South African XPTI Puma Helicopter

[STINGRAY]

IN AN OLD "INTERNATIONAL COMBAT ARMS" MAGAZINE, I FOUND A PICTURE OF A PUMA XPTI HELICOPTER WITH ARMAMENT, SEEN ALSO ON THE NEW PUMA SOCAT, AND A RE-FUELING PROBE. THAT WAS THE LAST PICTURE OR TEXT I HAVE SEEN OF THIS HELICOPTER. CAN ANYONE GIVE ME MORE INTEL HERE? THANKS ;D!

 

[compton_effect]

Try www.saairforce.co.za/forum/. There might be some info on it. There's also a limited print run of a book going around that might have info on it - "Those who had the power". It's about the 80's government's classified arms projects including the naval projects, the Carver, etc. A bit difficult to find though, I've been trying for 6 months now.

 

[STINGRAY]

THANKS FOR THE SOURCE! NOW I KNOW WHAT THE PUMA XPTI IS. IT WAS BASICLY A ROOIVALK PROTOTYPE FOR THE RAF. HERE IS THE INFO I FOUND.

the prototype for some of the weapons systems employed on the Rooivalk was the XTP-1 Beta, which was essentially a Puma with armament wings added and electro-optical sighting and targetting equipment on the nose. Once again, some people may have seen this, a Puma involved in the developmental phase of the Rooivalk, and deduced more from it then there really was.

THE ONLY THING DIFFERENT ABOUT THE PICTURE I SAW IS THAT THE NOSE DID NOT HAVE ANYTHING BUT A RE-FUELING PROBE AND A FEW ANTENNAE.

 

[STINGRAY]

Sorry about that. I will keep that in mind. Thanks!

I found some pictures on the internet of the armed Puma types:

1: Puma SOCAT

2: Puma XTP-1 Beta made from Oryx

The pictures still don't illustrate what I saw in the "International Combat Arms" magazine though.

 

[kaiserbill]

Stingray, is this what you are looking for? I have also seen a more basic config with nose probe. There were several different variants from low-end to high-end capabilities.

Atlas XTP-1

 

[Archibald]

If only the ALAT had funds to upgrade its derelicted Pumas to such a combat standard!!!!

 

[Stingray]

Stingray, is this what you are looking for? I have also seen a more basic config with nose probe. There were several different variants from low-end to high-end capabilities.

Atlas XTP-1

Sorry but thats not it. Good pic though. ;D

The one I saw had a re-fueling probe under the nose, on the left I think. The armament was also like that on the Mil Mi-24.

 

[Stingray]

Here it is. ;D

And I'm starting to think thats a data probe, not a re-fuelling probe.

http://sites.google.com/site/stingrayslistofrotorcraft/denel-xtp-1-beta

 

[kaiserbill]

Some scans from South African Arms and Armour by Helmoed Romer-Hetman, circa 1987.

 

[kaiserbill]

another pic of an AAM firing test.

 

[kaiserbill]

One more picture I found in my library.

 

[Stingray]

One more picture I found in my library.

Very nice picture!

 

[kaiserbill]

Some more.

It seems there were 3 or 4 different versions or variants of the XTP.

Here is one of them. It has different weapons pylons/stations than the ones above, and a different nose/sensors.

Some variants have the ventral 20mm cannon, some don't.