Capabilities and Limitations of Military Helicopter Wire Strike Protection Systems

Anotace: The aim of this article is to identify the functional limits of wire cutters, which are an integral part of passive protection systems designed to protect certain civil and military helicopters from damage caused by wire strikes. These limits are not well-known and are not explicitly stated by the manufacturers. The primary result of the study is an annotated specification of the functional capabilities and limitations of wire cutters mounted on helicopter structures in relation to the type of wire to be cut, flight speed and other circumstances. A further finding is that the stated capabilities and limitations of these technical systems may not be known and available to flight crews in different countries around the world for various reasons.