Challenge: A workable attack helicopter in World War II

Blair152

Banned
Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to come up with a workable attack helicopter in World War II. The helicopter was already in limited service then as an air ambulance. Men like Igor Sikorsky, Bell, and
Piasecki, were the pioneers of the helicopter in the United States.
 
Given the technological limitations, particularly those regarding engines, at the time, I'm not convinced it could be done.
 
Can/will you define workable a bit more?

Armed with what weapon or weapons?

Early choppers had very limited lift capability.

Something akin to the AH-58 Kiowa Warrior of today might be possible. AH-58s are limited to a single 50cal MG and either 7 2.75" rockets or 2 Hellfire ATGMs.

Given that rather limited options for ATGMs in this time frame, youa re most likely looking at a MG armed helo, a rocket armed helo or one with both but with limited ammo.

Most ground attack aircraft easily surpass that.

Why have an AH-WWII when you can have, Sturmivicks, Typhoons and/or P-47s?:confused:
 

Deleted member 1487

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke_Achgelis_Fa_223
Prevent its factories and constructed models from being repeatedly wiped out in air raids and perhaps a combat model could be ready by 1944-5. Obviously not a war changer, but it could lift 2200lbs, which meant that it could easily hold a weapon system. Either machine guns, rockets, or AT cannons (such as the tank hunting 37mm cannon on ground attack crafts). Obviously it would be very vulnerable to flak and probably fighters, but if used in conjunction with a mobile defense, it could perhaps be used in limited roles on the Eastern Front, maybe Western front too if very carefully employed.

A flight with 20mm AA cannons would be horrifically deadly to infantry formations and light vehicles. It would definitely create useful experience for the postwar period, probably for all sides. The Korean war could very well see combat helicopters...
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke_Achgelis_Fa_223
Prevent its factories and constructed models from being repeatedly wiped out in air raids and perhaps a combat model could be ready by 1944-5. Obviously not a war changer, but it could lift 2200lbs, which meant that it could easily hold a weapon system. Either machine guns, rockets, or AT cannons (such as the tank hunting 37mm cannon on ground attack crafts). Obviously it would be very vulnerable to flak and probably fighters, but if used in conjunction with a mobile defense, it could perhaps be used in limited roles on the Eastern Front, maybe Western front too if very carefully employed.

A flight with 20mm AA cannons would be horrifically deadly to infantry formations and light vehicles. It would definitely create useful experience for the postwar period, probably for all sides. The Korean war could very well see combat helicopters...

Your reference states a request for a payload of 1,500 lbs. Lifting 2,200 and carrying a distance along with fuel, crew etc may explain the 700lb difference.

The site also describes the armed version with a 7.92mm MG and 2 550lb bombs.

Agree a WWII AH might be useful against troops and soft targets (truck convoys) no way they could be an effective or efficient "Tank Killer" tho.:(
 

Blair152

Banned
Can/will you define workable a bit more?

Armed with what weapon or weapons?

Early choppers had very limited lift capability.

Something akin to the AH-58 Kiowa Warrior of today might be possible. AH-58s are limited to a single 50cal MG and either 7 2.75" rockets or 2 Hellfire ATGMs.

Given that rather limited options for ATGMs in this time frame, youa re most likely looking at a MG armed helo, a rocket armed helo or one with both but with limited ammo.

Most ground attack aircraft easily surpass that.

Why have an AH-WWII when you can have, Sturmivicks, Typhoons and/or P-47s?:confused:
Machine guns, Tiny Tim, (I'm serious here, that's what they were called),
rockets, and something like a primitive GAU-8 cannon. Because after the
war, the P-47, Il-2 Sturmovik, and the Typhoon, will be obsolete. As I said
before, the helicopter was already in limited use as a medivac near the end of World War II. I think it was in use as that in the remotest parts of Burma. Helicopters of that time period were smaller, lighter, and could carry something like four to six litters. A true AH, the AH-1 Cobra, and AH-64 Apache, count here. The Russian Mil Mi-24 Hind, OTOH, doesn't, is
just a cockpit and NO passenger compartment. Also, helicopters can fly lower than the planes mentioned, and have something their fixed-wing
cousins don't: The ability to hover.
 
Igor Sikorski was most proud of the fact that helicopters were a viable new tool for humanitarian causes such as search and rescue, and medi-vac.

The first practical weapons carriers required the use of turbine engines to obtain suitable performance. There were plenty of useful things to do with a chopper before armament carriage. The first Cobras were to escort and defend other helicopters during insertions. Since the concept of Air Mobility was decades in the future, the requirement to defend it, and expand on it, was even further in the future.
 

Blair152

Banned
Igor Sikorski was most proud of the fact that helicopters were a viable new tool for humanitarian causes such as search and rescue, and medi-vac.

The first practical weapons carriers required the use of turbine engines to obtain suitable performance. There were plenty of useful things to do with a chopper before armament carriage. The first Cobras were to escort and defend other helicopters during insertions. Since the concept of Air Mobility was decades in the future, the requirement to defend it, and expand on it, was even further in the future.
That's right. There were jet engines during World War II. Wing Commander
Frank Whittle, the British inventor of the jet engine, wrote a paper about it in
1928. The first workable jet was a Heinkel. I don't know the designation right off the top of my head. The first operational jet fighters? The Me. 262
Schwabel, (Sparrow), and the Gloster Meteor, which was used against the
V-1s. The first helicopter use a gas turbine engine? The Bell UH-1 Iroquois.
(AKA, the "Huey," because before the Army changed the designation, it was the HU-1 Iroquois.)
 
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