More than a decade-and-a-half after PZL-Swidnik introduced it to the Western world in 1985, the Polish helicopter manufacturer’s Ecureuil-like SW-4 turbine single received Polish certification on November 14. The program to develop the plucky little “copter that could” survived the collapse of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union, with all the political and economic uncertainty that entailed, which largely accounts for the SW-4’s multi-generational delays. A complete redesign of the helicopter in 1989 and 1990 also contributed to the delay. Lack of funding made it a hangar queen until first flight in 1996.
A result is a compact light helicopter available in two variants–an economy version powered by a 450-shp Rolls-Royce 250C20R and with a normal takeoff weight of 3,527 lb; and a high-performance package with a 615-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PW200/9 and an mtow of 3,968 lb. The transmission derates the outputs of both engine types to 450 shp for takeoff and 380 shp for max continuous thrust. Base price for both will be north or south of $700,000, depending on the package desired.
More In Rotorcraft
