LONDON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- The British navy's next-generation helicopter from AgustaWestland, the Wildcat, has completed 20 days of trials at sea.
During the testing, the prototype ZZ402 Wildcat performed almost 400 landings on the frigate HMS Iron Duke in both day and night operations and various weather conditions.
"The prototype's test pilots assessed and scored the difficulty and workload required for each landing in each different weather condition or sea state, while a myriad of sensors recorded more than 4,000 different items of data from the helicopter's engines, rotor and transmission," the British Ministry of Defense said.
Data, now being analyzed, included video feeds from aircraft crew positions, stresses and strains on the airframe and rotor blades, engine and gearbox parameters.
The performance data will lay the groundwork for the operating the helicopter, when it becomes the main helicopter used from navy frigates in 2015.
The helicopter has a maximum speed of 184 miles per hour and a range of 483 miles. It will be used in anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue.
The first of 28 variants of the aircraft is to be delivered to the navy in December.
