Helicopters got their development only in the second half of the 20th century. They were practically not used in World War II. However, in the Korean conflict, combat vehicles showed their best side. The Americans were the first to develop such military equipment, and at first they didn’t even have competitors. Currently, aircraft are used for reconnaissance purposes, for adjusting fire, for evacuating the wounded, for disembarking soldiers, etc. And in this review, some American military helicopters should be highlighted.
Combat vehicle with enhanced armor protection
The design of the AN-1 helicopter was designed according to a single-rotor scheme. Almost all combat vehicles of this type have a two-blade main and tail rotor. An exception is the AN-1W model. It should also be noted that they have a non-retractable ski-type landing gear in their design. This series is characterized by a narrow fuselage. The cockpit can accommodate two crew members. They will sit next to each other. American military helicopters of this seriescharacterized by enhanced armor protection, as well as a duplicated control system. There is no cargo hold. For a significant increase in speed with maneuverability, the designers installed a relatively small mid-wing.
Armament and main differences between these models
US military helicopters of this series are equipped with a turret gun mount, which is located in the forward fuselage. There are also four pylons under the wing, on which you can install removable weapons. In order to reduce the likelihood of hitting missiles with an IR homing head, the designers equipped the car with an engine exhaust cooling system. Reinforced blades can withstand 23mm rounds.
What is the difference between the AN-1 series and other models? They consist in various power plants, weapons and on-board equipment. Fighting vehicles of this series are capable of hovering at an altitude of 915 meters with a full supply of fuel, as well as with a ton of weapons at a temperature of 35 degrees.
Transport military helicopter
US military helicopter "Chinook" (CH-47) first took to the air in 1961. A year later it was renamed CH-47A. At the very beginning, it was equipped with two engines, the power of which reached 1641 kW. Subsequently, it was decided to replace them with more powerful units. The all-metal fuselage is characterized by a rectangular section and rounded corners. On each side of the lower fuselage, you candetect fairings. They hide the fuel tanks, three each. The amphibious American military helicopter, whose name is Chinook, can accommodate 44 paratroopers. There are knots with the possibility of fixing a stretcher for the wounded in the amount of 24 pieces. Due to the tilted flap, characteristic of the cargo hatch, it is possible to form a loading ramp.
The blades are fixed using hinges. In order to reduce abrasive wear, it was decided to cover the tip of the blade with titanium and nickel alloys.
Famous Apache helicopter
The American Apache military helicopter (AN-64) was designed to provide fire support to soldiers. It is also necessary for the destruction of armored objects. The combat vehicle can make sorties regardless of the time of day, visibility conditions and weather conditions. In order to reduce the likelihood of missiles with IR homing heads hitting the car, the exhaust of the power unit is produced through a device that disperses the jet, while reducing its temperature. The American military helicopter, whose name is "Apache", is equipped with a Hellfire ATGM, which is characterized by the presence of laser guidance. The turret under the fuselage carries a 30mm cannon.
The blades of the carrying wine are characterized by a rectangular shape and a swept tip. Due to this, it was possible to reduce the effect of compressibility when reaching high flight speeds. The blades are fastened by systems of elastic torsion plates. They are able to maintain their performance in the event of hit by bullets, the caliber of which reaches 15.7 mm. What other US military helicopters should be highlighted?
Reconnaissance Combat Helicopter
The Comanche helicopter (RAH-66) is a modern twin-engine reconnaissance combat vehicle. It is also capable of supporting ground forces with fire. The fuselage, which has a US military helicopter with two propellers, is characterized by a low effective reflection area. The combat vehicle has removable weapon pylons, an electronic flight control system and an ergonomic cockpit. The helicopter is equipped with a five-blade main rotor. The tail screw is in the ring. Combat models of this series have IR sensors and telescopic television cameras. They provide the ability to make night flights, as well as to identify targets with high accuracy. The armament of the helicopter is the Hellfire ATGM with laser guidance. There is also an air-to-air Stinger missile, flares and a 20 mm cannon.
Twin-rotor military helicopter
An American military helicopter with two propellers, whose name is Kiowa Warrior, began to be designed back in 1984. Some models were subsequently modified into light special-purpose vehicles. With their help, the wounded, soldiers and cargo were transported, which were secured by using an external suspension. The design has a four-bladed carrier andtwo-bladed tail rotor. Due to the use of a new carrier system, it was possible to increase the time spent in flight up to 2.5 hours. At the same time, the helicopter is able to move not only in a straight line, but also sideways and backwards. It can also hover in the air with a wind speed of 65 km/h.
The helicopter is equipped with protection against bullets, the caliber of which is 7.62 mm. Due to the weakening of the thermal radiation of the motor and the use of an active IR interference station, it was possible to reduce the likelihood of hitting missiles with an IR head. The crew with fuel tanks are protected by armor plates. They can withstand 30mm projectiles. To prevent damage to the rotor blades, they were equipped with a cutting knife. A helicopter of this series can transmit target data to a ground point through the use of special systems. This procedure takes about 6 seconds.
Hugh transport helicopters
What is the name of the American military helicopter, most of whose modifications can be transported on C-124 aircraft? We are talking about combat vehicles UH-1 Huey. During the period of their improvement, the designers have improved some of its parameters. The number of seats for passengers was increased, the flight distance was almost 3 times. But the weight of the combat vehicle at the same time became much larger. First, single-engine models of this series rose into the air, but then it was decided to produce twin-engine ones. Many modifications of this particular series can be transported using transport aircraft such asC-124. Armament is removable. There are special attachment points for it: five built-in and two hinged. Machine guns with grenade launchers can be installed on all these nodes without exception.
Conclusion
In this review, some American helicopters used in reconnaissance and combat operations were considered. In fact, there are a lot of them, and there is not enough time to describe all the models. We have considered only the most famous and popular series. We hope that this article will help you understand what are combat helicopters designed in the United States.
