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

[Stalker6recon]

29 minutes ago, Whiskey said:

 

According to the web address for the photos it's www.americanspecialops.com

Thanks for adding the link, that is the correct one. I am quite shocked at the number of photos that are for the most part, showing the faces of those in the different SF groups, which is unusual. I would think they wouldn't want their faces shown for security reasons. I have been going thru some of the photos of the men, looking for a buddy of mine, but still have not seen him, yet. I will let him know if I find his photo there, it seems a bit reckless. But apparently there is an ongoing Fox TV show that follows recent/current Navy SeAL's in training operations. I live in the Philippines, so I was unaware of this, if true, it's rather sad to me. Turning the teams into a reality TV show like cops, just seems wrong.

 

Anyway, I hope those photos are indeed new, and I am happy to have been able to share something to what is likely the very best resource for Little Birds in the entire unclassified world.

 

Cheers,

 

Anthony

[HeavyArty]

15 hours ago, hawkwrench said:

Actually the cargo doors are locked back by the latch when you slide them full back.  Pinning was done with the Hueys. Not being nitpicky, just my UH-60 OCD kicking in! Lol 😁

 

Tim

I knew that.  I guess I was having Huey flashbacks.  Either way, the cargo/troop doors are locked back and remain on the aircraft.

[Stalker6recon]

Hey guys, I finally ordered my two little birds by Kitty Hawk, but now I keep seeing a 2.0 version for sale on ebay and in some online stores. I don't have my kits yet, I am stuck in mandatory quarantine on the other side of the island from me home, so I won't be getting any of my online orders until I get back to my place, which might be a while.

 

Anyway, I am having trouble finding out details, what makes the version 2 different. Does anyone have details as to what the new kit has that makes it different, and possibly better than the original kit?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Anthony

[Newtonk]

Hay Stalker6recon, which Littlebird kits did you get, please?

 

i built the A/MH 6M with resin figures. And junked it as soon as I’d finished, and traded away the figures. I was so disappointed with it, I’m reluctant to go for Kittyhawk’s Knighthawk, as much as I want it. 

 

There are are errors in the instructions, parts missing in the kit, soft or missing detail, and just plain ol’ errors. I wrote a tweeks list somewhere, and I kept the instructions with my notes in it, too. I hope the kits you have are better than what I received. 

 

[Stalker6recon]

1 hour ago, Newtonk said:

Littlebird

Yikes, that whole thing sounds horrible, but I must admit, it's the first one I have heard. Since I am still a beginner, I don't have the encyclopedic knowledge regarding accuracy that most of the people on these sites have, so I won't be worried about accuracy as much as I worry about fitment. I ordered both kits with figures. One will be build as a transport, the other as an attack craft. The figures are going to be mixed together with a set I plan to order for my MH-60L by Kitty Hawk.

 

The model numbers are KH50002, KH50004, and KH50005 Blackhawk.

 

I can't say that I have seen other A/MH-6 kits, so I don't have anything to compare it too, other than my 48 scale kits, that I have yet to build. I have two of those, and conversion kits to make them into SOAR aircraft, forget the manufacturer of the conversion kits, but it's a popular conversion for the little birds.

 

Anyway, I am certainly curious to know what pitfalls await in the build, if you can remember the details, and what steps are missing. I certainly need all the help I can get, as again, my skill level is basically zero again. Haven't built a kit since the late 80's.

 

I plan to build at least one Academy Blackhawk before tackling these new Kitty Hawk kits. I am following a couple build logs of their Blackhawk series, and both builders speak wonders regarding the level of detail, far exceeding the older Academy molds, but always room for improvement by the artist on these forums.

 

Sorry you had such a negative experience, I certainly hope my experience is far different. But only time will tell.

 

Anyway, thanks for the feedback, and again, if you can help me avoid the problems you encountered, that would be awesome. Cheers,

 

Anthony

[11bee]

Hi Stalker, might want to post similar questions in a new thread.  This one is focused on the real thing, not model-related questions.  

 

Regards,

 

John

[Stalker6recon]

On 4/8/2020 at 8:26 PM, 11bee said:

focused on the real thing

My bad, been a while since I was on the thread.....no biggie.

 

Cheers,

 

Anthony

[Loach Driver]

Is there a new additional antenna on the forward tailboom of this MELB?

 

[11bee]

Sure looks that way LD.  Interesting that the cable is run externally.  I can’t make out if the lighter colored circle on the vertical stabilizer is a painted on marking or something else.   

[hawkwrench]

Huh, they are always coming up with new lumps and bumps!

 

Tim

[Hajo L.]

I propably should have already read it here, but do the LBs now have 6 main rotor blades?

 

 

HAJO

[Stalker6recon]

Looks like the spot on the vertical stab is just water spots on the lens. You can see another one to the right on the blades, my guess is that there would be more, but they match the color of the grey sky background, so they are only visible on dark surfaces. I take a lot of pictures, and have had similar marks from mist/rain many times.

 

As for the rotors, I know they use 6 on current models, but I can't remember which version the change was made. I believe it is the MH-6M, but someone much wiser than me can end the debate.

 

Cheers,

 

Anthony

[HeavyArty]

4 hours ago, Hajo L. said:

I propably should have already read it here, but do the LBs now have 6 main rotor blades?

 

Yes, H-6M version adds the 6th blade on the main rotor and 4 blade tail rotor, among other changes.  Full H-6 Little Bird lineage info can be found here:  http://aeroscale.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=264568&page=1

Edited April 22, 2020 by HeavyArty

[Sarathi S.]

That new antenna looks like the same one that some of the -60s have mounted forward of the windscreen

 

[hawkwrench]

Here's a new pic of an early TF-160 (pic labeled 1986-87) AH-6. Not sure what model though. I'm sure you guys know. 

 

Tim

Edited May 14, 2020 by hawkwrench

[HeavyArty]

Very cool.  It looks like one of the original AH-6Cs with 4-blade main rotor and y-tail.  You don't see many pics of them.  Good find.

[11bee]

7 hours ago, hawkwrench said:

Here's a new pic of an early TF-160 (pic labeled 1986-87) AH-6. Not sure what model though. I'm sure you guys know. 

 

Tim

Nice find.   Aside from some great pictures by GT, very few AH-6C pictures have made it out there.     Is it me or is that helo in OD or CARC?

[Sarathi S.]

I'd say CARC, given that the markings look to be OD

 

[11bee]

1 hour ago, Sarathi S. said:

I'd say CARC, given that the markings look to be OD

 

First time I’ve seen an H-6 of theirs in anything besides black.  

[Loach Driver]

If you look closely in the background, an AH-6F is on the ground. The colours on the AH-6F seem to be quite similar to the AH-6C so maybe the photograph is "washed-out" and faded and thus the faded matt black appears OD Green or CARC Green. The markings on the tailboom appear to be lighter in colour than the overall scheme so possibly the matt black with OD Green markings looks like this in a faded photo. The minigun is also OD Green in the photo and that should be black so I'd say the photo is washed out. Nice to see a new photo of an AH-6C.

 

LD.

[Whiskey]

Where did you manage to find this pic from Tim? Any chance we can expect more?

[hawkwrench]

Another one. It doesn't say anything about Prime Chance.

 

Tim

Edited May 14, 2020 by hawkwrench

[Loach Driver]

The configuration looks correct for Prime Chance so it might be a photo from that operation. It might also be a photo from that barge that the 160th used to train from.

 

LD.

[Loach Driver]

Here is a quote from Jane's Defense on the Army's current plans for the Little Bird.

 

"Addressing delegates at the virtual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) event on 13 May, Rotary-Wing Program Executive Officer (PEO) Geoffrey Downer presented the USSOCOM’s ‘SOF Rotary-Wing Platform Roadmap’, which illustrated a Future Little Bird concept.

According to the roadmap, the capability would follow more immediate upgrades of the light attack/assault MD Helicopters A/MH-6 Mission Enhanced Little Birds (MELBs) which include Blocks 2.2, 3.0, and potentially 3.1 depending upon decisions taken by the Tampa-based organisation to adopt the US Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) helicopters.

Block 2.2 upgrades will be focused on crew safety enhancements, while Block 3.0 upgrades will further enhance safety margins, flight controls, and the cockpit, Downer confirmed.

According to the roadmap, Future Little Bird remains one option for USSOCOM’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment in the 2025–34 timeframe. Alternative courses of action include maintaining a smaller fleet of Little Birds, and the adoption of the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA), which could also augment or replace attack/assault Sikorsky MH-60M Black Hawks.

Speaking to Janes , Downer explained, “Right now [Future Little Bird] is just a mark out in the future. With us recapitalising our airframes, we expect to fly with our Block 3 aircraft for quite a while here, at least for the next 10 to 15 years."

 

LD.

[Loach Driver]

The current issue of Aviation Week & Space features an article on SOCOM and states that the first Block III MELB will be delivered in September this year.  One details it mentions is "newly machined airframes". Does that mean new-build airframes or existing airframes that will be torn down to the bare frame and rebuilt? Boeing recently acquired the jigs to construct fuselage sections instead of relying on MDHI for the supply of Model 500 fuselages so perhaps they will deliver new airframes as part of the upgrade.

 

LD.