well now my helicopters are here and the Huey Frog has sooo much ordinance to use too bad it all cant be used. and the OH-58D “Black Death” is really detailed that I think I might leave off the doors.
Cool… can’t wait to get to see 'em! [:)]
Take care,
Frank
Speaking of OH-58D’s, is there a difference between MRC’s “Black Death” and “Thugs” boxings?
Apparently, the only difference is the decals and the “Thugs” kit comes with Sidewinder AAMs on racks as well.
Thanks, Gino.
Stingers, not sidewinders!
Yea, thats what I meant. Sidewinders would look cool too, a little big, but cool.
man I swear there is sooooo much options with that UH-1 kit.[:D] who knows maybe I’ll make it into a Heavy Hog. lets see it has the box shaped rocket pods the regular 7 shot pod and the I think 20 shot rocket pod and it also still has the 2 7.62mm miniguns and the 40mm “Thumper” grenade launcher.
Yup, the Frog kit gives you all the armament options from all their prior UH-1C kits. Lots of extras for the parts box or to outfit other helos. Great kit.
I don’t think the 7 shot pod or the box pod would work with the OH-58 but maybe that 20 shot “Hydra” pod (thats what it looks like the rocket pods carried by the AH-64 and the AH-1)
Mike,
The OH-58 isn’t rated to carry the 19-shot M261 pods, they’re too heavy for it. The seven shot pod that comes with the UH-1 kit is the M159 version, which is strictly Vietnam-era. The M260 is the current 7-shot pod used by Kiowas and Little Birds and it doesn’t have the exposed tubes like the Vietnam-era pod does.
Sorry, the OH-58D can only carry the 7-shot pod, the larger is a 19-shot and it is too large fror the OH-58D to carry, it would drag on the ground, I think weight would be an issue too. 2 of the 7-shot pods come in the OH-58D kit. You are correct on the box though, too big and no longer used, it was replaced by the 7 and 19-shot pods.
EDIT: Again, Jon and I were posting the same thing at the same time. I guess great minds do think alike. Jon, you sure you don’t want to be an Artilleryman? I could use a few good PLs and Battery XOs.
well except if you want to do a Vietnam Era OH-58A Kiowa though
you know what really sucks is that all the attack helicopters in use today the OH-58 The AH-64 and the AH-1 are getting older and the way I see it there is not going to be a replacement in the forseeable future. The AH-1 and OH-58 air frames are both pushing almost 40 years in the air (I don’t mean 40 years combined) and the AH-64 is pushing 30 years. How long will it be before congress finds out the hard way that the older a aircraft gets doesn’t mean it performs better.
I don’t fully agree with your assessment. If an aircraft is maintained and properly updated, it can be the top of its game for a long time. The AH-1 is an example. The USMC is now working on the "Z " model that is as capable, some will argue more so since it can carry TOW or Hellfires, as the AH-64. Also, there is no need for a new version helo, the RAH-66 cancellation was evidence of that. We don’t need a stealth helo, or a new attack helo on the modern battlefield. As another example of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, take a look at the B-52 Bomber. It has been around since the early 50’s, designed in late 1940’s. There is no plan to replace it till 2045. It works and meets our needs just fine. Another example is the M1 Abrams tank. It was designed in the early to mid 1970’s and fielded in 1980. It is not expected to be replaced till 2050. It works and rules the battlefield. No need to replace it.
Unless there is a new threat out there that develops new weapons that are far superior to ours, we don’t need to upgrade. The Cold War arms race with the Soviet Union is what drove weapons development for the second half of the 20th century. There is no longer another major power to be in an arms race with. Maybe China will step up and become that power, but they are currently nowhere near where the Soviet Union was. Their weapons are basically copies of older Soviet weapons sytems and they are currently not progressing further in conventional weapons. We shall see what the future holds.
I agree wholeheartedly with what Gino’s said.
Firstly, the Apache is JUST hitting the 20 year mark. The 6th Cav fielded their first Apaches in late 1984. Second, there is no need to replace what works incredibly well (I’ve even heard an Apache pilot or two say that the D model wasn’t even necessary!) Most AH-64A’s in service are under 20 years old. As they hit that 20 year mark, they will be sent back to Arizona to the Apache plant and will be remanufactured (read COMPLETELY rebuilt) into AH-64Ds. The majority of AH-64Ds that are in Iraq are less than 5 years old.
The Comanche would have been a cool looking helicopter but no less vulnerable to unguided ordnance than anything we’ve got now. Its stealth capability didn’t hide it visually, and therefore it was still vulnerable to RPG and Small Arms fire, just like the rest of the helo fleet. It didn’t make sense on the modern battlefield.
The problem nowadays is that while our technology and capability keeps increasing, our enemies have gone increasingly low-tech. High Tech may not be the answer, particularly in the current conflict. Doing more with the equipment on hand and using the money saved from R&D programs (like the Comanche) is going to keep our helo fleet mission capable for many years to come, instead of fielding a multi-billion dollar turkey that looks cool, but gets shot down just as easily as a current helo.
[soapbox] stepping down now…
Gino,
Artilleryman, huh? I’ve got a few buddies headed your way, but I’m hooked on the Aviation thing. I’ll be happy to spot for you anytime though! Keep an eye out for a 2LT Nate Moore. He’s in MLRS. Sharp guy and a good friend, just finished AOBC a few months ago.
“well except if you want to do a Vietnam Era OH-58A Kiowa though”
Mike,
Vietnam OH-58s didn’t carry rockets. Some had a single minigun, but other than that, they were pretty much unarmed.
I’ll keep an eye out for him and if I do run into him, I’ll tell him you said to give him a hard time.
actually the newer enemies aren’t totally low tech sure they wield AK’s and RPG’s but now they are learning how valuable lasers are for weapons a single laser pointer can blind a pilot so why hasn’t the army done anything to protect the pilots from lasers.
We have, military issue eye protection and pilots visors are laser shielded. The laser pointer and low level lasers are not really high tech weapons anyways. The actual chance of blinding a pilot, through the canopy, with a laser pointer is really low. You have to hit him directly in the eye for about 20-30 seconds. Haven’t actually heard of any laser pointer incidents on aircraft other than the few around DC and a couple other cities in the US. None of these caused any damage, just spooked the crews of jetliners. High tech would be with integrated Air Defense sytems and large numbers of SAMs and ZSUs to contend with and large numbers of Hinds and well trained pilots.
Gino you are thinking in terms of a nation with that type of military only nation like that is China. I was talking about our newer enemies the terrorists and the Militia’s using whatever is at hand and chances are with the worse case scenario any of them having nukes or even worse a two of the most leathal high tech weapons that could ever be developed the hand held Gauss rifle and the EMP gun both of which could cause serious problems. Oh and BTW 50% of the “enemy” in Iraq right now are made up of Syrian and Iranian military personell with the Iraqi Republican Guard and Al’Queda being in the minority it would suprise me if Iran and Syria made a massive push of armour into Iraq next year to free Saddam and return him to power. We must not let that happen.