Cobra AH-1 vs a Apache?

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Revival_786

New Member
Cobra AH-1 vs a Apache (let's say fully upgraded).

They are both attack heli's so they can engage each other I'm assuming :)

I was wondering which one would win if pitted against one another in let's say a battlefield where both heli's can hide for cover :)

Would the Apache win because it can carry more advanced weapons? :?

btw which model of Cobra AH-1 does Pakistan have :?

There go my questions (hopefully not dumb ones) :)
 

Pathfinder-X

Tribal Warlord
Verified Defense Pro
Revival_786 said:
Cobra AH-1 vs a Apache (let's say fully upgraded).

They are both attack heli's so they can engage each other I'm assuming :)

I was wondering which one would win if pitted against one another in let's say a battlefield where both heli's can hide for cover :)

Would the Apache win because it can carry more advanced weapons? :?

btw which model of Cobra AH-1 does Pakistan have :?

There go my questions (hopefully not dumb ones) :)
if both helicopter is fully upgraded the longbow apache has a clear edge since it has newer avionics, weapon systems and stronger armour. it also has better turning radius and faster speed.
 
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Aussie Digger

Guest
I'm not certain what you mean by "fully upgraded" to what standard for instance? But Apache is a far more advanced weapon system than the typical AH-1 Cobra (though maybe not the AH-1Z, which isn't in service yet anyway and so doesn't count) and normally carries more advanced weapons (millimetric wave radar guided Hellfires on the Longbow example for instance). If both were equipped for an anti-helicopter warfare role, you'd have to think the Apache Longbow would win due to the superiority of it's avionics and it's radar system, it's by no means certain though. I'd say instead that the winner would be whoever detected the other helo first and was able to engage it. Cheers.
 

adsH

New Member
i would stress on the Level of training i know for a fact that that atleast the Apaches require extensive INtensive Pilot training for only highly suited Pilots. It takes Many hours to train the Pilots to concentrate on controlling this sophisticated weapon System, paying equal attention to Avionics and whats happenign out side.!! even the UK at time of Apache induction was haveing problems the Equipment started pouring inn But there were no pilots to Fly them becasue none of them had Graduated from apache Pilot training courses!! so Training would a key factor amounts these both platforms. the UK was also i think working on Enhancing the safety and Performance features on Apachees which should have been implemented on the Modified Apaches now in service here. those included newer and better ejection systems. and some modifications to the structure i think!!
 

Gremlin29

Super Moderator
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
Longbow is radar equipped and therefore more likely to get a fix on the AH-1. This would would allow the Apache to position itself for an ambush type shot. The Bushmaster cannon on the Apache has a greater range than the 20mm mounted on the Cobra and has a more accurate fire control system so it has Cobra outclassed in the guns department. Both carry Stinger and Sidewinder both of which are infra-red systems. In this instance I would probaby go with the single engine Cobra as it will not be putting out as much heat as the twin engine Apache. The IR type missiles are very deadly to either helicopter because neither have a threat indicator system for IR systems. If you don't see the missile you can't take evasive action and you are definately doomed. The Apache is a systems helicopter and the pilot can be quite busy. In a night fighting scenario the Apache again has a distinct advantage and would dominate the Cobra. There are a few scenarios in which the Cobra would have the advantage but overall the Apache would dominate. That being said, Cobra's just plain old look cool and personally I would rather fly over a battlefield in one of those versus the Apache.
 

Pathfinder-X

Tribal Warlord
Verified Defense Pro
Aussie Digger said:
I'm not certain what you mean by "fully upgraded" to what standard for instance? But Apache is a far more advanced weapon system than the typical AH-1 Cobra (though maybe not the AH-1Z, which isn't in service yet anyway and so doesn't count) and normally carries more advanced weapons (millimetric wave radar guided Hellfires on the Longbow example for instance). If both were equipped for an anti-helicopter warfare role, you'd have to think the Apache Longbow would win due to the superiority of it's avionics and it's radar system, it's by no means certain though. I'd say instead that the winner would be whoever detected the other helo first and was able to engage it. Cheers.
AH-1Z is in service, 5 or 6 prototypes is already in the evaluation stage wif U.S marine corps. wif any luck the AH-1Z should be able to come in service within two years.
 

adsH

New Member
On my desktop i have a Pic of a Apache apart for its cool aggressive design i would say its bulky and i would bet on it being less maneuverable than it smaller slicker looking counterpart the Cobra!!, as "grem" confirmed the Apache is "systems" Heli
which confirmed what i said that the Pilot requires just hours of hours and hours of training to just be able to concentrate on whats happening on the Avionics and what happening out side for situation Awareness, its a complicating piece of equipment, not just any one can fly this!!

Cobra has been in service in the Pak army for abit its relatively cheap and pak has been training its personal on it i think they should stick with this Heli rather then going for a new system!!!
 
A

Aussie Digger

Guest
Sorry I should have said, operational service, the AH-1Z is indeed in service as far as testing the platform, but it's a long way from being operational, THAT's what I was referring to. Cheers.
 

Revival_786

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  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
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Hmm so even the most advanced Cobra can't win against the most advanced Apache... what I thought :)

What I meant by most advanced is the lastest and most advanced variant/standard of the base heli ;)
 

Pathfinder-X

Tribal Warlord
Verified Defense Pro
here is the specs, compare them urself

AH-1Z UPGRADE PROGRAMME

The Bell Super Cobra is currently in the Engineering and Manufacturing Development Phase of a major upgrade known as the H-1 Program. The programme calls for the remanufacture of the US Marine Corps fleet of 180 AH-1W Super Cobra and 100 UH-1N utility helicopters to an advanced four bladed configuration. The existing two-bladed semi-rigid, teetering rotor system is replaced with a four-bladed, hingeless, bearingless rotor system. First flight of the AH-1Z took place in December 2000. In May 2003, the helicopter completed completed initial operational assessment and a total of 500 hours flight time for the program. Low rate initial production (LRIP) of six helicopters is scheduled to begin in 2004, with initial operating capability in 2007. The improvement in flight characteristics provided by the four bladed configuration has led to increases in flight envelope, maximum speed, vertical rate-of-climb, payload and rotor vibration level.

Lockheed Martin is developing a longer range Target Sight System (TSS) for the AH-1Z to replace the NTS. TSS includes a FLIR based on a 3-5 micron staring array, CCD TV and eyesafe laser rangefinder/designator.

In June 2002, Thales Avionics' TopOwl helmet-mounted display system was chosen for the USMC AH-1Z. The first system was delivered in January 2003. TopOwl, also fitted on Tiger, NH90 and Rooivalk helicopters, has integrated Gen IV image intensifier and FLIR capability and provides transition from day to night use at the push of a button.

The Turkish Army selected the AH-1Z King Cobra in July 2000 with a request for 50 out of a total requirement for 145 helicopters. The initial contract has not yet been signed but, in August 2003, a conference was held in Fort Worth Texas between Bell and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) to finalise the subcontracts. The helicopters will be built in Turkey by TAI and will have a fire control system by the Turkish company, Aselsan, and T700-GE-701 engines instead of the T700-GE-401. They will be armed with Hellfire and Stinger missiles.

Longbow International (a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman) are to develop the Cobra Radar System for the AH-1Z, based on the Longbow millimetre wave radar on the AH-64D Apache. Cobra will be a pod-based radar that can be mounted on a wingtip or in a stores position. Cobra will automatically search, detect, classify and prioritise multiple moving and stationary targets.

WEAPONS

The Super Cobra can carry both TOW and Hellfire anti-armour missiles and is being qualified to carry the Maverick missile. The Raytheon BGM-71 TOW missile has a range of more than 3km and semi-automatic command-to-line- of-sight guidance. The AGM-114 Hellfire missile is manufactured by Boeing and Lockheed Martin. It is equipped with a semi-active laser seeker and has a range of 7km. The Super Cobra has fire-and-forget capability when firing the Hellfire missile in co-operative mode with laser target illumination.

The Super Cobra was the first attack helicopter to qualify both the Sidewinder air-to-air missile and the Sidearm anti-radiation missile. Both missiles can use the same LAU-7 rail launcher. Sidearm has a range of more than 15km. AIM-9L Sidewinder is an all-aspect short range air-to-air missile produced by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. The missile has a range of 15km.

The Super Cobra can also fire a range of rockets, for example 70mm rockets armed with submunition warheads or the larger 12.7cm Zuni rocket bombs.

The Super Cobra carries a three-barrel 20mm Gatling gun for close range (up to 2km) engagement and 750 rounds of ammunition. With the gun in a fixed forward position, the pilot can aim by manoeuvring the helicopter. Either crew member can slave the turret to the helmet-mounted sight, and aim the gun by looking at the target.

The Night Targeting System (NTS), jointly produced by Tamam Division of Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd and Kollsman, integrates a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) which provides automatic target tracking with a laser designator/rangefinder and video recorder.

COUNTERMEASURES

The H1 Super Cobra upgrade includes provision of a new electronic warfare suite. A new radar warner, the AN/APR-39(XE2) from Lockheed Martin replaces the Lockheed Martin AN/APR-39(V)2 pulse radar warner and the AEL Industries AN/APR-44 continuous wave radar warner. The ATK AN/AAR-47 missile warning system has been included in the upgrade suite. AN/AAR-47 uses infrared detectors to detect the missile plume. The Goodrich (formerly Raytheon) AN/AVR-2A laser warning receiver has also been added. The infrared countermeasures system is the AN/ALQ-144A developed by BAE Systems IEWS (formerly Sanders, a Lockheed Martin company). The helicopter is equipped with the AN/ALE-39 chaff and infrared flare dispenser manufactured by BAE Systems Integrated Defense Solutions (formerly Tracor) and Lockheed Martin Tactical Defense Systems.

ENGINES

Twin General Electric T700-GE-401 turboshaft engines provide a total of 2,410kW or 3,380shp (shaft horsepower). In standard conditions, with an air-to-air ordnance load the Super Cobra can take off and climb out at more than 4.1m/sec on only one engine. It can hover Out of Ground Effect (OGE) at 914m with a load of four TOW and four Hellfire missiles, full turret ammunition and rockets.

LONGBOW APACHE

The AH-64D Longbow is fitted with the Longbow millimetre wave fire control radar and the Longbow Hellfire missile. 300 AH-64Ds are in service with the US Army out of a total of 501 procured - 232 new build and 269 US Army AH-64A Apaches being upgraded to AH-64D standard. Deliveries are to complete in 2006. The Longbow has also been ordered by the Netherlands (30, deliveries complete), Singapore (20, first delivered in May 2002), Israel (eight) and Egypt (35). A number of AH-64A helicopters have been upgraded to AH-64D standard for South Korea. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has requested the upgrade of 30 Apaches to AH-64D longbow standard.

In August 2001, the AH-64D was selected by the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force, with a requirement for 60 helicopters, and in September 2002, Kuwait ordered 16 AH-64D helicopters for delivery from 2005. The Kuwaiti Apaches will be equipped with BAE Systems HIDAS defensive aids system. In September 2003, Greece signed a contract for 12 (plus four options) AH-64D Longbow, also to be fitted with HIDAS.

The first of the upgraded Block II Apaches was delivered to the US Army in February 2003. Block II includes upgrades to the digital communications systems to improve communications within the "tactical internet". Block III improvements, slated for 2008 on, include increasing digitisation, the Joint tactical Radio System, enhanced engines and drive systems, capability to control UAVs and new composite rotor blade. The new blades successfully completed initial flight tests in December 2003.

WEAPONS

A 30mm automatic Boeing M230 Chain Gun is located under the fuselage. It provides a rate of fire of 625 rounds per minute. The helicopter has capacity for up to 1,200 rounds of ammunition.

The AH-64D is armed with the Lockheed Martin/Boeing AGM-114D Longbow Hellfire air-to-surface missile which has a millimetre wave seeker which allows the missile to perform in full fire and forget mode. Range is 8km to 12km. The Apache has been equipped with air-to-air missiles (Stinger, AIM-9 Sidewinder, Mistral and Sidearm) and 2.75in rockets. Thales Air Defence (formerly Shorts Missile Systems) of Belfast, Northern Ireland has trialled the Starstreak missile on the Longbow Apache helicopter, integrated with the Target Acquisition Designation Sight (TADS).

The Longbow Apache carries the combination of armaments chosen for the particular mission. In the close support role the helicopter carries 16 Hellfire missiles on four 4-rail launchers and four air-to-air missiles.

SENSORS

The AH-64D Longbow Apache is equipped with the Northrop Grumman millimetre-wave Longbow radar. The Longbow fire control radar incorporates an integrated radar frequency interferometer for passive location and identification of radar emitting threats. An advantage of millimetre wave is that it performs under poor visibility conditions and is less sensitive to ground clutter. The short wavelength allows a very narrow beamwidth which is resistant to countermeasures.

The Longbow Apache can effect an attack in thirty seconds. The radar dome is unmasked for a single radar scan and then remasked. The processors determine the location, speed and direction of travel of a maximum of 256 targets.

The Target Acquisition Designation Sight, TADS (AN/ASQ-170) and the Pilot Night Vision Sensor, PNVS (AN/AAQ-11) were developed by Lockheed Martin. The turret-mounted TADS provides direct view optics, television and three fields of view forward looking infra-red (FLIR) to carry out search, detection and recognition and Litton laser rangefinder/designator. PNVS consists of a FLIR in a rotating turret located on the nose above the TADS. The image from the PNVS is displayed in the monocular eyepiece of the Honeywell Integrated Helmet And Display Sighting System (IHADSS) worn by the pilot and copilot/gunner.

Lockheed Martin has developed a new targeting and night vision system for the Apaches, using second-generation long-wave infrared sensors with improved range and resolution for the Apache. The new system is called Arrowhead and it has a targeting FLIR with three fields of view, a dual field-of-view pilotage FLIR, a CCD TV camera, electronic zoom, target tracker and auto-boresight. The new system entered production in December 2003 and is planned to enter service with the US Army in 2005.

COUNTERMEASURES

The Apache is equipped with an electronic warfare suite consisting of: AN/APR-39A(V) radar warning receiver from Northrop Grumman (formerly Litton) and Lockheed Martin; AN/ALQ-144 infra-red countermeasures set from BAE Systems IEWS (formerly Sanders, a Lockheed Martin company); AN/AVR-2 laser warning receiver from Goodrich (formerly Hughes Danbury Optical Systems then Raytheon); AN/ALQ-136(V) radar jammer developed by ITT; and chaff dispensers. US Army Longbow Apaches were to be fitted with the ITT AN/ALQ-211 SIRCM (Suite of Integrated Radio Frequency Countermeasures) suite, however the availability of funding for this project is uncertain. UK AH Mk 1 Apaches will have BAE Systems Helicopter Integrated Defensive Aids Suite (HIDAS), also chosen by Kuwait. HIDAS, which includes the Sky Guardian 2000 radar warning receiver, entered service on the AH Mk 1 in July 2003.

ENGINES

The Apache is equipped with two turboshaft engines each providing 1,265kW. The American AH-64D has General Electric T700-GE-701 engines and the UK Apache is fitted with RTM322 engines from Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca.
 
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Aussie Digger

Guest
Here's some info about a competitor to these aircraft, the Eurocopter Tiger chosen by France, Germany, Australia and Spain...

Tiger Helicopter:
The following information was supplied by Eurocopter and does not pertain directly to the ARH variant.


Tiger Helicopter on exercise.
The Tiger helicopter is being developed in two configurations, an antitank helicopter and a combat support helicopter, by the international Eurocopter company and funded by Germany and France.


Tiger Anti-Tank Helicopter
The requirements for the Tiger anti-tank helicopter are the identification and engagement of ground targets by day and night to ranges exceeding 5 km, low detectability and a self-defence capability.

Anti-Tank Configuration

Tiger has an Osiris mast-mounted sight from SFIM, with infra-red charge coupled device (IRCCD) camera and laser rangefinder. The displays in the cockpit are four colour with a digital map and two helmet mounted sights and displays.


The Tiger helicopter is being developed in two configurations, an antitank helicopter and a combat support helicopter
There is a nose-mounted forward looking infra-red (FLIR) with a 40 x 30 degree field of view. The German version of Tiger is equipped with a Marconi Electronic Systems integrated Day and Night Helmet.

The French Tigre helicopter has a helmet mounted sight from Sextant Avionique for both crew stations, and a head up display from Sextant Avionique for the pilot.


Anti-Air Missiles

Tiger can be equipped with four MISTRAL or four Stinger air-to-air missiles. The air-to-air missile control functions are on the flight control grip. Target acquisition is achieved by using the joystick to steer the sight manually or with automatic tracking. The FIM-92 Stinger missile, produced by Raytheon and
Mistral (left) and Stinger (right) air-to-air missiles

The 30mm Giat M871 turreted gun and the rocket pod.
under license by DASA LFK, is equipped with a 1 kg warhead and range up to 5 kilometres. The Mistral missile is manufactured by Matra BAe Dynamics. It is equipped with a 3 kg warhead. Range is 6 kilometres.

Anti-Tank Missiles

The Tiger is armed with HOT and TRIGAT LR anti-tank missiles. The anti-tank missiles are used by the gunner Only one weapon is activated at a time. The TRIGAT LR missile has been developed by the Euromissile consortium, funded by the UK and Germany. Range is 500 metres to 5000 metres. The firing rate for salvo firing is quoted as up to four missiles in eight seconds. TRIGAT LR can be applied in direct attack or terminal dive attack modes. The HOT missile is a short to medium range missile developed by Euromissile. Range is up to 4000 metres.

Combat Support Tiger
In its combat support role the Tiger uses a gun for short range engagements and 68 millimetre rockets at medium and long range. It can be equipped with Mistral missiles to engage airborne threats.

Combat Support Configuration

The helicopter is equipped with a turreted 30mm gun together with either four Mistral missiles, 44 rockets plus 4 Mistral missiles, or 68 rockets. Only one weapon can be activated at a time.


Prototype PT1 in escort/combat support version "Gerfaut" for the French Army equipped with turreted gun, unguided rockets and air-to-air missiles in flight testing.
The roof mounted sight has a gyrostabilized platform fitted with infrared camera, CCD TV camera, laser range finder and direct optical sight.

The Combat Support Tiger has a Strix roof-mounted sight from SFIM, with a gyrostabilised platform, infrared camera, charge coupled device television camera (CCD TV), laser rangefinder and direct optical sight. The combat support Tiger helicopter for the French Army (Tigre HAP) is equipped with a 30 mm AM-30781automatic cannon from Giat. Rate of fire is 750 rounds per minute.

The Tiger HAP also carries four Mistral missiles and two pods each carrying twenty two SNEB 68 mm rockets. It can alternatively carry an additional two pods each carrying 12 rockets in place of the four Mistral missiles.


Structure

Tiger Helicopter missions will be managed via the European graphic information display system - Eurogrid, a digital map system.
In order to minimise the weight approximately 80% of the airframe has been constructed of composite materials. The frames and beams have been fabricated from Kevlar and carbon laminates. Panels are composed of Nomex honeycomb material with carbon and Kevlar skins. The helicopter blades are of fibre-composite construction. Radar reflective structures and surfaces have been minimised. Low infra-red reflection paints have been used and an IR suppressor has been fitted to the engine exhaust.

The self-sealing tanks are equipped with an inert gas system to avoid the danger of an explosive fuel vapour and air mix. The engines are separated by armour plate to prevent the loss of both engines in the event of a single direction hit. The helicopter has nuclear, biological and chemical warfare (NBC) and nuclear electromagnetic pulse protection.


Avionics
The avionics suite includes:
a dual redundant data bus, MIL 1553B
four multi-function colour displays, two for the pilot and two for the gunner
autonomous navigation systems
automatic flight control system
digital map generator
radar and laser warning receivers
Automatic Flight Control
The Automatic Flight Control System, AFCS, consists of two redundant digital computers which control attitude hold, heading hold, capture and hold of altitude, hold of doppler hover, hold of hover height as determined by radar altimeter, capture and hold of line of sight, hold of vertical speed, the navigation mode and gun firing compensation.

Control and Display Unit

Gunner crewstation.
Pilot crewstation.
Each crew station is equipped with a Control and Display Unit, CDU. Navigation, communications, and system status are controlled via the CDU. The CDU consists of a display, an array of mode selection and data entry keys, and a Data Insertion Device (DID). The DID is a removable memory pack preprogrammed with mission data at a ground station.

Navigation
The navigation system contains two three-axis ring laser gyro units from Sextant Avionique, two magnetometers, two air data computers, a four-beam Doppler radar CMA 2012 from Canadian Marconi, a radio altimeter, a global positioning system and a suite of low air speed sensors.

Multi-Function Displays
Each cockpit is equipped with two multi-function colour displays supplied by Sextant Avionique and VDO Luftfahrtgerate Werk GmbH, which display imagery from the gunner's sight, the Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) sight and video image from the digital map generator which is supplied by Dornier and VDO.
Tiger - Specification
Design mission weight 5400 kilograms
Alternate gross weight 6000 kilograms
Length 14 metres
Height 3.81 metres
Wing span 13 metres
Hover out of ground effect (OGE) 3200 metres, anti-tank version
3500 metres, combat support version

Vertical rate of climb 5.2 metres per sec, anti-tank version
6.4 metres per sec, combat support version

Maximum rate of climb 10.7 metres per sec, anti-tank version
11.5 metres per sec, combat support version

Flight speed, armed 145 knots, anti-tank version
155 knots, combat support version

Cruise speed 124 knots
Design limit speed 161 knots, anti-tank version
174 knots, combat support version

Maximum range, internal fuel 800 km
Mission endurance 2 hours 50 minutes
Maximum endurance, internal fuel 3 hours 25 minutes
Agility 40 degree angle of yaw after first second
Trigat missile range 500 metres to 5 kilometres
Maximum air to air missile range > 5 kilometres Maximum autonomous
Target identification and engagement 5 kilometres
Maximum internal fuel capacity 1020 kilograms
Maximum internal plus external fuel capacity 1575 kilograms

The Australian version will differ slightly to these 2 types, being a hybrid of the 2. It will also be equipped with Hellfire 2 anti-tank missiles and an Australian specified Communications (voice and data link) package. All up a worthy competitor for AH-1Z Cobra and AH-64 Apache...
 

Pathfinder-X

Tribal Warlord
Verified Defense Pro
here is my personal favourite, the Ka-50. the only russian heli comparable to longbow apache(russian claim it has better performance). i love its looks, very fearsome.

The Ka-50 Black Shark helicopter, developed by Kamov Helicopters JSC, carries the NATO codename Hokum A; Hokum B being the two-seat version, Ka-52. Ka-50 is also known as Werewolf. It entered service in the Russian Army during 1995 and is manufactured at the Sazykin Aviation Company Progress based in Arseniev Maritime Territory, Russia. A first batch of eight Ka-50 aircraft has been delivered. 12 Ka-52 are to be procured for Russian Air Force special operations in 2004. It is a high-performance combat helicopter with day and night capability, high survivability and fire power to defeat air targets and heavily armoured tanks armed with air defence weapons.
A night attack version, Ka-50N, with Samshit-50T thermal imager, day TV and laser rangefinder has been developed, and Kamov has also joined with Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) to produce a version, the Ka-50-2 Erdogan that is compatible with NATO weapons and has an Israeli equipped cockpit.

DESIGN
The coaxial rotor design provides a hovering ceiling of 4,000m and vertical rate of climb of 10m/s at an altitude of 2,500m. The rotor blades are made from polymer materials. The coaxial-rotor configuration results in moments of inertia values relative to vertical and lateral axes being between 1.5 to two times less than the values found in single-rotor helicopters with tail rotors. Absence of the tail rotor enables the helicopter to perform flat turns within the entire flight speed range. A maximum vertical g-load of 3.5 combined with low moments of inertia give the Ka-50 a high level of agility.
Extensive all-round armour installed in the cockpit protects the pilot against 12.7mm armour-piercing bullets and 23mm projectile fragments. The rotor blades are rated to withstand several hits of ground-based automatic weapons.
The Ka-50 is the world's first operational helicopter with a rescue ejection system, which allows the pilot to escape at all altitudes and speeds. The K-37-800 rocket-assisted ejection system is manufactured by the Zvezda Research and Production Enterprise Joint Stock Company in the Moscow region.

WEAPONS
A combination of various armaments to a maximum weapon load of two tons can be selected according to the mission, including anti-tank missiles, unguided aerial rockets of different calibres, air-to-air missiles, guns, bombs and other weapons.
The helicopter has small mid-mounted wings, fitted with four underwing suspension units and wingtip countermeasures pods. Up to twelve Vikhr supersonic anti-tank missiles can be mounted on the helicopter's two underwing external stores. The laserbeam-riding Vikhr missile is stated as having a target hit probability close to one, against a tank at a range of up to 8km, and the capability of penetrating all types of armour, including active armour up to 900mm thick.
The Ka-50 is armed with a 2A42 quick-firing 30mm gun, which has an unrestricted azimuth and elevation range mounting for use against airborne or ground targets. The gun is equipped with 460 rounds of ammunition: two types being carried, high-fragmentation and explosive incendiary rounds and armour-piercing rounds. The pilot selects the type of ammunition in flight. The weight of the ammunition is 0.39kg each round, the muzzle velocity is 980m/s and the range is up to 4km. The gun provides an angular firing accuracy of two to four mrad.

AVIONICS
Flight systems include inertial navigation system (INS), autopilot and head-up display (HUD). Sensors include forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and terrain-following radar.

COUNTERMEASURES
Ka-50 is fitted with radar warning receiver, electronic warfare system and chaff and flare dispenser.

ENGINES
The Ka-50 is powered by two TV3-117VMA turboshafts engines, each providing 2,200hp. The engines are placed on either side of the fuselage to enhance the combat survivability. The helicopter also has an auxiliary power unit (APU) for self-contained operation.

 

Pathfinder-X

Tribal Warlord
Verified Defense Pro
yep it sure is. too bad this baby ain't equiped in significant numbers, only 14 r in russian inventory rite now.
 

Pathfinder-X

Tribal Warlord
Verified Defense Pro
ChthonicPowers said:
I loved Comanche. So much technology. So much more advanced. Too bad its not gonna happen. :(
actually commanche can't compare to AH-64D in attack capability. although its stealth ability, ie. noise lvl, IR and radar signature is many times lower. and it cost alot
 

adsH

New Member
Pathfinder-X said:
ChthonicPowers said:
I loved Comanche. So much technology. So much more advanced. Too bad its not gonna happen. :(
actually commanche can't compare to AH-64D in attack capability. although its stealth ability, ie. noise lvl, IR and radar signature is many times lower. and it cost alot
I think its the Cost factor coupled with the fact stealth is not a great big requirements when it come to Ground attacks i think the Apaches wins all the contracts because it has an impressive FirePower and Protection. Just for a useless stealth the USArmy would have to pay so much for ITs logistical setup and the development cost Price perunit. the Comanche would of been well suited for its role as Naval stealth defense platform but then again it carrying heavier armament would be impossible. and it carrying external Weapons would of compromised its stealthy desing.
 
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