Kaman Corporation aerospace
Kaman SH-2 Seasprite

The Seasprite, with the internal Kaman designation K-20, was developed in the late 1950s in response to a United States Navy (USN) requirement for a suitably fast and compact naval utility helicopter. The USN found the Seasprite attractive, and ordered four prototypes and an initial batch of 12 production helicopters as the HU2K-1. Under the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system, the HU2K and HU2K-1 were re-designated as H-2 and UH-2A respectively. Kaman also pursued foreign sales; after showing interest, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) rejected the Seasprite due to an unexpected price increase and underperformance during sea trials. The USN addressed the poor performance by converting the single-engine Seasprites into a more powerful twin-engine configuration from 1968.

The Kaman SH-2 Seasprite is a ship-based helicopter originally developed and produced by American manufacturer Kaman Aircraft Corporation. It has been typically used as a compact and fast-moving rotorcraft for utility and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions. Early on it was modest sized single-engined naval utility helicopter, and progressed to twin-engine ASW and SAR, and the latest model served well into the 21st century, with G model in active service in the 2020s with Egypt, New Zealand, Peru, and Poland.

Design and development

Origins

In 1956, the USN launched a competition for a compact, all-weather multipurpose naval helicopter, and encouraged submissions from private companies. Kaman responded with its K-20 design, a relatively conventional helicopter with a General Electric T58-8F turboshaft engine droving a 44-foot four-bladed main rotor and a four-bladed tail rotor. Kaman won the competition and was awarded a contract to construct four prototypes and an initial batch of 12 production helicopters, designated as the HU2K-1 . Wiki Link