Future Lynx – Maritime Surveillance and Attack Helicopter, United Kingdom

The AgustaWestland Future Lynx will be the UK Royal Navy's new maritime surveillance and attack helicopter. The UK Ministry of Defence Future Lynx programme is to replace Royal Navy Lynx HMA.8 and HAS.3 and British Army Lynx AH mk7 and AH mk9 helicopters, which entered service in the 1970s, with a more capable helicopter with reduced whole-life costs.

The Royal Navy Future Lynx will be capable of operating in blue water and littoral environments to provide over-the-horizon targeting for offensive and defensive surface and sub-surface warfare, surface surveillance, and search and rescue. Unlike current RN Lynx helicopters, it will also be capable of deployment from smaller vessels.

Future Lynx is based on the current production version, the Super Lynx 300, which has an improved airframe and a new engine.

Future Lynx has an increased payload and an advanced avionics suite.

In April 2005, the UK Ministry of Defence announced the selection of the AgustaWestland Future Lynx for the Royal Navy's Surface Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft (SCMR) and British Army's British Reconnaissance Helicopter (BRH) requirement. The naval and army versions will have a high level of commonality in airframe and avionics.

In June 2006, the UK MOD awarded a contract for 70 Future Lynx helicopters, 30 for the Navy and 40 for the Army (plus options for an additional five helicopters for each service). The programme is valued at nearly £1bn.

Construction of the first Future Lynx began in October 2007. The Future Lynx helicopter is scheduled to make its first flight in late 2009 with deliveries beginning in 2011. Service entry is planned for 2014 with the Army and 2015 with the Royal Navy and to remain in service for 30 years.

Future Lynx construction

Both service variants of Future Lynx have a common marinised airframe based on the naval Super Lynx 300. New features include the new composite four-bladed tail rotor and low-set symmetric tailplane for improved flying qualities at higher weights, larger cockpit doors for ease of access, larger nose and redesigned rear fuselage to provide more space and easier access to the avionics bays.

The helicopter has been designed to allow for growth of the Maximum All Up Mass (MAUM) of the helicopter during its 30-year life.

The in-service date MAUM is 5,790kg but, with incremental upgrades, an out-of-service date MAUM could be up to 6,250kg. The nose and tail structures and undercarriage have been strengthened to allow for this extra weight.

Airframe manufacture includes monolithic machined aluminium panels to reduce component count and maintenance time. The airframe has a 12,000-hour fatigue life.

Survivability

A number of crashworthiness features have been incorporated into the design to meet the military 90th-percentile level for potential survivable crash case conditions. Survivability features include crashworthy and armoured crew seating, crashworthy passenger seating, a 'role fit' armoured cabin floor and wire strike protection system.

Future Lynx is also equipped with a Smiths Industries Integrated Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) for improved safety and reduced cost of ownership.

Avionics

Future Lynx will have an advanced integrated avionics suite supplied by Thales UK, including dual digital automatic flight control system, GPS (IGI / INS) navigation system and Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS).

Smiths Industries is supplying the four 10in x 8in multi-function Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD).

The communications system is based on a Thales Avionics Secure Communications Control System (SCCS) fitted on the Lynx HMA.8. The system provides plain and secure voice communication via the VHF/UHF SATURN and HF radios. Naval Future Lynx will have tactical data links.

Future Lynx weapons

The Royal Navy Future Lynx will be fitted with a new stores management system, carrier and weapons launcher. Weapons options include 12.7mm door-mounted heavy machine guns, 20mm cannon pods, unguided or guided rockets, air-to-surface missiles, torpedoes and depth charges.

The Navy Future Lynx will be equipped with BAE Systems Sting Ray lightweight torpedoes. Future Lynx can also be armed with up to eight anti-surface missiles. This will be the UK MoD's Future Air-to-Surface Guided Weapon (FASGW) which will replace the Sea Skua missile. FASGW is intended to be effective against corvette, fast attack craft and smaller maritime targets and on coastal 'soft' land targets.

Mission systems

Before a mission, a set of mission data is sent to the Mission Planning System (MPS). This includes mission orders, tactical airspace information, meteorological and geographical data. Missions may be planned for single or multiple platforms. The plans can be rehearsed in either 2D or 3D and altered to suit the mission requirements.

The tactical processor that manages the mission systems has been jointly developed by General Dynamics (UK) and AgustaWestland.

In March 2007, L3 Wescam was awarded a contract for the MX-15Di stabilised electro-optical laser designator turret for both Royal Navy and Army Future Lynx variants. MX-15Di sensors can include: infrared camera with three fields of view, daylight TV camera, image-intensifying camera with spotter lens for very narrow field of view, as well as laser ranger / designator.

The Royal Navy Future Lynx sensor suite will include the Selex Sensors and Airborne Systems Seaspray 7000E Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system. Seaspray 7000E is a multi-mode I-band radar which provides 360° coverage. Modes include SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar), ISAR (Inverted SAR) and GMTI (Ground Moving Target Indicator).

The naval Future Lynx will also be fitted with a dipping sonar, which is not yet contracted.

Countermeasures

The countermeasures suite will include Selex Sensors and Airborne Systems Helicopter Integrated Defensive Aids System, HIDAS 15, and Electronic Support Measures (ESM).

Engines

Future Lynx has the same LHTEC CTS800 engines already in service on the Super Lynx 300. The two CTS800 engines, each rated at 1,015kW (1,361shp), have 36% more power than the Gem engines on current Navy Lynx helicopters but have a similar fuel consumption.

The engines are fitted with full authority digital electronic control (FADEC). The CTS800 engines give the Future Lynx improved single-engine and hot-and-high performance.

Future Lynx will have an endurance of about three hours with standard fuel and 4.5 hours with auxiliary fuel while being able to carry a payload 50% greater than the Lynx helicopters in service with the Navy.