page_title: Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphin
section_title: Design
hierarchical_section_title: Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphin / Design
caption_attribution_description: English: The radar of an HH-65C helicopter
context_page_description: The Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphin is a twin-engined helicopter operated by the United States Coast Guard for medevac-capable search and rescue and armed Airborne Use of Force missions. It is a variant of the French-built Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin.
context_section_description: The HH-65A's minimum equipment requirements exceeded anything previously packaged into a helicopter weighing less than 10,000 pounds (4,535 kg). Seventy-five percent of the HH-65's structure—including rotorhead, rotor blades and fuselage—consists of corrosion-resistant composite materials.
  Also a unique feature of the Dolphin is its computerized flight management system, which integrates state-of-the-art communications and navigation equipment. This system provides automatic flight control. At the pilot's direction, the system will bring the aircraft to a stable hover 50 feet (15 m) above a selected object. This is an important safety feature in darkness or inclement weather. Selected search patterns can be flown automatically, freeing the pilot and copilot to concentrate on sighting & searching the object.
  A distinctive feature of the MH-65 is its fenestron ducted-fan anti-torque device. The fenestron consists of 11 blades spinning inside a circular housing at the base of the helicopter's tail fin.
  Certified for single-pilot instrument flight rules (IFR) operation, the HH-65A was the first helicopter certified with a four-axis autopilot, allowing for hands-off hover over a pre-determined location.
caption: HH-65C radar
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