It was developed from an
Aérospatiale Alouette III airframe, retaining that helicopter's engine and dynamic components, but replacing the original
cockpit with a stepped tandem one, adding a 20 mm cannon under the chin and converting the
undercarriage to
tail-dragger configuration. The XH-1 first flew on 3 February 1985, and soon embarked on a rigorous flight test program to examine the feasibility of a dedicated attack helicopter in southern African conditions. The results were ultimately good enough to convince Atlas and the
South African Air Force to go ahead with the development of a dedicated attack helicopter, the
Denel Rooivalk. The XH-1 and Rooivalk are completely different aircraft and share no components. The Rooivalk was developed from the later XH-2 prototype. The sole XH-1 was retired sometime in the late 1980s and was handed over to the
South African Air Force Museum, where it remains to this day. ==Specifications (XH-1)==