Piasecki HUP-2 – the US multi-role naval helicopter

The Piasecki H-25 (designation: Piasecki H-25 Army Mule/  HUP “Retriever”) - a United States transport helicopter. It was designed and manufactured by “Piasecki Helicopter Corporation” in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Production ended in 1964. More than 370 aircraft of several modifications were produced. In 1956, the company's name was changed to “Vertol Aircraft Corporation”, in 1960 it was acquired by “Boeing Aircraft Company” and renamed “Boeing-Vertol”. In 1945, the United States Navy submitted a proposal to create a compact search and rescue helicopter for use from aircraft carriers and other warships. “Piasecki Helicopter Corporation” developed the prototype helicopter XHJP-1, which first flew in March 1948. The Navy approved the serial production of the helicopter. The helicopter entered service in the US Navy and Marine Corps in 1949. Its two propellers are arranged in a longitudinal configuration and have three blades. The rotor diameter is 11 meters, the blades fold to save space in the hangar of an aircraft carrier or ship. The helicopter is equipped with one “Continental” R975-46 piston radial engine, the starting power of which reaches 550 h. p. (410 kW). For search and rescue operations, the helicopter is equipped with electrically operated sliding doors and a lifting winch. The HUP series helicopters for the Navy were produced in several versions: HUP-1, -2 and 3. The HUP-2 was the first serially produced helicopter with an autopilot. A modification was also produced for the US Army. Some helicopters were exported and used by the Canadian and French Navy (from 1953 to 1965). The Army H-25 transport helicopters were used for various purposes until 1962. The last exemplar was de-registered in the USA in 1964, and in the French Navy in 1965.

A small, not very complicated, well-designed and well-detailed helicopter model for modelers of any experience. Only beginners and modelers with little experience are recommended to make the model under the supervision of a more experienced colleague, and for beginners it is not recommended to do any interior detailing, recommended simplify some details and make the windows opaque. The model recreates the appearance of the helicopter, used by the French Navy. There are no color stocks, the text instructions in Polish are small and only describe the assembly of the model in rather general terms. What is not in the textual instructions, is perfectly illustrated in a large, easy-to-read and informative graphical instruction.