Till Daisd

“It’s been special flying the legacy AH-1Ws, and they definitely played a huge part in the Marine air-ground task force,” Capt. J. J. Pierce, HMLAT-303 adjutant and transitioned AH-1Z “Viper” pilot

The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) retired its last AH-1W on Feb. 6 with Capt. John T. Fischer and Capt. Daniel J. Houser (both with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron (HMLAT) 303, Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 39) flying the last Super Cobra to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

As explained by Master Sgt. Christine Polvorosa, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar / 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, in the article Bittersweet farewell as last 3rd MAW Super Cobra, takes final flight, since its activation on April 30, 1982, HMLAT-303 has trained Cobra and Huey pilots for the Marine Corps and Navy in an extensive training syllabus including familiarization, navigation, ordnance, terrain, formation, instrument and night vision goggle flight.

While HMLAT-303 doesn’t deploy as a training squadron, the AH-1W has a long history of deploying with other HMLA squadrons in support of Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and is currently still operational with MAG-29 on the East Coast.

“The majority of the Cobra instructor cadre at HMLAT-303 grew up with the AH-1W at their first squadron and deployed with it,” said Capt. J. J. Pierce, HMLAT-303 adjutant and transitioned AH-1Z “Viper” pilot. “Having known that the AH-1W was going to be phased out for a while now, the cadre is excited about the new capabilities with the AH-1Z and welcomes the change. It’s been special flying the legacy AH-1Ws, and they definitely played a huge part in the Marine air-ground task force.”

According to Capt. John T. Fischer, an AH-1Z Weapons and Tactics Instructor with HMLAT-303, the AH-1Z Viper has a significantly higher maximum gross weight due to the improved engines and four-bladed rotor system when compared to the AH-1W; meaning more power available. This increase in power available permits the AH-1Z to carry an increased ordnance payload to the fight.

The AH-1Z also has six stations on its wing pylons to carry ordnance and four on the AH-1W. Stations one & six are capable of carrying the AIM-9, an infrared-guided air-to-air missile, which provides the AH-1Z the capability to defend itself and other assault support platforms against an enemy aircraft.

Stations two through five are each capable of carrying one of the following: (19) x 2.75″ unguided rockets, (4) x AGM-114 Hellfire, (7) x 2.75″ Guided Rockets (APKWS—Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System), (1) x AIM-9, (1) x 77-Gallon Auxiliary Fuel Tank. When you combine the increase in speed with the increase in fuel (time on station), payload, and one of the best sensor systems on the battlefield, you get a much more effective platform for providing offensive air support, armed escort, and airborne supporting arms coordination than the AH-1W, explained Fischer.

“Additionally, there’s a digital ‘under the glass’ cockpit. It’s faster, carries more ordnance, and has 84 percent identical components with the UH-1Y (Huey), which makes maintenance processes more efficient. Approximately 30 minutes more endurance, or time on station, allowing more time to support the Marines on the ground,” added Pierce.

The Super Cobra has left a legacy as the Marine Corps’ primary attack helicopter, and in their 35-year history, the Marines and Sailors of HMLAT-303 have truly lived up to the charge directed by the commandant of the Marine Corps upon the squadron’s activation: “… that HMLAT-303 will provide the leadership and professional performance to set the new standards in aircrew training.”

Photo by Pfc. Juan Anaya Jr. / U.S. Marine Corps

During his V-280 flight, Chief Warrant Officer 3, Tom Wiggins, performed Hover In Ground Effect repositioning, pattern flight, and roll-on landings

Chief Warrant Officer 3, Tom Wiggins, of the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command made history on Feb. 7, 2018, by becoming the first person in his service to fly the Bell V-280 Valor.

The flight took place at the Bell Flight Test Facility in Amarillo, Tex. During the flight, he performed Hover In Ground Effect repositioning, pattern flight, and roll-on landings.

Born under the Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstration (JMR TD) program, the V-280 is a U.S. Army science & technology effort designed to develop, expand, and demonstrate new capabilities in vertical lift technology. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) leads the JMR TD effort. It is a precursor to the Department of Defense Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program.

“One of the keys to this successful S&T demonstration effort is the nature by which the government and industry partners have completely teamed not only during the analysis, design, and early qualification efforts but also for the flight test activity,” said JMR TD Program Director Dan Bailey in a U.S. Army press release.

FVL will deliver the next generation of vertical lift aircraft to the Joint Warfighter, providing the speed, range, payload, and mission systems critical to successfully engaging the enemy in future operations.

AMRDEC personnel have been fully involved in the demonstrator effort, including the integration of experimental test pilots and flight test engineers into the mixed flight test team. Army pilots will take part in additional flights throughout the test program.

“With Army combat-experienced, experimental test pilots embedded in Bell’s test team, we have a unique opportunity to help bring the project across the finish line and also develop insights valuable to the FVL initiative. We’re very proud of CW3 Wiggins,” said Director of the Aviation Development Directorate, Dr. Bill Lewis.

Four agreements were awarded under the JMR TD to AVX Aircraft, Bell Helicopter, Karem Aircraft, and a team of Sikorsky-Boeing for initial designs with the Bell and Sikorsky-Boeing efforts funded to build and fly technology demonstrator aircraft.

Bell’s first flight with an Army pilot is another on-schedule milestone in an effort that was awarded in September 2013, with a Preliminary Design Review in 2014, a Critical Design Review, and the start of aircraft assembly in mid-2015, and assembly complete in early 2017.

The V-280 is a clean sheet next-generation tilt-rotor, applying lessons learned from nearly six decades of tilt-rotor expertise to create groundbreaking simplicity and deliver transformational, affordable technology to alter the course of vertical flight.

Safe and survivable, the design features integrated cabin armor, fly-by-wire component redundancy, state-of-the-art countermeasures, and performance. Advanced tilt-rotor speed and range provide commanders access not currently available. With more than twice the speed and range of current helicopter platforms, the V-280 provides access to get to the objective while providing superior agility at the objective. Airborne battle boards bring fused data and mission updates to the cabin for real-time tracking.

Special emphasis has been placed on reducing the weight of the V-280 in comparison to the V-22, which in turn would reduce cost. To do this, composites are used extensively in the wing, fuselage, and tail. Wing skins and ribs are made of a honeycomb-stiffened “sandwich” construction with large-cell carbon cores for fewer, larger, and lighter parts. Skins and ribs are paste-bonded together to eliminate fasteners. With these measures, costs are reduced by over 30 percent compared to a scaled V-22 wing. Bell expects the V-280 to cost around the same as an AH-64E or MH-60M. While the Osprey has a higher disk loading and lower hover efficiency than a helicopter, the V-280 will have a lower disk loading and longer wing for greater hover and cruise efficiency.

Photo by Bell Helicopter