AH-1Z & UH-1Y by the numbers

Modeling Subjects Helicopters
1

Hey-
For you fans of Marine Helos, here are some stats for the new H-1’s. Just shows the amount of work it takes to get a new system to the fleet. (or the Army, thier test requirements are similar.)

The AH-1Z and UH-1Y recently passed 3000 flight test hours. The have completed over 350 launch/recovery evolutions on the USS Bataan. They have fired more than 2000 2.75" rockets, over 13,000 rounds of gun and cannon ammo, 11 Hellfire missiles and 3 AIM-9s. They are now prepping for OPEVAL. They should be in the fleet in early 2008.

Note the commonality in the two helos. Same rotor, same engines, same tailboom/tail rotor. Maybe we’ll get accurate kits of them at some point.

Phil

2

Awesome! I hope that some company produces a couple of good kits some day soon.[:O]

3

Is the UH-1Y bigger than the originals, kind of like the Bell 412 “Super Huey”?

4

LOVE the AH-1Z and the UH-1Y. Just wish that someone would come out with a decent kit in 1/48th or 1/35th.

5

Thanks for the pics. CH-53X isn’t going to be to the fleet until 2015 at the earliest. Osprey’s are going to start replacing frogs soon. I didn’t think it was possible, but the new skids are looking even meaner.

6

Great shot Phil, thanks for sharing. Ditto on the good kits ASAP.

7

Yes, UH-1Y is based on the Bell 412. They both look awesome.

More info on both here:
http://www.bellhelicopter.textron.com/en/aircraft/military/bellUH-1Y.cfm
http://www.bellhelicopter.textron.com/en/aircraft/military/bellAH-1Z.cfm

8

Motovating!!!

9

I’ll echo the others here and hope that there are kits in the works for these two. That, or Cobra Company gets the jump on them all and starts production of some serious conversion kits for the current crop of Cobra and Huey kits! Can you imagine all the resin you’d be putting on that poor plastic kit?

10

Lots of resin, new kits would be better providing they do them right(prefer 1/48th myself)

11

wow! they DO LOOK GREAT!
especially AH-1Z!!!

12

Man, you had to remind me about that deathspray dint you.[V]
Have you seen any pics of the 53x?

As for the AH-1Z Italeri makes one. I made the one that I have as a W, it has the parts for the Z and W.

13

Yes, but not up to date, the Z is the prototype not the production

14

Great picture! A good side by side comparison. The UH-IY has a fuselage plug aft of the pilots doors between the main “post” where the hand and foot holds are. The main blade “tie” downs appear to be a bit huge and complicated. Must be to withstand “gale” force winds. I guess we will another long wait for good kits. Working on 40 years and still no good replacement for the old Revell UH-1D! Very sad indeed!

15

Thanks for the pictures. FIrst Huey picture I’ve seen with that turned exhaust. Would love to see more. Yes the cabin is fuselage is longer due to the plug mentioned (14 inches" IIRC) but most of space is filled with avionics closets so there isn’t much more useable cabin space.

16

Awesome picture, thanks Par429. Interesting configuration of four aux fuel tanks on the Zulu. Quick, supercobra, what would be the range on that? lol.

Comparing the new ‘Y’ Huey to a Bell 412 would be like comparing the 2006 Dodge Charger to the '68 Charger. Similar only in the fact that they are produced by the same manufacturer and have four tires. The Yankee looks like a 412 because, yeah, it has four rotor blades. But they are totally different animals. Besides the extended fuselage already mentioned, virtually the entire a$$-end of the aircraft is a brand-new design. The tail-rotor, tailboom, engines, drivetrain, transmission, main rotor system, and addition of an APU are unique to this version alone and completely unlike the 412.

And yes, here’s hoping to some brand-new, highly detailed kits! [^]

17

AH1Wsnake,
As a skid tron chaser you know that is a trick question. Range of aux tanks on a Cobra is dependent upon getting a good transfer and that is solely a function of how long the pilot can trick the system into transferrring by keeping the fuel gauge press to test botton pressed in while flying one-handed.

It looks like they still have the electric pumps on the tanks. I always thought a better system to pressurize the tanks would be to use compressor bleed air. Seems that would be lighter and simpler.

18

Hahahaha, you got me.
But, I have found a successful transfer to be more a function of whether or not Pvt. Schmuckatelli from flightline grabbed an aux pump from the RFI bin or the non-RFI bin, lol.

19

Hey-
Thanks all, I’m glad you liked the picture. As for the 4 tank configuration, it’s not something we see the Zulu flying around with very much. For the shipboard tests, I think it’s main purpose is to provide the ability to easily change the gross weight of the helo just by adding or removing fuel (or more likely water). I guess the Yankee doesn’t need it’s stores pylons since you can just put stuff in the cabin to increase its’ weight.

As for the Italeri Zulu kit, there have been quite a few changes since that kit was released. Most obviously, the horizontal tails have changed (and lost thier endplates), the turned exhaust has been added, and there is a new bulge in the fuselage for avionics (just forward of the wings, with the flare dispenser bucket at the front.)

20

No, I haven’t seen pics of the X yet, but I did get a little brief about it at Sikorsky’s Stratfort Conneticut plant. It’s on the drawing board, but it’s supposed to have a bunch of goodies like:

Rolls Royce engines
Super funky new blades
glass cockpit (Have fun Avi)
composit cockpit section, transition section, and tail section
dry rotor head
computerized external lift and cargo system
redesigned sponsons and fuel tanks (no more big aux tanks)

That’s about all I remember about that. Sorry about your phrogs, they served with distinction for nearly 40 years. I rode on one once that was in the Marine Corps before my father was.