Par429

Hey- There's also the issue of the extra weight of the AAR probe, pipes, pumps, etc that cuts into your usable load and range. And you're stuck with it all the time. I heard that's the reason why the Navy opted not to include an AAR probe on thier H-60s, maybe the same for the USCG. For the few times you might actually need it, it's not worth carrying around all the time. Regards, Phil

Hey- Interesting, I didn't know they attached it to the FRIES bars. The Navy does this also with the MH-60S, but they do attach it to the cargo hook. Hit the cargo release and away it goes. Except a few years ago, an aircrewman snagged his gunners belt on the manual cargo release lever and they dropped a boat in San Diego bay! Oops! Regards, Phil

Floyd- I was involved in the integration of this system on the MH-60S, so let me know if I can help. I'll follow up with an email. For anyone interested, this is referred to in the Navy as the FFFW (Fixed Forward Firing Weapon System), which is a mission kit for the MH-60S which includes this gun and 2.75" rockets. This gun is the A/A49E-27 20mm gun system. Regards, Phil

Hey- The LHEP and RHEP (Left and Right Hand Extended Pylons) are mission kits that can be installed and removed as the mission dictates. The right hand side pylon only applies to the MH-60R, not other types. All the Romeo squadrons have these pylons on hand to use as required, so there's no correlation between decal options and pylon configurations. Phil

Hey- The new seats have started to be delivered to fleet units https://navalaviationnews.navylive.dodlive.mil/2019/11/25/navair-delivers-mh-60s-gunner-seat-replacement-to-the-fleet/ The Navy chose not to use the Army seats because requirements for aircraft equipment are different between the two services and the Army seats did not meet Navy requirements. Regards, Phil

Yes, they are the same.

Hey- This is pretty cool, I thought I'd share it FYI. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/05/17/the-air-forces-new-combat-rescue-helicopter-just-made-its-first-flight/ Phil

Just go to: https://www.navy.mil/search/photolist.asp and search for MH-60S. There's hundreds of high resolution photos. You should be able to find any detail you're looking for. Phil

Hey- I’m sorry, but I don’t have any photos. As I recall it was a roll on roll off affair so the control stations were mounted on standard cargo pallets. They used these aircraft for lots of thing in addition to drone launching. Are you at Pax River? If so shoot me an email at PhilipdotRichardson. I have a copy of the DC-130 NATOPS you can borrow. It probably won’t help a ton, but it’s interesting. I also have all the info you would need to build a BQM-74 and launch adapter. I’ve done it in 1/48 to mount on a TA-4J, they look pretty neat. Phil

Hey- Very cool project, I'm looking forward to seeing this come together! I worked on these back in the day as a Navy civilian. I actually got to fly on a DC-130 to launch a pair of BQM-74s. Good stuff! Phil

Hey- I just finished a Bandai 1/72 Y Wing. There's a couple more pictures in the SciFi forums. Phil

Hey- Here's my Bandai 1/72 scale Y Wing. There's probably not much that can be said about this that hasn't already been said, but this is such a fun kit to put together. Fit is great, detail is excellent, and it really provides a great chance to work on those weathering skills. I used more metallic paints than the studio models, just because I like the way it looks on engines nozzles, etc. Maybe my only complaint would be that the snap together nature of the kit doesn't allow for a lot of dry fitting which I'm used to doing. Once the parts are on, they aren't coming off! Great ki

Hey- Does this help? Phil

Hey- It is only carried on the port side in real life. Just because the winch sits that way in the cabin and can't be turned around to face the other way. Phil

Hey- That Rube Goldberg machine is the CSTRS (Carriage, Stream, Tow and Recovery System, or C-STARS as it's called). It's a mission kit for the MH-60S that allow the Sierra to carry mine hunting gear. You really bit off a lot trying to replicate this system, As you can see the AN/AQS-235 AMNS (Airborne Mine Neutralization System, the above store) is not pylon mounted but hanging from a cable so it can be lowered into the water and then recovered, The big sled looking part hinges down to help recover the AMNS when reeling it back up. That big black blob in the cabin i