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The Kaman SH-2 Seasprite was a United States Navy ship-based helicopter with anti-submarine, anti-surface threat capability, including over-the-horizon targeting. more...

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This aircraft extends and increases shipboard sensor and weapon capabilities against several types of enemy threats, including submarines of all types, surface ships, and patrol craft that may be armed with anti-ship missiles.

The Seasprite's primary missions include anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, anti-ship missile defense, and anti-ship surveillance and targeting. Secondary missions may include medical evacuation, search and rescue, personal and cargo transfer, as well as small boat interdiction, amphibious assault air support, gun fire spotting, mine detection and battle damage assessment.

History

The H-2 originally entered Naval service as the Kaman HU2K-1, a single-engine light utility helicopter primarily deployed aboard aircraft carriers in a Search-and-Rescue (SAR) role. When the aircraft numbering system was changed in 1962, the HU2K-1 was redesignated the UH-2A and the HU2K-1U was redesignated UH-2B. The airframe continued to undergo upgrades, most significantly the addition of a second engine and external stores stations.

The HH-2D was selected to be the airframe for the Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) when the program was stood up in 1972. LAMPS evolved in the late 60's from an urgent requirement to develop a manned helicopter that would support a non-aviation ship and serve as its tactical Anti-Submarine Warfare arm. Known as LAMPS Mk I, the advanced sensors, processors, and display capabilities aboard the helicopter enabled ships to extend their situational awareness beyond the line-of-sight limitations that hamper shipboard radars and the short distances for acoustic detection and prosecution of underwater threats associated with hull-mounted sonars. H-2s reconfigured for the LAMPS mission were redesignated SH-2D. The first operational SH-2D/LAMPS helicopter embarked on the USS Belknap (CG-26) in December 1971.

Eventually all but two H-2s then in Navy inventory were remanufactured into SH-2Fs, and 59 SH-2Fs were built new in the 1980s. The final production procurement of the SH-2F was in Fiscal Year 1986. The SH-2F was retired from active service in October 1993, at roughly the same time that the Navy retired and/or sold the last of its (Viet Nam era) Knox Class Frigates that could not accommodate the newly acquired (and larger) SH-60 Sea Hawk. Some late-production SH-2Fs were either completed as, or have been converted to, the upgraded SH-2G Super Seasprite variant.

The final variant of the SH-2F type took place in 1987 when several aircraft were up-fitted with chin mounted Forward Looking Infrared Sensors (FLIR), Chaff (AIRBOC)/Flares, dual rear mounted IR scramblers, Missile/Mine detecting equipment and M-60D machine guns mounted on both sides of the aircraft. They were utilized to enforce Operation Ernest Will (July, 1987) and later Operation Praying Mantis (April, 1988) and Desert Storm (Jan 1991) in the Persian Gulf region. The added countermeasures and equipment gave the SH-2F's enhanced survivability while taking on more surface related combat tasking in an environment of limited submarine threat. The SH-2F was infamous with Naval aircrew for its high accident rate and dismal 30+ maintenance-hour-per-flight-hour requirement, the highest of any aircraft in the Navy at the time this type was retired from active service. Many of the accidents and maintenance costs were attributed to the severe environment in which this aircraft was operated.

Read more at Wikipedia.org