US Army Aggressor Helicopter Conversions And Proposals

frank

ACCESS: Top Secret
Joined
19 May 2006
Messages
616
Reaction score
48
Back in the 1990s, the USA was working on a couple of helo "aggressor" type projects. The Hokum-X was a modified Bell AH-1 intended to simulate the Kamov Ka-50 Hokum. Over the years, I've found a couple of pics of it. However, the Havoc-X is more elusive. It was to be a CH-3 modified to simulate the Mil-Mi-28 Havoc. I have yet to find any info. Supposedly, a number of USAF CH-3s were sent to Ft. Rucker & at least one was modified to Havoc-X. Anyone out here have any info on particularly the Havoc-X? The project ended when the Cold War fizzled. Thanks.
 
Hi Frank,
Colud you please you post a pic of this Hokum-X. I'd like very much to see it. Was it operated by the US Army or remained only at the prototype stage?

Thanks a lot,

Antonio
 
Hynes H-5T - pilotless helicopter derived from Brantly B-2. Powered by one Lycoming VO-360A1A. From 1986 US Army operates unknown number of these machines with new composite airframe to simulate Mi-24D Hind.

http://www.hitechweb.genezis.eu/helicoptersA5.htm
 

Attachments

  • image010.jpg
    image010.jpg
    14.3 KB · Views: 1,549
The AH-1 mod wasn't as serious as the S-55 tho. That's nearly on par with the Pumas modified to Hind A/B for the movie "Red Dawn". I followed that S-55 mod for a few years in the late '80s. Quite a lot of detail put into that project.


Jemiba said:
There was a similar modification to a AH-1, representing the Kamow Ka-50 Hokum.
Can't find the photos in the moment ... ::)
 
Yes, that conversion was made by the Orlando Helicopter Co. I have something in home, tomorrow I post it...


1Saludo
 
Some new info from Janes Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Targets.
 

Attachments

  • Hokum-X-1.JPG
    Hokum-X-1.JPG
    73.4 KB · Views: 517
  • Hokum-X-2.JPG
    Hokum-X-2.JPG
    37.3 KB · Views: 195
  • Hokum-X-3.JPG
    Hokum-X-3.JPG
    40.1 KB · Views: 279
Interesting info. Does Jane's by chance have any info on the Havoc X?


Matej said:
Some new info from Janes Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Targets.
 
Matej said:
Not so authentic as S-55 but...

... but horribly effective at causing headaches to the Us ground elements at the National Training Center. One dare not fly for at least thirty minutes after one of those nasties killed a tank or a Brad. The gunners were in "kill mode" and would shoot anything flying.
 

Attachments

  • PICT5258.JPG
    PICT5258.JPG
    153.4 KB · Views: 253
  • PICT5256.JPG
    PICT5256.JPG
    186.1 KB · Views: 211
  • PICT5237.JPG
    PICT5237.JPG
    143.3 KB · Views: 205
  • Copy of PICT5246.JPG
    Copy of PICT5246.JPG
    103.5 KB · Views: 277
  • PICT5216.JPG
    PICT5216.JPG
    127.6 KB · Views: 847
  • PICT5217.JPG
    PICT5217.JPG
    149.5 KB · Views: 893
  • PICT5244.JPG
    PICT5244.JPG
    149.7 KB · Views: 989
  • PICT5241.JPG
    PICT5241.JPG
    157.9 KB · Views: 1,001
Who gave this thread that goofy subject title? Surely wasn't me when I made the original post! ???

title changed
 
I am the guilty :) But it seems that since then the topic was splitted and merged (currently has three titles) several times, so it lost the original point of creativity.
 
Most likely the same as when I post this subject elsewhere. Probably "US Army Havoc-X' or either considering the content of my post, "US Army Aggressor Helicopter Projects".



Jemiba said:
famvburg said:
Who gave this thread that goofy subject title? Surely wasn't me when I made the original post! ???

Changed the title to a maybe more appropriate one. But what was your original post in this thread, please ?
 
In the lae 90s, there was a former US Army aviator' Buddha' , (whom I had been in contact with) had a webpage Buddha's helicopter ACM page (now gone) dedicated to helicopter air to air combat, mainly his experiences as a tactics instructor as he flew AH-1S Cobras and AH-64A Apaches, as well as having fought in Vietnam. He had gone to the USMC MAWTS-1 and did their course. On his page, were photos of the US Army OTSA Hinds operating in the Nellis AFB and NTC ranges and get this - Kamov-KA-50 Werewolf and Mil 28 Havocs flying around in the Utah desert with AH-64!

I emailed him and he said the pics were taken in the early 90s, post break up of Soviet Union, whereby the Sovs were desperate to sell stuff as their economy was goign down the plughole so they sent a few Mil 28 and Kamov 50 for eval to the states hoping to flog them! The DoD had decided it was too expensive and not worth being used as aggressor types as most of the adversaries in the world used the Mil 24 and Mil 8 which the US Army's OTSA folks utilised at NTC and JRTC.
 
Interesting stuff, RavenOne, thanks for sharing. Wonder where those Kamovs ended up...
 
This may be the best place for this: http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/b148401.pdf

EDIT: Stingray already posted the link. Sorry about that!
 
Isn't this the same link Stingray posted a while back?
 
Would it be possible to re-name this to something more sensible and accurate, like maybe "US Army Aggressor Helicopter Proposals" or similar?
 
famvburg said:
Would it be possible to re-name this to something more sensible and accurate, like maybe "US Army Aggressor Helicopter Proposals" or similar?

Yeah! I thought we finally had a thread to disparage the knucledraggers they let fly the beasties. B)
 
Ha, I thought they just sat in them and hung on for the ride!
 
I love seeing all of these, they could make for some fun but challenging scale model projects. Thanks to everyone for their contributions so far.
 
The S-55 conversion was known as the QS-55 and approximately 15 S-55 conversions were ordered by the Army as flying targets. They were built by Orlando Helicopter Airways in Sanford, FL between 1989-1990.
 

Attachments

  • H55_Hind.jpg
    H55_Hind.jpg
    129.6 KB · Views: 451
The QS-55 were designed to be UAS type aircraft with a Honeywell automated flight control systems (same as used on the drone QF-106's) so that they could be effectively used as aerial targets for anti-aircraft ground crews training at White Sands.
 
When QS-55's were used up the Army turned towards the USAF for their surplus CH/HH-3E Jolly Greens. By 1992 the Army had acquired 9 CH-3E's and 12 HH-3E's which were converted to the "HIND-X" configuration and flew from Fort Rucker in Alabama. Most likely outfitted will a shell similar to the black silhouetted three view above.

Only 3 were still flyable by 1992, according to Wayne Mutza's book, Helicopter Gunships: Deadly Combat Weapon Systems, Specialty Press, 2010.
 
Possible HH-3 Hinds at Rucker in storage.
 

Attachments

  • Possible_HH3_at_Rucker1.jpg
    Possible_HH3_at_Rucker1.jpg
    18.3 KB · Views: 407
  • Possible_HH3_at_Rucker2.jpg
    Possible_HH3_at_Rucker2.jpg
    14.3 KB · Views: 453
Back
Top Bottom