Whirly stingers: not cheap, but nasty.
Armada International › Vol. 29 Nbr. 6, December 2005
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Summary
Rotorcraft: attack - Cover Story
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Whirly stingers: not cheap, but nasty.
The Vietnam War established a need for a fast, tandem-seat, heavily armed helicopter originally to serve as an escort and later as a platform for anti-tank guided weapons. The motivating scenario then switched to a future war in central Europe, involving thousands of Warsaw Pact tanks. The attack helicopter thus became a relatively heavy and expensively equipped aircraft to destroy multiple targets by day or night in adverse weather conditions.
Outside Nato there are many countries that face the possibility of a hostile armoured thrust, hence there is still a substantial market for a dedicated attack helicopter. For example, the Turks, sandwiched between historically 'unfriendly' Greeks and a mixed bag of Islamists and Kurds, have now resurrected their requirement for attack helicopters (and tanks, by the way). Turkey first invited proposals in 1997, planning to acquire 145 such aircraft by 2010, mostly to be licence-built by Tusas Aerospace. In July 2000 the air arm of ...See the full content of this document
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