Power and Performance
Though her powerplant continually evolved during her lifetime, all were the General Electric brand of turboshaft engine. The UH-2A was fitted with a single T58-GE-8B series turboshaft of 1,250 shaft horsepower while the UH-2F fitted two T58-GE-8F turboshafts of 1,350 shaft horsepower. The follow-up SH-2G model outdid them all with her pair of T700-GE-401 series turboshaft engines of 1,723 shaft horsepower. Performance for the series was above average and included a top speed of around 160 miles per hour with a range of about 670 to 870 miles depending on the model. Her service ceiling was under 20,000 feet, listed precisely as 17,400 feet for the UH-2A model and 18,000 feet in the SH-2G.
In Service
Once in service, the UH-2 was operated from American aircraft carriers and utilized for her exclusive talents in the Search and Rescue (SAR) department. Starting in 1968, the move was made to incorporate two General Electric T58 series turboshaft engines to increased the Seasprite's overall power and handling capabilities at sea. In 1970, the role of the UH-2 broadened a bit with its inclusion in the Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) program. This program sought to supply naval ships (specifically those without a fix-wing aviation capability) the power of an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) system. These USN vessels could then keep an armed Seasprite and unleash it on enemy submarines and surface warships when needed, broadening both the offensive and defensive scope of just about any USN surface vessel able to land a Seasprite. Converted UH-2 Seasprites with the newly-developed, though interim, LAMPS package were now designated as the "SH-2D".
The LAMPS program incorporated a slew of advanced components into the base UH-2. The new SH-2D provided a new and more powerful pair of "eyes in the skies" thanks to its battery of sensors and processing equipment to work alongside the systems already made available to surface ships. Additional improvements resulted in better engines, revised rotors and an increased MTOW. The defensive bubble around a USN surface ship carrying a Seasprite was now increased substantially. All-new SH-2 systems with LAMPS were designated as SH-2F with deliveries beginning in 1973. Sixty more SH-2Fs were purchased by the USN in 1981 and FLIR (along with improved self-defense and detection suites) was officially adapted by the end of 1987. The SH-2F model quickly became the Seasprite of choice in the USN inventory and most were upgraded/modified to this new standard. Production of this version completed in 1986. The last SH-2 (SH-2G) serving with the USN was retired in 2001.
During their tenure, the USN deployed the Seasprite in an active military role during Operation Earnest Will (1987), pitting the USN against the Iranian Navy, Operation Praying Mantis, once again showcasing the US versus Iran (1988) and Operation Desert Storm (1991), this time as a coalition of members seeking to oust Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from Kuwait.
Seasprite Production and Variants
The SH-2 was produced in several variants beginning with the four YHU2K-1 prototype models. This was followed by the production HU2K-1 utility transport models of which 88 were delivered. Following the 1962 US military designation revision, the HU2K-1 became the UH-2A. One-hundred and two utility transport types of the UH-2B followed. The H-2 "Tomahawk" became a prototype gunship model of the base UH-2A production model. Only a single example existed and was evaluated by the US Army in 1963 with plans to order some 220 systems falling through in favor of continued support to the Bell UH-1 "Huey" series. The UH-2C was used to designate UH-2A and UH-2B production models now fitted with a pair of General Electric T58-GE-8B turboshaft engines. Some 40 conversions to this new standard took place. NUH-2C was used to designate a modified UH-2C test platform Seasprite fitted to fire the AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range and AIM-7 Sparrow medium-range air-to-air missiles. NUH-2D was the same NUH-2C under a new designation. The HH-2C was a dedicated Search & Rescue (SAR) helicopter of which six existed. Interestingly, these featured a powered turret in the lower forward fuselage housing a minigun Gatling-type system. The HH-2D was of similar scope but sans any type of armament and existed in 67 examples converted from UH-2A and UH-2B production models. The SH-2D was a dedicated Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) type that was converted into 20 forms from previous production systems. The YSH-2E served as a pair of evaluation platforms to test out LAMPS and new radar. The SH-2F became another dedicated ASW variant but fitting a pair of General Electric T58-GE-8F turboshaft engines of 1,350 shaft horsepower. Most were conversions of existing SH-2D production models and all were retired from USN service in October of 1993. The YSH-2G served as a one-off prototype based on the SH-2F. The SH-2G "Super Seasprite" is the current ASW model offered by Kaman, this now powered by 2 x General Electric T700-GE-401 series turboshaft engines. She is billed as a multi-misson, all-weather, day/night platform with unsurpassed reliability and handling.
End of the Line
The Seasprite was more or less replaced in service with the USN by the Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk, the navalized version of the US Army's UH-60 Black Hawk series. The retirement of the Seasprite coincided with the decommissioning of the USN Knox-class series of frigates for they were vessels ill-suited to handling the newer and larger Seahawks. New Zealand received a batch of ex-USN Seasprites and operated them in their No. 6 squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Some saw action in the former Portuguese colony of East Timor with the RNZAF. Operators of the much improved SH-2G "Super Seasprite" have included the Egyptian Navy, the Polish Navy, Australia (former operator) as well as New Zealand and the United States.
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