The difference between a fighter and an armed helicopter.

Fighters and helicopter gunships have different military functions. Fighters are mainly used to control and destroy enemy planes and other flying air attack weapons, while armed helicopters are used to attack tanks, support landing operations, cover aircraft landing, fire support and helicopter air combat. The flight principle, airframe structure, aircraft engine and driving mode of the two aircraft are quite different.

warplane

Fighter, also known as fighter, is a kind of military aircraft, which is used to destroy enemy planes and other air attack weapons in the air. During World War II, it was widely called the expulsion machine. The main task of fighters is to fight against enemy fighters and seize air superiority. The second is to intercept enemy bombers, attack planes and cruise missiles, and can also carry a certain number of ground attack weapons to carry out ground attack missions. Fighters also include interceptors for air defense. However, since the 1960s, due to the perfection of radar, electronic equipment and weapon system, the task of special interceptor fighters has been completed by air-to-air fighters, and interceptors are no longer developed. It is the main type of aviation air combat and can also be used to carry out ground attack tasks.

gunship

Armed helicopter is a helicopter equipped with weapons and developed for carrying out combat missions. Speaking of helicopter gunships, let's talk about helicopters first. Now recognized as the first inventor of helicopter-the first helicopter close to practical use is VS-300 developed by Sikorsky, an American Russian, which was successfully tested in September 1939. This Sikorsky is a legend. He developed into the largest bomber in the world in 19 14. The installation of weapons on helicopters began in the 1940s. 1942 (some people say 1944), Germany added a machine gun to the FA-223 transport helicopter. In the 1950s, the United States, the Soviet Union, France and other countries installed weapons on helicopters, which were mainly used for self-defense at first, and then used for bombing, strafing and other tasks. In the early 1960s, the United States used a large number of helicopters (mostly transport type) in the Vietnam War. During the war, its helicopter suffered heavy losses, so it was decided to develop a special armed helicopter. The first specially designed helicopter gunship was American AH-IG, which was equipped with troops at 1967 and used in the battlefield in Vietnam.

Armed helicopters can be divided into two types: special type and multi-purpose type. The special fuselage is long and narrow, with strong combat capability; Multi-purpose type can be used not only for attack tasks, but also for transportation, aircraft landing and other tasks. The AH- 1 of the United States belongs to the special category, while the Mi -24 of the former Soviet Union belongs to the multi-purpose.

Attack the tank. Armed helicopters are very effective weapons against tanks and armored targets. The simulated confrontation test conducted abroad shows that the destruction probability of tank-helicopter confrontation is12:1-19:1. In some local wars, armed helicopters have achieved a lot in anti-tank operations.

Support landing operations. In the 1982 war between Britain and Oman, Britain dispatched nearly 100 military helicopters.

Cover the plane. Armed helicopters are the main fire support weapons to cover transport planes and transport helicopters. In an operation of 199 1 Gulf War, under the cover of AH-64 helicopter, more than 2,000 officers and men, 50 military vehicles and artillery, as well as a large amount of oil and ammunition, of the multinational force quickly penetrated into the enemy area to a depth of 80 kilometers.

Fire support. Armed helicopters can effectively provide fire support to ground troops. During the Gulf War, helicopters such as AH-64 provided fire support for the ground forces and opened up a channel for the ground forces to attack.

Helicopter air combat. Where there is a spear, there is a shield. While developing armed helicopters, countries are also considering how to deal with them effectively. At present, it is generally believed that the most effective weapon against armed helicopters is helicopters. In future wars, helicopter air combat seems to be an inevitable trend. Armed helicopters can also perform reconnaissance, air command electronic warfare and other combat tasks, so some people call them "battlefield generalists."