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This photo shows a picture of a AH-1 Cobra. Early Cobras carried the minigun, a six-barrel machine gun, which fired at rates of up to 100 rounds per second. Today the slower but harder-hitting M197 20-mm cannon is fitted. As well as taking out enemy tanks, the Cobra is charged with the vital task of escorting assault helicopters. These Army helos are seen on exercise in Egypt. Like its serpentine namesake, the Cobra is designed to fight down among the trees and bushes where it can lurk undetected until its time to rear up and strike. When the Cobra is out of missiles, the Cobra can be rearmed in minutes by a well-drilled ground team. The TOW missiles are pre packed in their launch tubes and are strapped straight onto the helicopter. Although some Marine Cobras carry the deadly weapon, most AH-1s rely on the TOW missile. As soon as it had been fired out of its tube, small spring-loaded wings and fins pop out of the missile's body, allowing it to fly to its target. The AH-1 first flew on September 7, 1965; new Cobras are being produced today. Building a Cobra requires 38, 500 hours of factory-worker time. In Operation Desert Storm, four marine squadrons flew 1,000 missions, including one that destroyed 60 tanks. The Cobra's stub wing provides some of the lift that keeps it in the air. Cobra pilots use night vision goggles and electronic sensors to fight in darkness and bad weather. The AH-1W Whiskey Cobra's cannon fires a depleted uranium shell. The AH-1 dimensions are Rotor Diameter: 48ft. Fuselage length: 45ft. 6in. Height: 13ft. 6 in. Rotor disc area: 1,809sq. ft. Maximum Speed: 219 m. p. h. |
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On this scene I will show you a picture of a MI-24 "Hind''. Standard armament in early ''Hinds'' was UV-32 rocket pods and the AT-2 missile. The ''Hind-F'' replaced the nose turret machine gun with a fixed twin-barrel 30-mm GSh cannon. The ''Hind'' proved its toughness in Afghanistan, where it often survived massive small-arms fire. The ''Hind-D'' carries the classic Mi-24 armament fit. A 12.7-mm multi-barrel gun turret shares the nose with an electro-optical guidance system to starboard and a missile guidance pod to port. The ''Hind'' uses its speed to advantage in attacks, acting much like a ground-attack jet fighter. The prototype for the Mi-24 series, fitted with a conventional cockpit, made its first flight in 1970. An Mi-24 set a helicopter world speed record of 229 m. p. h. Mi-24s fought against South African troops during the Angolan War. Mujahideen guerrillas in Afghanistan shot down three Mi-24s at Jalalabad air base in five minutes using Stinger missiles. The ''Hind'' is operated by more than two dozen countries. Two Mi-24s were flown to Pakistan by defecting Afghan air force pilots. The span of this helicopter is 21 ft. Length: 65ft. Height: 21ft. Main rotor disc area: 2,529sq. ft. This helicopter is also well equipped with experience going into Afghanistan. |
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Here I will show you a picture of a KA-25.With fewer Russian carriers in service now, many KA-25s are confined to land bases. With its rotor blades stowed away, the Ka-25 is a compact machine. The heavy restraining lines on the rotor blades keep them from flapping in the wind and slapping the airframe. All Kamov helicopters have the twin-rotor layout. This needs no compensating tail rotor, and it allows the design to be short and compact. The Ka-27 ''Helix'' is the successor to the Ka-25. Of similar dimensions and built along the same lines, it has twice the power and is a much more capable machine. The Ka-25 is a part of a combined anti-submarine system based on the ''Moskva''-class carrier, on which it first went to sea. The stern area carries not only the helicopters, but also a variable -depth sonar to locate enemy submarines at long ranges. The Soviet Union constructed four ''Kiev''-class carriers that used ''Hormones'' for anti-submarine warfare. This family of helicopters began with the Ka-20 ''Harp,'' first flown in 1960. Not normally armed, the Ka-25 can carry bombs, depth charges or torpedoes. Only the ''Hormone''-B'' has retractable landing gear, which can be lifted out of the scanning beam of the nose radar. The Ka-25 is so cluttered inside it does not have room for the crew to stand. Its Rotor Diameter is: 51ft. 7in. The Length: 32ft. The Height: 17ft. 7in. And the Rotor disc area: 4,190sq. ft. Its maximum speed can reach 120 m.p.h. |
Helicopters and Vertiplanes