Preface

The Ni-1 Woodstar is an Ecuadorian utility helicopter designed by Esmeraldas Aviacion.

The introduction of this helicopter meant that the Ecuadorian Armed Forces now had a significant heliborne asset for utility purposes. Both the Ejercito Ecuatoriano (Ecuadorian Army) and the Paternian Army were interested in their developments in rotorcraft. Thus, the Paternian Army and the Ecuadorian Army exchanged examples of each helicopter. We compared UH-2D to their Ni-1.

Combat Performance

The Esmeraldas Ni-1 Woodstar is very similar to the UH-2 Trojan in role. The principal differences lie in interior arrangement, relative performance, and landing gear configuration.

The Ni-1 Woodstar is a smaller aircraft, carrying a squad of 9 infantrymen and their gear. It can be crewed by a single pilot, but can be accompanied by a copilot if need be. The Ni-1 Woodstar's passenger component cannot employ their personal weapons from within the aircraft. The door arrangement makes use of a gunner less practical, as the gunner and gun position would make egress into and out of the aircraft more difficult.

The Ni-1, on account of its smaller size, is a faster and more maneuverable aircraft. The fact that the doors are usually kept on improves aerodynamics, and is very aerodynamically clean. The sophisticated control system allows a pilot to automatically engage various modes of flight, from hovering to high-speed flight. The in-flight fly-by-wire stabilization system is quite effective and adaptable. However, such systems add complexity of operation.

The fixed tricycle landing gear allows for easier handling on the landing pad. This is especially useful on naval vessels, where handling must be performed on an unpredictably shifting flight deck. However, its tricycle arrangement makes it inherently unstable on the ground, making it more prone to tipping over and trickier to land.

In contrast, the UH-2 is a much heavier aircraft, capable of carrying a 12 infantrymen and their gear. It can be crewed by as little as a single pilot or as large as a pilot, a copilot, and two door gunners. Its larger doors cabin doors are often left open or removed entirely. Although this degrades performance due to the additional drag, egress into the compartment is easier, allows the passengers to employ personal weapons, and makes a door gunner more practical.

Due to its larger size and the fact that the cabin doors are often left open, it is a slower aircraft. The control system of the UH-2 requires greater experience to engage in various modes of flight. However, while flying the UH-2 is difficult to master, it is very easy to learn due to its simplistic controls.

The fixed skid landing gear allows for operation in different environments. The aircraft is very stable on the ground as a result, and is easier to land partially because of it. In addition, the skids can easily be replaced with floats and skis, pending on the situation. However, ground handling is tricker with landing skids compared to wheels.

Overview

The Ni-1 Woodstar is considered a good design given Ecuadorain doctrine of smaller, more mobile squads seeking to outflank and encircle opposition than the larger, more powerfully-armed squads seeking to strike the opposition with great firepower and speed. While it does not have the capacity or defensive firepower of the UH-2 Trojan, it is faster and easy to control.