Peten
| This page is about the Israeli attack helicopter Peten. For other versions, see AH-64 (Family). |
Contents
Description
The AH-64A Peten is a rank VI Israeli attack helicopter with a battle rating of 10.3 (AB/SB) and 11.7 (RB). It was introduced in Update "Danger Zone".
General info
Flight performance
The AH-64A Peten is one of the fastest helicopters in the game, only trumped by the british G-LYNX and the likes of the Mi-24 (Family). It has two powerful engines, which gives the Peten a good climb rate. Manoeuvrability at high speed is excellent too, being able to even execute barrel rolls without losing too much altitude; a feat many helicopters can only dream of. Overall it offers great flight performance and feels right at home for both newcomers and experienced players.
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 1,000 m) |
Max altitude (metres) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | ||
| Stock | 270 | 251 | 5400 |
| Upgraded | ___ | ___ | |
Survivability and armour
The AH-64A Peten has only limited armour protection installed with bullet proof glass only being installed on the pilot windscreen. The helicopter uses Kevlar boron carbide, composite martial which is limited only to instrument, floor and side panels around the cockpit. It does not provide the same level of protection as seen on other helicopters such as the Mi-28N.
- Bullet proof glass installed only for the pilot - 22 mm thick.
- Installation of Kevlar boron carbide, composite martial only on the: Seats, cockpit side panels, Gunner floor panels and pilot instrument panel - 20 mm thick.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Offensive armament
The Peten is armed with:
- A choice between three presets:
- 1 x 30 mm M230E-1 cannon (1,200 rpg)
- 1 x 30 mm M230E-1 cannon + 60 x countermeasures
- 1 x 30 mm M230E-1 cannon + 60 x countermeasures + IRCM
The Peten has the same 30 mm cannon as the other Apaches in the game currently, and only has one belt choice. The belt carries only HEDP rounds, and can penetrate up to 51 mm of armour. The gun is fast firing, but relatively inaccurate, so shooting in close range is the best way to hit your target. If you don't mind the inaccuracy of the gun, it is a very good weapon all around. It can be locked in gunner and 3rd person view and will automatically track the target.
Suspended armament
The Peten can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- Without load
- 76 x Hydra-70 M247 rockets
- 4 x AGM-114B Hellfire missiles
- 8 x AGM-114B Hellfire missiles
- 16 x AGM-114B Hellfire missiles
- 4 x ATAS (AIM-92) missiles
The Peten can carry up to 16 Hellfire ATGMs with over 1,000 mm of pen, 76 Hydra rockets with over 200 mm of pen, or 4 Stinger AAMs. The weapons are carried on the stub wings and can be carried in several different variations. The Hellfires are excellent missiles, although since the player must keep "painting" a laser beam on the target, misses can occur if the target lock slips. The Hydra rockets are generally very effective, especially when used with the ballistic computer. 76 rockets is enough for 3-5 tanks if they are used by an experienced player. However, the Stinger AAMs are not the best in the game by any stretch, with relatively little explosive mass and only a 10G overload. They may take 2-3 hits to damage aircraft, and heavily armoured helicopters such as the Mi-28 may survive multiple hits.
Custom loadout options
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydra-70 M247 rockets | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | |||
| AGM-114B Hellfire missiles | 2, 4 | 2, 4 | 2, 4 | 2, 4 | |||
| ATAS (AIM-92) missiles | 2 | 2 |
Defensive systems
The Peten has the following Defensive systems installed:
- Countermeasures - 60 built-in
- AN/APR-39 - Radar Warning Receiver (RWR); C-M detectable bands; track and launch detection
- AN/AVR-2 - Laser Warning Receiver (LWR)
- AN/AAR-47 - Missile Approach Warning system (MAW)
- AIM-92 Stinger - AIM 92 Stinger missiles
All 3 major defensive sensors (RWR, LWR and MAW) come standard with the helicopter and are essential to surviving enemy attacks. The Peten comes stock with 60 countermeasures in the form of just flares, however, in order to select a mix of flares and chaff, the adequate modification [Flares/Chaff (tier I)] will have to be researched. The AIM-92 Stinger module can be researched at tier III and adds an extra layer of defence against both enemy aircraft and other helicopters. The Stinger launchers are mounted in pairs on the wingtips and do not compromise any hardpoint space for other weaponry.
Usage in battles
Overview:
The AH-64A Peten is an excellent helicopter for attacking ground targets, and can also hold its own against many enemy aircraft. Through adequate use of cover, teamwork, and game sense, the Apache can easily dismantle enemy teams. An Apache pilot must understand all of the tools at their disposal. The only difference between the Peten and the tech tree AH-64A is that the Peten lacks access to the AIM-9L Sidewinders as an ordnance option.
The Apache has an arsenal of weapons. The most effective anti-tank weapon in the Apache's arsenal is the AGM-114 Hellfire, which uses a top attack trajectory to destroy ground vehicles. There is functionally very little difference between the AGM-114B and K variants, used on early and late Apaches respectively.
Staying Alive:
Flying the Apache effectively can be more difficult than most players would imagine, even with all the sensors it offers. Trying to deal with threats from enemy air and ground vehicles while continuing to attack the enemy team can be difficult. If distracted, a pilot can quickly lose situational awareness. Being successful in the Apache requires situational awareness above all else. Due to the fragility of the helicopter, any blindspot can lead to a quick and sudden death as even with the MAW one might not always be in an adequate position to defend against the incoming threat. Additionally, the mobility of the Apache is adequate but not impressive, so evasive manoeuvres are not always effective; after all, it is still a helicopter.
Using cover is a very important part of staying alive in the Apache. Always stay behind a hill or building in ground battles. When exposing yourself in order to fire on the enemy, be mindful to not gain too much altitude. Most importantly, Always listen to your RWR. If you hear an alarm, take evasive action immediately.
Additionally, it is important to know when to use flares. Flares are extremely effective against heat-seeking missiles, but useless against any other missiles. It is the responsibility of the Apache pilot to recognize the threat and decide whether to use flares or not.
Air-to-Air (Stinger and Gun):
The Apache is surprisingly potent in air-to-air combat. Engagements should be conducted primarily through the use of the AIM-92 Stinger missiles. The Stinger is a simple but effective air-to-air missile. It has an excellent seeker head and can obtain all aspect lock on almost any air target within 3-5 km (even propeller aircraft with a low heat signature). However, the Stinger can be easily fooled by flares or outmanoeuvred by a fast enemy aircraft. The best way to use the Stinger against enemy aircraft is when they are heading directly towards you. If fired at the right second, most enemies will struggle to dodge a Stinger.
If the enemy gets close, the 30 mm autocannon can be extremely effective. The gun will automatically aim with optical lock, so Apache pilots can aim accurately while taking evasive manoeuvres.
Close Range Air-to-Ground (Gun and Rockets):
At close range, the Apache has excellent offensive capability. The 30 mm autocannon is incredibly accurate even at surprisingly far distances. This cannon uses a High Explosive Dual Purpose round that can engage lightly armoured targets. Rocket pods can also be used, with the CCIP computer helping maintain accuracy even at further distances. Be careful when trying to use the Hellfire missile at close range. It can do a direct attack at closer ranges (rather than its usual top attack) but if fired at an odd angle, it may not have time to manoeuvre onto the target if fired at closer ranges.
The problem with trying to engage at close range is that doing so will put the Apache in huge amounts of danger. Enemy tanks will be able to quickly destroy the Apache with their main guns or anti-aircraft machine guns.
Long Range Air-to-Ground (Hellfire):
At longer ranges, the Hellfire missile can be used to full effect. The Hellfire will guide on its target as shown in the attached diagram. This is known as top attack. Being that it takes this path to the enemy target, the Hellfire can take upward of 30 seconds to reach its target at longer ranges. Do not fire at enemies that are about to move to cover, and make sure to fire multiple missiles at once in order to deal maximum damage. Because the Hellfire is laser guided, multiple missiles can be fired at once. They should be fired at intervals of 5-10 seconds, where between missiles the Apache can switch to a new ground target. This will allow for the quick destruction of multiple enemies. This tactic can be incredibly effective. Although the time to target for the most recently fired Hellfire is available on the HUD, pilots will have to keep track of all the missiles they have fired by memory and quick calculations.
Combatting enemy anti-aircraft vehicles can be a challenge. Always remain in cover and move unpredictably in combat. Use the radar warning receiver to obtain the general direction of enemy AA, and then attack with a Hellfire. An effective strategy is to fire a Hellfire, break optical lock to gain cover and avoid counterfire, and then pop back up and get lock again several seconds before the Hellfire hits. This strategy if applied correctly will result in a hit, as the Hellfire is smart enough to begin following the laser designator again once the Apache re-obtains its lock.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- High top speed and manoeuvrability
- Good air-to-air capability with autotracking 30mm gun and Stinger missiles
- Good 30mm gun with HEDP belts; great against anything, especially fragile vehicles
- Excellent secondary armament; can carry up to 16 Hellfires on top of 4 AAMs
- Advanced countermeasure system with radar warning receiver (RWR) and Missile Alert Warning
- Well armoured for a helicopter; may survive hits from SAMs
- Excellent thermals and zoom
Cons:
- Stinger air-to-air missiles don't turn well, aren't reliable, and don't have enough explosive mass to guarantee a kill upon a hit
- Hellfires are difficult to guide to air targets due to their trajectory
- Easily destroyed by main adversary (Ka-50 & Ka-52) and enemy aircraft
- 30 mm cannon is relatively inaccurate at range
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: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Israel helicopters | |
|---|---|
| Attack | |
| MD 500 | Lahatut |
| Battle Hawk | AH-60 |
| Cobra | Tzefa D/E · Tzefa A · Tzefa B |
| Apache | Saraph · Peten · AH-64A Peten |
