Kestrel helicopter



The Kestrel was an all purpose combat helicopter designed by Subach-Innes for the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG). First entering service 16 years before the end of the Pendulum Wars (17 BE), the Kestrel is notable for the influence it had on later helicopter design as opposed to its combat record.

Development
With no end to the Pendulum Wars in sight and the Valkyrie helicopters that were currently in use showing their age, the COG issued a request for proposals for a new all purpose infantry support, light attack, and transport helicopter. In addition to these requirements, the design had to be far more stable in low level flight than the Valkyrie. Several manufacturers’ submitted designs and the entries from Subach-Innes and the Aktherton Corporation were selected as finalists, despite considerable differences between the two. Aktherton has proposed a conventional single rotor design with an upgraded avionics and fly-by-wire system. Subach-Innes produced a radically different coaxial rotors design. This was revolutionary at the time; there was no other combat aircraft that used this system, one that had only been implemented on a few experimental civilian aircraft, in any of the warring nations.

Regardless, each company built prototype helicopters and went through a flight test program. After evaluating the trial results, the Kestrel was selected as the winning design, much to the surprise of the Aktherton design team (and many of the Subach team). The Kestrel went through a short period of further refinement before being approved for production. However the original contract for 500 aircraft was reduced to 350. The reasoning for this was that the COG wanted to ensure that pilots and mechanics were properly trained and prepared for the new design before large quantities were being produced.