Attack helicopters
An attack helicopter is an armed helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the offensive capability of engaging ground targets such as enemy infantry, military vehicles, and fortifications. Due to their heavy armament, they are sometimes called helicopter gunships. Attack helicopters can use weapons such as autocannons, machine guns, rockets, and anti-tank missiles such as the AGM-114 Hellfire. Some are also capable of carrying air-to-air missiles, though mostly for self-defense against other helicopters and low-flying light combat aircraft.
A modern attack helicopter has two primary roles: first, to provide direct and accurate close air support for ground troops, and second, the anti-tank role to destroy grouped enemy armored vehicles. Attack helicopters are also used as protective escorts for transport helicopters or to supplement lighter helicopters in the armed reconnaissance roles. According to Wikipedia, in combat, an attack helicopter is projected to destroy targets worth around 17 times its own production cost before being destroyed.
Today most attack helicopters have two crew members. Why is that?
Jim Howard, former USAF F-4G/EF-111A electronic warfare officer (EWO), recalls on Quora;
‘I was a USAF nav/EWO, my brother was a Cobra pilot for the Army. My vast experience in helicopters consists of two sorties.
USAF F-4G EWO flying a US Army Cobra from the front seat
‘My first helo demo was in the front seat of my brother’s Cobra attack helicopter. The Army is a lot more liberal than the Air Force in terms of who can sit at a control position in an aircraft.
‘They are just fine showing off their birds to a pilot from another branch. Of course, I’m not really a pilot, just a mere navigator. Fortunately, the Army doesn’t have the concept of a nav, so my flight suit and wings were good enough to give us the keys to the helicopter (yes, Army helos have keys).
‘Coming from the F-4, this craft needed a much longer preflight inspection. Seemed like a long time for something so small it could be carried on one of Double Ugly’s bomb racks.
‘I was told it was critical to climb up to the top of the rotor system to check the ‘Jesus nut’. Apparently, this nut holds the entire aircraft together. It is the most critical of the 75 things that can cause the helicopter to rapidly disassemble itself in a millisecond if there is a problem. It’s as if the helicopter is so bummed about not being a real airplane it is always on the brink of suicide.
‘In a Cobra the gunner in the front seat has full flight controls. Once we cleared the airport brother gave me the controls. I was astonished at how great the flight controls are in that helo. They were firm but subtle. There is no slack in the flight control system. It was really fun driving that craft around, it gives the pilot a real feeling of confidence.
‘Not wanting to torpedo his Army career brother demoed some hovering for me, but I really don’t recall him letting me attempt a hover.’
Ride in a Robinson Helicopter
Howard continues;
‘My second helo demo was courtesy of a Robinson Helicopter dealer in West Texas.
‘My wife is an enrolled agent, whose specialty is bailing people out of massive IRS problems. This dealer had a huge tax problem, and begged her to visit him in West Texas. He was about four-hour drive from our home. She bargained that if I could get a free ride in a helicopter, she was willing to visit in person.
‘He took her up on that, and I got about an hour tour of west Texas fracking operations in a brand new Robinson helo.
‘In forward flight, the controls seemed really light. I could maintain control as long as you didn’t slow down too much, and for Wilbur’s sake, if you need the rudder pedals, just imagine the helo yawing. It is certain death to put actual pressure on those damn things. If you do actually press the rudder pedals, you learn how poop feels as it’s swirling down the toilet.
‘The guy attempted to teach me to hover, but I quickly begged off.
Why two seats in attack helicopters?
‘It’s clear to me that hovering is impossible and any attempt will surely result in sudden death. If you see a helo hovering, that’s done with some kind of holograph projector. No human could possibly hover one of those death machines.’
Howard concludes;
‘Why two seats in an attack helicopter?
‘So that the rear pilot can concentrate on not letting the helicopter unalive you since it is constantly waiting for the chance to do so.
‘This frees the gunner to concentrate on sending a large volley of FAFO to anybody that, as we say in Texas, ‘needs kill’n’.’
Photo by U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army