Anti-tank helicopter (ATH), or anti-armor helicopter, is a type of armed helicopter, predominantly intended for anti-tank duties.
Description Dedicated anti-tank helicopters are usually outfitted with an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM)-system with an integrated optronic targeting system. While such helicopters may be equipped with radar warning receivers (RWR), electronic countermeasures (CM), or other warning and protection systems, etc., they mainly avoid danger through evasive doctrine. The targeting system is often a roof-mounted sight (RMS / roof sight), or mast-mounted sight (MMS / mast sight) above the rotor, which allows the helicopter to scout targets largely from behind cover, while the ATGM:s allow the helicopters to engage targets at ranges beyond small arms fire, and with the margin needed for evasive action against long range weapons.
Anti-tank helicopters are often cheap and readily available scout or utility helicopters, outfitted with anti-tank systems, as opposed to more expensive multi-purpose attack helicopters, culminating in a more cost-effective solution to aerial anti-armor duties. Attack helicopters are also used as anti-tank helicopters periodically, but there are also dedicated anti-tank versions of certain attack helicopter models. The Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter has a dedicated anti-tank version equipped with a mast-mounted sight, in French designated Tiger HAC (, "anti-tank helicopter"), in German originally designated PAH-2 (, "anti-armor helicopter 2").
Anti-tank helicopters after country Country Designation Abbreviation Helicopter Sighting system Weapon system Notes Image A109BA – Agusta A109 HeliTOW (FLIR variant) 4 × HeliTOW-launchers (8 × TOW) Belgium Air Force AS 550 C2 – Eurocopter Fennec AS 550 C2 HeliTOW (day variant) 2 × HeliTOW-launchers (4 × TOW) Danish Army Air Corps SA.313B – Aérospatiale Alouette II SA 313 B – 4 × Nord AS.11 French Army Air Corps SA.316B – Aérospatiale Alouette III SA 316 B APX-Bézu 260 4 × Nord AS.11 French Army Air Corps SA.3164 Alouette-Canon – Aérospatiale Alouette III SA 3164 APX-Bézu 260 4 × Nord AS.11 Export SA.341F – Aérospatiale Gazelle SA 341 F APX-Bézu 334 2 × HOT-12 × HOT-2 French Army Air Corps SA.342M – Aérospatiale Gazelle SA 342 M Bendix-SFIM APX M 397 4 × HOT-14 × HOT-2 French Army Air Corps SA.342M1 – Aérospatiale Gazelle SA 342 M Viviane 4 × HOT-24 × HOT-3 French Army Air Corps SA.365 – Aérospatiale SA-365 Dauphin/Panther Bendix-SFIM APX M 397 / Viviane 4 × HOT-24 × M65 TOW-launchers (8 × TOW) Export Tiger Hélicoptère Anti-Char Tiger HAC Eurocopter Tiger EC-665 HAC Osiris 2 × HOT-3 twin-launchers (4 × HOT-3)8 × HOT-38 × AC 3G TRIGAT-LR French Army Air Corps SA.313B – Aérospatiale Alouette II SA 313 B – 4 × Nord AS.11 Bundeswehr Panzerabwehrhubschrauber 1 PAH-1 MBB Bo 105 Bendix-SFIM APX M 397 6 × HOT-1 Bundeswehr Panzerabwehrhubschrauber 1 A1 PAH-1A1 MBB Bo 105 Bendix-SFIM APX M 397 6 × HOT-2 Bundeswehr Panzerabwehrhubschrauber 1 A2 PAH-1A2 MBB Bo 105 Pietzsch Automatisierungstechnik ELVIS 6 × HOT-26 × HOT-3 Prototype Panzerabwehrhubschrauber 2 PAH-2 Eurocopter Tiger EC-665 UHT/KHT Osiris 8 × HOT-38 × PARS 3 LR Bundeswehr Bo 105 Panzerabwehrhubschrauber Bo 105 PAH / Bo 105 P MBB Bo 105 CB Bendix-SFIM APX M 397 6 × HOT-1 Export Bo 105 TOW - MBB Bo 105 CB Hughes/British Aerospace TOW roof sight 4 × M65 TOW-launchers (8 × TOW) Export BK 117 A-3M - MBB/Kawasaki BK 117 A-3M Bendix-SFIM APX M 397 roof sight + Hughes/British Aerospace TOW mast sight 4 × M65 TOW-launchers (8 × TOW) Export A 109A – Agusta A 109A SFIM APX M 397 2 × M65 TOW-launchers (4 × TOW) Export *H-500E – Hughes 500E – 4 × AT-3 Sagger clones North Korean Army IAR-316B – Aérospatiale Alouette III – 6 × Malyutka Romanian Army IAR-317 Skyfox – Aérospatiale Alouette III – 6 × Malyutka Prototype AH-6 Little Bird – McDonnell Douglas 530 chin-mounted sight 4 × TOW4 × Hellfire Saudi Arabian Army MH-58D Combat Scout – Bell 406CS Combat Scout HeliTOW 2 × HeliTOW-launchers (4 × TOW) Saudi Arabian Army 500MD Defender – McDonnell Douglas 500 Defender nose-mounted sight 4 × TOW South Korean Army 520MK Black Tiger – McDonnell Douglas 520MK Black Tiger chin-mounted sight 4 × TOW4 × Hellfire South Korean Army LAH-1 Miron – KAI LAH-1 Miron nose-mounted sight 4 × TAipers South Korean Army pansarvärnshelikopter 3A pvhkp 3A Agusta-Bell 204/205 reflector sight 6 × robot 53 Bantam demonstrator 1966 pansarvärnshelikopter 9A pvhkp 9A MBB Bo 105 CBS HeliTOW (day variant) 2 × HeliTOW-launchers (4 × TOW) Swedish Army Air Corps Scout AH.1 – Westland Scout – 4 × Nord AS.11 British Army Air Corps Lynx AH.1 (TOW) – Westland Lynx Hughes/British Aerospace TOW roof sight 4 × M65 TOW-launchers (8 × TOW)8 × Hellfire British Army Air Corps UH-1B Iroquois – Bell UH-1 Iroquois – 6 × AGM-22 ATGM:s US Army UH-1C Iroquois – Bell UH-1 Iroquois – 6 × AGM-22 ATGM:s6 × TOW US Army MH-6 Little Bird – McDonnell Douglas 530 chin-mounted sight 4 × TOW4 × Hellfire US Army AH-6 Little Bird – McDonnell Douglas 530 chin-mounted sight 4 × TOW4 × Hellfire US Army OH-58D Kiowa Warrior KW Bell 406 mast-mounted sight 4 × M65 TOW-launchers (8 × TOW)4 × Hellfire US Army AH-58D Kiowa Warrior KW Bell 406 mast-mounted sight 4 × M65 TOW-launchers (8 × TOW)4 × Hellfire Task Force 118 (4th Squadron, 17th Cavalry) Texas Ranger – Bell 206L Texas Ranger Hughes/British Aerospace TOW roof sight 2 × M65 TOW-launchers (4 × TOW) Export Hughes 500MD/TOW Defender – McDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender nose-mounted sight 4 × TOW Export Hughes 500MD/MMS-TOW Defender – McDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender Hughes/British Aerospace TOW roof sight 4 × TOW Export
Anti-tank helicopter sighting systems APX-Bézu 260 – day sight APX-Bézu 334 – day sight Bendix-SFIM APX M 344 – day sight Bendix-SFIM APX M 397 – day sight for Euromissile HOT SFIM Viviane – day/night thermal sight for Euromissile HOT SFIM/TRT Strix – gyro-stabilised roof-mounted infrared sight with CCD TV (charge coupled device television camera), laser rangefinder and direct optical sight SFIM/Euromep Osiris (Optical Stabilised InfraRed Integrated System) – mast-mounted sight with an IRCCD-camera (infrared charge coupled device) and laser rangefinder Pietzsch Automatisierungstechnik ELVIS – helicopter thermal imaging sight Saab-Scania Helios (1976) – gyro-stabilized sight with target marking video camera; could be integrated with (among others): BGM-71 TOW and RBS 70 Saab-Emerson HeliTOW (1980) – gyro-stabilized sight with laser range finder, optional night vision/FLIR, CCD sensors; designed for BGM-71 TOW / Hughes/British Aerospace TOW roof sight (1981) – helicopter roof sight for the BGM-71 TOW; nightvision introduced in 1988
See also Armed helicopter Attack helicopter Helicopter gunship Military helicopter
References
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External links Sweden Bo-105 HKP-9A