Hughes AH-7A Monache, South Vietnam, 1966 - WIP

KiwiZac · January 29, 2015, 03:02:24 PM

Hi all,
When I got the Fletcher FU-24 order in a couple of years back I also ordered another Unicraft kit, the Hughes XV-9A Hot Cycle research chopper. This is a machine that fascinated me as a kid and I had hoped for such a kit for years. I had assembled the fuse and attached the rotor mast when I first got it but was daunted at how much resin there was, so shelved it for a while.

Fastforward to last week when I was working on the Woomera and I worked up the courage to recommence work on the Hughes too. And what to do with it, scheme-wise, as it came with no decals for the sole prototype? So....

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The conclusion of the Army's test programme in August 1965 showed the XV-9A programme had borne remarkable fruit, and the Hughes design team was encouraged to put the now-perfected "silenced" hot cycle system into another prototype with an eye on a military contract.

Designated the Model 390 and nicknamed "Cayuse Warrior", the new aircraft was very similar to the XV-9A but included provision for weaponry such as an under-nose turret with two 20mm M24 cannon and a stub wing with four weapons pylons. Originally the aircraft was to be an armed transport, however the planned 12-troop cabin would have greatly reduced the fuel capacity so the decision was made to progress as a pure gunship.

The prototype Cayuse Warrior, s/n 65-17245, first flew on November 12 1965 but testing revealed problems with airflow over the stub wing. This was remedied by "cranking" or adding anhedral to the inner section of the wing. At the same time a sturdier undercarriage was installed, allowing greater weapons loads to be carried.

Weapons testing under the Army designation YH-7 followed, and Army crew loaded the craft with even more rocket pods including "cheek" mounts modified from those used on UH-1Bs in Vietnam. Soon the ideal complement of six M260 rocket pods on the wing pylons, two cheek-mounted XM157A pods and the turret was arrived at and, following testing, recommended to the Army by Hughes should they order the craft. The generals quickly decided they would, and a contract for 100 AH-7A "Monache" – named for a Californian tribe whose name translates to "fly people".

The sheer amount of firepower a pair of Monaches could put down made them highly sought-after within the Army and, despite not being as manoeuvrable as other assault types, was popular with its crews for this reason. In some units the outer M260 pods were replaced with XM14 minigun pods.

Experience in Vietnam saw modifications – more cockpit armour and a new, cruciform tail unit among them - added to the original prototype and produced as the AH-7B, 115 examples of which soon replaced the A-model in-country.

However the size of the AH-7 – rotors turning, close to that of the HH-3 Jolly Green – and the aforementioned lack of agility were proving to be drawbacks and the type was pulled from front-line service, starting in late 1969, in favour of the AH-1G Cobra. By June 1970 there were no Monaches flying in South-east Asia.

One AH-7B, s/n 70-12545, was bought back by Hughes in late 1969 for use as a trials and systems aircraft for their entry to the Advanced Attack Helicopter competition, and was spotted as late as 1988 being used as a chaseplane for the YAH-69 LHX prototype.

Upon their return to the USA, Air National Guard units received the surviving Monache airframes but these too were gone from units by 1975. A handful were retained for gate guard duty and museum display, however the remaining 80 airframes were stripped by Hughes technicians and scrapped.
***

So here's some progress shots...better ones tomorrow/Sunday

It will be finished in colours like that of the old Monogram 1/48 Huey Hog: all-over OD, yellow warning stripe near the reaction thruster thingies at the tail, yellow ARMY titles and serial and good ol' star-and-bars. It will have the armament fit of dual podded M260s and an XM14 on each wing, the cheek pods and the turret (the latter two are already on). I'll go into the other mods Ive made once it's finished.

This build has been a LOT of fun so far, and I'm so excited to share it with you guys!

kerick · January 29, 2015, 04:57:26 PM

This looks like fun!! Can't wait to see more.

Captain Canada · January 29, 2015, 06:11:02 PM

Never heard of it ! What a crazy looking machine. Very cool.

KiwiZac · January 30, 2015, 01:03:42 AM

Igor has a couple of photos of the prototype on the kit page: http://www.unicraft.biz/on/xv9/xv9.htm

There's a Wikipedia page, too ;-)

sandiego89 · January 30, 2015, 05:01:42 AM

Big and ugly- a perfect WHIF combination! Looking forward to this one.

Are those the kit tires? They look big?

Nice idea!

KiwiZac · January 30, 2015, 04:03:26 PM

Not the kit tyres - they aren't any good due to mould issues - but these are close to the same size, just wider.

Out of town tonight visiting the in-laws so here's a teaser! A slightly better pic of the Monache showing off the cockpit.

More photos and progress - completion? - tomorrow ;-)

Weaver · January 30, 2015, 04:39:14 PM

Interesting project! I'd heard of this thing but never really looked at it.

Captain Canada · January 31, 2015, 03:28:07 PM

Looks like a WWII German bomber with those tyres

KiwiZac · January 31, 2015, 09:43:45 PM

Well the wheels are from a WWII German fighter, so.... ;-) Also I used extended landing gear for the turret to have sufficient clearance.

I'm stuck on my phone so WIP pics aren't great, but this is how I leave it tonight:

Decals and rotor cementing are next weekend.

Captain Canada · February 01, 2015, 05:33:35 AM

Really coming along now eh ?

Such a funny looking yet cool looking chopper.

kerick · February 01, 2015, 06:46:41 AM

Looks like they used an OH-6 front fuselage.

NARSES2 · February 01, 2015, 07:43:53 AM

I don't think I've built many (if any) Unicraft kits that have readily usable wheels/tyres.

Also wonder what the "mystery part" in this kit is ?

sandiego89 · February 01, 2015, 09:44:49 AM

Quote from: kerick on February 01, 2015, 06:46:41 AM
Looks like they used an OH-6 front fuselage.

They did! Had to look it up.

"....Hughes' engineers assembled the XV-9A using the cockpit of an OH-6A, the landing gear of a Sikorsky H-34, and a simple purpose-built cylindrical fuselage with a twin-rudder V-tail.."

Source: http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/mcdonnel_hot.php

kerick · February 01, 2015, 10:03:38 AM

Add to the "aircraft that raided the spares box" thread!

KiwiZac · February 01, 2015, 11:52:29 AM

So far I haven't needed to use too many parts from the spares box, aside from the armaments. Non-kit items so far are the wings and weapons, landing gear legs (three different types bashed together) and wheels, tailwheel, and cockpit interior. And I added OH-6/MH-6 exhausts to the jets to make it extra Hughesy!.....so actually it's quite a lot!

NARSES - my Unicraft Fletcher build also has wheels and legs from my spares, there's no chance I'd trust the included legs with such heavy resin on top! I put the kit ones into the spares but I doubt they'll be used as undercarriage, unless it's a stand build.

The strange thing is that even though it's a Type 369/OH-6A front fuse, the canopy framing is subtly different. I tried using the front end from an Italeri Cayuse but it just wouldn't fit. I've painted mine to look more like an OH-6 windscreen but it was tricky as the moulding is very soft. I'm happy....except the paint's come out lighter than where I painted resin!!