Overview
The UH-46D Sea Knight is a twin-turbine, tandem-rotor transport helicopter used by the U.S. Navy and Marines. The HU46D carries out the following mission types: vertical replenishment (VERTREP), vertical on-board delivery (VOD), search and rescue (SAR), medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), combat support, special-weapons carriage, special warfare, combat assault, general utility, and movement of troops, ammunition, and equipment on the battlefield.
Capabilities
The UH-46D possesses the following capabilities (at 20,800 pounds [9,455 kg] as applicable):
- Engine: two General Electric T58-GE-16 engines
- Cruising speed: 134 nautical mph (248 km per hour)
- Rate of climb: 2,045 feet per minute (625 meters per minute)
- Range: 365 nautical mph (676 km per hour)
- Seats: two
- Weight empty: 15,537 pounds (7,048 kg)
- Maximum useful load: 8,763 pounds (3,975 kg)
Modification Programs
Since the 1980s, Boeing has provided a series of modification and upgrade kits to modernize, increase safety, increase economy and performance, and extend the life of the 1960s-era fleet of H-46 Sea Knight helicopters.
- Increased fuel-capacity kits: 49 kits to double the mission radius to 160 nm (297 km)
- Emergency-floatation kits: two kits create an emergency-floatation system (194 floatation mission kits and 211 floatation-provision kits)
- Engine-condition control kits: 442 kits provide an engine-condition control system
- Night-vision goggle kits: 242 night-vision goggle (NVG) kits
- Dynamic components upgrade kits: 421 kits replace all drive-train and rotating parts with new and (in some cases) upgraded parts