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

The AH-1W Super Cobra is the US Marines' attack helicopter. It is supplied by Bell Helicopter Textron, and entered service in 1985. As well as the US Marine Corps, the Super Cobra is operational with the Turkish Land Forces and the armed forces of Taiwan. The AH-1W was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003.

The Super Cobra can carry both TOW and Hellfire anti-armour missiles and is being qualified to carry the Maverick missile. The Raytheon BGM-71 TOW missile has a range of more than 3km and semi-automatic command-to-line- of-sight guidance. The AGM-114 Hellfire missile is manufactured by Lockheed Martin. It is equipped with a semi-active laser seeker and has a range of 7km. The Super Cobra has fire-and-forget capability when firing the Hellfire missile in co-operative mode with laser target illumination.




The Super Cobra was the first attack helicopter to qualify both the Sidewinder air-to-air missile and the Sidearm anti-radiation missile. Both missiles can use the same LAU-7 rail launcher. Sidearm has a range of more than 15km. AIM-9L Sidewinder is an all-aspect, short-range, air-to-air missile produced by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. The missile has a range of 15km.

The Super Cobra can fire the Hydra family of unguided 70 mm rockets or the larger 127 mm Zuni rocket bombs. From 2008, it will be armed with the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), a guided version of the Hydra. The US Army re-opened the competition for the APKWS in September 2005 and a decision on contractor is expected in March 2006.

The Super Cobra carries a three-barrel, 20mm Gatling gun for close range (up to 2km) engagement and 750 rounds of ammunition. With the gun in a fixed forward position, the pilot can aim by manoeuvring the helicopter. Either crew member can slave the turret to the helmet-mounted sight and aim the gun by looking at the target.
"The Super Cobra carries a three-barrel, 20mm Gatling gun for close range engagement."

The AH-1Z for the USMC will be armed with: 16 Hellfire missiles, six AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, 70mm rocket pods (7- and 19-shot), and a 20mm gun.

Attack Helicopter: AH-64A/D Apache

The Apache is a twin-engined army attack helicopter developed by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing). It entered service with the US Army in 1984 and has been exported to Egypt, Greece, Israel, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

The US Army has more than 800 Apaches in service, and more than 1,000 have been exported. The Apache was first used in combat in 1989 in the US military action in Panama. It was used in Operation Desert Storm and has supported low intensity and peacekeeping operations worldwide including Turkey, Bosnia and Kosovo.

The AH-64D Longbow has been deployed by the US Army in Afghanistan as part of Operation Anaconda, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and, from June 2003, in South Korea.

The AH-64D Longbow is fitted with the Longbow millimetre wave fire control radar and the Longbow Hellfire missile. 501 AH-64A Apaches upgraded to AH-64D standard have been delivered to the US Army. Deliveries completed in August 2006.

13 additional new-build Apaches have been ordered. A further 11 were ordered in November 2006. In January 2007, the US Army ordered 96 additional remanufactured helicopters and, in April 2007, 18 new-build helicopters. The first new-build AH-64D was delivered to the US Army in June 2007 and the first of the additional remanufactured helicopters in October 2007.

A 30mm automatic Boeing M230 chain gun is located under the fuselage. It provides a rate of fire of 625 rounds per minute. The helicopter has capacity for up to 1,200 rounds of ammunition.

The AH-64D is armed with the Lockheed Martin/Boeing AGM-114D Longbow Hellfire air-to-surface missile which has a millimetre wave seeker which allows the missile to perform in full fire and forget mode. Range is 8km to 12km.

The Apache can be equipped with air-to-air missiles (Stinger, AIM-9 Sidewinder, Mistral and Sidearm) and the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), formerly known as Hydra, family of guided and unguided 70mm rockets. From 2008, it will be armed with the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) II, a laser-guided version of the Hydra. The US Army awarded BAE Systems a contract for the APKWS II in April 2006.

British Army AH Mk 1 helicopters are armed with the CRV7 70mm rocket system from Bristol Aerospace of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The Longbow Apache carries the combination of armaments chosen for the particular mission. In the close support role, the helicopter carries 16 Hellfire missiles on four four-rail launchers and four air-to-air missiles.

War Aircraft : F - 35 Lighting II

No fighter in the history of military aviation comes close to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter – a truly transformational weapon system that provides quantum leaps in survivability and lethality.

* Provides the United States and allied governments with an affordable, stealthy 5TH generation fighter for the 21st century
* Brings stealth capability that is integrated throughout the aircraft with embedded antennas, aligned edges and special coatings and materials
* Meets multiple service requirements with a single-engine supersonic multirole fighter
* Conducts air-to-air and air-to-ground combat missions simultaneously with near impunity
* Carries a comprehensive sensor package that integrates vast amounts of battlespace information with allied forces in the air, on the ground, at sea or in space



The single-engine F-35 Lightning II will be manufactured in three variants:

* Conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) for the U.S. Air Force
* Carrier variant (CV) for the U.S. Navy
* Short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) for the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.K. Royal Air Force and Royal Navy

With greatly increased reliability and ease of maintenance, the F-35 joins the world’s only other 5TH generation fighter, the F-22 Raptor, in defining the ultimate in fighter performance.

The F-35 Lightning II’s successful first flight occurred Dec. 15, 2006. Flight testing continues to advance full development of this 5TH generation fighter. Flight testing of the STOVL variant begins in 2008. Deliveries to the armed services are scheduled to begin in 2010 and continue well beyond 2030.

C-130J Super Hercules

The Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules is the world’s most advanced tactical airlifter. Designed and developed with mission flexibility in mind – combat delivery, air-to-air refueling, special operations, disaster relief and humanitarian missions – the C-130J has a unique mix of agility and performance to consistently operate at very high tempo operations efficiently and reliably.

The C-130J Super Hercules is the only airlifter with the range and flexibility for emerging theaters and evolving concepts of operation. This tactical transport aircraft has already proven itself in many kinds of missions, many in the harshest operating conditions possible.



Crews from the United States, Australia, Denmark, Italy and the United Kingdom are now experiencing the high reliability, range, speed and payload-carrying capabilities of the C-130J firsthand. They will be joined soon by crews from Norway, Canada, and India.

F-16 Fighting Falcon

The F-16 soars above all others as the world’s standard. Nations around the world have evaluated the variety of choices available and consistently selected the F-16, the world’s most capable multirole fighter. More than 4,300 F-16s have been produced for 24 countries with 52 follow-on buys by 14 customers – a key indicator of customer satisfaction. These customers have experienced the performance and reliability of the F-16 firsthand and reaffirm the high quality of the aircraft.



Nations who operate and will operate the F-16 have made an important commitment to its citizens: national defense. To that end, no other fighter can match the F-16’s record . . . because no other fighter comes close to offering all its strengths.

Bomber Aircraft: Myasishchev M-4 Molot ASCC codename: Bison Intercontinental Strategic Bomber

Myasishchev Design Bureau is Russian State Unitary Enterprise, named after General Designer Vladimir Mikhailovich Myasishchev, and is the successor and continuer of the preceding design offices headed by the outstanding designer.

Myasishchev developed the design of a long-range, high altitude bomber DVB-102 and carried out its flight tests. DVB-102

Though one of the lesser known Soviet design bureaus, Myasishchev was responsible for producing the nation's first turbojet-powered strategic bomber, the M-4 Molot (hammer). The project began in the early 1950s when the Soviet government called for a long-range bomber capable of striking the United States. The aircraft was required to carry at least 11,000 lb (5,000 kg) over a range of 6,000 nm (11,120 km) at 560 mph (900 km/h).

The resulting M-4, known as the Bison in the West, featured a high-mounted swept wing and swept tail surfaces with four turbojet engines mounted in the wing leading edges. Like the American B-47 of the same time period, the landing gear consisted of two centerline main units balanced by small outrigger gear along the wing. The long fuselage followed traditional bomber design with pressurized crew compartments in the nose and a tail gun turret with a large internal bomb bay in between.

HISTORY:
First Flight (M-4/2M) 20 January 1953
(3M/M-6) 27 March 1956
Service Entry

(M-4/2M) 1956
(3M/M-6) 1958

CREW: (M-4/2M) 2 pilots, 6 others
(3M/M-6) 2 pilots, 5 others

ESTIMATED COST:

unknown

AIRFOIL SECTIONS:
Wing Root TsAGI S-12
Wing Tip

TsAGI R-7

DIMENSIONS:
Length (M-4/2M) 156.40 ft (47.67 m)
(3M/M-6) 169.63 ft (51.70 m)
Wingspan (M-4/2M) 165.79 ft (50.53 m)
(3M/M-6) 174.35 ft (53.14 m)
Height 37.73 ft (11.50 m)
Wing Area (M-4/2M) 3,513 ft2 (326.35 m2)
(3M/M-6) 3,786 ft2 (351.70 m2)
Canard Area

not applicable

WEIGHTS:
Empty (M-4/2M) 175,710 lb (79,700 kg)
(3M/M-6) 164,090 lb (74,430 kg)
Typical Load 352,740 lb (160,000 kg)
Max Takeoff (M-4/2M) 365,745 lb (165,900 kg)
(3M/M-6) 400,800 lb (181,800 kg)
Fuel Capacity internal:
(M-4/2M) 29,500 gal (111,655 L)
(3M/M-6) 34,000 gal (128,690 L)
external: unknown
Max Payload

(M-4/2M) 39,685 lb (18,000 kg)
(3M/M-6) 52,910 lb (24,000 kg)

PROPULSION:
Powerplant (M-4/2M) four Mikulin AM-3D or PD-3M-500/500A turbojets
(3M/M-6) four VD-7 turbojets
Thrust (M-4/2M) 92,595 lb (412 kN) [PM-3D-500A]
(3M/M-6) 97,005 lb (432 kN)

PERFORMANCE:
Max Level Speed at altitude:
(M-4/2M) 575 mph (930 km/h)
(3M/M-6) 585 mph (940 km/h)
at sea level: unknown
cruise speed: 495 mph (800 km/h)
Initial Climb Rate unknown
Service Ceiling 41,010 ft (12,500 m)
Range typical:
(M-4/2M) 4,370 nm (8,100 km)
(3M/M-6) 6,395 nm (11,850 km)
ferry: unknown
g-Limits unknown

ARMAMENT:
Gun up to ten GSh-23 23-mm cannons
Stations one internal weapons bay
Air-to-Surface Missile none
Bomb up to 19,840 lb (9,000 kg) of free-fall bombs or one to two nuclear bombs
Other none

KNOWN VARIANTS:
M-4/2M 'Bison-A' First production bomber
3M/M-6 'Bison-B' Improved model with a larger wing, longer nose, increased fuel load, new engines, an improved navigation system, and in-flight refueling capability; primarily a bomber armed with free-fall bombs but could also be used as a tanker with the installation of a refueling package in the bomb bay or for maritime reconnaissance
3MS/M-6 'Bison-B' 3M/M-6 airframes retrofitted with a new engine of greater reliability
3MS-2/M-6 'Bison-B' Tanker variant of the 3MS/M-6 with a refueling drogue extended from the bomb bay
3MD/M-6 'Bison-C' New build model with an enlarged wing, new in-flight refueling gear, a larger more pointed nose containing a new radar, and a larger radome in the tail; primary mission was as a bomber with secondary tanker and maritime reconnaissance capabilities
3MN/M-6 'Bison-C' 3MD/M-6 airframes fitted with new more fuel-efficient engines
3MN-2/M-6 'Bison-C' 3M 'Bison-B' bombers converted into dedicated tankers but also including modifications of the 3MN 'Bison-C'
201-M Test aircraft equipped with high-thrust engines
Project 28 Proposed new model for a two-deck military cargo transport based on the 3M and able to carry vehicles and cargo pallets, also proposed as a civil version carrying up to 380 passengers; both concepts cancelled and not built
3M-T or VM-T Atlant

Heavily modified 'Bison-C' aircraft rebuilt to carry outsize cargo externally above the fuselage, used primarily to ferry rocket components between manufacturing and assembly facilities, able to transport cargos up to 110,320 lb (50,000 kg); 2 converted

KNOWN COMBAT RECORD:

none

KNOWN OPERATORS:

Russia, Voyenno Vozdushniye Sili (Russian Air Force)
Russia, Aviatsiya Voyenno-Morskoyo Flota (Russian Naval Aviation)
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Voyenno Vozdushniye Sili (Soviet Air Force)
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Aviatsiya Voyenno-Morskoyo Flota (Soviet Naval Aviation)

Bomber Aircraft: B-2 Spirit

The B-2 Spirit, or stealth bomber, was developed and built by an industry team consisting of Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and Vought Aircraft Industries. Capable of delivering nuclear and conventional munitions, the B-2's primary mission is to attack time-critical targets early in a conflict to minimize an enemy's war-making potential. Twenty-one B-2 aircraft are assigned to the U.S Air Force 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.





Capabilities

The B-2 supplies the following capabilities to its two-member crew:

• Power plant: four General Electric F118-GE-100 engines
• Speed and flight range: high-subsonic speeds and long flight range
• Armaments: nuclear and conventional, including gravity bombs and maritime weapons
• Stealthy design: low-observability characteristics to avoid radar detection

B-2 Design

The B-2 bomber has the ability to elude radar-guided air defenses due to its low-observable characteristics, and has sufficient structural capacity to deliver large payloads at long range. The aircraft incorporates the following features:

• Advanced designs and technologies that make unprecedented use of composite materials
• Product assembly and finishing that meet extraordinary tolerances and quality standards
• Final production tooling implemented directly from the computer-aided design (CAD) system without the use of development tooling

Boeing's Role

Boeing in Seattle is currently doing work on the B-2's smart bomb rack and SATCOM radio. Boeing previously provided the following components:

• Primary structural components -- the outboard wing and aft-center sections
• Fuel systems
• Weapons-delivery system
• Landing gear

Milestones

• 1988: the first B-2 was completed
• 1989: made its first flight July 17
• 1991: the Air Force and B-2 industry team received the Collier Trophy
• 1993: the B-2 entered the U.S. Air Force operational fleet

HISTORY	:	First Flight,17 July 1989
		Service Entry April 1997

CREW:	two: pilot, co-pilot/mission commander

ESTIMATED COST:		$1.157 billion [1998$]

AIRFOIL SECTIONS	:	Wing Root unknown
		Wing Tip unknown

DIMENSIONS	:	Length 69.00 ft (21.03 m)
		Wingspan 172.00 ft (52.43 m)
		Height 17.00 ft (5.18 m)
		Wing Area 5,000 ft2 (465.5 m2)
		Canard Area, not applicable

WEIGHTS:
Empty 150,000 to 160,000 lb (68,040 to 72,575 kg)
Normal Takeoff 336,500 lb (152,635 kg)
Max Takeoff 376,000 lb (170,550 kg)
Fuel Capacity internal: 200,000 lb (90,720 kg)
external: none
Max Payload

40,000 lb (18,145 kg)

PROPULSION:
Powerplant four General Electric F118-110 turbofans
Thrust

76,000 lb (338 kN)

PERFORMANCE:
Max Level Speed at altitude: 530 mph (850 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,190 m), Mach 0.8
at sea level: 485 mph (780 km/h), Mach 0.65
cruise speed: 515 mph (830 km/h) at 37,000 ft (11,275 m), Mach 0.78
Initial Climb Rate 3,000 ft (915 m) / min
Service Ceiling 50,000 ft (15,240 m)
Range typical: 6,000 nm (11,110 km)
w/1 aerial refueling: 10,000 nm (18,520 km)
g-Limits +2.0

ARMAMENT:
Gun none
Stations two internal bomb bays
Air-to-Surface Missile up to 16 AGM-69 SRAM II, up to 16 AGM-129 ACM, AGM-154 JSOW
Bomb up to 16 B61/B83 nuclear bombs, up to 80 Mk 82 500-lb GP, up to 16 Mk 84 2,000-lb GP, up to 36 M117 750-lb GP, up to 16 GBU-31 JDAM, up to 16 GBU-36, up to 8 GBU-37 (GAM-113), up to 36 CBU-87/89/97/98 cluster
Other up to 80 Mk 36 or Mk 62 500-lb sea mines

KNOWN VARIANTS:
B-2A Original bomber operating from Whitman AFB, Missiouri; 22 built

KNOWN COMBAT RECORD: Kosovo - Operation Allied Force (USAF, 1999)
Afghanistan - Operation Enduring Freedom (USAF, 2001)
Iraq - Operation Iraqi Freedom (USAF, 2003)

KNOWN OPERATORS: United States (US Air Force)