Then Arthur, that isnt the only one of its kind.

The south africans also developed a single proto of a tandem seat alouette II.

Dont remember the name or have any pix – iam sure that you’ll find info in one of those aircraft encyclopedias (that were I read about it).

A picture showing the rectangular self-sealing tank for Cheetahs:

The particular machine is resting today at the HAL Museum in Bangalore.

* Below is an article on the typical difficulties a helicopter pilot has to face in war:

http://vayu-sena.tripod.com/kargil-army_aviation_article.html

On anti-aircraft fire directed at the aircraft:

A minute and they had ducked into a deep, narrow gorge. This was the safest way to N helipad, which sat on the hill where the gorge ended. The chopper was hugging the ground, staying just 5-10 feet above. On both sides, steep snow-capped ridges rose to 4000+ metres – ridges on which, the pilot knew, the enemy had dug in and would be firing at him this very minute. The chopper continued hugging the ground, moving fast, climbing with the gradient. The narrow, makeshift helipad was situated at about 13,000 feet. It had a light coat of snow when the pilot sat his machine down. There was no sign of any casualties. While his colleague held the machine steady, the pilot threw open the door. He was wearing a flying jacket over his overalls, but the cold air cut through it.

A shell burst a little ahead rocking the chopper. The pilot could make out two figures, bulky in their winter clothes, running towards the machine. A junior commissioned officer and a jawan. They were carrying a stretcher. “How many?” the pilot shouted over the din of the rotors. “Two now, more to go,” the JCO shouted back as he lifted the lying casualty into the space behind the pilots. The seat there had been folded up. The man could just about lie there in the tiny space if he kept his legs folded. He had been shot through the neck and, though dosed with morphine, was moaning in agony. No sooner had the second injured been lifted in — he had a gunshot wound in the leg and was categorised as ‘sitting casualty’ – the pilot was back in his seat. “Let’s go!” he yelled.

…

The co-pilot had taken over. A pull with his left hand and the chopper was airborne. He executed a 100º turn and was down into the gorge. Though the pilot couldn’t hear the automatic fire that was aimed at him inside the cabin, he could see the bullets punching holes on the barren mountainside. His colleague was flying fast, his concentration intense – a slight lapse would send the machine crashing to the ground or into the ridge. Behind them the lying casualty continued to moan. “You are doing fine,” the pilot heard himself yelling. “We will get you out of here soon.” Seven minutes of flying and the chopper touched down where an ambulance was waiting. Willing hands took over the injured, and the pilot was headed towards N helipad again. The second trip was hotter; the third even more so. But today the pilot’s luck held. He brought in five more injured without incident. “Some days when we finish work,” the pilot is saying, “the helicopter is full of blood.”

…

But that protection does not always work. However sharp your eyes are, however keen your concentration, there will be times when you miss out for a few seconds. And then, your life is in the hands of Lady Luck. “I was shot at with a rocket. I spotted the man – he was firing from the shoulder – only after he had fired. He must have been about a kilometre away…It was too late for evasive action, but luckily he missed. I could see white smoke under my machine as it passed beneath,” the senior pilot says. The Cheetahs are not armed aircraft, though the pilots carry an Ak-47 each. As such, all they can do is weave and duck when attacked. But being smaller, they are faster and capable of tight and fast turns. “The enemy fire is always at your future position,” explains a pilot, “If you are watching, you get half a second, perhaps a second to react…and that is enough time.” And if you aren’t? Well, a rocket could “reduce your machine to pieces.” A well-placed bullet in the engine or fuel tank “could send you crashing or on fire.”

“If you are out of their rocket range what they do is direct artillery fire at you,” says the senior pilot. “They (the intruders) have laser range-finders. They pinpoint your position and then call for artillery air-bursts (shells with shorter fuse that burst in the air).” The Air Op pilots’ response is typical during such attacks. They move out of the area as fast as possible, and then call for Indian artillery. “Being trained observers we can pinpoint where the fire is coming from,” the pilot says. “And once a couple of Bofors shells land there, there won’t be anyone left to fire! See, this is a cat-and-mouse game. Who gets whom depends on your luck,” he adds.

Nice work Troung, and Srbin has raised some good points too.

I have a jumle of thoughts in my mind but uptill now I have been unable to find a direction from it. I hope to put up a series of posts here today to help me find one.

Anyway the reason I found the Lama as a model interesting because it is the cheapest military helicopter today – else I am looking a more general helicopter-vs-fixed wing debate too.