American military helicopters. The best combat helicopters in russia and the united states. Multipurpose helicopter - Westland Lynx

Today, the armed forces of the leading powers include many different types of attack helicopters. But strike machines are of the greatest interest to aviation enthusiasts. After all, they have not only impressive aesthetics, but also incredible firepower. We will introduce you to the brightest representatives of the combat helicopter industry and tell you about its prospects.

Cobras and Apaches. "Shaitan Arba" by Uncle Sam

Pioneers of the concept attack helicopter became the Americans. All the fault is the war in Vietnam, which gave rise to the need to create a specialized combat helicopter. It was the Bell AH-1 Cobra. However, the glory of "Cobra" was overshadowed by the legendary multi-purpose helicopter Bell UH-1 Iroquois ("Huey"), which became the symbol of the Vietnam War. Unlike the Cobra, the Huey was capable not only of attacking ground targets, but also of delivering cargo and troops. It was this car that turned out to be the most in demand during the Vietnamese campaign. However, after analyzing the experience of using the AH-1, the Americans came to the conclusion that the concept of an attack helicopter has a right to exist.

She received her second birth in 1972, when the US Army began a program to create a new attack helicopter. It was necessary to fight with Soviet tanks. This is how the AH-64, the famous Apache, developed by Hughes Helicopters, was born. For obvious reasons, he was not destined to prove his effectiveness in the fight against the latest Soviet armored vehicles. But the AH-64 Apache showed itself on a positive side during numerous local conflicts, and received its baptism of fire during the American invasion of Panama in 1989. But the real testing ground for the new helicopter was Operation Desert Storm in 1991. It was the AH-64, acting as part of the international coalition, that defeated Saddam Hussein's army. Since then, "Apache" - an integral part of any American military conflict.

AH-64 Apache / © Getty

And here is the first large-scale modification of the helicopter - AH-64A. The crew of the car is two people. Decent booking of the cockpit and vital systems made it possible to survive during shelling from the ground. First of all, the armor protected the car from bullets and small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery. Since the main task of the helicopter was to combat enemy armored vehicles, the armament was appropriate. Its basis was the AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) with semi-active laser guidance. The Apache could take on board up to sixteen such ATGMs. In addition to guided missiles, the AH-64 armament range includes a 30 mm cannon and unguided missiles.

In 1995, a new modification of the AH-64 - AH-64D was adopted by the US Army. The new Apache was destined to become the backbone of the US Ground Forces strike aircraft for many years. The AH-64D has turned into an all-weather combat helicopter capable of performing combat missions with equal efficiency day and night, in any weather conditions. The Americans have upgraded many of the helicopter's onboard electronics, making it a real flying computer. The main innovation of this machine is a millimeter-wave radar station (radar). It was housed in a special container mounted above the rotor. The APG-78 radar allowed the Apache to detect and recognize ground targets at a range of up to 8 km. In our time, when a combat helicopter has to deal with advanced anti-aircraft missile systems, the use of such a radar can save the helicopter itself and the lives of its crew. The AH-64D operator can aim guided and unguided weapons at the target using the TADS electro-optical system. It allows you to effectively detect ground targets in the television and infrared ranges. One of the main features of the helicopter is the ability to communicate with other army units. A significant difference between the AH-64D Apache Longbow and the first serial modification was that the new helicopter received an improved Hellfire complex - AGM-114L with a radar guidance system. Such a complex allowed the helicopter to launch ATGMs without prior visual contact with the target. Target detection and guided weapons aiming at it became the prerogative of onboard electronics, and the crew was able to operate from cover. With the installation of the radar, there was no need to illuminate the target with a laser until the missile hits it. Now the pilot and the operator could work according to the "let it go and forget it" principle. The new Russian Mi-28N and Ka-52 helicopters should soon learn this.

“Shaitan arba” (translated from Arabic “devil's chariot”) - this is how the Afghan Mujahideen called the Mi-24 helicopter. Soviet "Crocodiles" could almost unhindered strike at the positions of dushmans up to the appearance of the last of the portable anti-aircraft missile systems (MANPADS). The use of MANPADS by the mujahideen forced the Soviet pilots to change tactics. Now they flew at extremely low altitude, maneuvering between the hills.

So far, the AH-64D is the main US attack helicopter. And it seems to completely suit the US military command, however, when it comes to weapons, the Americans do not like to stand still. A new modification of the Apache, the AH-64E, is already ready. Apparently, it is this machine that is destined to take the title of the main US attack helicopter in the near future. This is understandable, because the AH-64E has incorporated all the best from its predecessors. The armament range of the new helicopter is almost identical to the AH-64D. But what has appeared: greater possibilities of electronic interaction, improved on-board electronics, wider use of composite materials in the structure, increased engine power, increased flight speed. Boeing recently donated the first 28 AH-64Es to the US Army. In total, 634 helicopters of this modification will be produced for the American military.

One of the most ambitious projects in the history of helicopter engineering is the American Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche reconnaissance and attack helicopter. The Comanche was the first helicopter in the world to be built using stealth technology. But, having spent nearly 8 (!) Billion dollars, the USA closed the program in 2004. The main reason for this decision was Iraqi combat experience, which demonstrated the capabilities of drones.

The Americans did not forget about the progenitor of all attack helicopters - the AH-1 Cobra. In our time, various modifications of the AH-1 are in service with the US Marine Corps (ILC) aviation. Of course, the AH-1 has undergone numerous upgrades since the Vietnam War. In 1986, the Marines began operating the AH-1W Super Cobra. The car was successful. The Supercobra is to this day the main attack helicopter of the USMC. Moreover, a new attack helicopter, the AH-1Z Viper, was developed on its basis. Essentially a deep upgrade of the AH-1 Cobra, the Viper has become a high-tech weapon for the 21st century. New composite materials are widely used in the construction of the AH-1Z. Instead of a two-bladed main rotor, a four-bladed one was installed, significantly increasing the survivability of the machine. The attack helicopter received improved electronics: the new NTS (Night Targeting System) sighting system allowed it to effectively hit targets at any time of the day, in any weather conditions.

Bell AH-1Z Viper / © carpatys.com

As is often the case, the increased combat capabilities had to pay with the significantly increased mass of the aircraft. An empty "Viper" is heavier than its predecessor "Supercobra" by more than half a ton. The price has also increased. If the AH-1W Super Cobra cost about 10 million dollars, then the new helicopter - 27 million. At the same time, the armament of the Viper is not too different from the range of means of destruction of the Supercobra. The guided weapons included the BGM-71 TOW ATGM, as well as the AGM-114 Hellfire. And those and others "Viper" can take on board up to sixteen pieces. Of course, the AH-1Z has a cannon and can use unguided rockets. Like the Supercobra, the new helicopter is capable of using short-range air-to-air missiles AIM-9L Sidewinder. However, this is only an optional feature. The helicopter will be used last to hit air targets.

AH-1W Super Cobra / © Alamy

Perhaps the most notable episode of the second Iraqi campaign is the alleged defeat by an Iraqi peasant of the American AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. Immediately after the discovery of the helicopter, the Iraqi authorities announced that the Apache had been shot down with a hunting rifle. In fact, no one shot down the helicopter. Abandoned by the crew, AH-64 was discovered by Iraqi peasants by accident.

Russia: "Night Hunter" and "Alligator"

The world famous "Crocodile" - Mi-24 was conceived as a multifunctional vehicle capable of attacking ground targets and transporting cargo and troops. The realities of the Afghan war forced the Soviet military command to revise this concept. The Mi-24 has proven itself very well as an attack helicopter. The Mi-8 took over the functions of a military transport helicopter.

In the late 1980s, the Soviet military did not reinvent the wheel and followed the proven American path. This is how the first domestic specialized attack helicopters appeared. But fate was not very favorable to the firstborn. Neither the Mi-28A, nor even the legendary "Black Shark" (Ka-50 "Black Shark") was destined to go into production.

Mi-28 / © daler.ru

The situation began to change in the second half of the 2000s. It was then that the first contract was signed for the supply of a large batch of attack helicopters to the Russian Air Force. The Ministry of Defense gave preference to the Mil design bureau's two-seater helicopter concept. The single Ka-50 was finally abandoned. There is still a debate about whether this decision was correct. In any case, the choice of the Mi-28 as the main attack helicopter can be considered appropriate. The "tandem" concept of an attack helicopter, when the crew is in the cockpit one behind the other, has repeatedly proved its effectiveness. The Americans took this path, and the Russian military took into account their combat experience.

The stake was made on the all-weather Mi-28N helicopter at night. It is the "Night Hunter", as it was dubbed, in the future, along with the Ka-52, will become the main attack helicopter in Russia. What is remarkable about the new car? Unlike its predecessors, the Mi-28N will be able to carry out assigned tasks day and night, in bad weather conditions. The sighting system allows the helicopter to find and recognize targets at a distance of up to 10 km. The basis of its armament is the Ataka-V anti-tank complex. The missile launch range is 10 km. The Mi-28N is noticeably heavier than its direct overseas counterpart, the Apache. The weight of an empty helicopter exceeds eight tons versus five tons for the modernized AN-64. But the engines of the domestic car are much more powerful. In emergency mode, their total capacity is 2700 liters. sec., while the maximum power of the engines of the newest AH-64E is 2000 hp. from. The Mi-28N has the best armor protection. Its cockpit is capable of withstanding a direct hit from 12 mm bullets and light anti-aircraft artillery shells. According to the military themselves, the Mi-28N is resistant even to 30 mm projectiles. However, in real combat conditions it is better not to check an expensive combat vehicle for survivability. The most effective way to avoid damage is to work outside of the enemy's target range. This could be facilitated by a radar such as that used on Apache Longbow helicopters. The millimeter radar station for the Mi-28N was named H025. Like its American counterpart, it can detect and classify potential threats. So far, the development of a new radar station has not been completed, and no one can say with certainty the exact timing of its commissioning. The helicopter equipped with a radar will receive the Mi-28NM index. Most likely, we will not soon see the radar station on production vehicles. As you know, testing new complexes of aviation electronics is a long and extremely costly process.

Ka-52 / © goodfon.ru

But with the radar station for the new Russian Ka-52 helicopter, the situation is more or less clear. According to Yuri Guskov, General Designer of the Fazotron-NIIR Corporation, the FH01 radar system for the Ka-52 helicopter has already passed all the necessary tests and is in serial production. To date, the company has supplied the manufacturer with more than four dozen such complexes, and they are equipped with all the Ka-52s entering service with the Russian Air Force.

The Ka-52 is a two-seat modification of the Ka-50. Moreover, the vehicle crew is not "tandem", but side by side. The new helicopter inherited a complex coaxial rotor design from its progenitor Ka-50. The Alligator, as the helicopter was nicknamed in Russia, was designed as a command vehicle capable of guiding and targeting the Ka-50. But the Ministry of Defense refused the latter. Perhaps, in the future, the Ka-52 will work in conjunction with the Mi-28N, transmitting tactical information to them in real time. In this case, the "Night Hunters" may not need radar at all. It is noteworthy that the Americans implemented the same scheme, equipping only a part of the new Apache helicopters with radar stations.

In addition to advanced electronics, the Ka-52 boasts excellent flight performance, high level protection and ejection system (which is absent on other attack helicopters in principle). The Alligator's armament range is comparable to the Mi-28N. Its basis is ATGM "Attack-V" with laser system guidance. It was decided to abandon the once promising Vikhr anti-tank complex. We can say that weapons are the Achilles heel of Russian helicopters. In the future, the Ka-52 is supposed to be equipped with a new generation Hermes-A missile system. This should give the rotorcraft a fundamentally new combat capabilities. The range of the Hermes-A is 15-20 km, which is almost twice the maximum launch range of the ATGM Ataka-V.

It is difficult to say which of the above attack helicopters is more advanced. The combat effectiveness of a modern aircraft is determined primarily by the level of onboard electronics. Naturally, almost all data on avionics are classified. Comparison of the same "dry" flight performance can hardly give a detailed picture. One thing is for sure - each of these helicopters has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Perspectives

Most likely, the functions that attack helicopters perform in our time will be taken over by unmanned vehicles in the future. But it is too early to write off the rotorcraft completely. In 2010, the Sikorsky company sent its proposals to the US Army Command for a project for a new combat rotorcraft. The projected high-speed rotorcraft was named S-97 Raider. The experimental Sikorsky X2 helicopter served as the basis for its creation.

S-97 Raider / © goodfon.ru

The device is built on a coaxial scheme (similar to that used in the design of Kamov helicopters). In addition to the main rotor, the rotorcraft is equipped with an aircraft-type pusher rotor and small area wings. According to the developers, this will allow the S-97 to reach speeds of up to 460 km / h. No modern military helicopter is capable of this speed. The undoubted advantage of the S-97 design is that, unlike conventional helicopters, it will be able to fly even in high altitude conditions.

It is assumed that two modifications of the rotorcraft will be created: transport-combat and reconnaissance-strike. In the first version, the vehicle will accommodate up to six paratroopers. In the shock version, the free space behind the cockpit will accommodate the weapons bay and additional fuel tanks... But, most likely, the S-97 will never be a full replacement for the AH-64 or AH-1. The lack of the necessary booking makes it not the most suitable device for performing shock missions. On the other hand, it could be a suitable alternative to the outdated MH-6 Little Bird and OH-58 Kiowa reconnaissance and attack helicopters.

In 1993, a Russian feature film was shot, the protagonist of which was the Ka-50 Black Shark helicopter. The plot of the film was developed around the testing of a new helicopter in Afghanistan. The Ka-50 was actually tested in combat conditions, but not in Afghanistan, but on the territory of Chechnya. By the way, despite its advantages, the coaxial rotor design of the helicopter is not widespread. Currently, there is only one serial attack helicopter made according to this scheme - the Ka-52.

Do not sit back and russian designers... In 2010 executive Director of the Russian Helicopters holding Andrey Shibitov said that Russian specialists are working on the concept of a "fifth generation attack helicopter." True, what exactly should be a new-generation helicopter, it seems, is not known either in Russia itself or abroad. Unlike fighters, in world practice, helicopters are generally not divided into generations.

Ka-58 as seen by the artist / © rotatingcomposites.com

According to domestic developers, one of the promising projects can serve as the basis for a new combat helicopter. Now in Russia three types of high-speed helicopters are being developed: Ka-90, Ka-92 and Mi-1X. The maximum speed of the Ka-90 will have to exceed 800 km / h. The designers plan to achieve such indicators by installing a jet engine.

For a long time, information about a mysterious Russian attack helicopter made using stealth technology appeared on the Internet. He received the designation Ka-58 "Black Ghost". Now no one can say with certainty exactly where this information came from. Most likely, the "Black Ghost" was just a product of the imagination of aircraft modelers.

Attack helicopter of the future as seen by the artist / © new-wall.com

Whatever the helicopter of the future may be, it is only obvious that a full replacement for the Mi-28 and Ka-52 will be required for a very long time. This means that the military will not invest heavily in the development of fundamentally new attack helicopters. At least for now.

In 1976, it was planned to enter service with a new CH-46E helicopter, created on the basis of the CH-46D helicopter. The foreign press indicated that it would be equipped with a T58-16 engine with a capacity of 1870 hp. s, have a maximum take-off weight of 10,600 kg and can take off from a platform located at an altitude of 900 m above sea level, at an ambient temperature of 33 ° C. For the same helicopter, by the beginning of 1979, it is planned to develop main rotor blades made of fiberglass.

At the end of 1976, Boeing began implementing the program for further modernization of the CH-47 helicopter. The new version of the helicopter, designated CH-47D, has a simplified hydraulic system and an improved control system installed (unlike the latest model CH-47C). It is reported that as a result of a number of design changes, the survivability of the helicopter will increase. Ultimately, the firm's specialists expect to reduce the vulnerability of the helicopter to enemy fire by 36-75%. It is planned to modernize 198 helicopters, the pace of work is three machines a month. According to the US Army Command, the implementation of this modernization program will significantly improve the combat capabilities of CH-47 helicopters.

The main design tactical and technical characteristics of the above new and modernized helicopters are shown in the table.

Currently, US Army specialists are defining a set of requirements for a promising reconnaissance helicopter, the creation of which is planned under the ASH (Advanced Scout Helicopter) program. In particular, as reported in the foreign press, their requirements for the equipment of such a helicopter provide for the installation of a complex of electronic equipment (the total weight of which should not exceed 370 kg), including a television detection system, an infrared night vision system in the front hemisphere, a laser designator and a laser rangefinder.

Under this program, it is planned to purchase 700 cars. Some American experts believe that since one of the main conditions of the ASH program is the low cost of the helicopter (less than $ 1 million), the development of a new machine is excluded. There are only two options for the implementation of the program: the modernization of 700 light reconnaissance helicopters currently in service or the modernization of 400 existing OH-6D air surveillance helicopters, as well as the purchase of 300 more advanced OH-58A helicopters of a similar class and their re-equipment with the above equipment.

The above data indicate that the creation of new and improvement of the helicopters in service with the US Army is another round of the arms race, which is continued by American imperialism, despite the positive changes taking place in the world.

The US Army is considering two new high-tech military rotorcraft projects: the Bell Helicopter V-280 Valor tiltrotor and the Sikorsky and SB-1 Defiant coaxial pusher propeller helicopter. Flight tests of both vehicles are scheduled for 2017, American military columnist Chris wrote in Warrior. This will be their first official test in the US Army.

SB-1 Defiant multipurpose helicopter prototype

The new helicopters were created during the JMR TD (Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator) program, which, in turn, is part of the program to create future vertical takeoff (Future Vertical Lift, FVL) aircraft that can replace the famous Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk and Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopters, now in service with the US Army. A new fleet of combat and transport helicopters is expected to be created by 2030.

“The development of two different high-tech, future-oriented helicopters is already under way. There will be ground trials in 2016 and initial flight tests are planned for 2017, ”confirmed JMR Program Director Dan Bailey.

According to him, the creation of helicopters is proceeding according to the schedule, "in strict accordance with the plans of cooperation of the co-executors."

According to the tactical and technical requirements for new vehicles, their cruising speed must exceed 500 km / h, and the combat radius must exceed 400 km.

Next-generation helicopters will also be capable of operating in adverse weather conditions.

“We have set a speed requirement of at least 500 km / h, as this requires the use of new technologies. In accordance with it, engineers and designers have put forward many breakthrough ideas, ”said Bailey.

A faster and more maneuverable helicopter, which can fly much longer without air refueling, would allow US Army units to more effectively engage enemy targets or deliver small mobile special forces to the scene, he said.

The new helicopter will be designed taking into account the latest advances in the field of avionics in order to timely detect the enemy and use the next generation weapons, describe the requirements for a combat vehicle in.

“We need technologies and projects that are significantly different from what we have today. The new helicopters will carry more equipment and weapons, be more maneuverable and carry out combat missions with a longer range, ”said FVL project manager Rich Kretschmar.

Bell Helicopter's next year will demonstrate to the US Army the third-generation combat tiltrotor V-280 Valor.

A tiltrotor is an aircraft with rotary bladed propellers, which, during takeoff and landing, work as lifting, on the principle of a helicopter, and in horizontal flight, as pulling, while lift provided by an airplane wing.

The V-280 was created taking into account the design and operation experience of the first generation XV-3 and XV-15 tiltrotors, as well as the BA 609 civilian tiltrotor that followed and the first serial military V-22 Osprey tiltrotor of the second generation.

"Unlike the V-22, the propellers of which tilted along with the engines, the V-280 engines are fixed in a horizontal position, and the transition between helicopter and airplane modes is carried out by tilting some propellers," the deputy director explained to Gazeta.Ru.

The wing of the V-280 is swept straight, not reverse, as is the case with the V-22. It will be manufactured as a single piece using Large Cell Carbon Core technology, which will reduce structural weight and manufacturing costs. This technology also makes it possible to quickly identify defects that occur during operation. The fuselage of the tiltrotor will also be made of composite materials. The V-280 Valor is designed with a V-shaped tail and triple redundant remote control system.

The crew of the V-280 consists of four people. On board the tiltrotor can carry up to 11 passengers.

The combat radius of the tiltrotor, previously named by Bell, is 926 km. Ferry range - 3889 km. Carrying capacity - 4500 kg.

The power plant consists of two General Electric T 64-419 engines with an output of 5000 hp.

Another promising machine is the SB1 Defiant multipurpose helicopter with coaxial main and pushing tail rotor. The project is based on the demonstrator of the Sikorsky X2 company, which also became the base for the promising S-97 Raider attack helicopter.

Unlike the strike variant, the SB1 Defiant is designed to carry transport operations, landing troops, performing search and rescue operations and evacuating the wounded from the battlefield. In the future, the helicopter can enter service with the ground, air force, navy and the US Marine Corps.

It is expected that the helicopter can begin to enter the troops as early as 2018 and until 2030 will completely replace the obsolete, according to the American military, UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.

The JMR / FVL program assumes the integration into advanced combat vehicles of a wide range of the latest sensors, weapons and avionics, which provide for the possibility remote control in cases where the pilot is incapacitated, injured or killed, explained to Warrior officials The Pentagon.

The JMR TD / FVL design documents describe the tasks of developing a human-machine interface with automatic execution of a large number of a wide variety of functions in order to relieve the pilot and crew for more important missions during a sortie.

It is supposed, for example, to introduce technologies on promising convertiplanes that help the pilot in making a particular decision, organize and prioritize all information coming into the cockpit, optimize visual, 3D, audio and other information signals. Tiltrotor pilots will be able to receive video from nearby unmanned aerial vehicles and control these drones during flight. Some of the information can be shown in the cockpit of the helicopter, and some - displayed in the pilots' helmets.

According to representatives of the US Army, promising helicopters are supposed to integrate countermeasures different types enemy weapons - from small arms to portable anti-aircraft missile systems.

Among these technologies is the Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM), a high-tech laser jammer capable of deflecting incoming enemy missiles.

CIRCM is an improved version of the Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures (ATIRCM) system currently being deployed on US Air Force aircraft. The CIRCM system is ready for 2018. By 2030, even more advanced technologies are expected to be used.

The new helicopter program involves the creation of new technologies for night vision devices for pilots, thermal imagers, electro-optical sensors, improvement of laser rangefinders and laser designators.

In accordance with JMR, the helicopters are designed to combine weapons and reconnaissance for the future use of helicopters in a fully autonomous mode, when the machine will independently detect, track and fire a large number of targets in the face of sharp maneuvers, adjusted for wind and other conditions.

Among the large number of helicopter schemes developed so far, the scheme with two coaxially located main rotors is widespread, which was first used by MV Lomonosov on his "airfield machine". Both rotors in this scheme are on the same axis, one below the other. The shaft of the upper screw passes through the hollow shaft of the lower screw. The propellers rotate in opposite directions, so two reactive moments are transmitted to the fuselage, mutually balancing each other. Helicopters built according to this scheme have good maneuverability.

In particular, by changing the angles of installation of the blades of one of the propellers in comparison with the installation angles of the blades of the other propeller (differential change in the total pitch of the propellers), a difference in their reactive moments is achieved, which, being transmitted to the fuselage, turns the helicopter in one direction or another. The longitudinal and lateral control and the ascent and descent control will be described below. For now, we just note that the principles of such control are the same for most helicopters.

Helicopter with two propellers

In Russia, a helicopter was built according to this scheme back in 1907 by designer Antonov. Subsequently, this scheme was used in many countries. Modern helicopter of design II. I. Kamov was also created according to a twin-screw coaxial scheme.

The main advantages of helicopters built according to this scheme are their small size and low weight. This is achieved by the absence of a long tail boom for mounting the tail rotor and long shafts for transmitting torque from the engine to the propellers, since the propellers are mounted on the same vertical axis next to each other.

It is interesting to note that all helicopters weighing up to 800 kg are built according to a coaxial twin-rotor design. It is possible that such helicopters will become widespread in the near future. aircraft for individual use.

This scheme, like any other, is not without its drawbacks. So, due to the fact that the lower screw operates in a stream of air, thrown and twisted by the upper screw, its working conditions deteriorate and the calculation of the screw during design is difficult.

Helicopter with two longitudinally spaced rotors

The scheme of a helicopter with longitudinally located main rotors was first proposed by N.I.Sorokin. According to this scheme, one propeller is located above the nose of the fuselage, and the second - above the tail. Both propellers can be driven by one or two motors. The direction of rotation of the screws is opposite for the mutual suppression of reactive moments.

According to this scheme, it is advantageous to build a heavy multi-seat helicopter, since the fuselage of such a helicopter turns out to be a convenient room for cargo and passengers and, in addition, the helicopter of this scheme has good longitudinal controllability and allows a significant change in the position of the center of gravity along the fuselage axis. So, if the helicopter lowers the nose, that is, the center of gravity has moved forward, then a diving moment will be created, which can be easily eliminated by increasing the thrust of the nose rotor with a corresponding decrease in the thrust of the propeller installed in the tail. When moving the center of gravity of the grooves, we will have to increase the thrust of the propeller installed in the tail, and reduce the thrust of the nose rotor.

The advantage of a helicopter built according to this scheme is that it has a small transverse section fuselage, and therefore low harmful resistance, which allows you to fly at the highest speeds.

The disadvantage of a helicopter built according to this scheme is that the rear propeller, when the helicopter is flying forward, operates in the air previously disturbed by the front propeller, and this reduces its efficiency.

Shown is a model of a helicopter with two longitudinally spaced propellers. To facilitate the hangar storage, the rotor blades of the helicopter can be made folding over the fuselage, which greatly reduces the size of the helicopter.

Thirty-three of the newest H-1 series helicopters will soon enter service with the US Army - such a deal will cost the military a pretty penny (or rather, $ 550 million). In this regard, M PORT decided to scout: and what combat helicopters - the best for America?

AH-1Z Super Cobra

Capable of many things. Flexible. Multifunctional. In general, the most-most among the assault helicopters, a masterpiece of helicopter art. Its design, materials, avionics and weapons meet all the highest requirements that the US Marine Corps imposes on its military equipment.

Its integral aiming system is especially good, which comes in handy in modern military conflicts, often taking place in urban environments. And the passive radar scans the vast battlefield thoroughly, capturing several targets at once in the sights of the helicopter.

Boeing V-22

Wide range of applications, excellent speed and ability to transform. Once upon a time, the classical parameters of a helicopter as a lethal apparatus were set. So, the V-22 flies twice as fast as the "classics", takes three times more cargo, and maximum height its flight is twice the ceiling of older rotorcraft.

It is the first machine in the world to combine the ability to take off vertically and glide horizontally like an airplane. The crossover transmission allows the pilot to operate two Rolls-Royce AE1107C Liberty engines either together or separately. The specific layout of motors and planes is the best suited to the conduct of combat operations at sea.

To create a completely new machine with this index, Bell has added state-of-the-art aerospace technology to its iconic silhouette and proven reliability. Improvements to the helicopter hull, two General Electric T700 engines, a modern glass cockpit and the most advanced onboard systems make it the ultimate tactical helicopter.

According to experts, thanks to a fully integrated weapons system, avionics and communication systems, this rotorcraft is one of the most tenacious in modern combat.

OH-58D KIOWA WARRIOR

This helicopter, with its outstanding combat qualities, is able to give a pepper to the "bad guys" anywhere in the world. He already has a lot of real operations on his account, and he conducts fighting equally effective both day and night.

This cool fighter can carry a wide variety of weapons on board. He is always on the alert, and he will be ready for battle no later than 10 minutes after unloading from the womb of the transport C-130. And special equipment and a low-noise power unit help him covertly approach enemy positions.

The experience of using a fleet of 150 helicopters of this type, located in more than 10 countries of the world, proves that this helicopter deserves to be the main platform for further development promising multifunctional helicopter.
Powered by a reliable Honeywell T53-L-703 engine, it demonstrates excellent flight performance. And this despite the fact that the latest improvements have weighed the car up to 4.8 tons.

According to experts, it is difficult to find the best helicopter for transporting the military over long distances and at high altitudes, as well as for evacuating the wounded, including in a hot desert.

An excellent reconnaissance helicopter. Detects and eliminates threats. Saves human lives. In general, the embodiment of the American army's dream of a high-speed and maneuverable reconnaissance aircraft.

The helicopter is powered by one Honeywell HTS900-2 turbocharged engine, which transfers 970 horsepower to the shaft. It is armed with a powerful Gatling cannon, seven guided missiles and a 38-unit NURS battery.