Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/840553
W-3WA #0209 close up Thanks to the courtesy of the Naval Aviation Brigade, I had the opportunity to take a closer look at W-3WA helicopter #0209 in early March 2017. This was the first of the eight helicopters with new color theme. What makes the W-3WA stand out is the set of external equipment – the nose of the helicopter comes with FLIR Systems' Star Safire III surveillance system with two displays in cabin (more details to follow) and Spectrolab SX-16 searchlight. On the left there is a hoist mounted near the side door, and the bottom part of the fuselage – new boarding steps will allow hoist operator's and rescuers work easier. There is also life raft containter. On the right side, there a three OMAB flash bombs pylons. The immediately noticeable difference between the new W-3WA and the remaining six will be the lack of inflatable floats used to keep the aircraft on the water for a longer time. Despite different opinions spreading across the industry, press and non-professional media, the absence of this feature does not eliminate W-3WAs from operations in the Baltic Sea. As said by the Naval Aviation Brigade crews, "we'll just need to learn to abandon the helicopter quicker in the event of a water landing, that's it". There are more changes inside the helicopter. The pilot cabin is now NVG compatible, which is a real big thing. On the right there is one of the panel to control theStar Safire III system – the image is displayed on one of the digital display units inside the cockpit. Moreover, pilots are now able to monitor data from a weather radar and from the Automatic Identification System, which is now a standard in ships and vessels, and makes it possible to locate those in emergency much faster. After all, AIS is a service available to virtually every internet user. The mechanical meters have been adapted to NATO standards. www.fragoutmag.com