Shahed 285

Shahed 285 (AH-85)

The Shahed-285 is a light-attack/observation helicopter designed by the Shahed Aviation Industries Research Center (SAIRC), a subset of the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (http://thearkenstone.blogspot.com/HESA), in cooperation with the Revolutionary Guards.

AH-85A (Mashregh News)

Role:
The Shahed 285 has obviously been designed as a "budget" helicopter, almost everything about it is cheap and easy to produce; this necessarily has it's trade-offs and isn't inherently a good or a bad approach. According to reports by Mashregh News, the AH-85 is tasked with scouting out enemy locations and because of their light armor and high speed, attack targets of opportunity. (1) The underlying implication here is that it's not meant to replace the AH-1, it's meant to supplement them in the same way OH-58s supplement AH-64s in the US Army. 

Development:

Zafar-300 at the Tehran Aviation Museum (Vahid Moghadem)

The Shahed 285 is part of the continuing evolution of the AB-206 platform and belongs to the same family as the Shahed 278 and 274. The conceptual predecessor to the AH-85 is the Zafar-300 helicopter which first emerged in 1986/1987 and was involved in testing up through 1990. Also based on the AB-206, the Zafar featured tandem seating, a slimmed down profile, and aluminum and fiberglass construction. (2) However development apparently stopped soon afterwords and the Zafar-300 prototype has resided in the Tehran Aviation Museum in a state of disrepair ever since. 

Meanwhile during the late 1990s and early 2000s Iran's own reverse-engineered AB-206, the Shahed 278, was maturing and by the early 2000s a handful has been produced. It's clear that sometime during this process that the thought turned toward arming it because Jane's reported that in 2005 Iran had tested the "OH-78". Unfortunately at this point it gets somewhat confusing. Jane's reports that the helicopter in question is a light recon helicopter converted from the second protype Shahed 278. It is powered by the Allison 250-C20 and is armed with a chin-mounted 7.62 mm machine-gun and 70 mm rockets. Most notably of all perhaps though is that Iran claimed they were using thermal optronics from the French company "Saqem" which provides the imaging capability for the Eurocopter Tiger. Moreoever, they claimed to be producing them in Iran! (3)

Jane's also reported that Iran was also developing another helicopter, the Shahed 478 which would feature four slightly longer rotor blades and a more powerful 250-C30R engine procured legally through Canada. This meant that it would now have a gros weight of 2,040 kg and be able to carry 1,000 kg worth of weaponry. Jane's also reported a drawing of the new helicopter which the author describes as showing C-704/Nasr missiles. (4)

Both of these projects sound very similar to the Shahed 285 concept and there are several explanations that might explain this similarity:

Supposed OH-78

1) Jane's got it a little confused - The article includes a picture of the supposed OH-78 which shows it as a Shahed 278 with wing stubs and rocket pods. This makes sense given the assertion that the OH-78 was developed from a pre-existing 278 airframe. However given that the helicopter in the image is lacking either a machine-gun or optical payload it may simply be a stock photo of a Shahed 278 that the Jane's reporter assumed was the helicopter in question.

2) The Shahed 285 was the culmination of the OH-78 and 478 - In the same way the final version of the Shahed 278 was preceded by a couple different Bell 206 reverse-engineering attempts, it's entirely possible that the AH-85 simply represents the final design path chosen by the engineers for reasons that we can only guess at.

3) The Shahed 285 was a forced compromise - Both the OH-78 and Shahed 478 are remarkable in that they both rely on foreign components for critical systems; the OH-78 uses French optics and the 478 uses Canadian engines. It's possible that the relations established pre-2006 broke down and forced Iran to design a helicopter with more modest capabilities that represented a compromise between the lightly armed OH-78 and the more advanced 478. It may also be because the 478 cost too much and the AH-58 represents the budget choice for the IRGC.


The Shahed 285 is notable in that is inferior to the 478 (two versus four rotor blades and without the uprated engine) which indicates a combination of all three might be the most likely possibility. The 285 may very well represent a progression of the OH-78 that evolved in light of the inability or unwillingness to produce the more powerful 478. Thus the final helicopter, while still carrying the 250-C20 engine, has been slimmed down and optimized for the light attack role. 

Finally, in May 2009, two Shahed 285s were unveiled to the public in a ceremony featuring Shahed 278s as well. Then in November 2010 the same two helicopters, albeit in an updated configuration, were shown during the Kish Island trade and air show.

Design:
While it might have originated as a Bell 206, the final AH-85 bears a number of important differences. Most noticeably, the entire fuselage has been given the profile of a traditional attack helicopter by removing the small passenger compartment and position for a second crewman and replacing it with fuel tanks and a small storage area which is contained within a very narrow, vertical-sided body. It is supposedly significantly taller then the Shahed 278 but this cannot be visually verified.

Side-by-side comparison of Shahed 278 and 285 (adapted from Mashregh News)

The removal of the second crewman is a risky move however. It allows savings on cost, weight and size, but also radically reduces situation awareness and ability to reliably engage targets and fly demanding maneuvers (by forcing the operator to act as both pilot and WSO).

The pilot sits recessed in the fuselage unlike the bubble canopy of the Bell 206 which logically translates into reduced viability. The cockpit uses the basic instrumentation configuration from the Shahed 278 though additional controls can be found running along the left and right hand side of the cockpit.

Located directly above the cockpit is a mounting spot for optronic devices like the French FLIR mentioned in conjunction with the OH-78. Low-quality images have confirmed the presence of a device but cannot indicate whether it is the elusive French optics or an indigenous equivalent, perhaps one of IEI's EOG systems. (5)

On top of the fuselage are the distinctive engine air intakes as well as the exhaust outlets which betray the identity Allison 250-C20/C20B engine.

The tailboom section is straight from the Shahed 278 which places the h-stab at the top of the v-stab which forms a "T" shape rather then being located on the tail boom like on the 206.

On the side of the fuselage, about where the passenger doors would be on the 206/278, are two weapons pylons with hard-points for various weapons. 

The body is built of of "non-metallic composite components" which indicates materials like fiberglass, kevlar or other bullet-resistant fabrics, and even some of the lightweight ceramics though latter are exceptionally expensive. (6)

This fact, combined with the flat panels and apparent lack of 90-degree angles have led some to claim that the helicopter is stealthy. While it is true that these types of materials don't reflect radar waves as effectively as metal surfaces, the helicopter still has a number of "stealth-killing" features like exposed rotor blades. landing skids, weapons pylons and V/H-stabs.

Performance:
The Shahed 285 prototypes are powered by the Allison 250-C20 engine while the production models are scheduled to be fitted with the more powerful 250-C20B which can be identified by the air splitter on the intakes for the engine which cannot be seen on the prototypes. Iran has been caught before attempting to import 250-C20-variant engines before so it's unknown what the current level of capacity is for indigenous production of the engine components. (7)

Air-splitter an an AB-206B (right) versus an AH-85A (left)

This drives a main rotor assembly taken from the Shahed 285 as well as a tail rotor.

With regards to performance, the helicopter falls in the middle of the road with most of it's specifications like service ceiling and cruising speed resembling the Bell 206 It does have an above average range though, thanks in part to the one-man crew which allows it to carry additional fuel.

Importing the drive system directly from the Shahed 278 rather then going with the more powerful one planned for the Shahed 478 (or something comparable) was easy enough and has real short and long term cost cutting benefits, but it also means reduced potential performance and an increased radar signature.

Armament:
As a light attack helicopter, the Shahed 285 carries a modest armament for self-defense and targets of opportunity. There are several different configurations which generally correspond to the helicopters sub-variant.

AH-85 - note the exposed gun and EO payload (Mohammed Hussain)

The light AH-85A carries a 7.62 mm PKMT machine-gun in a chin mount at the front of the helicopter. According to some sources, this can traverse and elevate but there is no evidence for this, particularly in the models shown at the Kish air show. (8) This makes intuitive sense since successfully aiming and operating a turret-mounted gun while simultaneously piloting a helicopter at low altitude (it is only a PKMT after all) would be extremely difficult. The effectiveness of this machine-gun has been called into question given its small caliber and relatively low rate-of-fire. Twin pylons on either side carry a single LAU-68 rocket launcher each which can fire a total of 14 unguided rockets.

The SUU-11 gun pod is another candidate judging from their use on other IRIN/IRIAA helicopters but have not been actually seen. 

The heavy AH-85B has not been seen yet so we can only guess at what a heavier version of the AH-85A might be armed with; possibilities include some kind of ATGM, or heavier gun-pods.

AH-85C with Kowsar (YT)

The naval attack AH-85C is equipped with a basic surface search radar in it's chin in place of a light machine-gun; this is displayed on a multi-function LCD in the cockpit When the helicopter was first unveiled in 2009, two Kowsars were carried, one on each pylon. By virtue of the independent MMW seeker on the missiles themselves, this allows the AH-85 to carry a relatively rudimentary radar that doesn't have to have the complexity and expense of a radar that must scan for and illuminate targets itself. Mashregh news estimates the range of the radar to be in the 30-40 km range. (9) Which is a safe bet, if on the low side of the scale.

AH-85C with Sadid-1 (Kambiz Noori)

During the 2010 Kish airshow the AH-85C was displayed with the previously unknown "Sadid-1" missile. Very little is known about it, for instance, it's not clear whether the Sadid is a an actually an AShM, ATGM, or a hybrid. It is reported to be laser guided and have a range of 10 km. (8) If it is indeed laser guided, this leaves two possibilities for guidance. The first is laser beam riding where the missile uses a sensor at the rear of the missile to align itself with a laser pointed by the launch platform and "ride" the laser to the target. Missiles that use this type of guidance tend to be SACLOS and include many of the late generation Russian ATGMs like the AT-14. The second type is semi-active laser homing (SALH) where a seeker on the missile homes in on laser radiation emitted when the target is illuminated with a laser. Missiles in this category include the US's AGM-114 and the South African Mokopa. Unlike beam-riders however, laser homing designs have the ability to lock onto a target after launch (though not all of them have this ability) which would go toward alleviating the work load of the pilot/gunner. The fact that there is no visible seeker in the nose of the missile indicates a beam-rider (or perhaps some other form of guidance including MMW radar) though it is possible that the training round (evident by the blue stripe) is merely a mockup and doesn't include the seeker which is unlikely.

The missile itself is fired from a canister which is about 1.5 m long and 15 cm in diameter. Though it must be emphasized that these are just numbers obtained from "eyeballing" it. This puts it on the relatively small end of things for a missile with a 10 km range. It's probable that this rather exceptional range is due to an aerial launch or is an exaggeration. If it were true however it would probably mean that the warhead would be relatively light.

The stencils "AIRC" indicate that it may have exclusively designed for the use as an airborne weapon system rather then generic ATGM.

Variants:
At the time of this writing, two different airframes are known to exist, one AH-85A and another AH-85C; a total of six are reported to exist with the final four undergoing flight trials as of late-2010. (10)

AH-85A - Light overland version. It is intended for low-intensity policing conflicts or border patrol. Armed with a 7.62 mm machine-gun in the nose and two 70-mm rocket pods on hard-points.

AH-85B - Heavy overland version. Although it has yet to be seen, this model is said to be intended for "non-symmetrical wars". (11) Nothing further is known.

AH-85C -Naval attack version. Equipped with a basic surface-search radar in it's nose instead of a machine-gun. Also equipped with a slightly different cockpit configuration then the AH-85A. Armament includes either two Kowsar AShMs or eight Sadid-1 missiles.


Specifications:

AH-85
Crew: 1
Length: 11.84 m
Width: 2.78 m
Height: 3.42 m
Rotor Diameter: 10.16 m
Tail Rotor Diameter: 1.57 m
Empty Weight: 820 kg
Max Take-Off Weight: 1,450 kg
Service Ceiling: 4,160 m
Max Rate of Climb: 7.6 m/s
Cruising Speed: 225 km/s
Endurance: 5 hours
Range: 800-890 km

Works Cited:
(1) ibd Mashregh News, 2011
(2) Zafar 300. Jane's Intelligence. http://articles.janes.com/articles/Janes-All-the-Worlds-Aircraft/ZAFAR-300-Iran.html

(3) Iran Plans Armed Helicopters. Jane's Defence Weekly. Robert Hewson. December 20th 2006.
(4) ibd Hewson, 2006
(5) For example: http://www.ieimil.ir/content/electro-optical-gyro-stablized-surveillance-system-eog
(6) ibd Mashregh News, 2011
(7) Firm Accused of Illegal Aircraft Exports to Iran. The Washington Post. March 25th 2009. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/24/AR2009032403238.html 

(8) شاهد285 شمشیر بُرنده سپاه+عکس. Mashregh News. Winter/Spring 2011. http://mashreghnews.ir/NSite/FullStory/?Id=36364
(9) ibd Mashregh News, 2011
(10) Shahed 285. Iran Military Forum. Post #154. November 20th 2010. http://www.iranmilitaryforum.net/index.php?topic=734.msg56377#msg56377
(11) newest variant of iranian made Shahed 285 light attack helicopter. Iran Defense Forum. Post: #11. November 11th 2010. http://www.irandefence.net/showpost.php?p=924223&postcount=11