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Hot new helicopter/rotorcraft news

Gatordev

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Absolutely, if...if...if... But in this scenario, where's the helicopter? How do they know where it is? What's it's course and speed? How is it intercepted? What altitude is it at? How does the mini drone know what its intercept course is going to be? How does either unit intercept over a 40-60+ mile distance with constant updated course and speed?

All of these questions are a result from your post with the original thesis...put a Longbow radar on a -60. You acknowledged that's not needed, but I think you're also not factoring in the other systems that were also put on the -60.

I'd be fascinated to have this conversation and include a Growler guy in a place where the conversation could be expounded on. Obviously that's not happening here, but the whole topic (along with the Israel discussion in the other thread) is an interesting thought exercise as applied to a Spratley-like scenario.
 
phrogdriver

phrogdriver

More humble than you would understand
pilot
Super Moderator
SynixMan said:
I'm not saying those guys didn't have gigantic brass balls. They did. I'd buy any a beer, and I have tons of respect for the hard flying the scout crews did in OIF/OEF. They saved a shitload of grunts lives. The Army also learned a lot and we obviously saw the loss rate go down from Vietnam between better engineering and better TTPs.

I'm just saying the Army put them in a position where they were operating at the maximum of their envelope every day, and eventually many exceeded it. The Army made the right call to just use Apaches.

I have no idea what the actual future of armed rotary/tilt will look like. Ukraine is an interesting example set but I don't think fully formed.

This is a fun thread to speculate! I still think in a world of peer threats and heavy jamming, manned aviation has a bright future.
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Point is, there was nothing wrong with using a commercial aircraft as a scout, per se. you could’ve upped the survivability, but that’d up the weight, which would need a bigger engine, transmission, and so forth, until you’re asking for a whole new aircraft that would take 10 years and double the price.

The Army wasn’t at all happy with Apaches in that role, which is why they started FARA. Then drones happened.

The whole helo community needs to take a hard look at how it’s going to operate in the future.
 
Griz882

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
pilot
Contributor
Hotdogs said:
Considering COD turned into VOD with the MV-22, it'll probably be a stop-gap hawk MH-60R+ before going all in on a 280 variant.
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I was thinking the road would lead to the SB-1 due to size constraints.
 
IKE

IKE

Nerd Whirler
pilot
Hotdogs said:
Considering COD turned into VOD with the MV-22, it'll probably be a stop-gap hawk MH-60R+ before going all in on a 280 variant.
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Griz882 said:
I was thinking the road would lead to the SB-1 due to size constraints.
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I don't see how we buy/build something that doesn't integrate with all our CG/DDG hangars.

I think we'd have to reverse engineer some aliens from Cybertron to achieve the kind of folding the V-280 or SB-1 would need to fit in existing spaces.
 
ChuckMK23

ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
IKE said:
I don't see how we buy/build something that doesn't integrate with all our CG/DDG hangars.

I think we'd have to reverse engineer some aliens from Cybertron to achieve the kind of folding the V-280 or SB-1 would need to fit in existing spaces.
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Could be done with battery electric quad copter UAV assuming battery and electric propulsion technology continues is trajectory of innovation coupled with advances in sensor technology. A vehicle in 5000-7000 lb category with 2 hour endurance would be feasible in a few years.
 
Griz882

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
pilot
Contributor
IKE said:
I think we'd have to reverse engineer some aliens from Cybertron to achieve the kind of folding the V-280 or SB-1 would need to fit in existing spaces.
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I’m an historian…I have faith in those of you who use your minds for brute force.
IMG_1845.png
 
phrogdriver

phrogdriver

More humble than you would understand
pilot
Super Moderator
Griz882 said:
I was thinking the road would lead to the SB-1 due to size constraints.
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Because the SB>1 is a dainty little thing. BTW, this demonstrator is about 10% SMALLER than the proposed fleet version. And OBTW, the cabin ends at the back of the door. The whole back is gas and transmission.

IMG_4003.jpeg
 
phrogdriver

phrogdriver

More humble than you would understand
pilot
Super Moderator
Hotdogs said:
Considering COD turned into VOD with the MV-22, it'll probably be a stop-gap hawk MH-60R+ before going all in on a 280 variant.
Click to expand...

SLEP the Rs until the next tech breakthrough comes, which will probably be some type of advanced UAS in the late ‘30s/early ‘40s.

The Navy is stuck on having the MS able to hangar on the DDG. The V-280 is still too big for that. So is the SB>1…see above, even if it didn’t suck.
 
Griz882

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
pilot
Contributor
So I’ll toss this out there…wouldn’t having a faster platform (like the SB-1) mean that you could put it on a carrier or LHD leaving the cruisers and destroyers to do their ASW/fleet defense thing free of having to conduct helicopter operations? To save time, I already cede the argument that carrier deck space is limited…I almost feel like we need to go back to the old days of having a CVS on hand…have someone at the Pentagon call me, I have an idea.
 
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