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AH-6C, MH-6 photos from AH6C-SIP-PICS ARE BACK!


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I have seen this picture before in the past but never paid it much attention. After we finally discovered a photo of the EH-6B in late-2019, I noticed a few similarities and it appears this was also an EH-6B. It has the radar altimeter and antenna box under the belly, similar to the other EH-6B photographed. The Batwing SATCOM antenna is missing from the tailboom but the antenna base is there. Add the SATCOM antenna and you'll have a full-spec EH-6B!

 

 

oh6_3

 

The serials commonly listed as being EH-6Bs are  68-17301, 68-17358 and 69-15977. The serial on this ship isn't fully legible but the first two numbers appear to be 15 so perhaps this is 69-15977. It appears to be CARC green with black lettering and this would be consistent with the previous info stated by GT.   

 

LD.

Edited by Loach Driver
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On 8/16/2020 at 2:44 PM, Loach Driver said:

This poster is for sale from Heliops. I am not promoting it, but a portion of the purchase price does go to the Nightstalker Foundation. 

 

It does have some interesting types featured. It has the usual collection of Little Birds that we all know and love but among the drawings is one of the EH-6E. It isn't fitted with a FLIR turret but does have a SATCOM antenna on the tailboom.

 

Of equal interest are the drawings of the early Blackhawks and Chinooks, in particular the CH-47C+ and CH-47D+.  Those early Chinooks have received very little attention from us here. I need to break out Floyd's decal sheets to see if they are included. There is the odd photo here and there on the web of the early Hawks and Hooks but it'd be nice to see a few more.

 

https://www.heliopsmag.com/store/160th-SOAR-A-Special-Collectors-Edition-p227470874

 

LD.

Hi mate, the link is not working, any chance to get those documents ? Still searching for more info on Gulf war MH-47D, MH-60s and MH-6s.... Thanks !

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50 minutes ago, JakubJakepilot said:

Hi mate, the link is not working, any chance to get those documents ? Still searching for more info on Gulf war MH-47D, MH-60s and MH-6s.... Thanks !

Yes, for some reason the link doesn't work. The Heliops website seems to be down completely. You will find Heliops on Facebook and Ned Dawson is the guy to contact there. They generally print a batch of posters from initial orders with a deposit but they might have a few left over. Hopefully you can get one!

 

LD. 

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Found on the web today.

 

An MH-6H doing some State-side training, fitted with the low-rider platform.

mh6_urban.jpg

 

vlcsnap-2019-02-15-15h19m13s203

 

This photo is from the Night Stalkers Foundation website. It looks like a group photo of the initial cadre from TF158. Looks like an AH-6C hovering in the background with an OH-58C included, for some reason. 

 

LD.

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  • 3 weeks later...

A couple of weeks ago I started to read back over this thread in its entirety. It contains a huge amount of information and I wanted to see if I'd missed or forgotten anything interesting. 

 

One little snippet of information that I found fascinating was a reference to the AH-6 gun birds by Killing Stone. He mentioned that the guns used during Operation Just Cause were fitted with 19-shot rockets pods. The configuration he mentioned was a single minigun on the left and a single 19-shot pod on the right. Basically the same configuration as the AH-6F but with the bigger pod fitted. I presume it was the M261 rocket pod.

 

GT pointed me in the right direction and after a little research and some significant assistance from a couple of former Night Stalkers, I have nailed down some solid info on the AH-6Gs used during Operation Just Cause. 

 

It looks like all Little Birds had been fitted with the C-30 engine by this time (late 1989) but the AH-6Gs were not fitted with the gun plank. Therefore, they were flying the AH-6Gs in the same configuration as the previous AH-6F, a single minigun on the left side and a single rocket pod on the right side. In Panama, some AH-6s flew with the 7-shot pod and some were fitted with the 19-shot pod. When they had the 19-shot pod fitted, they were limited to a maximum load of 14 rockets. Presumably this was approaching the weight limit of the fuselage mount for the pod. The down-turned IR Suppression Exhaust from GF1 and Gothic Serpent wasn't fitted to the AH-6G during Op Just Cause. As far as I can tell, 85-25346 was one of the AH-6Gs present in Panama with the M261 fitted. A few Panama AH-6s have appeared on some of the Werner Wings sheets so they will assist in anyone building an Op Just Cause gun bird.

 

LD.  

Edited by Loach Driver
Correcting a grammatical error.
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  • 4 months later...
13 hours ago, HeavyArty said:

The standard helicopter font is Amarillo USAF.  I assume the Little Bird uses the same.

 

Wow, HeavyArty, THANKS.  A quick, precise answer.  I really appreciate that.   This has been a phenomenal thread I found recently and went back and read from the beginning.  I had no clue that it would still be going on now, though it has slacked off in recent months.  I hope people will continue to post here and keep the discussion alive.  Thanks to all who contributed so much, and thank you to HeavyArty for the quick assist.   James

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On 2/26/2021 at 8:16 AM, Tengu3 said:

 

Wow, HeavyArty, THANKS.  A quick, precise answer.  I really appreciate that.   This has been a phenomenal thread I found recently and went back and read from the beginning.  I had no clue that it would still be going on now, though it has slacked off in recent months.  I hope people will continue to post here and keep the discussion alive.  Thanks to all who contributed so much, and thank you to HeavyArty for the quick assist.   James

 

Sorry to disagree but this information is incorrect. If you look at TM-55-1500-345-23 "Painting and Marking of Army Aircraft", chapter 8 shows examples of the font.  The US Army block letters used for aircraft do not conform to any commercial font that I know of.  Amarillo USAF is similar but not 100% the same.  It's easier to see the differences if you look at the numbers - the 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 differ.  In "U.S. ARMY", S and M differ significantly, for example.

 

I researched this years ago and was going to develop a PostScript/TrueType font for the Army helicopter markings but there was not enough commercial interest to warrant the work to be done.  There are several 'stencil' fonts available for free on the Internet that are close but the last time I checked they also did not conform 100% to the helicopter markings.

 

John Hairell

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On 2/27/2021 at 3:58 PM, FM-Whip said:

 

Sorry to disagree but this information is incorrect. If you look at TM-55-1500-345-23 "Painting and Marking of Army Aircraft", chapter 8 shows examples of the font.  The US Army block letters used for aircraft do not conform to any commercial font that I know of.  Amarillo USAF is similar but not 100% the same.  It's easier to see the differences if you look at the numbers - the 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 differ.  In "U.S. ARMY", S and M differ significantly, for example.

 

I researched this years ago and was going to develop a PostScript/TrueType font for the Army helicopter markings but there was not enough commercial interest to warrant the work to be done.  There are several 'stencil' fonts available for free on the Internet that are close but the last time I checked they also did not conform 100% to the helicopter markings.

 

John Hairell

 

Hi John.  I very much appreciate the updated info, plus the referral to the proper TM and chapter.  The "M" Little Birds appear to use just "U.S. ARMY" on the tail boom, in a strong sans serif font, while the previous versions, including the "J" spell out, "UNITED STATES ARMY" in a different font.  I've been frustrated to find a good photo of a "J" Little Bird's tailboom with a clear view of the lettering.  I've got dozens and dozens of photos the "M" Little Bird tail booms, and early OH-6 Loach tail booms, but surprisingly the "J" eludes me.

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I'm modeling in 1:18 scale.  Does anyone here know of a decal sheet that will work for the tail boom subdued grey lettering?  I can even go with press-type dry transfer instead of decals, in which case 16 pt size is what I need.  Thanks to all.

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  • 2 months later...

Came across this picture over on The Drive, taken this weekend during a large SOF exercise in VA.  Note the guy sitting in the aft compartment.  Don't think I've seen that before on an AH-6.    Also note the external cable running to the SATCOM antenna on the tailboom (which also seems to be a different style than what I've seen before). 

message-editor%2F1620591068525-sealsblacked7copy.jpg?quality=60

 

Full article is at:

Navy SEALs And Army Night Stalkers Captured In Amazing Photos During Virginia Exercise (thedrive.com)

 

Lots of really good pics of the full range of 160th helos.  

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1 hour ago, 11bee said:

Came across this picture over on The Drive, taken this weekend during a large SOF exercise in VA.  Note the guy sitting in the aft compartment.  Don't think I've seen that before on an AH-6.    Also note the external cable running to the SATCOM antenna on the tailboom (which also seems to be a different style than what I've seen before). 

message-editor%2F1620591068525-sealsblacked7copy.jpg?quality=60

 

Full article is at:

Navy SEALs And Army Night Stalkers Captured In Amazing Photos During Virginia Exercise (thedrive.com)

 

Lots of really good pics of the full range of 160th helos.  

 

Thanks, Eleven Bravo.  Some great fun stuff there.  I never got to ride on the exterior bench of an MH-6, which I dearly would have love to have done. 

I've only flown inside a civilian MD500 and even that was only doors-on. 

I have flown many many times in UH-1Ds and UH-60s, with the big side doors open, sitting "knees in the breeze" for transportation or for jump training (me 2nd from left in photo).

But I regret never having had the opportunity to fly NOE on the outside of a Little Bird.

UH-1D - 12th helo broadside w me on board - colour adjusted BEST.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

20200824_153000.thumb.jpg.8d3420900bd5486d71d065091bcd40ec.jpg20200825_145551.thumb.jpg.f90364d083a1aecf473c08c834e56c59.jpg315042175_20200824_151253(1).thumb.jpg.7f6b019ba03598fe415d906d843fca4b.jpgimagejpeg_0(2).thumb.jpg.20deac4e4b0b4c8d725772e4db9b027d.jpgimagejpeg_1.thumb.jpg.dae885d7217a9b94b05c3034b13ac27f.jpgimagejpeg_2.jpg.5787c3c3839bcc266b78ae807eec66af.jpg20200818_100138.jpg.00e8116850a127bb4c69bb15eb7ab108.jpg20200825_145400.thumb.jpg.02d65b593a5f2d8db0b6df992bb16427.jpg20200824_151403.thumb.jpg.8c5c5fbbd7ae2c1e67fe0e5ef8dac611.jpgTook these while out on a rescue of one of our jets that sustained some damage while out on CQ DET in North Island. We were sharing a hangar with the 160TH while. Was pretty cool to get to get up close to the Little Birds in the hangar, as well as speak to and watch the unit work, and fly around on the ramp. Unfortunately, and sadly two days after some of the pics were taken they lost two crew members in a crash of one of their MH-60s.

20200824_151253.jpg

20200824_151257.jpg

thumbnail (10) (1).jfif thumbnail (10).jfif thumbnail (4) (1).jfif

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Awesome pics (although it looks like 3 didn’t post correctly).   Love the “We Kill Suckas” on the AH’s.   Maybe Werner’s Wings can do that (and the new LED nose light) as decals.   Thanks for posting.  

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4 hours ago, 11bee said:

Awesome pics (although it looks like 3 didn’t post correctly).   Love the “We Kill Suckas” on the AH’s.   Maybe Werner’s Wings can do that (and the new LED nose light) as decals.   Thanks for posting.  

Thanks Bee... The other three were duplicates.

 

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  • 3 months later...
  • 6 months later...

Here are two recent articles on the Little Bird and its future. It looks like it will be around for another while yet. No surprise really. Nothing can replace a Little Bird!

 

I'm looking forward to seeing what the Block III Little Bird looks like.

 

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/little-bird-helicopters-future-laid-out-in-new-night-stalkers-aviation-plan

 

Here is a piece on the plank-mounted machine gun.

 

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/check-out-the-mh-6-little-birds-plank-mounted-machine-gun-setup

 

LD.

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  • 4 months later...

Here is a video of Little Bird and 160th Blackhawk activity during Op Urgent Fury. The Little Birds appear at about 48:34. The start of the video also has footage of the crash of a Night Stalkers Blackhawk early in the video. Cpt Keith Lucas would loose his life in that crash, sadly. 

 

I wonder was GT one of the AH-6C pilots in this footage?

 

 

 

LD.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Interesting picture posted on social media.    Looks like this MH has some new gear added.   Either missile launch warning detectors or some sort of active DIRCM equip I would guess.   I'm leaning towards the later since launch detectors are typically tied into countermeasure dispensers, and I can't see the H-6 taking on even more bulky, heavy equipment. 

4SbUqDu.jpg

 

 

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Thanks for sharing that photo. My guess is that this is a Block III H-6M, or at least a full-spec test airframe chosen from the fleet and fitted with the Block III modifications. It looks like a well-used airframe. From what I have read, the Block III are going to be built using new airframes from Boeing/MDHI so that makes me think it isn't a standard Block III. I se that the blade tips are covered with tie-downs on what looks like a very pleasant day. That might be to cover the tips of the new composite blades that are fitted to the Block III. Hopefully we will get to see further pictures of these new Little Birds soon.

 

LD. 

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Hey LD, 

 

Any thoughts on that brown-ish vent panel on the aft fuselage directly under the circular access cover?  Just noticed this feature.  Seems to be nearly in the same spot as that large intake scoop that seemed to be part of the little seen IR suppression system.  

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Hi Jon. Yea, that caught my eye too. I wonder does it serve a similar purpose to the large air intake that was in that location nearly 20 years ago now? I think an IR-suppressed exhaust system is one of the features called for under the Block III upgrade. I haven't seen a drawing of any IR exhaust system or any photos either. Some portions of the upgrade might be classified so any Block IIIs that appear in public in the USA could have certain items removed, similar to the down-turned exhaust from Gothic Serpent. Our first sight of any new exhaust system might be a snap shot of a deployed Little Bird from some operation that will occur over the next few years. Any exhaust will be something they might want to keep under wraps for a while although my guess is that it will be some modified version of the AH-64D/E upturned exhaust. If they can deflect the heat upwards and not heat the fuselage/tailboom area, that might work.  

 

The BLOCK III blades were first test-flown in 2013 so some of the upgrades are around for a while now. I guess it's just a case of getting the sign-off for the upgrade program to go ahead or maybe some components of the upgrade package took longer to evolve than others. Hopefully we see more of these modified Little Birds soon. 

 

I see it has the "Egg Whisk" Satcom antenna fitted in place of the previous X-shaped one.

 

Does anyone know what those warning receivers are? Are they radar, laser or small arms fire detection systems (opsec notwithstanding)?

 

LD.     

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