Польшаның «Сокол» тікұшағы: Тарихы мен дамуы

The PZL W 3 Sokół (English: "Falcon") is a medium size, twin engine, multipurpose helicopter developed and manufactured by Polish helicopter company PZL Świdnik, now owned by Leonardo. It was the first helicopter entirely designed and produced in Poland.

During 1973, work commenced upon what would become the W 3 Sokół at PZL Świdnik; design work was performed by an in house team led by aeronautical engineer Stanisław Kamiński. A major influence on the design was the perceived demands from both military and civilian aviation across the Soviet Union, which was envisioned to serve as the major operator of the type. On 16 November 1979, the Sokół conducted its maiden flight. Following an intensive test programme, type certification for the helicopter was received from aviation authorities in Poland, Russia, the United States and Germany. During May 1993, certification of the Sokol to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) FAR Part 29 standards was granted; it was followed by the receipt of German certification during December of that year. During 1985, low rate production of the Sokół commenced. In June 1996, the 100th Sokół was completed by the company.

During the 1990s, PZL Świdnik heavily pursued the development of an envisioned Huzar battlefield helicopter, which was to be based on the airframe of the W 3 Sokol and would have eventually involved the manufacture of 100 such attack helicopters under a tentative $350 million contract for the Polish Army. During 1998, the Polish Council of Ministers issued its recommendation for the launch of a new tender in support of the envisioned Huzar. While Rafael's NT D anti tank missile was selected, this was subject to the successful completion of several test launches; if it failed, rival bids from Boeing for the AGM 114 Hellfire, British firm GEC Marconi with the Brimstone and the Franko German company Euromissile's HOT 3 missile. Poland ultimately chose to pursue a relatively modest stopgap plan to upgrade its existing Mil Mi 24 fleet with Israeli built equipment.

During the early 2000s, PLZ Swidnik issued an offer for the upgrade of 12 Sokols previously operated by the Polish Air Force in the training role, converting them to perform the search and rescue mission instead; amongst the changes involved was the installation of Rockwell Collins built ARC 210 transceivers and the adoption of new night vision goggles (NVG) compatible cockpits. In 2006, this offer was met with a corresponding contract, which would ultimately led to the production of an improved model of the rotorcraft, designated as the W 3PL Gluszec; in addition to the above improvements, a new flight control system and upgraded powerplants featuring full authority digital engine control (FADEC) software, were adopted, along with various changes to the communication, navigation and self protection systems. The variant, which had been developed partially based upon combat experience gained in Iraq, attracted the attention of the Polish land forces, leading to discussions on modernising additional W 3 helicopters to the Gluszec standard. By January 2012, a follow up order for another four Sokols re built to the W 3PL configuration had been issued. During the mid 2000s, it was reported that, as part of a wider proposed industrial partnership between PLZ Swidnik and Indonesian aircraft company Indonesian Aerospace (IAe), discussions on the potential outsourcing of manufacturing work on the Sokol helicopter, focused on the airframe and some of the subassemblies, were held; it was also stated that a wider licensing agreement in respect to the Sokol had already been ruled out as IAe were not prepared to accept responsibility for marketing and sales for the helicopter. Following Anglo Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland's acquisition of PZL Swidnik, the W 3 Sokol was incorporated into the new parent company's product line and has continued to be marketed and sold.

The PZL W 3 Sokół is a medium size, twin engine, multipurpose rotorcraft. The helicopter employs a relatively conventional design and construction. It is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Rzeszów built PZL 10B turboshaft engines; the original powerplant, the PZL 10W, was based on the earlier PZL 10S – a licensed derivative of the Russian designed Glushenkov TVD 10B turboprop engines which had powered the Polish built Antonov An 28. Composites are used in the construction of the three bladed tail and four bladed main rotors. The Sokół has been offered in a number of diverse variants and is capable of performing a typical range of helicopter missions, including passenger transport, VIP, cargo, EMS, medevac, firefighting and search and rescue. When used in maritime environments, the rotorcraft is typically outfitted with floats, a transponder, a global positioning system navigation system, night vision equipment, and a Lucas winch.

The first civilian export customer for the W 3A variant of the type was Germany's Federal Police in Saxony. During the mid 1990s, During early 1996, Poland exchanged a batch of 11 W 3 Sokółs with the neighbouring Czech Republic in exchange for 10 Mikoyan MiG 29. Since 2003, a batch of four W 3WA helicopters were used by the Independent Air Attack Group (Samodzielna Grupa Powietrzno Szturmowa) of the Polish forces in Iraq in support of coalition operations in the region as a part of Poland's contribution to the Iraq War. In total, eight Polish helicopters were deployed to the region until 2008. during summer 2004, the type participated in the distribution of propaganda leaflets as part of wider efforts to undermine support for Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al Sadr. On 15 December 2004, one Sokol was lost due to an accidental crash landing near Karbala, killing three personnel onboard and injuring three more. On 18 July, 2006 another helicopter crashed at an air base in Al Diwaniyah, injuring 4 crew and 3 passengers. Since January 2012, a force of five W 3 Sokol helicopters, along with six Mil Mi 8, have been furnished with a VIP configuration and stationed at Poland's 1st Air Transport Base following a major reshuffle of assets.