During World War II, helicopters were used occasionally (to adjust artillery fire, and other ancillary purposes).The military around the world did not give it much importance eccentric machines, considering that they too are vulnerable and capricious, and their performance characteristics will not fit for combat.In 1948 the command of the US Army refused to buy them, considering helicopters expensive and useless toy.To say that the leadership of the Soviet armed forces treated them differently, you can not.
Korean War, which began two years later, the ratio changed to rotary-wing technology radically.It is difficult to calculate how many US soldiers were saved through simple and small helicopter air ambulance, vozivshih injured on the external load (one person on each side of the transparent cubicle).
Vietnam War expanded the scope of a new type of aircraft.Along with the "Huey» UH-1, intended for the transport of troops and military simple enough firepower, helicopter gunships were designed for application storm strikes.Great importance acquired military transport rotorcraft capabilities have committed millions of departures and perevezshih tens of millions of soldiers.In the context of mobile warfare helicopters that quality as the ability to do without a runway, has acquired a special meaning.
Attack Helicopters "Cobra" AH-1, armed with missiles and a 40 mm cannon, gained a whole the image that allows a glance to distinguish the modern combat helicopters shock appointment of a narrow fuselage with armored glass and a double cabin and a lack ofany other functions not related to the main goal - to defeat the enemy fired.
The Soviet Union also developed rotor helicopter aviation.Attack helicopters Mi-24, whose development began in the late sixties, according to the customer, the Ministry of Defence had to combine two major functions - shock and transport.Like the American "Cobra", to borrow a power plant at Iroquois - "Huey" in the construction of the Soviet Mi-24 applied the screw and trusted and reliable engine Mi-8.How turned out well, time has shown.These helicopters are fighting in the armies of many countries (and were used in different wars).They have their flaws, but does not take away advantages.
helicopter "Apache" AN-64 marked the direction of development of new generation combat helicopters designed to destroy enemy armored vehicles using high-precision technological systems of fire.Along this route we went to engineering offices in different countries (from Russia to the Republic of South Africa).Attack helicopters of the second generation are highly survivable due to the reservation and the rational layout of the vital units, heavily armed, equipped with intelligent systems, fire control, and the availability of funds difficult to detect.
Attack helicopters Russian second-generation machines presented Ka-50 and Mi-28, a number of indicators of performance superior to foreign analogues.
