AH-64 Apache


The AH-64 Apache is an all-weather day-night military attack helicopter with a four-bladed main and tail rotor and a crew of two pilots who sit in tandem. The main fixed armament is a 30 mm M230 Chain Gun under the aircraft's nose. It can also carry a mixture of AGM-114 Hellfire and Hydra 70 rocket pods on four hard points mounted on its stub-wing pylons. The AH-64 is the principal attack helicopter of the United States Army, and a successor to the AH-1 Cobra.

The Apache was designed by Hughes Helicopters in response to the Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter program. McDonnell Douglas purchased Hughes Helicopters and continued the development of the AH-64 resulting in the AH-64D Apache Longbow which is currently produced by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. United States Army AH-64s have been in action in Panama, Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq.


Advanced Attack Helicopter

Following the cancellation of the AH-56 Cheyenne in favor of USAF and Marine projects like the A-10 and Harrier, the United States Army sought an aircraft to fill an anti-armor attack role that would still fall under Army command (the 1948 Key West Agreement having forbidden the Army from commanding fixed-wing aircraft). The Army wanted an aircraft better than the AH-1 Cobra in firepower, performance and range. It would have the maneuverability to fly nap-of-the-earth (NoE) missions. To this end, the US Army issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) for an Advanced Attack Helicopter (AAH) in 1972.[2]

Proposals were submitted by five manufacturers: Bell, Boeing-Vertol (teamed with Grumman), Hughes, Lockheed, and Sikorsky. In 1973, the U.S. Department of Defense selected finalists Bell and Hughes Aircraft's Toolco Aircraft Division (later Hughes Helicopters). This began the phase 1 of the competition.[2]

Each company built prototype helicopters and went through a flight test program. Hughes' Model 77/YAH-64A prototype first flew on September 30, 1975, while Bell's Model 409/YAH-63A prototype first flew the following day. After evaluating test results, the Army selected Hughes' YAH-64A over Bell's YAH-63A in 1976. Reasons for selecting the YAH-64A included its more damage tolerant four-blade main rotor and the instability of the YAH-63's tricycle landing gear arrangement.

The AH-64A then entered phase 2 of the AAH program. This called for building three preproduction AH-64s, and upgrading the two YAH-64A flight prototypes and the ground test unit up to the same standard. Weapons and sensor systems were integrated and tested during this time,[2] including the new Hellfire missile.

Into production

In 1981, three pre-production AH-64As were handed over to the U.S. Army for Operational Test II. The Army testing was successful, but afterwards it was decided to upgrade to the T700-GE-701 version of engine, producing 1,690 shp (1,259 kW). In late 1981, the AH-64 was named the "Apache" keeping with the Army's traditional use of Native American tribal names for its helicopters. Hughes was approved for full scale production in 1982.[2] In 1983, the first production helicopter was rolled out at Hughes Helicopter's facility at Mesa, Arizona. In 1984, Hughes Helicopters was purchased by McDonnell Douglas for $500 million. Hughes later became part of The Boeing Company with the merger of Boeing and McDonnell Douglas in August 1997. In 1984, the incremental or flyaway cost for the AH-64A was US$7.8 million and the average unit cost was approximately US$14 million with development costs included.

In 2004, General Electric Aviation began producing more powerful T700-GE-701D engines, rated at 2,000 shp (1,500 kW) for AH-64Ds.[5] The total cost of the AH-64D program is US$10.5 billion through April 2007

Design

The AH-64 is powered by two General Electric T700 turboshaft engines with high-mounted exhausts on either side of the rotor shaft. The Apache has a four-blade main rotor and four-blade tail rotor. The crew sits in tandem, with the pilot sitting behind and above the copilot-gunner in an armored crew compartment. The crew compartment and fuel tanks are armored against 23 mm gunfire. The helicopter is designed to remain flyable after sustaining hits by 23 mm rounds.

The helicopter is armed with a 30 mm M230 Chain Gun that can be slaved to the gunner's Helmet mounted display, fixed to a locked forward firing position, or controlled via the TADS (Target Acquisition and Designation System). The AH-64 carries a range of external stores on its stub-wing pylons, typically a mixture of AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank missiles, Hydra 70 general-purpose unguided 70 mm (2.75 in) rockets, and AIM-92 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles for defense. In case of emergency the pylons also have mounting points for personnel transfer (mounting points are handles normally used by maintenance personnel).

The AH-64 is designed to endure front-line environments and to operate during the day or night and in adverse weather using avionics and electronics, such as the Target Acquisition and Designation System, Pilot Night Vision System (TADS/PNVS), passive infrared countermeasures, Global Positioning System (GPS), and the Integrated Helmet And Display Sight System (IHADSS).


Specifications (AH-64A)

General characteristics

    * Crew: 2: pilot, CPG (co-pilot/gunner)
    * Length: 58.17 ft (17.73 m) (with both rotors turning)
    * Rotor diameter: 48 ft 0 in (14.63 m)
    * Height: 12.7 ft (3.87 m)
    * Disc area: 1,809.5 ft² (168.11 m²)
    * Empty weight: 11,387 lb (5,165 kg)
    * Loaded weight: 18,000 lb (8,000 kg)
    * Max takeoff weight: 21,000 lb (9,500 kg)
    * Powerplant: 2× General Electric T700-GE-701 and later upgraded to T700-GE-701C & T700-GE-701D (1990-today) turboshafts, -701: 1,690 shp, -701C: 1,890 shp -701D 2,000 shp (-701: 1,260 kW, -701C: 1,490 kW) each
    * Fuselage length: 49 ft 5 in (15.06 m)
    * Rotor systems: 4 blade main rotor, 4 blade tail rotor in non-orthogonal alignment

Hydra 70 and AGM-114 Hellfire.
Hydra 70 and AGM-114 Hellfire.

Performance

    * Never exceed speed: 197 knots (227 mph, 365 km/h)
    * Maximum speed: 158 knots (182 mph, 293 km/h)
    * Cruise speed: 143 knots (165 mph, 265 km/h)
    * Combat radius: 260 nm (300 mi, 480 km)
    * Ferry range: 1,024 nm (1,180 mi, 1,900 km)
    * Service ceiling 21,000 ft (6,400 m)
    * Rate of climb: 2,500 ft/min (12.7 m/s)
    * Disc loading: 9.80 lb/ft² (47.90 kg/m²)
    * Power/mass: 0.18 hp/lb (310 W/kg)

Armament

    * Guns: 1× M230 30 mm (1.18 in) cannon, 1,200 rounds
    * Rockets: Hydra 70 FFAR rockets
    * Missiles: combination of AGM-114 Hellfire, AIM-92 Stinger, AIM-9 Sidewinder

AH-1 Cobra



The AH-1 Cobra (company designation: Bell 209) is a two-bladed, single engine attack helicopter manufactured by Bell. It shares a common engine, transmission and rotor system with the older UH-1 Iroquois. The AH-1 is also sometimes referred to as the HueyCobra or Snake.

The AH-1 was the backbone of the United States Army's attack helicopter fleet, but has been replaced by the AH-64 Apache in Army service. Upgraded versions continue to fly with several other users. The AH-1 twin engine versions remain in service with United States Marine Corps as the service's primary attack helicopter.


Closely related with the development of the Bell AH-1 is the story of the Bell UH-1 — predecessor of the modern helicopter, icon of the Vietnam War and still one of the most numerous helicopter types in service today.

The UH-1 made the theory of air cavalry practical, as the new tactics called for US forces to be highly mobile across a wide area. Unlike before, they would not stand and fight long battles, and they would not stay and hold positions. Instead, the plan was that the troops carried by fleets of UH-1 Hueys would range across the country, to fight the enemy at times and places of their own choice.

It soon became clear that the unarmed troop helicopters were vulnerable against ground fire from Việt Cộng and North Vietnamese troops, particularly as they came down to drop their troops in a landing zone. Without friendly support from artillery or ground forces, the only way to pacify a landing zone was from the air, preferably with a machine that could closely escort the transport helicopters, and loiter over the landing zone as the battle progressed. By 1962 a small number of armed UH-1As were used as escorts, armed with multiple machine guns and rocket mounts.

The massive expansion of American military presence in Vietnam opened a new era of war from the air. The linchpin of US Army tactics were the helicopters, and the protection of those helicopters became a vital role.


General characteristics

    * Crew: 2 - one pilot, one CPG (co-pilot/gunner)
    * Length: 44 ft 5 in (13.4 m)
    * Rotor diameter: 44 ft (13.4 m)
    * Height: 13 ft 5 in (4.1 m)
    * Empty weight: 6,073 lb (2,754 kg)
    * Max takeoff weight: 9,500 lb (4,309 kg)
    * Powerplant: 1× AVCO Lycoming T53-L-13 turboshaft, 1,100 shp (820 kW)
    * Rotor system: 2 blades on main rotor

Performance

    * Maximum speed: 190 knots (219 mph, 352 km/h)
    * Range: 310 nmi (357 mi, 574 km)
    * Service ceiling 11,400 ft (3,475 m)
    * Rate of climb: 1,230 ft/min (6.25 m/s)

Armament

    * 2 7.62 mm (0.308 in) multi-barrel Miniguns, or 2 M129 40 mm Grenade launchers, or one of each, in the M28 turret
    * 2.75 in (70 mm) rockets - 7 rockets mounted in the M158 launcher or 19 rockets in the M200 launcher
    * M18 7.62 mm Minigun pod or XM35 armament subsystem with XM195 20 mm cannon



    * Crew: 2 - one pilot, one CPG (co-pilot/gunner)
    * Length: 44 ft 7 in (13.6 m)
    * Rotor diameter: ft (m)
    * Height: 13 ft 5 in (4.1 m)
    * Empty weight: 6,600 lb (2,993 kg)
    * Max takeoff weight: 10,000 lb (4,500 kg)
    * Powerplant: 1× AVCO Lycoming T53-L-703 turboshaft, 1,800 shp (1,300 kW)
    * Rotor system: 2 blades on main rotor

Performance

    * Maximum speed: 149 knots (172 mph, 277 km/h)
    * Range: 274 nmi (315 mi, 510 km)
    * Service ceiling 12,200 ft (3,720 m)
    * Rate of climb: 1,620 ft/min (8.2 m/s)

Armament

    * M197 3-barreled 20 mm "Gatling-style" cannon
    * Hydra 70 2.75 in (70 mm) rockets - 7 rockets mounted in the M260 launcher or 19 rockets in the M261 launcher[16]
    * TOW Missiles - 4 or 8 missiles mounted in two-missile launchers on each hardpoint

  To majstore, nastavi samo

Lepo predstavljanje.

Mi-24

The Mil Mi-24 (Cyrillic Миль Ми-24, NATO reporting name "Hind") is a large helicopter gunship and low-capacity troop transport produced by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and operated from 1972 by the Soviet Air Force, its successors, and over thirty other nations.

In NATO circles the export versions, Mi-25 and Mi-35, are simply denoted with a letter suffix as "Hind D" and "Hind E" respectively. Soviet pilots called the aircraft летающий танк (letayushchiy tank, “flying tank”). More common unofficial nicknames were Крокодил (Krokodil, “Crocodile”), due to the helicopter's new camouflage scheme [1] and Стакан (Stakan, “Glass”), because of the flat glass plates which surrounded the three place cockpit of the Hind A version.

The core of the aircraft was derived from the Mil Mi-8 (NATO reporting name "Hip"), two top-mounted turboshaft engines driving a mid-mounted 17.3 m five-blade main rotor and a three-blade tail rotor. The engine configuration gave the aircraft its distinctive double air intake. Original versions have an angular greenhouse-style cockpit; Model D and later have a characteristic tandem cockpit with a "double bubble" canopy. Other airframe components came from the Mi-14 "Haze". Two mid-mounted stub wings provide weapon hardpoints, each offering three stations, in addition to providing lift. The load-out mix is mission dependent; Hinds can be tasked with close air support, anti-tank operations, or aerial combat. The body is heavily armored and the titanium rotor blades can resist impacts from .50 caliber (12.7 mm) rounds. The cockpit is overpressurized to protect the crew in NBC conditions.

Considerable attention was given to making the Mi-24 fast. The airframe was streamlined, and fitted with retractable tricycle undercarriage landing gear to reduce drag. The wings provide considerable lift at high speed, up to a quarter of total lift. The main rotor was tilted 2.5° to the right from the fuselage to counteract dissymmetry of lift at high speed and provide a more stable firing platform. The landing gear was also tilted to the left so the rotor would still be level when the aircraft was on the ground, making the rest of the airframe tilt to the left. The tail was also asymmetrical to give a side force at speed, thus unloading the tail rotor.

As a combination gunship and troop transport, the Mi-24 has no direct NATO counterpart. While some have compared the UH-1 ("Huey") as NATO's direct counterpart to the Mi-24, this is inaccurate. While UH-1s were used in Vietnam to ferry troops, and were used as gunships, they were not able to do both at the same time. Converting a UH-1 into a gunship meant stripping the entire passenger area to accommodate extra fuel and ammunition, making it useless for troop transport. The Mi-24 was designed to do both, and this was greatly exploited by airborne units of the Soviet Army during the 1980-1989 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The closest Western equivalent was the Sikorsky S-67 Blackhawk, which utilized many of the same design principles and was also built as a high-speed, high-agility attack helicopter with limited troop transport capability; it, like the Hind, was also designed using many components from an already existing product, the Sikorsky S-61, itself a close approximation to the Mi-8/Mi-14. The S-67, however, was never adopted for service.


Specifications (Mi-24)
Orthographic projection of the Mil Mi-24.

General characteristics

    * Crew: 3 (pilot, weapons system officer and technician)
    * Capacity: 8 troops or 4 stretchers
    * Length: 17.5 m (57 ft 4 in)
    * Rotor diameter: 17.3 m (56 ft 7 in)

    * Wingspan: 6.5 m (21 ft 3 in)

    * Height: 6.5 m (21 ft 3 in)
    * Disc area: 235 m² (2,530 ft²)
    * Empty weight: 8,500 kg (18,740 lb)
    * Max takeoff weight: 12,000 kg (26,500 lb)
    * Powerplant: 2× Isotov TV3-117 turbines, 1,600 kW (2,200 hp) each

Performance

    * Maximum speed: 335 km/h (208 mph)
    * Range: 450 km (280 miles)
    * Service ceiling 4,500 m (14,750 ft)

Armament

Internal guns

        * flexible 12.7 mm Yakushev-Borzov Yak-B Gatling gun on most variants. Maximum of 1470 rounds of ammunition.
        * fixed twin-barrel GSh-30K on the Mi-24P. 750 rounds of ammunition.
        * flexible twin-barrel GSh-23L on the Mi-24VP and Mi-24VM. 450 rounds of ammunition.
        * PKT door mounted machine guns

External stores

        * Total payload is 1500 kg of external stores.
        * Inner hardpoints can carry at least 500 kg
        * Outer hardpoints can carry up to 250 kg
        * Wing-tip pylons can only carry the 9M17 Phalanga (in the Mi-24A-D) or the 9K114 Shturm complex (in the Mi-24V-F).

Bomb-load

        * Bombs within weight range (presumably ZAB, FAB, RBK, ODAB etc.), Up to 500 kg.
        * MBD multiple ejector racks (presumably MBD-4 with 4xFAB-100)
        * KGMU2V submunition/mine dispenser pods

First-generation armament (standard production Mi-24D)

        * GUV-8700 gunpod (with a 12.7 mm Yak-B + 2x7.62 mm GShG-7.62 combination or one 30mm AGS-17)
        * UB-32 S-5 rocket launchers
        * S-24 240 mm rocket
        * 9M17 Phalanga (a pair on each wingtip pylon)

Possible armament configuration on Mi-24W
Possible armament configuration on Mi-24W

Second-generation armament (Mi-24V, Mi-24P and most upgraded Mi-24D)

        * UPK-23-250 gunpod carrying the GSh-23L
        * B-8V20 a lightweight long tubed helicopter version of the S-8 rocket launcher
        * 9K114 Shturm in pairs on the outer and wingtip pylons

ATE upgrade (Superhind MkIII B)

The latest Super Hind

        * 30 mm turreted cannon
        * 8× Ingwe anti-tank guided missile
        * Bombs
        * S-8, S-13, S-240 rocket pods

Other

        * In foreign service other weapons have sometimes been converted for use
        * After the Mathias Rust incident, experiments were conducted using the R-60 air-to-air missile in an attempt to produce a rapid-response "Cessna interceptor".
        * Some aircraft may have upgraded hardpoints to enable them to carry the long UB-13 S-13 rocket 122mm pods, 9M39 Igla racks, and S-25 350 mm rockets, but this is unconfirmed.
        * Modern prototypes can carry the 9K121 Vikhr (for the Ukrainian prototypes), 9M120 Ataka-V (Mil prototypes), R-73, and a variety of semi-active laser-guided rockets and missiles.
        * Variants as recent as the Mi-24V (HIND-E) have swivel mounts fitted on each side of the three forward windows, including the two in each door; a rifle can be clamped into these mounts to allow embarked troops to fire from inside the cabin. The forward window on each door has a socket for a pintle-mounted machine gun as well as the rifle mount, although there is not enough space to effectively use both at once. All rifle mounts can be folded or slid out of the way to clear the windows. The windows are hinged at the top and fold up inside the cabin; clips on the cabin ceiling hold them open. The rearmost window on each side cannot be opened (much like on Soviet APCs from that period). The infantry weapon mounts may have been removed from later production aircraft.