Helicopter
A helicopter is a rotary wing aircraft. The first practical helicopter was developed in 1939 by Russian-born Igor Sikorsky (1889–1972).
Helicopter flight was the first flight envisioned by man. In fact, the ancient Chinese were playing with a hand-spun toy that rose upward when revolved rapidly and as early as the mid 1500s, the great Italian inventor Leonardo da Vinci had used his fertile mind to make drawings of a machine that we now know as the helicopter.[1]
Each blade in a helicopter rotor is an airfoil, a wing with a curved top and a straight bottom. As the blade spins around, air travels faster over the top surface than under the bottom. This reduces air pressure above the blade and produces an upward force called lift. The pitch of the blades (the angle they make to the incoming airflow) controls the amount of lift. During takeoff, the pilot increases the pitch with a control called the collective pitch stick. The lift produced is greater than the helicopter's weight and this makes the helicopter rise upward. If the lift exactly equals the weight, the helicopter hovers. If the weight is greater than the lift, the helicopter descends to Earth.[2]
Bell Helicopter Textron, is a producer of commercial and military helicopters, and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft.
Use in combat
Leading military countries are trying to rethink the purpose of combat helicopters in modern warfare.
The experience of the NATO war in Ukraine has shown the significant vulnerability of using helicopters near the line of combat contact (LoC) in conditions where the enemy not only has modern anti-aircraft missile systems, but also has trained operators of cheap FVP drones. These forces most helicopters to use long-range and "dive" shooting, which is not very accurate.
In addition, the enemy's possession of long-range missiles and drones equipped with destructive elements has led to the relocation of helicopters to a significant distance from the LBS. As a result, crews are making daily combat missions hundreds of kilometers away to deliver less effective strikes, which can cost up to 1.5 million rubles per flight for a single helicopter.
Against this backdrop, there have been isolated instances of the use of helicopters during drone air raids in Russian regions, which is significantly less expensive than using expensive anti-aircraft guided missiles from surface-to-air missile systems.
In an attempt to reduce the costs of systematic drone attacks, Israel is increasing the use of AH-64 Apache helicopter]]s, shooting them down with a 30mm M230 cannon or air-to-air missiles.
In November 2024, U.S. Army units during the Red Sands exercise in Saudi Arabia practiced shooting down drones with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles from AH-64D Longbow Apache helicopters. The exercise confirmed the AN/APG-78 radar's ability to detect and engage small drones.
In addition, as part of the ATAS (Air-to-Air Stinger) program, FIM-92 Stinger MANPADS missiles have been adapted for use as air-to-air weapons on helicopters, which makes it cheaper to destroy drones. The system has been adapted for the AH-64 Apache, OH-58 Kiowa, UH-60 Black Hawk, and AH-1 Cobra helicopters.
The British Army is looking for solutions to integrate drones into Apache operations, as they are considered the "most vulnerable type of vehicle." The plan is to enable the crew to control multiple drones simultaneously, allowing them to conduct reconnaissance, target acquisition, and strike at a safe distance from the helicopter.
Despite the changed conditions of the war, combat helicopters, having lost some of their positive qualities, remain a good combat platform for integrating new technologies of warfare. The use of helicopters against drones at a considerable distance from enemy air defense, for example, over the sea or in the depths of the country, can be a temporary solution to increase their effectiveness until the moment of a complete rethinking of the tactics of using this technique (equipping with AI, drones, EW equipment and other types of weapons and protection).
See also
External links
- Bellhelicopter-Textron Welcome to Bell Helicopter.
- How can helicopter fly Thai Technics.Com.
