BASICS GROUND SCHOOL 1
1 GROUND SCHOOL Helicopters - Basic Principles and Handling This chapter is intended as a strictly practical guide for those who know little or nothing about how to fly a helicopter. It concentrates on what you need to know as a pilot and contains very little aerodynamic theory. Helicopters are untidy pragmatical machines which defy any attempt at elegant theoretical analysis, but the basic principles are simple enough.
GROUND SCHOOL Imagine yourself sitting in a swivel chair, with your feet tucked up so the chair can spin freely. Your arms are above your head, supporting the middle of a long heavy plank. The plank is the helicopter’s main rotor and you are the engine. The swivel chair is the rest of the helicopter, off the ground and free to pivot. Now start spinning the plank round and round like a rotor. As you do this, you’ll find yourself spinning around in the opposite direction to the rotor.
3 GROUND SCHOOL 3: The Angle at Which the Wing Meets the Airflow This is generally known as the Angle of Attack and up to a point which varies with the wing design, the greater the angle of attack the more lift the wing generates (and the more power is required to drive it through the air at a given speed). All of the helicopter’s main flying controls work by changing the pitch angle of the main or tail rotor blades. Diagram 6.
GROUND SCHOOL Diagram 6.3: Pitch angle/angle of attack with rotor downwash Diagram 6.
5 GROUND SCHOOL Diagram 6.5: Rolling moment with airflow across rotor disc Flying Controls of a Helicopter Three controls are used to fly a helicopter; the collective lever, the cyclic stick, and the yaw pedals [diagram 6.6]. Each has a Primary (main) and a Secondary (side) effect. Collective Lever: This is mounted on the left side of the seat, and pivots up and down about its back end, like the handbrake on most European cars.
GROUND SCHOOL Diagram 6.6: Main flying controls smaller and the whole helicopter tends to start rotating one way or the other. The yaw pedals [see page 6.7 – Yaw Pedals] are used to counter this tendency. Cyclic Stick: The cyclic stick (commonly called ‘the cyclic’) is mounted centrally in front of the pilot’s seat, with a pivot at the base which allows it to be tilted forward, backward and to either side.
7 GROUND SCHOOL Yaw Pedals: The two yaw pedals (also called ‘torque pedals’ or just ‘pedals’) are mounted in the obvious place for pedals, one at each end of a bar which pivots in the middle. Push one pedal forward and the other moves back by the same amount.
GROUND SCHOOL Ground Effect If you were very slow and cautious in raising the collective, you may find that the helicopter slowly rises a short distance and comes to the hover a few feet off the ground without any change in the collective setting. If this happens, you can congratulate yourself on having demonstrated ground effect. The helicopter is, in effect, riding on an air cushion produced by the rotor downwash.
9 GROUND SCHOOL Translational Lift As the helicopter gathers speed, you’ll find that you start gaining height again. This is due to a phenomenon called Translational Lift, which is hard to explain simply, but is basically due to the fact that the angle of the airflow passing through the main rotor has changed due to the tilting of the rotor disc and the helicopter’s motion (translation) through the air. This increases the effective angle of attack of the main rotor blades, producing more thrust.
GROUND SCHOOL Diagram 6.
11 GROUND SCHOOL 4: Turning in Forward Flight When the helicopter is hovering or flying at low speed, if you want to turn you do it mainly or exclusively with the pedals. At higher forward speeds, turning is accomplished by tilting the cyclic left or right to bank the helicopter just like a fixed-wing aircraft, though there is no need to use pedal inputs to coordinate the turn.
GROUND SCHOOL Diagram 6.8: Coordinating cyclic and collective in the flare the centerline), you as pilot have an excellent field of view to either side. Your forward view is restricted by the gunner’s cockpit and the length of the nose in front of you (more of a problem in the hover or the flare than in forward flight), and your view behind is obstructed to either side by engine pods, stub wings and armament and totally obscured directly behind by the solid bulk of the fuselage.
13 GROUND SCHOOL Circuit Pattern The obvious conclusion is that whenever you’re landing in an unfamiliar area with potential hazards and obstructions you should always check it first. The standard technique for doing this is to fly a ‘circuit’ [diagrams 6.9 and 6.10]. The first piece of information you need is the wind direction and if possible its strength and gustiness.
GROUND SCHOOL Diagram 6.10: Circuit pattern for an obstructed landing area The size of the pattern, your entry height and speed should be determined by the size and nature of the landing area, and the likelihood of enemy action. If the landing site is large and unobstructed (and the enemy isn’t watching or shooting) then you can afford a large circuit, entering high (say 500-1000 feet/150-300 meters) and at relatively high speed.
15 GROUND SCHOOL visibility problems we discussed earlier, plus running the risk of Vortex Ring Effect [diagram 2.14]. Just raise the collective to arrest your descent (or climb if there are obstacles to clear), fly on over and past the touchdown point, and turn into another circuit – smaller, lower and slower than the first. Keep it in mind that you’ll find it much easier to establish the second circuit if you continue some way along the approach line past the touchdown point before you turn.
GROUND SCHOOL Diagram 6.12: Judging offset and height in the circuit The key to a successful circuit of any size is to select the correct combination of height and lateral offset (between downwind and final legs). This can be done by learning to recognize the angle, or range of angles, you see when you look down on the touchdown point from the downwind leg. This skill, like any other, can only be acquired by means of practice.
17 GROUND SCHOOL Diagram 6.
GROUND SCHOOL Sideways, Backwards and Crosswinds If you have absorbed and understood the basic principles of helicopter flight it should be obvious that you can fly the helicopter in any direction from the hover, without turning, by tilting the cyclic the way you want to go. You can also hover on the spot in a wind blowing from any direction by tilting the cyclic into the wind. There are, however, a few pitfalls which should be pointed out.
19 GROUND SCHOOL tail swings out across the wind, the length of the lever-arm increases and so does the turning force. Factors 2 and 3 both reach their maximum when the helicopter is broadsideon to the wind, as it is when you’re flying sideways.
GROUND SCHOOL wing at any angle of attack there will be a critical speed below which lift suddenly collapses – the wing stalls. For any reasonably powerful or streamlined helicopter, the maximum safe airspeed is determined by the speed at which the retreating rotor blade starts to stall. In this situation, you suddenly start to lose lift on the retreating blade side, and the helicopter rolls towards it.
21 GROUND SCHOOL of the circulating vortex ring destroys most of the main rotor’s lift, and you cannot escape by raising the collective – you will only pump energy into the ring’s circulation. You are already descending too fast to escape downwards and outrun it. The only way out is to use the cyclic to move laterally, because lateral movement disrupts the vortex, just as vertical movement maintains it.
GROUND SCHOOL Two steps are essential to accomplish this. In the first place, as soon as the engine thrust disappears you must instantly bottom the collective, which reduces the main rotor pitch angle to its lowest value and minimizes the drag on the rotor blades.
23 GROUND SCHOOL Tactical Flying The most important, most fundamental piece of advice for a brand-new attack helicopter pilot who knows more about fast jets than ground combat is to stop thinking like a fighter pilot and start thinking like an infantryman or a tank commander. Cover, vantage points, fields of fire, and lines of retreat are everything. Fly high and fast in the neighbourhood of the enemy and you simply expose yourself.
GROUND SCHOOL properly, you may be able to approach, attack and withdraw without exposing yourself for longer than it takes to fire. On the other hand, there may not be continuous cover between your current position and the place where you want to go next. If the target is stationary you need to get closer, you must now risk exposed dashes between dead zones.
25 GROUND SCHOOL for less time while you guide it. The best way to use this technique at the individual level is to fire a single missile, or a short salvo, duck back into cover, and move to a new position before popping up (or sideways) to shoot again. If two or more helicopters cooperate, taking turns to attack from widely separated positions, the technique is even more effective.
GROUND SCHOOL long depends on the enemy's state of readiness - before sensors and weapons can be reoriented against you. You must make the most of this grace period to take out the enemy's most dangerous air defense systems. Another vitally important question to consider is what happens at the end of your run. If you do not succeed in suppressing the enemy's air defense systems, then you will need to find cover quickly.
27 GROUND SCHOOL possible. Air-to-Air Tactics If you have to fight another combat helicopter, or an aircraft, remember the mantra "this is not a jet fighter". To a fighter pilot, altitude is a resource, a source of potential energy to be converted into speed. To you, as a combat helicopter pilot, altitude means exposure to enemy ground fire. Speed, too, works differently for a helicopter pilot.
COMANCHE VERSUS HOKUM
1 COMANCHE VERSUS HOKUM RAH-66 Comanche Carrying on the design tradition of American attack helicopters with the tandem cockpit and turreted nose cannon, the RAH-66 Comanche also brings a suite of new technologies shaped to fit the US Army’s 21st century vision. It is a vision often described using terms such as efficiency, economy, flexibility and rapid-deployment.
COMANCHE VERSUS HOKUM Mounting stores internally in such a way prevents any radar energy being deflected back off the weapon and thus increasing the helicopter’s radar cross section (RCS). Should the mission profile call for firepower over stealth then additional weapons may be fitted under removable wings. A total of 14 Hellfire missiles can be fitted in this configuration.
3 COMANCHE VERSUS HOKUM Front and rear cockpit configurations are near identical. The fly-by-wire flight control system is triply redundant, the cyclic side-stick includes a twist action which controls aircraft yaw. When used with flight assist modes the Comanche can be flown with just one hand. This makes the Comanche a remarkably easy aircraft to control. The cockpit is over-pressurized to prevent any possible crew contamination from NBC nuclear, biological or chemical agents.
COMANCHE VERSUS HOKUM Development History Back in 1981, a plan was drawn up for a single basic utility helicopter called LHX (Light Helicopter Experimental). The intention was to replace the aging UH-1, OH-58 and AH-1 fleets with a production run of 5,000 LHXs. To fulfil the diverse mission roles currently undertaken by the existing fleet, different LHX models were to be equipped with a large variety of new technologies and mission equipment packages.
5 COMANCHE VERSUS HOKUM Specifications - RAH-66 Comanche Country Of Origin USA Type Reconnaissance Attack Helicopter Manufacturer Boeing Sikorsky Dimensions Main Rotor Diameter 12m (39ft 0.48 in) Overall Length 14.2m (46ft 9.36 in) Height 3.5m (11ft 7 in) Fuselage Width 2.8m (9ft 3 in) Weight Normal take-off 3,522 kg (7,765lbs.) Maximum take-off 5,845 kg (12,880 lbs.) Primary Mission 5,276 kg (11,632 lbs.
COMANCHE VERSUS HOKUM Armament Features 20mm Three-barrel Gatling Gun Longbow Hellfire ● ● ● Five-bladed bearingless main rotor Fantail anti-torque system ● AIM-92 Stinger Missile ● Triply redundant fly-by-wire control system ● Hydra 70 rocket ● Low-workload crew cockpit 4 x large flat panel color multifunction displays Wide field-of-view biocular helmet mounted display ● (NATO export options*) ● Army Counter Air Weapon System TOW II Missile ● Starstreak ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Matra Mistral Eur
7 COMANCHE VERSUS HOKUM Ka-52 Hokum B "Alligator" Created by the Kamov Design Bureau, the unusual co-axial rotor configuration has in some small way become one of the company’s trademarks. Anti-armor helicopter design usually copies the Bell AH-1 Cobra configuration, tandem cockpit, single main rotor and anti-torque tail rotor. Kamov’s design approach is tempered by the view that the typical tail-rotor configuration imposes an unnecessarily high-degree of vulnerability to ground fire.
COMANCHE VERSUS HOKUM evade fire while attacking. Mechanics are battle-hardened, systems have been proved against rounds up to 23mm, the power-plant can run for 30 minutes without oil, this gives the pilot an opportunity to land in a safe location in the event the oil system is damaged. The Alligator is a high-performance all-weather, day and night attack helicopter. The primary mission role being similar to the Comanche - battlefield reconnaissance and strike coordination.
9 COMANCHE VERSUS HOKUM Gun installation consists of a 30mm 2A32 cannon mounted on a hydraulic drive that allows a limited amount of deflection: -2° to +9° azimuth (side to side) and +3° to -37° elevation (up and down). Cannon ammunition is supplied from two cartridge boxes, the fore box contains 240 rounds of armor piercing tracers, and the rear box contains 230 high-explosive incendiary rounds.
COMANCHE VERSUS HOKUM By 1990, soviet Army Aviation (Armeiskaya Aviatsiya) published its requirement for an antitank helicopter with night fighting capability. The Mil Helicopter Plant of Moscow submitted its two-seat Mi-28 Havoc and Kamov demonstrated their single-seat Ka-50 Hokum. Both officially won tender in 1994 and a year later, President Yeltsin signed a decree commissioning the Ka-50 for military service. The first airframe left its Siberian factory in 1992.
11 COMANCHE VERSUS HOKUM Specifications – Ka-52 Hokum B Country Of Origin Russia Type Reconnaissance Attack Helicopter Manufacturer Kamov Design Bureau Dimensions Main Rotor Diameter 14.5m (47ft 5 in) Overall Length 13.5m (44ft 3 in) Height 4.9m (16ft 2 in) Fuselage Width 2.6m (8ft 7 in) Weight Normal take-off 10,400 kg (22,928 lbs.) Maximum take-off 11,300 kg (24,910 lbs.) Primary Mission 1,811 kg (4000 lbs.
COMANCHE VERSUS HOKUM Armament ● 2A42 30mm cannon* ● S-8 80mm Rocket* ● S-13 122mm Rocket* ● Vikhr-M (AT-9) Laser Guided air-tosurface * ● Igla-V air-to-air missile* ● Kh-25ML (AS-12 Kegler) Laser Guided air-to-surface ● Kh-25MP anti-radar missile ● R-73 (AA-11 Archer) air-to-air missile ● KMGU-2 submunitions dispenser ● UPK-23 Gun Pod Twin 23mm* ● 500-kg aerial bomb ● 250-kg aerial bomb * Featured in the simulation.
13 COMANCHE VERSUS HOKUM Performance Comparison Table RAH-66 Comanche Ka-52 Hokum B Never Exceed Speed 200 kts. 188 kts.
BASICS CAMPAIGN SCENARIOS 7.
CAMPAIGN SCENARIOS 1 CAMPAIGN SCENARIOS Sword In The Sand For ten years both Saudi Arabia and Yemen have been squabbling over the exact course of their mutual border, resulting in frequent armed clashes. As both sides re-arm with state of the art equipment from their respective super power patrons the discovery of rich oil deposits in the disputed region escalates the tension.
CAMPAIGN SCENARIOS Sword In The Sand BLUE FORCE From the Middle East Gazette Blue Force Briefing (Saudi Arabia) It appears that the Yemeni claims to the oil rich Marib border area have finally pushed the Saudis too far. For years the Yemeni government has been provoking the Saudis over this sensitive issue, the final straw being their granting of drilling rights in the disputed region to various foreign oil companies (including several Russian concerns). This Russian connection must not be overlooked.
CA PAM I GPN A ISGCN EN SC AR E IN OASR I O S 3 MC of a pan Arab awakening embodying the dreams of the Arab masses in a borderless great Arab homeland, a unified nation’ (a statement chillingly similar to the one issued by Hussein during his attempt to annex Kuwait) and finally there was the granting of the drilling rights in the disputed border region.
CAMPAIGN SCENARIOS War Of Independence BLUE FORCE From a briefing given to a US aviation unit Blue Force Briefing (Taiwan/USA) Gentlemen. You are going to war. You are going to war in fulfilment of a promise. The promise that we gave to Taiwan that the ‘United States make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self defense capability’.
5 CAMPAIGN SCENARIOS REDF ORCE From a Chinese briefing to their armed forces Red Force Briefing (China) The situation with Taiwan has become intolerable. This after all is Chinese sovereign territory yet its leaders have antagonized and insulted us. This perhaps could be borne with stoicism, for we always said that eventually there would be a peaceful rapprochement between us. However, now the situation threatens to spiral out of control and our patience is exhausted.
CAMPAIGN SCENARIOS Task Force Lebanon BLUE FORCE From a satellite news channel report Blue Force Briefing (USA) Who would have thought that a routine raid on a warehouse in Baltimore a few weeks ago would culminate in an American Task Force standing off the coast of Lebanon? Although it was a surprise to everyone when the FBI uncovered what turned out to be the equipment for the manufacture of a nuclear weapon all parts of the American intelligence establishment rapidly swung into action.
7 CAMPAIGN SCENARIOS A spokesman for the Task Force Admiral told me that ‘whilst we have no wish to become embroiled in a shooting match with the Militias we are worried by the very real possibility that there may well be more of these weapons of mass destruction - or the material for their construction somewhere in the Lebanon. It is imperative that our forces are allowed to investigate this matter and punish those responsible.
RECOGNITION GUIDE
1 RECOGNITION GUIDE USA COMBAT HELICOPTERS Type: Attack AH-64A Apache Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● ● 4-bladed main rotor - no radome - and 4-bladed X-shaped tail rotor tandem cockpit arrangement under single flat-glazed canopy stub wings with wingtip missile mounts engine nacelles on each side of fuselage with 'fish tail' exhaust cooling vanes to rear slender symmetrical sponsons on each side of cockpit blending under fuselage nose section nose-mounted TADS / PNVS turrets ● chain gun turret-mo
RECOGNITION GUIDE USA COMBAT HELICOPTERS Type: Attack AH-64D Apache Longbow Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 4-bladed rotor with ‘Swiss cheese’ style radome, 4-bladed ‘X’ shaped tail rotor tandem cockpits with single canopy stub wings with wing-tip missile mounts engine nacelles on each side of fuselage with ‘fish-tail’ exhaust cooling vanes to rear enlarged flat-sided sponsons (avionics bays) nose-mounted TADS/PNVS turrets chain gun turret mounted under forward fuselage all-moving tail-plane
3 RECOGNITION GUIDE USA COMBAT HELICOPTERS Type: Attack AH-1W SuperCobra Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● broad twin rotor blades tall narrow fuselage, short ridged tail boom with centrally mounted tail plane, sharply backward slanting tail fin narrow tandem cockpit arrangement under single rounded canopy, shallow sponsons each side of forward fuselage section rounded air intakes and engine nacelles each side of fuselage separated by raised ridge at rear, distinctive twin elongated oval exhaust outlet
RECOGNITION GUIDE USA COMBAT HELICOPTERS Type: Marine attack AH-1T SeaCobra Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● broad twin rotor blades tall narrow fuselage, short ridged tail boom with centrally mounted tail plane, sharply backward slanting tail fin narrow tandem cockpit arrangement under single rounded canopy elongated air intakes to rounded engine nacelles each side of fuselage joining in flat ended projection at rear with twin circular exhaust outlets sharply pointed nose with conical TADS tu
5 RECOGNITION GUIDE USA COMBAT HELICOPTERS Type: Reconnaissance/attack RAH-66 Comanche Recognition features: ● ● 5-bladed 'low profile' main rotor with enclosed hub and mastmounted conical radome, integral fenestron tail rotor distinctive angular stealth composite fuselage design with asymmetrical canted tail section and canted T-shaped tail configuration ● tandem cockpit arrangement under single high visibility flush sided canopy ● shallow angular engine nacelles with distinctive triangular inlets
RECOGNITION GUIDE USA COMBAT HELICOPTERS Type: Scout OH-58D Kiowa Warrior Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● ● 4-bladed main rotor with large mast-mounted spherical sight, twin-bladed tail rotor tall and narrow curved fuselage, flat sided engine compartment atop with large ECM mount to rear small sharply rounded nose section with bubble glazed cockpit giving distinctive 'bug-eyed' appearance slender round-section tail boom with centrally located tailplane and twin fins to rear, squat landing skids unde
7 RECOGNITION GUIDE USA COMBAT HELICOPTERS Type: Attack/assault UH-60 Black Hawk Recognition features: ● ● 4-bladed main rotor and 4-bladed tail rotor twin seat side-by-side cockpit ● low and wide appearance to main fuselage section with flat underside and elongated nose ● sliding doors on either side of main cabin ● IR suppressors fitted to engine exhaust outlets ● ● ● external stores supports for weapon pylons all-moving tail-plane fixed undercarriage and tail wheel Armament: ● AGM-114C He
RECOGNITION GUIDE USA COMBAT HELICOPTERS Type: Marine assault CH-46E Sea Knight Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● twin 3-bladed tandem main rotors twin seat side-by-side cockpit inside glazed nose long rectangular fuselage with elevated engine housings and rearward stub wings rear hinged loading ramp to cargo hold fixed tricycle undercarriage with main rear wheels supported by stub wings Decoys: ● ● chaff flares Game notes: ● ● radar symbol: ground radar priority: medium 8
9 RECOGNITION GUIDE USA TRANSPORT HELICOPTERS Type: Medium-lift CH-3 (Jolly Green Giant) Recognition features: ● 5-bladed main rotor and 5-bladed tail rotor ● twin seat side-by-side cockpit behind shallow nose ● ● ● long main fuselage with sloping rear section and short tail boom rear hinged loading ramp to cargo hold semi-retractable tricycle undercarriage with main rear wheel housings in stub wings Decoys: ● ● chaff flares Game notes: ● ● radar symbol: ground radar priority: medium
RECOGNITION GUIDE USA TRANSPORT HELICOPTERS Type: Heavy-lift CH-47D Chinook Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● ● twin 3-bladed tandem main rotors twin seat side-by-side cockpit inside glazed nose long rectangular fuselage (bulging along lower sides), elevated front and rear engine housings external engine nacelles on rear sides of fuselage rear hinged loading ramp to cargo hold fixed 4-wheeled undercarriage Decoys: ● chaff ● flares Game notes: ● ● radar symbol: ground radar priority: medium 10
11 RECOGNITION GUIDE USA TRANSPORT HELICOPTERS Type: Medium-lift tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● ● distinctive twin 3-bladed tilt-rotors and rounded hub spinners high-wing configuration with short wing sections supporting large tilt rotor engine nacelles at tips rounded square-section flat bottomed fuselage, with large bulging underwing sponsons short rounded nose section, sideby-side cockpit arrangement under single rounded canopy, nose-mounted mini radome and forward proje
RECOGNITION GUIDE USA TRANSPORT HELICOPTERS Type: Heavy-lift CH-53E Super Stallion Recognition features: ● large 7-bladed main rotor with flattened circular hub cap, canted 4-bladed tail rotor ● broad and long rounded square sectioned fuselage sloping up to short tail boom with flattened underside, sharply canted tail fin with distinctive cranked sidemounted tail plane ● rounded engine housing tapering along upper fuselage, large outboard tubular air intakes with conical intake filters, large angled
13 RECOGNITION GUIDE USA COMBAT AIRCRAFT Type: Close air support A-10A Thunderbolt Recognition features: ● ● ● ● low-wing, square leading and trailing edge with upward canted outer sections and down-turned wing-tips, projecting fairings over main landing gear short nose with ‘up-front’ cockpit arrangement twin fin assembly large pair of circular engine nacelles mounted on upper rear fuselage ● many under-wing weapon hard points and large nose mounted cannon ● semi-retractable tricycle undercarriag
RECOGNITION GUIDE USA COMBAT AIRCRAFT Type: Multi-role fighter F-16 Fighting Falcon Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● ● mid-wing, swept leading edge, square trailing edge, wings blended to fuselage long bubble-shaped canopy and short sharp nose single large curved air intake under nose single large tail fin, downward canted all-moving tail plane wing-tip missile mounts, under-wing hard-points retractable tricycle undercarriage Armament: ● 20mm cannon ● ● ● AIM-9M Sidewinder IR guided air-to-air mi
15 RECOGNITION GUIDE USA COMBAT AIRCRAFT Type: Carrier-borne attack AV-8B Harrier Recognition features: ● ● ● high-wing, swept leading and trailing edges, sharp downward cant swept tail fin, downward canted all-moving tail plane compact bulbous fuselage with rounded main air intakes immediately aft of either side of cockpit ● short nose with ‘up-front’ cockpit arrangement ● thrust vectoring nozzles under wings on either side of fuselage ● ● under-wing hard-points, underfuselage bulging cannon h
RECOGNITION GUIDE USA COMBAT AIRCRAFT Type: Carrier-borne interceptor F/A-18 Hornet Recognition features: ● ● ● ● mid-wing, swept leading edge extended into ‘hood’ along forward fuselage, square trailing edge long slender nose section and canopy, with wings centered well aft of fuselage center line swept all-moving tail plane well aft of tall sharply canted twin tail fins engine intakes either side of fuselage under wing leading edge, closely-spaced rear nozzles ● under-wing and fuselage hard-points
17 RECOGNITION GUIDE USA TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT Type: Medium-lift C-130J Hercules II Recognition features: ● 4 propfan engines on under-wing engine nacelles, distinctive sabre-like 6-bladed propellers ● broad high-wing configuration with square leading edge blending to fuselage ● distinctive broad tail plane and tall round-topped tail fin arrangement ● large circular-sectioned fuselage rising to broadly flattened and tapered tail boom at rear, rounded bulging sponsons to lower underwing section ● sh
RECOGNITION GUIDE USA TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT Type: Heavy-lift C-17 Globemaster III Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 4 stout turbo-fan engines mounted on large forward-projecting underwing pylons with large circular metallic air intakes and conical exhaust outlets to rear distinctive swept high-wing configuration, large downward sloping tapered wings ending in up-turned swept winglets, large underwing deflection flaps and rearward projecting supporting fins huge circular-section main fuselage, bulgin
19 RECOGNITION GUIDE USA ARMORED VEHICLES Type: Main battle tank M1A2 Abrams Recognition features: ● ● ● ● tracked - 7 road wheels plus drive sprocket and idler on either side long low flat-sided hull, flat raised rear section behind turret, flattened rear end with engine louvres and circular lamp housings large angular low profile turret topped by small thermal sighting turret and large hatch-mounted MG with stowage racks to rear long high calibre main gun barrel overhangs hull front Armament: ● 12
RECOGNITION GUIDE USA ARMORED VEHICLES Type: Armored personnel carrier M113A2 Recognition features: ● ● ● tracked - 5 road wheels plus drive sprocket and idler on either side high-sided box-shaped hull, backward sloping front and flattened rear end with loading ramp to troop compartment hatch mounted MG on hull topside (no turret) Armament: ● 12.
21 RECOGNITION GUIDE USA SELF-PROPELLED ARTILLERY Type: Artillery (howitzer) M109A2 (155mm) Recognition features: ● ● ● tracked - 7 road wheels plus drive sprocket and idler on either side, no side-skirts over tracks wide angular hull with bevelled nose section and downward sloping top at front, flattened rear with hull access door and stowed entrenching ‘spades’ large flat-topped turret centered aft with sloping curved front and flat sides, thermal sighting turret and hatch-mounted MG atop, flattened
RECOGNITION GUIDE USA AIR DEFENSE VEHICLES Type: AAA M163 Vulcan Recognition features: ● ● ● tracked - 5 road wheels plus drive sprocket and idler on either side high-sided box-shaped hull, backward sloping front with bulged section, box-shaped bulges along upper sides, flattened rear end small circular turret with sloping sides and flat open top, small side-mounted radar dish, distinctive multi-barrelled cannon on pivoting ‘skeleton’ mount Armament: ● 20mm cannon Game notes: ● radar symbol: ● ● ● ●
23 RECOGNITION GUIDE USA SELF-PROPELLED ARTILLERY Type: SAM M48A1 Chaparral Recognition features: ● ● ● tracked - 5 road wheels plus drive sprocket and idler on either side box-section hull with sloping front, raised rectangular forward cab section and flatbed launcher platform to rear platform-mounted flat-sided curved roof turret on circular base with Chaparral missile pairs mounted on either side Armament: ● Chaparral IR guided surface-to-air missiles Game notes: ● radar symbol: ● ● ● ● ● ground
RECOGNITION GUIDE USA TRANSPORT VEHICLES Type: Utility vehicle (truck) M923A1 “Big Foot” Recognition features: ● ● ● high 6-wheeled truck chassis - 2 wheels in front, 4 at rear large flat radiator grille with integral headlights, flat tapering bonnet, box-shaped cab with vertical windshield, angled mud guards over front wheels high sided canvas covered cargo area to rear Game notes: ● radar symbol: ● ground radar priority: low Type: Fuel tanker M978 (HEMTT) Recognition features: ● high 8-wheeled cha
25 RECOGNITION GUIDE USA WARSHIPS Type: Amphibious assault ship Tarawa Class Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● ● wide and high-sided box-section hull, long bow, square stern section continuous flight deck port side outboard aircraft lift, stern inboard aircraft lift, large stern water-line loading door long narrow rectangular starboard side superstructure, large forward-mounted lattice mast and aft-mounted structures atop two storey bridge large deck-side crane Armament: ● 25mm cannons ● Sea Sparrow
RECOGNITION GUIDE USA WARSHIPS Type: Landing craft Tarawa Landing Craft Recognition features: ● ● ● flat rectangular hull with squarely angled-in bow and stern, raised gusseted sides to cargo deck hinged bow loading ramp, twin crane booms astern narrow box-shaped superstructure on starboard side cargo deck, single pole-mounted radar antenna Game notes: ● radar symbol: ● ground radar priority: low Type: Hovercraft LCAC Recognition features: ● rectangular flat-bed hull, widely projecting all-round inf
27 RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN COMBAT HELICOPTERS Type: Attack Mi-28N Havoc-B Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 5-bladed main rotor with spherical radome, 4-bladed ‘X’ shaped tail rotor tandem ‘stepped’ separate cockpit arrangement nose-mounted radome with FLIR turret underneath rounded engine nacelles with downward pointing rearward exhaust outlets stub-wings (downward sloping) with pylons and wing-tip ECM pods chin-mounted cannon turret with ammo panniers asymmetrical tail plane arrangement f
RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN COMBAT HELICOPTERS Type: Attack Ka-50 Hokum Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● twin 3-bladed co-axial main rotors (no tail rotor), mast-mounted 'mini' radome single seat cockpit with angular flat armor glass canopy narrow angular cockpit section blending to smoothly sharpened nose section with chin-mounted fixed sight on flattened underside, rounded square-section tail boom with even taper to point at rear rounded engine nacelles each side of upper fuselage immediately
29 RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN COMBAT HELICOPTERS Type: Reconnaissance/attack Ka-52 Hokum-B Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● twin 3-bladed co-axial main rotors (no tail rotor), mast-mounted 'mini' radome twin seat side-by side cockpit with flat armor windshield and curved 'gull-wing' style upward opening canopy doors smoothly sculpted forward fuselage section with rounded nose, rounded square-section tail boom with even taper to point at rear rounded engine nacelles each side of upper fusela
RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN COMBAT HELICOPTERS Type: Attack/assault Mi-24D Hind Recognition features: ● ● ● 5-bladed main rotor, 3-bladed tail rotor tandem stepped cockpits with domed canopies tall and narrow appearance to main fuselage ● hinged loading doors on either side of main cabin ● IR suppressors fitted to engine exhaust outlets ● ● ● sharply downward angled stub wings with weapons pylons and down turned wing-tips chin-mounted gun-turret and sight/radar mounts retractable tricycle underca
31 RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN COMBAT HELICOPTERS Type: Marine assault Ka-29 Helix-B Recognition features: ● ● twin 3-bladed co-axial main rotors (no tail rotor) twin seat side-by-side cockpit ● short rectangular section fuselage with distinctive flat nose and tail plane with endplate fins ● hinged loading doors on either side of main cabin ● weapon pylons supported on outboard racks ● fixed 4-wheeled undercarriage with main gear outboard of fuselage sides Armament: ● 57mm unguided rockets ● 80
RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN TRANSPORT HELICOPTERS Type: Medium-lift Mi-17 Hip Recognition features: ● ● ● 5-bladed main rotor and 3-bladed tail rotor twin seat side-by-side cockpit inside glazed nose long rounded main fuselage and slender tail boom ● rear fuselage has ‘clam shell’ cargo hold doors ● IR suppressor fitted to engine exhaust outlets ● ● weapon pylons supported on outboard racks fixed tricycle undercarriage with outboard struts supporting main wheels Armament: ● 57mm unguided rockets
33 RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN TRANSPORT HELICOPTERS Type: Heavy-lift Mi-6 Hook Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● ● 5-bladed main rotor and 4-bladed tail rotor twin seat side-by-side cockpit aft of glazed observers station in nose extremely long rounded main fuselage section with shorter tail boom large wings, tail plane and external fuel tanks rear fuselage has ‘clam shell’ cargo hold doors fixed tricycle undercarriage with outboard struts supporting main wheels Decoys: ● chaff ● flares Game notes:
RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN COMBAT AIRCRAFT Type: Close air support Su-25 Frogfoot Recognition features: ● high-wing, swept leading edge, square trailing edge, wing-tip pods ● single tall tail fin with smaller aft upward canted tail plane on aft projecting boom ● short sloping nose and canopy, flattened fuselage sides and bottom, rounded engine nacelles with aft projecting circular outlets many under-wing weapon hard points and large nose mounted cannon fully retractable tricycle undercarriage ● ● A
35 RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN COMBAT AIRCRAFT Type: Multi-role fighter Mig-29 Fulcrum Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● ● low-wing, swept leading and trailing edges, wings blended to fuselage all-moving swept tail plane and canted twin tail fins downward-pointing nose, ‘humped-back’ fuselage aft of cockpit tapering to flattened projecting ‘fish-tail’ section at rear, flattened fuselage underside separated under-fuselage engine nacelles with canted and angled rectangular air intakes and widely spaced r
RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN COMBAT AIRCRAFT Type: Carrier-borne attack Yak-41 Freestyle Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● high-wing, swept leading edge, square trailing edge with slight sweep along outer section, wing-tip pods compact square-sided fuselage with angled side air intakes and short nose with ‘up-front’ cockpit distinctive twin tail booms and canted fins, cutaway for extendable thrust vectoring engine nozzle under-wing hard-points retractable tricycle undercarriage Armament: ● 30mm cannon ●
37 RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN COMBAT AIRCRAFT Type: Carrier-borne interceptor Su-33 Flanker Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● ● low-wing, swept leading and trailing edge, blended to fuselage, swept canard foreplanes downward angled forward fuselage with enlarged bulbous nose section, ‘humped-back’ central fuselage tapering to flattened projecting ‘tail-sting’ at rear swept tail plane and twin vertical tail fins separated under-fuselage engine nacelles with canted and angled rectangular air intakes and
RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT Type: Medium-lift An-12B Cub Recognition features: ● ● 4 turboprop engines with 4-bladed propellers on under-wing nacelles high-wing configuration with swept leading edge and downward canted wing tip sections ● large angled tail fin incorporating tail gun turret, tail plane set well aft ● large circular-sectioned fuselage tapering to broadly flattened tail boom at rear, rounded sponsons to lower fuselage center section smoothly rounded nose section taperi
39 RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT Type: Heavy-lift IL-76MD Candid Recognition features: ● ● 4 large slender turbo-fan engines mounted on forward-projecting under-wing pylons with 'clam shell' thrust reversing exhaust outlets to rear swept high-wing configuration, large downward sloping tapered wings with large underwing flaps and projecting supporting fins ● large slender circular-section main fuselage bulging at wing junction, gently upward curving tail section tapering to rear tail gu
RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN ARMORED VEHICLES Type: Main battle tank T-80U Recognition features: ● ● ● ● tracked - 6 road wheels plus drive sprocket and idler on either side long and low flat-sided hull with front and rear splashers curving down over track ends, front top-side of hull slopes down between side-skirts, distinctive pair of fuel barrels mounted on rear distinctive low circular domed turret with hatch mounted MG and stowed snorkel on brackets at rear long high calibre main gun barrel overhang
41 RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN ARMORED VEHICLES Type: Infantry fighting vehicle BMP-3 Recognition features: ● ● ● tracked - 6 road wheels plus drive sprocket and idler on either side high-sided box shaped hull, sloping underside to front with pointed leading edge and flattened rear end, troop compartment main access doors on rear topside and rear end of hull small circular flat-topped turret, high caliber main gun barrel with box-shaped laser sight mounted over base and side-mounted co-axial cannon Arm
RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN ARMORED VEHICLES Type: Scout car BRDM-2 Recognition features: ● ● ● high 4-wheeled chassis angular small and narrow hull, sharp leading edge and sloping underside to front, sloping upper sides with curved wheel arches below, flattened rear end very small circular flat-topped MG mounted turret Armament: ● 14.
43 RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN SELF-PROPELLED ARTILLERY Type: Multiple rocket systems BM-21 Grad MRS (122mm) Recognition features: ● ● ● high 6-wheeled truck chassis - 2 wheels at front, 4 at rear low wide radiator grille, smooth curved tapering bonnet and short upright cab with backward sloping windshield, vertical faced mud guards over front wheels with integral headlights, flatbed platform behind with launcher turret over rear axle box-shaped grouped rocket tubes stowed on turret at rear, turned and
RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN AIR DEFENSE VEHICLES Type: SAM/AAA SA-19 Grison Recognition features: ● ● ● ● tracked - 6 road wheels plus drive sprocket and idler on each side, no side-skirts box-section hull, downward sloping front, flattened and slightly inward sloping rear end long and narrow rectangular main turret section over-hanging circular turret base at rear, frontal radome mounting, curved rectangular radar dish mounted on elevated section at turret rear top twin-barreled cannon and quad SAM tub
45 RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN TRANSPORT VEHICLES Type: Utility vehicle (truck) Ural-4320 Recognition features: ● ● ● high 6-wheeled truck chassis - 2 wheels in front, 4 at rear low wide radiator grille, smooth curved tapering bonnet and short upright cab with backward sloping windshield, vertical faced mud guards over front wheels with integral headlights high sided canvass covered cargo area to rear Game notes: ● radar symbol: ● ground radar priority: low Type: Fuel tanker Ural-4320 Fuel Tanker Rec
RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN WARSHIPS Type: Amphibious assault ship Kiev Class Recognition features: ● ● ● ● ● ● slender hull with sharp raked bow profile and broad square front deck, angled square stern with stepped sunken aft deck sections large cylindrical missile launch tubes on forward deck angled flight deck overhangs port hull side large angular multi-leveled starboard side superstructure, tall lattice mast with spherical radome aft of main radar dish, large angular funnel to rear, side-mounted r
47 RECOGNITION GUIDE RUSSIAN WARSHIPS Type: Hovercraft AIST Recognition features: ● ● ● ● long and wide high-sided hull with curved upper edge and rounded overhanging bow section over loading ramp below, high-sided all-round inflatable skirt with enlarged curved bulge under bow door twin forward-mounted gun turrets either side of bow low and wide forward bridge section with squat lattice mast to rear, large low square structure amidships aft mast-mounted twin pairs of face-to-face 4-blade propeller s
