Best Attack Helicopter

I don't know whether or not it's been done, but I'd like all your opinions on which attack helicopter is, in your view, the best in the world.

For myself, I used to favour the venerable Hind 'D' gunship, but that was before the deployment of Huey-Cobras in Viet Nam.

Since then, I have followed very closely, the design and development of the ground support or attack helicopter.

Having looked at what was supposed to be the 'best' ground support/attack helicopter in the world, I have come to the conclusion (rightly or wrongly) that the Apache has 80/90s technology on (basically)an upgrade of the Huey-Cobras 1960s airframe.

Whilst I admit that the 'Longbow' Apache has had a very good press in the desert of Kuwait and Iraq, in the former Yugoslavia, it suffered from various maladies which, laughingly, were put down to 'poor' pilot training. I for one, don't believe that!

However, I have studied the Eurocopter 'Tiger' and the South African 'Rooivalk'. Both are 80s style of chopper with 80s technologies and weaponry. I thought they were pretty good until I saw the Havoc. That looked pretty nifty UNTIL I saw the Hokum.

I suddenly realised that with its contra-rotating rotor blades and the absence of the tail rotor, which gives helicopters that distinctive 'whuuup-whuuup' signature, perhaps this was the road that designers should go down.

I am also a massive fan of both the Pavelow and Pavelow Blackhawks, but feel these are highly specialised helicopters.

Over to you.

my choice be apache, it depends on how u use the helicopter effectively.

I like eh Super Cobra it fast smaller than the apache but great for urban combat and troops support, and has some anti vehicle capabilities. The apache is more from tank confrontations that troops support so I have to go with the Super Cobra.

I like the lynx, small , fast, agile and deadly...


[edit on 26/02/2005 by devilwasp]

[edit on 26/02/2005 by devilwasp]

[edit on 26/02/2005 by devilwasp]

I'll pick my Mi-28N, i'm biased, I know

The AH-64D Longbow Apache is pretty good although in hostile enviroments it doesn't fare as well as the Mi-24P Hind F for example.

I also love the AH-1Z King Cobra, but it's a bit out dated compared to the Longbow, Havoc and Hokum, even with the updates...

My favorite is the MH-60 DAP, it is flown by the 160th Soar "Night Stalkers", here is a picture

unx1.shsu.edu...

YIKES.....that's the biggest baddest H-60 i've ever seen!

I was going to say the AH-60 Battlehawk which looks like the same setup

I have seen videos of Mi-24s shot down in Chechnya. Many were losed in A stan also. You just do not here about Russian shoot downs as much.

I just really like the sleek fast look of the Cobra and its capabilities in urban areas. It s light attack helicopter, its multirole and can adapt to many situations.





It will even take out aircraft with it s A2A missiles.

In its combat support role the Tiger uses a gun for short-range engagements, 68mm rockets at medium and long range and Mistral missiles to engage airborne threats. The helicopter is equipped with a turreted 30mm gun together with: either four Mistral missiles, 44 rockets plus four Mistral missiles, or 68 rockets. Only one weapon can be activated at a time. The combat support Tiger helicopter for the French Army (Tigre HAP) is equipped with a 30mm AM-* automatic cannon from Giat. Rate of fire is 750 rounds per minute. Tigre HAP also carries four Mistral missiles and two pods each carrying 22 SNEB 68mm rockets.

The Combat Support Tiger has a SFIM Strix roof-mounted sight, with a gyro-stabilised platform, infrared camera, charge coupled device television camera (CCD TV), laser rangefinder and direct optical sight.

DESIGN

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.

Lots of good choices, I'll put in a mention for the KA-50, mainly because noone has mentioned it yet. Single seater (plus as not as many crew needed, minus as pilot could be overloaded) can be deployed away fro base for 2 weeks without needing servicing. And it looks evil, but then so do all attack helicopters

My favorite is the Longbow Apache (which is very survivable BTW; the ones that got shot up in that incident got ambushed due to poor intelligence; a helicopter can only be so armored up). Not saying the Longbow Apache is the best for everything, but I just like it the most.

And also remember the Little Birds, also flown by the 160th SOAR in the Army!

The Mil-24 Hind is far more armoured than an Apache, they have almost all been shot down with MANPADS not small arms. If Iraq had the same MANPADS threat as Soviet era Afganistan then there would be far more Apache shootdowns than there have been - not too mention the Apaches obvious vulnerability from small arms.

I prefer the ' Tiger ' or the Aussie Tiger as it is called here. It has a far newer airframe than the Apache and its cannon packs more of a punch than the HUgh's 25mm chain gun.

I like the Hind... it's the true "gunship" in every siense of the word... and it can carry more than many transport helicopters

I'll pick 3 Russian helicopters, MiL-28, Ka-50 and the Mi-24.

Russian helicopters are the only thing that are ahead of US tech by around 5 to 10 years, after all they are more heavily armored and look uglier. Also,the Longbow, which is probably the most advanced US attack chopper now, is still using 80's tech and until now the US still has not designed something new or went with the Commache.

I would have to vote for either the Apache LB or the KA-50 Alligator. Both are impressive gun ships. They are alike in ways but very different at the same time.

If the comanche had made it to production it would have gotten my vote over both those.

I have to also give a shot out to a favorit of mine the Hind You have to respect a gun ship that is called the Devil Chariot by its enemies.

A tribute to the evil, ugly old bastard itself

Thanks for the pics Lucretius Man I love that thing Its like a flying tank.

I think it remains the largest attack Helicopter. A Behemoth armed to the teeth and it could pack a unit of Spentnaz.

Actually the dimensions of the Hind and AH-64 are fairly similar:

AH-64 Mi-24

Length : 17.73m 17.3m
Height : 4.64m 6.5m
Wingspan: 5.227m 6.5m



I meant something else, I meant hostile enviroments like deserts, artic enviroments etc.

Often after a short mission the Apache had to have hours of service before it was safe to fly again.

The Hind is much more efficient maitenence wise.

I only saw one Mi-24 being shot down by a MANPAD, but i'm sure many more have been shot down, i'm not doubting that, but US helicopters are being shot down by RPGs

Plenty of Blackhawks were shot down and some Apache's were shot down as well.

That's besides the point.

This is about personal preferences, I like the Havoc, Others like what they like, but they are all very capable helicopters