Rayjun Ewell

10/31/2015

AH-1W/AH-1Z Super Cobra Attack Helicopter

                The AH-1W Super Cobra is the US Marines’ attack helicopter. This helicopter started its service in 1985 and its first flight was in 1969 but it is still in service and there are over 1,271 of them. Approximately 167 AH-W Super Cobra Helicopters are being used by the United States Marine Core. The Super Cobra can carry both TOW and Hellfire ant-armour missile. The TOW missile has a range of more than 3km semi-automatic command-to-line-of-sights guidance. The Hellfire missile has laser seeking and has a range of 7km.

    This is a very cool helicopter. And I actually had a Marine say I should fly for them. This is the one I would have wanted to fly. Perfect weapons and speed for me. It fires unguided 70mm rockest or a larger 127mm Zuni rocket bombs. The Super Cobra carries a three-barrel, 20mm Gatling fun for close-range (up to 2km) engagement and 750 rounds of ammunition. The pilot aims the gun by movine the helicopter in fixed-forward postition or one of the crew members can aim the gun by using the helmet mounted sight and aim the gun by just looking at the target. (like the apache gun)  

    The AH-1Z for the United States Marine Core will be armed with 16 Hellfire missiles, six AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, 70mm rocket pods (seven-shot and 19 shot and a 20mm gun. Meaning this helicopter is going to be packing some serious heat.

    Even with all of this heat a helicopter still needs countermeasures. The Cobra has AN/APR-39(XE2) radar warner and ATK AN/AAR47 missle warning system. It is equipped with AN/ALE-9 chaff and infarred flare depensers. The are used for when the helicopter is being shot at with missiles or RPGs, it pops out flares so that the missile blows up before it hits the helicopter so the helicopter doesn’t crash.

    AH-1W/AH-1Z Super Cobra Attack Helicopter has Twin General Electric T700-GE-401 turboshaft engines it grants the helicopter 2,410kW or 3,380shp. The AH-1W/AH-1Z Super Cobra Attack Helicopter can take off and climb out at more than 4.1 m/s on only one engine.  The helicopter can clie ate the rate of 8.2m a second. The helicopter has a great speed of 388km/h. Maximim endurance of the helicopter 3h and 30min. The helicopter weighs 4,953kg. Maximim take-off weight is 6,690kgm. 

    This will be an amazying helicopter to see one day. I have only seen a few helicoptes up close before and this one seems one of the more kick butt ones. I wa nt to take a ride in all of the helicopters I can. I don’t think I will get the chance to ride in this one, AH-1W/AH-1Z Super Cobra Attack Helicopter. Maybe one day. But for now I am still getting ready to go to basic combat training. Can not wait to get more into the aviation field. Helicoptes are cool!