Helicopter Fighters

[Weaver]

Given how angular helos can be, and how irregular their movement, I suspect that disruptive cammo might be more useful than trying to concealthe machine.

[Army of One]

Fixed gun or trainable mount...........I read that the fixed gun is more accurate...like on the Ka50 Hokum  .......as it would (probably) be chasing other helicopters would a fixed gun be better......??.....missiles would take care of manoeuvring target........wouldn't they..? Ambush attack and the fighter helicopter would be on and shooting at the target before the target knew what was happening so the attacker could choose angle of attack....I would think a fixed gun with a good ammo supply........I'm no pilot but I would have thought most gun kills would be with the attacker pointing at the target as opposed to trying to look at a moving target while flying in the weeds.......I'm liking single seat fighter helicopters as well.....one thing to do.....hunt the other sides helicopters.......!!!!!

[Mossie]

Sikorsky patent for X-wing helicopter fighter:

I was going to mention the Sikorsky X-Wings but Jon beat me too it.  There's a lot of extra stuff on Secret Projects:
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,117.0/highlight,x-wing.html

There were quite a lot of similar concepts in the 80's, with stoppable rotors that would then function as wings or rotors that would fold into the fuselage.  Max speeds were touted that would put them in the range of contemporary fighters.

In the film The 6th Day there was a fictional convertiplane called the Whispercraft, designed by Ron Cobb.  It was a light utility type rather than a fighter, but it was along the lines of those 80's concepts & it wouldn't be a big stretch to envisage a fighter version.  Bagera did some profiles, here they are on Deviant Art
http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&global=1&q=whispercraft

[Captain Canada]

Wow, great thread, guys ! Some really cool ideas and some brilliant builds already. Looks like a few of the proposals would be easy enough to build. And, I'd be up for a helo-fighter GB !

[Jschmus]

It's not quite the same thing, but the Japanese have developed the Kawasaki OH-1 Ninja scout helicopter, and the only armament that it's ever been fitted with are four Type 91 AAMs, for defense.

[Army of One]

Wow, great thread, guys ! Some really cool ideas and some brilliant builds already. Looks like a few of the proposals would be easy enough to build. And, I'd be up for a helo-fighter GB !

Hell yeah...!!!  I'd second that.....one I would actually enter and try and finish......ooooooh armed helicopters....

[The Wooksta!]

I'd love to see that Sikorsky X wing proposal as a 72nd kit.

[Mossie]

That might be the kind of kit Anigrand would do.  Arnold seems to be focusing on the big subjects, but does delve back into the smaller subjects every now and then.  Might be worth pestering him, you never know.  I tried him with the Rutan Ares, he said he might get around to it in the distant future but had no plans to do it.

[The Wooksta!]

Have we ever seen any dimensions for it or is it purely an artist's impression like the AVPRO stuff?

The X wing prototype Sikorsky flew was based on the S-67 Black Hawk attack helo airframe.

[philp]

In the film The 6th Day there was a fictional convertiplane called the Whispercraft, designed by Ron Cobb.  It was a light utility type rather than a fighter, but it was along the lines of those 80's concepts & it wouldn't be a big stretch to envisage a fighter version.  Bagera did some profiles, here they are on Deviant Art
http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&global=1&q=whispercraft

Fantastic Plastic does a kit of this.
http://www.fantastic-plastic.com/WhispercraftPage.htm

Stargazer and Bagera have done multiple profiles based on this craft.
http://www.google.com/images?q=whispercraft&um=1&hl=en&rlz=1T4ADSA_enUS350US350&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi

[Mossie]

Fantastic Plastic does a kit of this.
http://www.fantastic-plastic.com/WhispercraftPage.htm

It's oop at the mo.  I'd have had one, but it was a bit pricey for me.

Have we ever seen any dimensions for it or is it purely an artist's impression like the AVPRO stuff?

The X wing prototype Sikorsky flew was based on the S-67 Black Hawk attack helo airframe.

I think it was mostly concept stuff.  IIRC it was studied in some detail, but the studies said that it would need a lot more study so the pretty pictures were circulated & the program quietly dropped.  This was the Regan years when a lot of money was being thrown at high technology stuff so it's difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff.

If you scroll down on the second page on the Secret Projects thread there's a drawing.  It doesn't have any dimensions, but a blokey is provided for scale so you should be able to get near as dagnamnit. For figure 23 & 34 there's no blokey, but it includes an ejection seat so you should be able to scale it to a reasonable accuracy.

[Zombolt]

Fixed gun or trainable mount...........I read that the fixed gun is more accurate...like on the Ka50 Hokum  .......as it would (probably) be chasing other helicopters would a fixed gun be better......??.....missiles would take care of manoeuvring target........wouldn't they..? Ambush attack and the fighter helicopter would be on and shooting at the target before the target knew what was happening so the attacker could choose angle of attack....I would think a fixed gun with a good ammo supply........I'm no pilot but I would have thought most gun kills would be with the attacker pointing at the target as opposed to trying to look at a moving target while flying in the weeds.......I'm liking single seat fighter helicopters as well.....one thing to do.....hunt the other sides helicopters.......!!!!!

Neet idea, and it solves a problem I had with the fighter Apache. With fixed guns, I could put a Radar under the chin where the old cannon was. Did I mention that I'm using a normal non longbow Apache?

[jcf]

Northrop X-wing attack patent:
http://www.google.com/patents?id=F3Y9AAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&zoom=4&source=gbs_overview_r&cad=0

[ChernayaAkula]

<...> I read that the fixed gun is more accurate...like on the Ka50 Hokum  <...>

The Ka-50's gun is trainable as well. Not much laterally (just a few degrees left and, I think, 20 something to the right), but it can be elevated some degrees and depressed to something like 45 degrees.
There was a pretty decent vid on YouTube, but I can't find it at the moment. HERE'S a video showing depression of the gun to a certain extent.

[Army of One]

Moritz......many thanks n I'm aware of the limited movement of the Ka50 gun.....what I meant was a trainable mount like on most other armed helicopters like the AH64,Mi24D,cobra n suchlike......