Engineering:Anti-tank helicopter

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Anti-tank helicopter / Anti-armor helicopter
  • Top left: Swedish HKP 9A (MBB Bo 105) anti-tank helicopter with Saab-Emerson HeliTOW TOW-based ATH-system
  • Top right: Swedish HKP 9A (MBB Bo 105) anti-tank helicopter squad during movement
  • Lower left: American UH-1B Huey anti-tank helicopter with AGM-22 ATGM:s
  • Lower right: French Aérospatiale Gazelle SA 342 M firing a HOT missile

Anti-tank helicopter (ATH), or anti-armor helicopter, is a type of armed helicopter, predominantly intended for anti-tank duties.[1]

Description

Dedicated anti-tank helicopters are usually outfitted with an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM)-system with an integrated optronic targeting system. While such helicopters may be equipped with radar warning receivers (RWR), electronic countermeasures (CM), or other warning and protection systems, etc., they mainly avoid danger through evasive doctrine. The targeting system is often a roof-mounted sight (RMS / roof sight), or mast-mounted sight (MMS / mast sight) above the rotor, which allows the helicopter to scout targets largely from behind cover, while the ATGM:s allow the helicopters to engage targets at ranges beyond small arms fire, and with the margin needed for evasive action against long range weapons.

Anti-tank helicopters are often cheap and readily available scout or utility helicopters, outfitted with anti-tank systems, as opposed to more expensive multi-purpose attack helicopters, culminating in a more cost-effectivene solution to aerial anti-armor duties. Attack helicopters are also used as anti-tank helicopters periodically, but there are also dedicated anti-tank versions of certain attack helicopter models. The Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter has a dedicated anti-tank version equipped with a mast-mounted sight, in French designated Tiger HAC (Hélicoptère Anti-Char, "anti-tank helicopter"), in German originally designated PAH-2 (Panzerabwehrhubschrauber 2, "anti-armor helicopter 2").

Anti-tank helicopters after country

Country Designation Abbreviation Helicopter Sighting system Weapon system Notes Image
 Belgium A109BA Agusta A109 HeliTOW (FLIR variant) 4 × HeliTOW-launchers (8 × TOW) Belgium Air Force
Template:Country data Danmark AS 550 C2 Eurocopter Fennec AS 550 C2 HeliTOW (day variant) 2 × HeliTOW-launchers (4 × TOW) Danish Army Air Corps
 France SA.313B Aérospatiale Alouette II SA 313 B 4 × Nord AS.11 French Army Air Corps
 France SA.316B Aérospatiale Alouette III SA 316 B APX-Bézu 260[2] 4 × Nord AS.11 French Army Air Corps
 France SA.3164 Alouette-Canon Aérospatiale Alouette III SA 3164 APX-Bézu 260[2] 4 × Nord AS.11 Export
 France SA.341F Aérospatiale Gazelle SA 341 F APX-Bézu 334[2] 2 × HOT-1
2 × HOT-2
French Army Air Corps
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 France SA.342M Aérospatiale Gazelle SA 342 M Bendix-SFIM APX M 397[2] 4 × HOT-1
4 × HOT-2
French Army Air Corps
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 France SA.342M1 Aérospatiale Gazelle SA 342 M Viviane[2] 4 × HOT-2
4 × HOT-3
French Army Air Corps
Error creating thumbnail:
 France SA.365 Aérospatiale SA-365 Dauphin/Panther Bendix-SFIM APX M 397 / Viviane[2] 4 × HOT-2
4 × M65 TOW-launchers (8 × TOW)
Export
 France Tiger Hélicoptère Anti-Char Tiger HAC Eurocopter Tiger EC-665 HAC Osiris[3] 2 × HOT-3 twin-launchers (4 × HOT-3)
8 × HOT-3
8 × AC 3G TRIGAT-LR
French Army Air Corps
 Germany SA.313B Aérospatiale Alouette II SA 313 B 4 × Nord AS.11 Bundeswehr
 Germany Panzerabwehrhubschrauber 1 PAH-1 MBB Bo 105 Bendix-SFIM APX M 397 6 × HOT-1 Bundeswehr
 Germany Panzerabwehrhubschrauber 1 A1 PAH-1A1 MBB Bo 105 Bendix-SFIM APX M 397 6 × HOT-2 Bundeswehr
 Germany Panzerabwehrhubschrauber 1 A2 PAH-1A2 MBB Bo 105 Pietzsch Automatisierungstechnik ELVIS 6 × HOT-2
6 × HOT-3
Prototype
 Germany Panzerabwehrhubschrauber 2 PAH-2 Eurocopter Tiger EC-665 UHT/KHT Osiris[3] 8 × HOT-3
8 × PARS 3 LR
Bundeswehr
 Germany Bo 105 Panzerabwehrhubschrauber Bo 105 PAH / Bo 105 P MBB Bo 105 CB Bendix-SFIM APX M 397 6 × HOT-1 Export
 Germany Bo 105 TOW - MBB Bo 105 CB Hughes/British Aerospace TOW roof sight[2] 4 × M65 TOW-launchers (8 × TOW)[2] Export
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 Germany BK 117 A-3M - MBB/Kawasaki BK 117 A-3M Bendix-SFIM APX M 397 roof sight + Hughes/British Aerospace TOW mast sight[2] 4 × M65 TOW-launchers (8 × TOW)[2]
Export
 Italy A 109A Agusta A 109A SFIM APX M 397 2 × M65 TOW-launchers (4 × TOW) Export
 North Korea *H-500E Hughes 500E 4 × AT-3 Sagger clones North Korean Army
 Romania IAR-316B Aérospatiale Alouette III 6 × Malyutka Romanian Army
 Romania IAR-317 Skyfox Aérospatiale Alouette III 6 × Malyutka Prototype
 Saudi Arabia AH-6 Little Bird McDonnell Douglas 530 chin-mounted sight 4 × TOW
4 × Hellfire
Saudi Arabian Army
 Saudi Arabia MH-58D Combat Scout Bell 406CS Combat Scout HeliTOW 2 × HeliTOW-launchers (4 × TOW) Saudi Arabian Army
 South Korea 500MD Defender McDonnell Douglas 500 Defender nose-mounted sight 4 × TOW South Korean Army
 South Korea 520MK Black Tiger McDonnell Douglas 520MK Black Tiger chin-mounted sight 4 × TOW
4 × Hellfire
South Korean Army
 South Korea LAH-1 Miron KAI LAH-1 Miron nose-mounted sight 4 × TAipers South Korean Army
 Sweden pansarvärnshelikopter 3A pvhkp 3A Agusta-Bell 204/205 reflector sight 6 × robot 53 Bantam demonstrator 1966
Error creating thumbnail:
 Sweden pansarvärnshelikopter 9A pvhkp 9A MBB Bo 105 CBS HeliTOW (day variant) 2 × HeliTOW-launchers (4 × TOW) Swedish Army Air Corps
Error creating thumbnail:
 UK Scout AH.1 Westland Scout 4 × Nord AS.11 British Army Air Corps
 UK Lynx AH.1 (TOW) Westland Lynx Hughes/British Aerospace TOW roof sight 4 × M65 TOW-launchers (8 × TOW)
8 × Hellfire
British Army Air Corps
 USA UH-1B Iroquois Bell UH-1 Iroquois 6 × AGM-22 ATGM:s US Army
 USA UH-1C Iroquois Bell UH-1 Iroquois 6 × AGM-22 ATGM:s
6 × TOW
US Army
 USA MH-6 Little Bird McDonnell Douglas 530 chin-mounted sight 4 × TOW
4 × Hellfire
US Army
 USA AH-6 Little Bird McDonnell Douglas 530 chin-mounted sight 4 × TOW
4 × Hellfire
US Army
 USA OH-58D Kiowa Warrior KW Bell 406 mast-mounted sight 4 × M65 TOW-launchers (8 × TOW)[2]
4 × Hellfire[2]
US Army
 USA AH-58D Kiowa Warrior KW Bell 406 mast-mounted sight 4 × M65 TOW-launchers (8 × TOW)[2]
4 × Hellfire[2]
Task Force 118 (4th Squadron, 17th Cavalry)
 USA Texas Ranger Bell 206L Texas Ranger Hughes/British Aerospace TOW roof sight 2 × M65 TOW-launchers (4 × TOW) Export
 USA Hughes 500MD/TOW Defender McDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender nose-mounted sight 4 × TOW Export
 USA Hughes 500MD/MMS-TOW Defender McDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender Hughes/British Aerospace TOW roof sight 4 × TOW Export

Anti-tank helicopter sighting systems

  •  France APX-Bézu 260 – day sight[2]
  •  France APX-Bézu 334 – day sight[2]
  •  France Bendix-SFIM APX M 344 – day sight[2]
  •  France Bendix-SFIM APX M 397 – day sight for Euromissile HOT[2]
  •  France SFIM Viviane – day/night thermal sight for Euromissile HOT[2]
  •  France SFIM/TRT Strix – gyro-stabilised roof-mounted infrared sight with CCD TV (charge coupled device television camera), laser rangefinder and direct

optical sight[3]

  •  France SFIM/Euromep Osiris (Optical Stabilised InfraRed Integrated System) – mast-mounted sight with an IRCCD-camera (infrared charge coupled device) and laser rangefinder[3]
  •  Germany Pietzsch Automatisierungstechnik ELVIS – helicopter thermal imaging sight
  •  Sweden Saab-Scania Helios (1976) – gyro-stabilized sight with target marking video camera; could be integrated with (among others): BGM-71 TOW and RBS 70
  •  Sweden Saab-Emerson HeliTOW (1980) – gyro-stabilized sight with laser range finder, optional night vision/FLIR, CCD sensors; designed for BGM-71 TOW
  •  USA/ UK Hughes/British Aerospace TOW roof sight (1981) – helicopter roof sight for the BGM-71 TOW; nightvision introduced in 1988

See also

References

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 (in de) Militärisches Studienglossar Englisch Teil II/ Teil III, Deutsch – Englisch, Abkürzung Begriff, Bundessprachenamt (Stand Januar 2001). p. 283. "Panzerabwehrhubschrauber (PAH) – antiarmor helicopter, antitank helicopter (ATH)" 
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 Bill Gunston, Mike Spick (1991). Modern Fighting Helicopters. pp. 84, 85, 92, 93, 97, 98, , 128, 130, 131, 172. ISBN 1855011646. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "TIGER ATTACK HELICOPTER, GERMANY". https://www.aviatorsdatabase.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/TIGER-ATTACK-HELICOPTER-GERMANY.pdf.