Bell CH-146 GRIFFON
The CH-146 Griffon tactical helicopter is essentially a commercial "off-the-shelf" acquisition
by the Canadian Forces (CF Photo)
The CH146 Griffon was purchased to replace the single and Twin Huey and the Kiowa helicopters, and in addition to it's military roles has proved invaluable to civilian law enforcement, drug, support to firefighting and other special operations.
The Griffon was selected by the army for its flexibility to do more things collectively than the helicopters it replaced. Currently Canada's only land aviation helicopter, it is used for everything from airlift of equipment and troops, reconnaissance and surveillance missions through direction and control of fire to aeromedical support, casualty evacuation and Search and Rescue (SAR).
The four-bladed Griffon helicopter is powered by two Pratt Whitney Canada PT6T-3D Twin-Pac turboshaft engines. The Griffon has an all-up weight of 5,398 kgs (11,900 pounds) with standard seating for nine and maximum seating for 10 plus the three crew members. The Griffon crew of two pilots and one flight engineer must be skilled in a wide range of battlefield and non-battlefield tasks. Their primary mission remains transporting troops and their equipment. Lightly armed with a C6 machine gun mounted in open doorways, the CH-146 Griffon can carry up to twelve lightly equipped troops or eight fully equipped troops.
| Manufacturer: | Bell Helicopter Textron Canada (Mirabel, Quebec) |
| Crew/Passengers: | 2 pilots & 1 Flight Engineer plus up to 12 lightly equipped troops, 8 fully equipped troops |
| Power Plant: | two Pratt Whitney Canada PT6T-3D Twin-Pac turboshaft engines |
| Performance: | Max Speed: 162 mph (269 km/h) Cruising Speed: 136 mph (219 km/h) Hover Ceiling: 10,200 ft (3,109 m) Range: 408 mi (656 km) |
| Weights: | Empty: 7,511 lb (3,407 kg) Gross: 11,900 lb (5,398 kg) |
| Dimensions: | Rotor Dia: 46 ft 0 in (14.02 m) Length: 56 ft 2 in (17.12 m) Height: 15 ft 3 in ( 4.65 m) |
| Armament: | Door mounted C6 (7.62 mm) machine guns |
| Cost: | Unknown |
