EUROCOPTER Deutschland has prepared two naval BO105s ordered for Bahrain's armed forces - the first result of research by the company which identified interest in low-cost naval versions of lightweight helicopters,
The "Peace Bow" helicopters, delivered in late 1994, are fitted with the Bendix RDR 1500B radar for over-the-horizon missions. The helicopter can be used to detect targets for a surface vessel armed with long-range Exocet MM40 missiles, and sends information to the surface ship via a data transmission system developed by Thomson-CNI.
Development of the Peace Bow was carried out in parallel with that of the similarly equipped "Helos" naval version of the AS.555 SN Fennec, of which four have been built by Eurocopter France under contract for a South American customer.
Source: Flight International
