ARH-70 WHIF Ideas

[SebastianP]

The urgently needed ARH-70 was delayed by a year earlier this summer, since development costs are running out of control. What if the Army eventually gets fed up and deep-sixes the whole project instead of some comparably system from a *proven* vendor?

Three candidates spring to mind, all from Eurocopter:

An ARH-65D, essentially an AS-565 Panther with the mast mounted sight of the Tiger UHT and side-mounted weapons station. The basic airframes with the principal systems already exists, even in combination (there's a photo on Eurocopter's page). Sure, it'd be a bit bigger than asked for, but it's already here and it appears to be working...

The second would be an ARH-72B - the airframe is in current, US production, for the Army. It's not optimal for the role (a little big), and Eurocopter hasn't touted an armed version of the EC-145 (yet), but it should be possible.

Third is an ARH-73, based on the EC-635 (a militarized EC-135). The only question mark with this design is if you can put the MMS on it, but reading between the lines say it's no big deal and they've already worked in provisions for it in the airframe...

What's really nice about this is that most of the parts needed for a conversion in 1/72 would be leftovers after building a French, Spanish or Australian Tiger from the new Revell kit. There would still be some scratchbuilding (exhaust scoops, stores stations), but the sensor turret and the weapons are all in the Tiger kit.

SP

[Iranian F-14A]

When I was in college a few years back I did my final in English on the demise of the Comanche and what the new scout helicopter SHOULD be,and that was the Ka-52.Granted it would never happen,but I presented enough facts to get an "A" and thats all that mattered.

Take a standard Ka-52,switch out the Vikhrs for Hellfires,throw on some 70mm rocket pods,add a third hardpoint under the outter wing for Stinger AAMs,the gun could be switched out for the 30mm Bushmaster.The airframe would remain the same,but the avionics,weapons,and possibly engines would all be American.
It'd look a heck of alot cooler then something based offa Jetranger.


Now,out of those choices above,I'd go with the ARH-65D,followed by the ARH-72.As far as an armed model of the UH-72,well,there used to be one,the BK-117M-3.This model had the mast mounted sight,8x HOT missiles and an undernose 12.5mm gun.I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to convert the UH-72 to that standard and just switch out the HOTs for Hellfires.

[Jschmus]

I had the idea a couple of years back of using the A-129 Mangusta for the Army ARH program.  Sure, it's a little more gunship-like, but so was the Comanche before it.

[SebastianP]

Hehe. Did you know that the latest version of the Mangusta has the same engines as the Comanche, as well as the same gun and a five-bladed rotor?

It wouldn't fit the present requirement for the ARH-70, though, which includes the ability to insert commandos. A little hard to do that on a gunship.

Speaking of Agusta choppers, another possible airframe that's already in service would be the A-109E, currently flying as the USCG MH-68, in tiny numbers (8, all told?) The tactical version of that is marketed as being able to carry ATGMs, rockets and gun pods, up to and including Hellfire IIRC. Still waiting for a kit of it in any scale, though...

SP

[dy031101]

An off-topic question, but I was reminded the movie "The Peacemaker".  I'm sure that three Dauphin/Panther helicopters were posing in the movie as US military choppers.

Does anyone remember the exact model?  You know, are they with the snubby noses or with the long noses?

[Archangel]

They could try to build a new model of the Bell 430 with the engines from the Bell AH-1Z. It it didn't neet the specs then nothing will.