Anti-Helicopter Fighters

[deathjester]

Of course, there is also always the 'organic' option :

What's that then?  A hail of Homing Pigeons, to inflict mass birdstrikes!?!

[Diamondback]

Hey, it worked for the Joneses...

[GTX_Admin]

Hey, it worked for the Joneses...

 

[Diamondback]

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, remember? :p

Geez, tough crowd tonight... *ducks flying tomato*

[GTX_Admin]

Doh!

[taiidantomcat]

Hey, it worked for the Joneses...

HA!! I got it!  :)

I had forgotten about that!

[Weaver]

The big difficulty for all helo crews is seeing the attack coming: I can't think of any helo that has decent visibility upwards and backwards.

Wern't there some instances of Iranian Cobras taking on Iraqi jets in the 1980s?

[Logan Hartke]

Supposedly an Iraqi Mi-24 Hind shot down an F-4 Phantom during the Iran-Iraq War.

Cheers,

Logan

[GTX_Admin]

The big difficulty for all helo crews is seeing the attack coming: I can't think of any helo that has decent visibility upwards and backwards.

It would be interesting to see a helicopter fitted with something akin to the F-35's EO DAS.

More to the point though, that is part of the reason why helicopters flying a combat mission in an area where they might expect aerial opposition (i.e. not Afghanistan) don't simply fly straight and level.

[Vuk]

How about one of these?!!! I'd like one just for the air show circuit.
Turbofan Killer Bee: Rutan ARES "Mudfighter" for U.S. Army Close Air Support

I always like this little bird... Here's a big pic.

[Diamondback]

It would be interesting to see a helicopter fitted with something akin to the F-35's EO DAS.

Well, that IS one of the features planned to go onto my self-aware MH-53N build... then again, as I write it the aircraft's AI HAS been redesigning itself to be able to take on Fifth Gen fighters and regularly win. (It should be noted that on that bird the inhumanly-fast response time plus the "cloaking device" WOULD be a rather powerful equalizer if not outright unfair advantage...)

[deathjester]

The big difficulty for all helo crews is seeing the attack coming: I can't think of any helo that has decent visibility upwards and backwards.

Wern't there some instances of Iranian Cobras taking on Iraqi jets in the 1980s?

That's what I was thinking - their all round visibilty is somewhat compromised, leaving them open to high angle attack from above/behind.

BTW, has anyone any more info about the Cobra vs jet engagements?  I have a book on the Cobra, but it doesn't mention any of that!

[Diamondback]

So, here's a response from a gun-board buddy who used to be a Dragonfly driver, who I sent the link to this thread:

I personally don't have any expertise in such matters, other than being sure that almost any helicopter would be severely out-matched by any modern fighter. The huge speed differential wouldn't make much difference...after all, fighters routinely strafe stationary ground targets, so a slow-moving chopper wouldn't present a problem.

That having been said, there are two famous examples of straight-wing attack jets shooting down slower aircraft. On 15 Feb 1991 an A-10 shot down an Iraqi MI-8 helicopter. (The day before, an F-15E dropped a laser-guided bomb on a helicopter idling on the ground. Before the bomb hit, the helicopter lifted off, and the bomb destroyed it in mid air.)

A few years ago, a Peruvian A-37 shot down a missionary aircraft that had been mistaken for a drug runner.

[GTX_Admin]

I will put this in here in lieu of any other suitable location:  combat intermeshing rotor helicopter:

[elmayerle]

I will put this in here in lieu of any other suitable location:  combat intermeshing rotor helicopter:

Start by mixing AV-8B with H-43 and build from there.  Since the only H-43 kit is in 1/32, you could either scaleorama it down to 1/48 or use it with a 1/32 AV-8B kit; I like the first option better and it is definitely the more affordable one.

[GTX_Admin]

Since the only H-43 kit is in 1/32

You were saying?

[jcf]

The box labelling is wrong, that Testors kit is the old Hawk 1/32 H-43. 

[upnorth]

I wonder how something like the SIAI SF.260 would work in the role.

It's still in production and available in turboprop as well as piston versions.

It can be fitted with gun and rocket pods. It's aerboatic and would present a quite small target itself.

The second seat could be pulled out and the space used for extra fuel or avionics.

It might not be able to take the more heavily armored, dedicated gunships, but there's a whole lot of lighter helicopters out there that I imagine would be in tough against it.

[mrvr6]

I will put this in here in lieu of any other suitable location:  combat intermeshing rotor helicopter:

Start by mixing AV-8B with H-43 and build from there.  Since the only H-43 kit is in 1/32, you could either scaleorama it down to 1/48 or use it with a 1/32 AV-8B kit; I like the first option better and it is definitely the more affordable one.

that has a hint of cheyene dropship from aliens imo

[GTX_Admin]

The box labelling is wrong, that Testors kit is the old Hawk 1/32 H-43. 

Ok - fair enough