The 1960s were a turbulent era, and Finland was no exception. A generation
was coming to political power composed of those who had fought valiantly against
Soviet forces in the ‘40s, and the sight of Russian aircraft in use with the
Finnish military was a little galling to these veterans. A resurgence of
national pride swelled up, and thoughts of equipping themselves with home grown
solutions was tempting.
It was decided that a good start would be with a helicopter. The Finns have
always been a practical people, and starting an aviation industry with a fighter
or any high performance aircraft was not deemed sensible. A helicopter however
would be not only utilitarian for all military branches, but could have civilian
applications as well.
The problem was that there was no aircraft industry that was up to even this
task. But a few hours spent in a boat gave a civil servant a brainstorm as he
fiddled in his tackle box and saw an aerodynamic shape cradled in his fingers.
Accordingly they decided to approach a well known manufacturer which had a
reputation for craftsmanship and world wide recognition – Rapala. A name was
chosen - Sudenkorento, the Finnish word for Dragonfly.
Some spare engines were requisitioned and work commenced on a large engine
module which would sit on top of the airframe and be essentially self-contained,
with a few conduits for controls and fuel supply. This would allow for rapid
changes in the event of a breakdown, with spare modules kept available for such
occasions.
The fuselage itself was typically Rapala, even down to the diving lip under
the nose. This was used to support a large and very powerful radar system with a
very wide scanning area. Various aerials were arranged as on the famous lures,
and retained the loop shape which kept them compact. A sonobuoy could be also
carried externally and winched down as needed.
The program was not completely trouble free however. Considerable money and
effort was lost when a miscommunication at one of the production facilities
resulted in the construction of a unit based on the jointed Rapala design, which
promptly flailed itself apart before even attaining its first take-off.