AH-1W - Revision history

U38088265: /* Suspended armament */ Added custom loadouts

2024-04-29T18:05:13Z

‎Suspended armament: Added custom loadouts

U38088265: Edits

2024-04-29T18:01:57Z

Edits

U79942984: Wrote intro, flight performance, armor, armaments, usage in battles.

2024-04-28T08:51:42Z

Wrote intro, flight performance, armor, armaments, usage in battles.

U31139476: /* History */

2024-03-15T12:59:32Z

‎History

U22067555: Added manufacturer template

2024-03-14T23:31:12Z

Added manufacturer template

U31139476 at 19:23, 13 March 2024

2024-03-13T19:23:14Z

U38088265: Created page

2024-03-13T16:33:00Z

Created page

New page

{{Specs-Card
|code=ah_1w
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American attack helicopter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Alpha Strike"]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Heli-Flight}}

''Describe how the helicopter behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max speed<br>(km/h at _,___ m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| ___ || ___ || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}}
|-
! Upgraded
| ___ || ___
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Heli-Armour}}

''Examine the survivability of the helicopter. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical systems.''

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Heli-Armaments}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | [[Ballistic Computer]]
|-
! CCIP (Guns) !! CCIP (Rockets) !! CCIP (Bombs)
|-
| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}}
|-
|}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Heli-Offensive}}

{{main|M197 (20 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* A choice between two presets:
** 1 x 20 mm M197 cannon (750 rpg) + 120 x countermeasures
** 1 x 20 mm M197 cannon + 120 x countermeasures + IRCM + 120 x countermeasures

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Heli-Suspended}}

''Describe the helicopter's suspended armament: additional cannons under the winglets, any bombs, and rockets. Since any helicopter is essentially only a platform for suspended weaponry, this section is significant and deserves your special attention. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.''

{{Navigation-Start|Default weapon presets}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
* Without load
* 2 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles
* 76 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
* 16 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
* 4 x BGM-71D TOW-2 missiles
* 8 x BGM-71D TOW-2 missiles
* 4 x AGM-114B Hellfire missiles
* 8 x AGM-114B Hellfire missiles
* 4 x 20 mm M197 cannons (300 rpg = 1,200 total)
{{Navigation-End}}

== Usage in battles ==

''Describe the tactics of playing in a helicopter, the features of using the helicopter in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===

''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''

'''Pros:'''
*

'''Cons:'''
*

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the helicopter in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
* ''reference to the series of the helicopter;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{USA helicopters}}

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 == Description ==
 <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the helicopter, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the helicopter in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
-The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American attack helicopter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Alpha Strike"]]. The "Super Cobra" or "Whiskey Cobra" is a 1980s member of the greater Cobra attack helicopter family. Externally, the main difference from the [[AH-1G]]/[[AH-1F]] is the use of two engines; this evolution came from the preference of the US Marine Corps and resulted in the AH-1J Sea Cobra, of which the AH-1W is a weapons and electronics upgrade. A battle-tested veteran of the US Marines, the AH-1W was developed into the modernized [[AH-1Z|AH-1Z Viper]] but continued to serve alongside its replacement until 2020.
+The AH-1W "Super Cobra" or "Whiskey Cobra" is a 1980s member of the greater Cobra attack helicopter family. Externally, the main difference from the [[AH-1G]]/[[AH-1F]] is the use of two engines; this evolution came from the preference of the US Marine Corps and resulted in the AH-1J Sea Cobra, of which the AH-1W is a weapons and electronics upgrade. A battle-tested veteran of the US Marines, the AH-1W was developed into the modernized [[AH-1Z|AH-1Z Viper]] but continued to serve alongside its replacement until 2020.
-In War Thunder, the AH-1W is a sort of missing link behind the AH-1F and the AH-1Z. Like the former, it has access to vintage wire-guided TOW missiles and relies quite heavily on its gun and rockets as secondary weapons for rushing attacks. But it has similar offensive capabilities to the Viper as well: thermal optics and an auto-tracker, AGM-114B Hellfire laser-guided missiles, and AIM-9L Sidewinder air-to-air missiles for more methodical play. It also boasts a unique access to high-caliber Zuni rockets normally seen on fixed-wing aircraft, giving US helicopter pilots a chance to indulge in high-explosive mayhem.
+Introduced in [[Update "Alpha Strike"]], the AH-1W is a sort of missing link between the AH-1F and the AH-1Z. Like the former, it has access to vintage wire-guided TOW missiles and relies quite heavily on its gun and rockets as secondary weapons for rushing attacks. But it has similar offensive capabilities to the Viper as well: thermal optics and an auto-tracker, AGM-114B Hellfire laser-guided missiles, and AIM-9L Sidewinder air-to-air missiles for more methodical play. It also boasts unique access to high-calibre Zuni rockets normally seen on fixed-wing aircraft, giving US helicopter pilots a chance to indulge in high-explosive mayhem.
 == General info ==
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 <!-- ''Describe how the helicopter behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.'' -->
-The AH-1W generally has good flight performance. It has the same engines as the later AH-1Z but doesn't have the Viper's four-blade propeller. The top speed is slightly improved over the AH-1F and it's still a good performer for treetop skimming. The handling may be slightly unstable at times, so try to keep the collective up when moving at high speeds and practice sharp maneuvers before trying them in combat.
+The AH-1W generally has good flight performance. It has the same engines as the later AH-1Z but doesn't have the Viper's four-blade propeller. The top speed is slightly improved over the AH-1F, and it's still a good performer for treetop skimming. The handling may be slightly unstable at times, so try to keep the collective up when moving at high speeds and practice sharp manoeuvres before trying them in combat.
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 The AH-1W has a similar level of armour protection to the AH-1F: the two crew members have armoured seats and the engines are protected from the side by two 12 mm steel plates. This helps protect the crew somewhat from small arms fire and shrapnel but will do little against cannon fire, or even multiple hits from heavy machine guns. Notably, there is no bulletproof glass in the front canopy.
-With two engines, the AH-1W has a better chance of limping home after sustaining incoming damage than the US Army Cobra models, but it will be difficult to do any combat maneuvering when running on half the engine power.
+With two engines, the AH-1W has a better chance of limping home after sustaining incoming damage than the US Army Cobra models, but it will be difficult to do any combat manoeuvring when running on half the engine power.
 === Modifications and economy ===
@@ Line 69: / Line 69: @@
 * A choice between two presets:
 ** 1 x 20 mm M197 cannon (750 rpg) + 120 x countermeasures
-** 1 x 20 mm M197 cannon + 120 x countermeasures + IRCM + 120 x countermeasures
+** 1 x 20 mm M197 cannon + 120 x countermeasures + IRCM
 The AH-1W retains the M197 cannon from the AH-1F, essentially a three-barrel version of the M61 Vulcan gatling gun, mounted in a chin turret with 750 rounds of ammunition. With the assistance of the AH-1W's auto-tracker, the M197 is effective at spraying down other aircraft thanks to its great rate of fire and high muzzle velocity. Against ground targets, it's not quite as capable as the 30 mm cannons of the [[AH-64A|Apache]] or [[Mi-28N|Havoc]] as its maximum penetration is only 40 mm, but this is enough to perforate SPAAs and hose down many light tanks from the sides or top.
@@ Line 93: / Line 93: @@
 The AH-1W has a large arsenal in terms of variety, but less so in terms of capacity; it only has four pylons, unlike the six of the Viper or Apache. Beginning with ATGMs, the stock option is the familiar BGM-71D TOW-2 wire-guided missile. It is less than impressive at the AH-1W's battle rating, having a range of only 3.75 km and no tandem warhead. The top option is the AGM-114B Hellfire missile well known on later US helicopters, boasting great improvements in range, speed, and firepower. As a semi-active laser homing missile, it requires more supervision in use and can alert targets with laser warning receivers, but most of the time it's the more viable missile. All ATGMs are mounted on the outboard pylons only for a maximum capacity of eight.
-Two types of rockets are available and can be mounted on all four pylons. The FFAR Mighty Mouse is a classic low-caliber HEAT rocket with low penetration but high capacity. It's sufficient for cleaning up light targets but modern MBTs are resistant to frontal attacks. The Mk 32 Mod 0 Zuni rocket is a more exciting option: coming in pods of four, each Zuni has 457 mm of HEAT penetration, and more importantly, 8.91 kg of TNT equivalent. This is fairly close to the explosive yield of S-13OF rockets used by Soviet helicopters and can overpressure enemy tanks on direct hits and splash SPAAs with near-misses.
+Two types of rockets are available and can be mounted on all four pylons. The FFAR Mighty Mouse is a classic low-calibre HEAT rocket with low penetration but high capacity. It's sufficient for cleaning up light targets but modern MBTs are resistant to frontal attacks. The Mk 32 Mod 0 Zuni rocket is a more exciting option: coming in pods of four, each Zuni has 457 mm of HEAT penetration, and more importantly, 8.91 kg of TNT equivalent. This is fairly close to the explosive yield of S-13OF rockets used by Soviet helicopters and can overpressure enemy tanks on direct hits and splash SPAAs with near-misses.
-The AH-1W also has access to all-aspect AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles, giving it another potent tool to combat aircraft besides the internal cannon. Highly maneuverable, they can easily shoot down unaware jets. The main issue is that that they can only be mounted singly on the outboard pylons for a total of two, so not only is the overall capacity small, but they also compete for pylon space with the ATGMs.
+The AH-1W also has access to all-aspect AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles, giving it another potent tool to combat aircraft besides the internal cannon. Highly manoeuvrable, they can easily shoot down unaware jets. The main issue is that they can only be mounted singly on the outboard pylons for a total of two, so not only is the overall capacity small, but they also compete for pylon space with the ATGMs.
 The last option is the GPU-2/A gun pod containing a standalone M197 cannon with 1200 rounds of ammunition. It can be mounted on any pylon for additional gunfire, but is more of a novelty than a practical weapon as the internal EEGS-assisted M197 is much more efficient at swatting planes and light vehicles without occupying valuable hardpoint space.
@@ Line 105: / Line 105: @@
 The AH-1W can be played in many ways. It can be used as a classic early-game rocket rusher like previous Cobra models, relying on its speed and low profile, but it is not significantly more effective in this role than the basic AH-1F because the Zuni rockets require additional spawn points. At the Whiskey Cobra's battle rating even many non-SPAA vehicles have tools to shoot down nearby helicopters. On a second spawn, Zunis are much more powerful and can potentially one-shot enemies that aren't expecting such a bold approach, but by then it's likely that there will be at least some SPAA up. Use cover when possible to move around the outskirts of the battlefield undetected.
-As an ATGM slinger, the AH-1W can do some good work with up to eight AGM-114B Hellfires. However, it has one peculiar drawback compared to other Hellfire-equipped helicopters: the optical zoom is unusually low, topping out at only 13x. It becomes very difficult to precisely adjust the aim point of the laser designator beyond a few kilometers of distance from the target. As a result, the damage of Hellfire impacts on armoured targets can be somewhat random; a lucky hit could strike turret roof armour and trigger overpressure for an instant knockout, an unlucky one might just take out an unimportant module or crew member. As such, eight Hellfires will not always translate to a similar number of tanks destroyed. In some situations it may be fruitful to use Hellfires to take out SPAAs (with caution, as low zoom makes it harder to find and target them) and light targets first, then move in closer to use Zunis.
+As an ATGM slinger, the AH-1W can do some good work with up to eight AGM-114B Hellfires. However, it has one peculiar drawback compared to other Hellfire-equipped helicopters: the optical zoom is unusually low, topping out at only 13x. It becomes very difficult to precisely adjust the aim point of the laser designator beyond a few kilometres of distance from the target. As a result, the damage of Hellfire impacts on armoured targets can be somewhat random; a lucky hit could strike turret roof armour and trigger overpressure for an instant knockout, an unlucky one might just take out an unimportant module or crew member. As such, eight Hellfires will not always translate to a similar number of tanks destroyed. In some situations it may be fruitful to use Hellfires to take out SPAAs (with caution, as low zoom makes it harder to find and target them) and light targets first, then move in closer to use Zunis.
-The AH-1W lacks the AH-1Z's wingtip Sidewinder hardpoints and must sacrifice ATGMs to mount them. Even just one Sidewinder will halve the ATGM capacity to a meager four, so many pilots might opt to ignore AAMs when the main focus is tank busting. A loadout of two Sidewinders and two rocket pods can be reserved as a low-SP option for light air defense and light ground attack.
+The AH-1W lacks the AH-1Z's wingtip Sidewinder hardpoints and must sacrifice ATGMs to mount them. Even just one Sidewinder will halve the ATGM capacity to a meagre four, so many pilots might opt to ignore AAMs when the main focus is tank busting. A loadout of two Sidewinders and two rocket pods can be reserved as a low-SP option for light air defense and light ground attack.
 === Pros and cons ===
 <!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
 '''Pros:'''
@@ Line 132: / Line 131: @@
 === [[wt:en/news/8811-development-ah-1w-super-cobra-the-venomous-marine-en|Devblog]] ===
-As the AH-1 Cobra entered service with the Army, the USMC expressed their interest in acquiring Cobras for their own use. However, these Cobras would have to be twin-engined and possess a more capable primary armament to meet the Marines’ service requirements. Despite initial hesitation from the Department of Defense, the Marines received the go-ahead and proceeded with awarding Bell with a contract to produce 49 AH-1J Sea Cobras in May 1968.
+As the AH-1 Cobra entered service with the Army, the USMC expressed their interest in acquiring Cobras for their own use. However, these Cobras would have to be twin-engined and possess a more capable primary armament to meet the Marines' service requirements. Despite initial hesitation from the Department of Defense, the Marines received the go-ahead and proceeded with awarding Bell with a contract to produce 49 AH-1J Sea Cobras in May 1968.
-Similarly to the Army, the USMC also perceived the AH-1 as an interim vehicle, until a more suitable replacement could be found. Whilst this replacement would come to the Army in the form of the AH-64 Apache, the USMC’s request to upgrade their fleet with a naval version of the Apache would be met with disapproval by the Congress in 1981, thus forcing the Marines to look into other options. The decision was therefore made to upgrade the existing fleet with new AH-1W Super Cobras, which featured an improved fire control system and the ability to carry more advanced ordnance.
+Similarly to the Army, the USMC also perceived the AH-1 as an interim vehicle, until a more suitable replacement could be found. Whilst this replacement would come to the Army in the form of the AH-64 Apache, the USMC's request to upgrade their fleet with a naval version of the Apache would be met with disapproval by the Congress in 1981, thus forcing the Marines to look into other options. The decision was therefore made to upgrade the existing fleet with new AH-1W Super Cobras, which featured an improved fire control system and the ability to carry more advanced ordnance.
 == Media ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:23, 13 March 2024
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		+	{{About
		+	\| about = American attack helicopter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
		+	\| usage = other variants
		+	\| link = AH-1 (Family)
		+	}}
	{{Specs-Card		{{Specs-Card
	\|code=ah_1w		\|code=ah_1w

@@ Line 76: / Line 76: @@
 {{Specs-Heli-Suspended}}
 <!-- ''Describe the helicopter's suspended armament: additional cannons under the winglets, any bombs, and rockets. Since any helicopter is essentially only a platform for suspended weaponry, this section is significant and deserves your special attention. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.'' -->
 {{Navigation-Start|Default weapon presets}}

@@ Line 72: / Line 72: @@
 {{Navigation-Start|Default weapon presets}}
 {{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
 * Without load
 * 2 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles
@@ Line 92: / Line 93: @@
 '''Pros:'''
+*
 '''Cons:'''
+*
@@ Line 100: / Line 103: @@
 <!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the helicopter in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
 ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the helicopter in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''
 == Media ==
@@ Line 110: / Line 118: @@
 * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
 ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 * ''reference to the series of the helicopter;''
 * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

@@ Line 117: / Line 117: @@
 * ''topic on the official game forum;''
 * ''other literature.'' -->
 {{USA helicopters}}