Helo News game related.

[WilliamB]

I found a few things in the October issue of Air Forces magazine that may be of value.

Egypt received 3 Ka-52s in July and 3 more in August. 9 more are to be delivered by the end of the year with a total of 46 to be received over the next two years.

Slovakia took delivery of 2 UH-60M Blackhawks in August and has 7 more on order.

Pakistan received 4 Mi-35Ms in July.

Afghanistan is to begin receiving UH-60A+ Blackhawks in early October to replace their Mi-17s. 53 are on order so far to be delivered over the next 18 months with a total requirement for 159.

[DRG]

I appreciate info on actual deliveries over theoretical maybe, maybe not a few years down the road deliveries

[redcoat2]

The Argentine Ministry of Defence has accepted 20 Augusta-Westland AB 206 military helicopters that will be assigned to the Army Aviation Directorate. The handover ceremony took place in Italy. Some of the helos will be fitted with GAU-17 miniguns and 70mm rockets once they arrive in Argentina.

http://www.eital.mrecic.gov.ar/es/en...cito-argentino

http://www.defenseworld.net/news/210...rs_from_Italy#

[Pibwl]

It's a detail, but helo weapon Russian #173 4x57mm S-5K has HE pen=0, while #154 2x57mm S-5K has 1 (correct, I think).

Same for Polish weapon #188 4x57mm S-5K, and possibly others using helo version of 4x57mm.

[DRG]

It's used by three nations only those two are 0. 1 would be correct. Now corrected

[Pibwl]

By the way: sorry to pester you, but I've got doubts, if a difference between 2x57mm (HE kill 8) and 4x57mm (HE kill 10 - only 25% better) isn't too tiny, for twice as much rockets... On the other hand, 8x57mm has kill 15.

As for now, two shots of 2x57mm are much deadlier, than a single shot of 4x57mm - and some units had a plethora of 2x57mm (like Russian #965 Mi-8TB with 96 shots - 192 rockets), what gives them some sort of advantage.

I suggest to give:
2x57mm HE kill 6 (or 8),
4x57mm HE kill 12,
8x57mm - some 18 (or more), considering a big number of rockets in a salvo.

Two rockets would be pretty lousy choice then, but 57mm S-5 weren't regarded as highly precise and efficient weapon anyway (and there would be still a worse weapon: French 2x37mm SNEB with kill 5). 4x57mm could be considered a primary way of using these rockets then.

BTW: 2x57mm rockets are used eg. by Soviet #364 Mi-24A, which has 64 rockets as for now, while it carried a standard Mi-24-family load of 128 rockets (4x32, photo http://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/...5680.jpg?v=v40 )

For comparison:
2x RP-2 Rocket has kill 8, 4x RP-2 Rocket has kill 12 (50% better)
2x 68mm SNEB has kill 11, 4x 68mm SNEB has kill 14 (27% better - still not much)
2x 2.75in FFAR has kill 15, 4x 2.75in FFAR has kill 20 (33% better)
2x 70mm Hydra has kill 15, 4x 70mm Hydra has kill 20 (33% better)

With HE kill 12, 4x57mm would be similar to 4x RP-2 (2in), only marginally better than 2x68mm SNEB and worse, than 2x70mm, what might be close to reality.

[Imp]

Ungided rockets HE kill would be fine as it stands or closer than your suggestion.
Firing 4 vs 2 in a salvo just increases the chance you do damage or to catch something in the blast.
Not going to work out the probability but they are not accurate, say 12% more chance per rocket of actually hitting the target.

[Pibwl]

I know, but a difference between 2 and 4 rockets in case of 57mm is much smaller, than in others... And if we fire 4 rockets there is bigger chance, that two will hit.

[Pibwl]

Originally Posted by WilliamB

Slovakia took delivery of 2 UH-60M Blackhawks in August and has 7 more on order.

I wanted to report this as well after reading a Polish article on Slovak helicopters
As for now, UH-60 are not armed, and there are no precise plans to arm them.

Anyway, other Slovak (OOB51) helo news and corrections, basing upon this article and https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vzdu%C...skej_republiky

190 Mil Mi-8 - precisely Mi-8T. Standard Mi-8 weren't armed with guns at all (photo without MG: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...Air_Forces.JPG)

195 Mil Mi-17H - scheduled to be withdrawn by 2020.
Non-Soviet Mi-17 rarely were armed with guns, and Slovak ones weren't, as photos confirm.

They could carry as a standard 6 x 32 S-5 rockets (192 in total), now 64.
Photos showing six hardpoints:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...354108134).jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...ovak_Mi_17.jpg
https://www.aktuality.sk/fotogaleria...m-jastrabom/4/


200 Mil Mi-24V - all Mi-24 were withdrawn by the end of 9/2011 https://www.webnoviny.sk/vrtulniky-m...armade-koncia/ and https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vzdu%C...skej_republiky. Currently Slovakia has no attack helicopters

Mi-24 carry typically 4 x 32 S-5 rockets (128 in total), now 64.

Slovak Mi-24 were camouflaged in several different patterns, so better icon seems 3494 (original pattern), for all terrains.

205 Mil Mi-24P - Slovakia had no Mi-24P, but 8 Mi-24D instead, withdrawn in 2011. Could be copied Czech unit 124.

290 WSK Mi-2 withdrawn by 2013 https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vzdu%C...skej_republiky Better icon is camouflaged 931. After its withdrawal, Slovakia has no light helicopters.

295 Mi-34 - there's no trace they were ever used.

910 Mi-35M - there's no info it was used - the only versions mentioned are 24D and V. Anyway, they surely weren't received in 1993. Photos at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/C...vakian_service doesn't show 23mm-gun-armed variants.

911 Mil Mi-24 - should be renamed Mi-24V (9M114 missiles), withdrawn in 2011. Better icon is 3494 (BTW, current icon is Mi-24D).

I'm attaching several photos, in case anybody finds them useful.

[Pibwl]

Originally Posted by Pibwl

200 Mil Mi-24V - all Mi-24 were withdrawn by the end of 9/2011 https://www.webnoviny.sk/vrtulniky-m...armade-koncia/ and https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vzdu%C...skej_republiky. Currently Slovakia has no attack helicopters

...unless we'll copy a Mi-17 with 192 57mm rockets to this class to fill a gap. There is also possible configuration with two 23mm GSh-23 guns (weapon 180) and four UB-32 launchers (128 57mm rockets) (I've seen such photo of Polish Mi-17).