Helo hot and high performance
Hi White Rabbit.
If we are to get good gen on comparative helo capabilities, then manufacturer performance data needs scrutiny. A proper judgement cannot be made on what some operators are doing, but moreso on platform capability. As I recall, there has been low response to requests on threads in this and other forums for contributors to provide maker performance data for Tiger, MRH90 and Blackhawk UH-60M. I would wager a large quantity of beer that none of them have h&h performance comparable with the Huey II. Maybe you can provide us with some performance data for operations in ISA+20 conditions?
You can also hear them at ten miles (20 if the wind is blowing from the right direction). Might not have been a problem in the jungles of Vietnam but is a major problem in the sparse terrain of Afghanistan.
Respectfully; Vietnam is far from being wholly jungle clad. There are many areas of open or sparsely vegetated country, especially in Phuoc Tuy Province which was the 1ATF TAOR, and we operated lots in urban environments.
An Australian Army Captain operating with the US Army in 1965 correctly identified the problem with helicopter operations as 'Helos indicate your intentions to the enemy' , or like words. They just sat up on elevated features, observed helo movements and monitored radio traffic to get the big picture, which doubtless also happens in Afghanistan. There are records of us inserting our SAS to knock over such observation posts. The sound of air movements is really of little consequence, except if interfering with desired quietness for own troops if operating in vegetation for example.
Last edited by Bushranger 71; 2nd Feb 2013 at 21:55.