Best Helicopter

What is the best Helicopter?

  • Total voters
    68

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Gotta admit I haven't seen that bird before :oops:

Care to say anything more (service-carreer, number used etc)?
 
tomo pauk said:
Gotta admit I haven't seen that bird before :oops:

Care to say anything more (service-carreer, number used etc)?
Click to expand...

They were something of an "experiment" by the US Army during the Vietnam War; UH-1's CH-47's were getting shot at by the NVA the VC, and the Army decided to do something about it, so they came up with the ACH. It came as quite a surprise to the enemy when they saw a supposedly unarmed transport helicopter headed their way, and then all of a sudden the "easy target" opened up on them with 20mm and rockets. However, the Army decided to discontinue conversions of existing CH-47's into ACH-47's because they needed all of the Chinooks for transport duties instead of gunships. Also, it was about this time that the AH-1 Cobra gunship was coming on-line, obviating the need for an armed version of the Chinook. Only four examples of the ACH-47 were ever made, and only one survives today. "Easy Money" has been restored, and is on display at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama.
 
DerAdlerIstGelandet said:
No you are correct the Army gave up on the Comanche. They decided to stay with the AH-64D Longbow, basically because it was cheaper.

Speaking of mines though. We have an interesting mod that we can attach to our Blackhawks. We only have a couple of them in our unit, my aircraft happens to be one of them. It is called the Volcano System and it dispenses mines. This basically converts the Blackhawk into a mine field layer. I dont know too much about the system because I have never actually used it and have only seen it installed once. All I know is that carries 950 Gator anit personell mines or anti vehical mines. Still it is a pretty quick way to lay mine fields if you had to.

Here are some interesting pics I took today of an AH-64A Apache at my camp in Iraq. It is unusual in that it is painted grey. Grey is better then the standard Green because it allows the aircraft to blend into the horizon better. Virtually every nation paints there aircraft grey inluding our Airforce, Navy, and Marines. We tried to get our Blackhawks painted Gray before we left Germany but it did not happen. Too bad I think it would have looked pretty sweet.
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wouldn't it set the mines off from rotor wash?
 
The new Sikorsky CH-148, being developed as a successor to the Sea King looks intersting. Does anyone know anything about this bird????

I do know that the propototype ha just completed its first flight trials, and is being developed for the Canadians a a replacement for their long serving Sea Kings. The aircraft has so far managed low speed handling tasks, including forward flight of speeds of 30 knots, as well as some sideward and rearward manouevres

Sikorsky will build 28 CH-148s for the Canadians. It is basically an extension of the S-92R helo into the H-92 TM product series. One of its features is a so-called fully digital fly by wire system (?????) designed to improve "manouverability, safety and effectiveness".

Thats all i could find so far....
 

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My goodness such a small showing for the Chinook!!!! You are having a larffff! It is a fantastic aircraft and does everything demanded of it and more....that said, asking what is the best helicopter is like saying what is the best fixed wing aircraft...horses for courses.....CH47 makes a poor CAS aircraft but a superb SH aircraft....AH64D makes a poor SH aircraft but great CAS....
 
SoD Stitch said:
Don't make good gunships? You ever heard of the ACH-47? Twin 20mm cannons PLUS 2.75" rocket launchers PLUS chin-mounted 40mm grenade launcher PLUS three (3) pintle-mounted .50-cal's, PLUS extra ammo for all of the above. If that's not a well-armed gunship, I don't known what is.

ach-47a.jpg
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The ACH-47 however was not that successful as far as I understand. Only a handful were built.

fly boy said:
wouldn't it set the mines off from rotor wash?
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No they are specially designed for that. They are all loaded into a special dispenser on both sides of the helicopter. The Blackhawk flies low to the ground and then blows them at preset intervals and patterns. They then fall to the ground and you have a mine field.

My first Blackhawk assigned to me was a Volcano Bird.
 
My dad spent 26 years in ARMY aviation, started with the Caribou and ended with the Blackhawk, with many years in the Chinook and Huey in between.


I found a link about the ACH47's


They Called Them "Guns A Go-Go"


BTW...I voted for the Chinook...How many other Helicopters can self-deploy from Colorado to England?
 
Dorr and Bishop, (Vietnam Air Warfare 1996-pp65), describe the tragic and bizarre accident that claimed one ACH-47A. A mounting pin on a 20mm cannon separated during a firing run, causing the gun to elevate and obliterate the forward rotors. All the crew were killed.
 
parsifal said:
The new Sikorsky CH-148, being developed as a successor to the Sea King looks intersting. Does anyone know anything about this bird????

I do know that the propototype ha just completed its first flight trials, and is being developed for the Canadians a a replacement for their long serving Sea Kings. The aircraft has so far managed low speed handling tasks, including forward flight of speeds of 30 knots, as well as some sideward and rearward manouevres

Sikorsky will build 28 CH-148s for the Canadians. It is basically an extension of the S-92R helo into the H-92 TM product series. One of its features is a so-called fully digital fly by wire system (?????) designed to improve "manouverability, safety and effectiveness".

Thats all i could find so far....
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IIRC it was called Helibus (the S-92) when offered for the US. It seems like top notch multipurpose bird :)
 
I voted for the Hind. I just love the look of the aircraft. Wasn't the Apache developed in consequence to the appearance of the Hind?
 
B-17engineer said:
I voted for the Hind. I just love the look of the aircraft. Wasn't the Apache developed in consequence to the appearance of the Hind?
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No the Apache was developed to be an improvement over the Cobra.

tomo pauk said:
I'd say that plethora of Warsaw pact tanks was the raison d'etre of AH-64.
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Ditto, the Army wanted to have an attack aircraft capable of combating tanks, but due to the Key West Agreement was not allowed to have fixed wing aircraft. Hens the need for a attack helicopter.
 
Last edited:
imalko said:
Mi-24 is the only attack helicopter capable of carrying troops, which makes it quite unique.
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No it is not. The MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator (DAP) can also carry passengers as well as armed with up to 16 Hellfire missiles, 2 mini-guns or an assortment of missiles and rockets.
 
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