?

[@damon1957ful]

Please sort out the wind noise it spoils the sound

[@GRAPPAHOLICS]

I wasn’t expecting to make this video and none of my other have the wind noise. Sorry about that

[@glennridsdale577]

I was really surprised by the American chap's ignorance of the Wildcat and the BERP rotor. I'd have thought that anyone who flies maritime helos would have an interest in them more widely: but I suppose I shouldn't be, Americans being as insular as they so often are. For those interested (i.e. probably not American) the BERP blade is considerably more efficient, increasing maximum speed, range and payload. It's no accident that the world's fastest pure helicopter used them. The wider track landing gear is much more stable than the Dauphin's, which is obviously much better on a rolling deck. The engines are American (LHTEC CTS800s).

[@GRAPPAHOLICS]

I honestly had never heard of the Wildcat prior to seeing this one in person. Many of my coworkers are aviation enthusiasts and may know more about it than I do. I spend much of my free time researching aftermarket truck parts as opposed to learning about other aircraft.

[@stephenmuir5030]

Turns out BERP stands for "British Experimental Rotor Programme", so perhaps it's not so surprising that an American wouldn't know about it. Strange it's still referred to as BERP (with the "Experimental" reference) after it has gone into production. I know the AW101 Merlin (which would have been US101 had the Marine One replacement gone ahead) uses a similar idea. Wonder why it hasn't become more widespread? (By the way, I thought your comment of "Americans being as insular as they so often are" was distasteful and unnecessary and did nothing to further trans-Atlantic friendliness and co-operation. My initial reaction was that, perhaps, you are a Russian "troll", deliberately trying to sour relations. Conversely, I noticed the reply had the good grace to ignore your ill-mannered comment. Poor form, old chap!)

[@chrisd2704]

@@stephenmuir5030 they're now called CMRB (Composite Main Rotor Blades) and have had a few little changes from the BERP design. 👍🏻 However - if people want to find info on the design and advantages, BERP is still the better search

[@danielHogan-yv3hg]

Nice insular comment mate,that’s going to garner mutual respect, NOT , 😡

[@markclawrie007]

God what a dick... I'm from a proud family of Lynx and Wildcat engineers and I never once thought anyone from the RAF or Euro militaries asking about the blades was ignorant 🙄

[@user-ol1qm9ey7g]

สินค้าดูการออกแบบอุปกรณ์น่าสนใจมากคิดว่าคงมีขีดความสามารถสูงกว่าหลายรุ่น

[@timnewland4186]

For what was once a beautifully sleek heli, the Wildcat is now bug ugly 😒

[@te4186]

This just seems too much detail to be shown in public....

[@GRAPPAHOLICS]

Hopefully not. The pilot said as long as the screens in the cockpit were off I could film whatever.

[@Akm72]

I doubt you'd be able to see much secret stuff from a video like this. My guess is that the type of thing they'd want to keep secret would be details of radar or other sensor or communications systems as well as weapon modes and ranges.

[@dave6051]

This is just the mechanical aspects of a uniquely designed helicopter - the info is out there for anyone to see, and most of it has been around since the 70s. The 40s to 70s were the big advancements is helicopter design and the stuff still works, but it’s just refined nowadays to be more efficient. The software is now the sensitive stuff.