Can an Apache helicopter shoot down a jet?
Theoretically, yes, but they’re not made for it and 99\% chance won’t end well for the Apache pilot. The Apaches can be armed with Sidewinder short-range infrared, heat-seeking missiles. These could in theory shoot down enemy fighter jets but it’s very unlikely to.
Can helicopters shoot down fighter jets?
‘A well equipped attack helicopter flown by a trained crew will defeat most fighter airplanes in 1v1 air combat, should the fighter be foolish enough to drop down to try and engage,’ Nick Lappos, Technical Fellow Emeritus at Sikorsky and former U.S. Army AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter pilot, said on Quora.
Has a Huey shot down a jet?
On one occasion in the Vietnam War, though, a Huey became the first and only helicopter in aviation history to shoot down a biplane. These bombing raids were having a crippling effect on the North Vietnamese war effort, and the North Vietnamese military command decided it was time to strike back.
Can a helicopter dogfight?
In addition to attacking ground and sea targets, they’re capable of fighting other helicopters—and, in a pinch, even fixed-wing warplanes.
Is it harder to fly plane or helicopter?
Since helicopters are generally harder to fly than airplanes, they also are more dangerous to fly. Overall, helicopter crashes are more frequent than airplanes, as well. Helicopters crash about 35 percent more often per hour in the air than your average aircraft.
Which is safer an airplane or helicopter?
Commercial plane travel is extremely safe, despite recent catastrophes like the Boeing 737 Max crashes; in many years the fatal accident rate in the U.S. is zero. Helicopters are more dangerous, according to data from the federal government, with a fatal accident rate of 0.72 per 100,000 flight hours in 2018.
Can you shoot down a helicopter with a rifle?
You can certainly shoot down a military helicopter with a machine gun, or even a rifle. But you would be foolish to target the rotor blades. Most bullets would pass without hitting anything, and critical damage would probably require two or more hits on the same rotor to weaken it enough to fail.
Has an F 35 ever been shot down?
This is the first time a UK F-35 has crashed, but there have been several involving US jets. In 2018 the Pentagon briefly grounded its entire fleet of F-35s after the discovery of problems with the advanced fighter’s fuel tubes. An investigation is already under way into why the British jet came down.
How many MiG 21 shot down in Vietnam?
The MiG-21 N. 4324 of the Vietnam People’s Air Force. This fighter aircraft, flown by various pilots, was credited for 14 kills during the Vietnam War.
What was the life expectancy of a helicopter pilot in Vietnam?
between 13 and 30 days
Vlach served with the 54th General Command as a door gunner on an UH1 “Huey” helicopter. “They were short of gunners on helicopters, because the life expectancy was somewhere between 13 and 30 days,” he said.
Do pilots still dogfight?
Yes they generally are trained in dogfighting – which is short ranged aerial combat but the primary focus is on what is known as BVR – Beyond Visual Range air-to-air combat That involves the use of longer ranged radar guided missile systems such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM. That is especially true with stealth aircraft.
Do Helicopters fight each other?
Yes, there has: In the Iran-Iraq War, Wikipedia: The war also saw the only confirmed air-to-air helicopter battles in the history of warfare, with Iraqi Mi-25s flying against Iranian AH-1J SeaCobras on numerous occasions.
Can an attack helicopter defeat a fighter plane?
‘A well equipped attack helicopter flown by a trained crew will defeat most fighter airplanes in 1v1 air combat, should the fighter be foolish enough to drop down to try and engage,’ Nick Lappos, former U.S. Army AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter pilot.
Do attack helicopters carry anti-air weapons?
Almost every attack helicopter on the planet can carry a modified AAM or shoulder fired SAM for anti-air protection. The proof for this lies in the US exercise J-CATCH, in which helicopters were discovered to be very dangerous to fighter jets up close, and thus to engage a helicopter a fighter needed a long range shot and either the AIM-7 or AIM-9.
How do helicopters and fighter jets get into dogfights?
Helicopters and Fighters don’t get into ‘dogfights’. Usually what would happen, is that an incoming enemy fighter would be engaged by a friendly fighter that was flying a CAP over a given area of the battle space. During the Vietnam war, the CIA had an airbase in Laos used for covert operations.
How hard is it to engage a helicopter?
‘A helicopter immersed in ground clutter is very hard to detect by almost any means, and so is hard to engage. Meanwhile, the helicopter can be equipped with air to air missiles and large caliber guns that easily engage fighters as they maneuver at low altitudes against a blue sky in their attempts to engage the helicopter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSTjhIdQTFU