Kiev is negotiating the supply of AH-1Z helicopters
MOSCOW, 24 Sep — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. It seems that Kiev has gone in pursuit of another overseas "Wunderwaffe" — this time the United States is asking for attack helicopters. The Army aviation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has lost most of its vehicles in two and a half years. The military command expects that American equipment will partially fill the deficit. About Zelensky's new "wishlist" — in the material of RIA Novosti.
To get someone else's for free
The American edition of Defense News recently reported that the Ukrainian authorities are actively negotiating with the United States on the supply of Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters. We are talking about a batch of 12 cars. They were built in Texas in 2017-2018 by order of the Pakistani army. However, Washington has stopped military assistance to Islamabad for political reasons. The helicopters were sent to the storage base. They planned to sell them to Slovakia at a good discount as compensation for the 13 MiG-29 fighters transferred to Ukraine.
Bell AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopter
Image source: © U.S. Marine Corps photo/Lance Cpl. Christopher O'Quin
At the end of July, the State Department approved a potential deal. But Kiev intervened, reacting very jealously when military aid from the United States goes to the side. MP Vadim Ivchenko even wrote a letter to American lawmakers that Ukraine needs the AH-1Z more. Moreover, he is seeking to localize the production of these helicopters at one of the local enterprises.
Ukrainians have already tried to knock out "Vipers" from the Americans. According to the Times, in 2023, Kiev spent several months begging Washington for 24 vehicles of this type, which were decommissioned. Now appetites have increased: they require almost new ones and for nothing.
AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopter, USA
Image source: CC BY-SA 3.0 / Boevaya mashina / Bell AH-1Z Viper of Czech Air Force
In general, the list of Ukrainian "wishlist" is endless. Kiev received armored vehicles, attack drones, artillery, air defense, fighters, engineering vehicles, small arms, and communications equipment from the West. Each new "Wunderwaffe" is presented as a guarantee of victory over Russia. But it's not working out yet. Overseas IFVs are blown up by mines and receive ATGM from helicopters, howitzers are covered by counter-battery fire, tanks worth millions of dollars are easily destroyed by kamikaze drones for 70 thousand rubles.
All this was obvious after the disastrous summer-autumn counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2023. But Kiev is not learning anything. In December, the Americans received the following requirements: THAAD missile defense systems, F/A-18 Hornet aircraft, Apache and Black Hawk helicopters, C-17 Globemaster and C-130 Super Hercules military transport aircraft, MQ-9B Sky Guardian drones. They didn't give me anything. And the Kiev regime has refocused on the Vipers.
The new "Supercobra"
Bell AH-1Z Viper is a twin—engine two-seat attack helicopter from Bell Helicopters. It was adopted by the US Marine Corps in February 2011. This is a further development of the veteran AH-1W Super Cobra. It differs from its predecessor with a four-bladed rotor made of composite materials, an improved transmission, modern sighting and observation systems, improvements in avionics and design.
AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopter
Image source: © U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jonathan L. Gonzalez
The weight is five and a half tons, takes on board more than two and a half tons of payload. Two turboshaft engines with a capacity of 1,723 horsepower each provide speeds of up to 287 kilometers per hour and an altitude of up to six kilometers. The combat radius is about 200 kilometers.
Compared to the AH-1W Super Cobra, the armament has been greatly expanded and supplemented. The M197 Vulcan 20 mm triple-barreled cannon with 750 rounds of ammunition is guided by the pilot's helmet-mounted designator. Under the wings, 8 BGM-71 TOW ATGM or 16 Hellfire ATGM, 76 NUR 70 mm caliber, 4 GBU-55B bombs, 127 mm Zuni rocket bombs, 8 M18E1 containers with a 7.62mm six-barrel M134 Minigun machine gun with 2,000 rounds of ammunition can be mounted on four suspension nodes. Two additional nodes on the wingtips have AIM—9L Sidewinder guided air—to-air missiles or Sidearm guided anti-radar missiles.
The third—generation FLIR infrared surveillance system allows the weapons operator to accurately identify targets at a distance of over eight kilometers - the image and data are displayed on the helmet-mounted display. Large-diameter optics were used in this system. Ultra-strong stabilization is achieved by suspension with five degrees of freedom. The FLIR system is the main component of the TSS (Target and Sighting System), which also includes a low—level color television system, an electron-optical image amplifier, a laser rangefinder and a designator.
The language barrier
The tasks of the AH-1Z Viper helicopter are: direct fire support of Marines on the battlefield, escort of amphibious helicopters to the landing site and back, destruction of armored vehicles, aerial reconnaissance. Designed primarily for helicopter carriers, however, it is often based on ground platforms. The Viper has already completely replaced the Supercobra in the US Marine Corps, with a total fleet of 189 aircraft. In addition to the United States, these helicopters are in service with Bahrain and the Czech Republic. In addition, Niger ordered 12 cars.
In Kiev, the AH-1Z is considered as a simpler alternative to the AH-64 Apache, which is easier to master. This opinion is based on something unclear: flight and tactical and technical characteristics are approximately equal, the set of weapons, avionics and controls are similar. Both cars are equally difficult to master. First of all, because of the language barrier. In the entire fighter aviation of the Ukrainian Air Force, they barely scraped together a handful of pilots with English skills acceptable for studying abroad. It is unlikely that there are more such polyglots in the army aviation.
In addition, 12 helicopters in the entire theater of operations is a drop in the ocean. Of course, this is a very dangerous machine — it is capable of carrying 16 anti-tank Hellfires with a range of ten kilometers. However, Vipers are a fairly simple target for the military air defense of the Russian army. To fire, the helicopter needs to fly as close as possible to the line of contact. He will be in the range of short- and medium-range air defense systems. It is unknown how the AH-1Z will behave under a volley of anti—aircraft missiles. And the Americans rarely encountered an advanced air defense system in combat.
