HESA Shahed 285

Shahed 285
Shahed 285 of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Air Force (2010)
General information
Typelight attack/reconnaissance helicopter
ManufacturerHESA
Designer
Primary userIslamic Republic of Iran Navy
History
Introduction date
Iran
First flight2009
Developed from
Bell 206 & Panha Shabaviz 2061

HESA Shahed 285 (Persian: شاهد ۲۸۵) is a light attack/reconnaissance helicopter developed in Iran. It was unveiled on 24 May 2009. It is being[timeframe?] produced in two versions: a light attack/recon version and a maritime patrol/anti-ship version.

Design and development

The Shahed 285 is based on the composite Shahed-278, which is a relatively light helicopter with 682 kg (1,504 lb) empty weight, derived from the Bell 206 Jetranger. Compared to the American OH-58 Kiowa that retains the airframe of the Bell 206, the Shahed 285 is a single-seater with a narrower fuselage, but retains the tail and powerplant/rotor structures, and is intended for military use. Although designed by the IRGC, this helicopter is scheduled to be produced by HESA.

Shahed 285 comes in two variants. AH-85A which is a land based variant and AH-85C which is a naval one. AH-85A is armed with 14 2.75 in (70 mm) rockets and a PKMT light machine gun either on a rotatable turret or on a static mount, or an NSV heavy machine gun in an underfuselage gondola (latest version). It also uses an EO/IR camera on its top.

Instead of the machine gun, AH-85C has a search and track radar on its chin to find and track enemy ships. Its range is estimated between 30–40 km (19–25 mi). It either uses two Kowsar or eight Sadid-1 anti-ship missiles. To fire these missiles, AH-85C relies on a Multi-function display in its cockpit.

Specifications (Shahed 285 / AH-85A)

Data from

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

See also

References

  1. ↑ "HESA Shahed [Jet Ranger 206]". GlobalSecurity.org. 2019-07-08. Retrieved 2022-05-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. ↑ "HESA Shahed 285 / AH-85 (Witness)". Military Factory. 2017-11-18. Retrieved 2022-05-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. 1 2 شاهد285 شمشير بُرنده سپاه+عکس [Witness 285 Swordsman Winning Photo Corps]. Mashreq News (in Persian). 2011-04-27. Retrieved 2022-05-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ↑ "Shahed 285". Military-Today. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)