Helo News game related.

[DRG]

Originally Posted by WilliamB

Key.Aero is reporting that the first of 12 AH-1Zs ordered by the Kingdom of Bahrain in 2019 has been completed. It will be shipped to Bahrain sometime next year, but no exact date yet. Am I correct in assuming this goes in the Gulf States OB file?

Yes. Thanks

[blazejos]

Poland has also Blackhawks 4x S-70i already but only in Special forces since 20/12/2019 so in reality January 2020 will be correct. And now have buy 4 more in 2021 also for special forces
https://www.gov.pl/web/obrona-narodowa/black-hawk

https://radar.rp.pl/smiglowce-dla-sp...ly-black-hawki



As you can see this 8x helicopters are armed with guns in doors from both sides

There are also 3x S-70i unarmed Blackhawk's in Police in dark blue colour
since November 2018
https://twitter.com/MSWiA_GOV_PL/sta...licji%2F257107

[Pibwl]

Originally Posted by blazejos

Poland has also Blackhawks 4x S-70i already but only in Special forces since 20/12/2019 so in reality January 2020 will be correct.

Rare and not typical - if it is added, it should be separated from ordinary army helicopters (say, 221 Light Attack Helicopter class)

[Pibwl]

Could be - but human players also should know, that it is not an ordinary workhorse of Polish air cavalry, more luring, than W-3 Sokół...

And now for something completely different:
Japan

363, 364, 951 OH-64DJP Apache - according to Polish monographic article ("Nowa Technika Wojskowa" 6/2018), the first was given to military tests in 3/06, and several were used in military exercises from in 8/07, but first helicopters were delivered to regular combat unit only in 3/10 and achieved readiness by 12/10 [now 1/06].
Very rare machine - only 13 made (11 in Japan, throughout 2007-14).

AH-64DJP was Boeing's designation, but Japanese forces call it just "AH-64D" (not OH). The same says Japanese Wikipedia, according to the translator https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/AH-64D...83%9C%E3%82%A6

Same for 359, 362, 366 OH-1S Cobra - https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/AH-1_%...83%96%E3%83%A9 says AH-1S.

Same for 360, 950 OH-1N - https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/UH-1_(...9%BA%E6%A9%9F) says UH-1 in Japanese context, however there are only UH-1B, H and J used. Japan isn't mentioned as UH-1N Twin Huey user here https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/UH-1N_...83%BC%E3%82%A4

OH-1 is a different Japanese helicopter (unit 343)

[Pibwl]

Japan

363 AH-64DJP Apache - ending year should be probably 125 (now it's 109, earlier than corrected starting date)

Japanese Wikipedia says, according to the translator, that DJP was Boeing's designation, but Japanese forces call it just "AH-64D" (https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/AH-64D...83%9C%E3%82%A6, search for "DJP" in text). The same in Polish monographic article. The same for units 364, 951 AH-64DJP Apache.

Czech Republic
It's a detail, but 901 W-3A helicopters are also named Sokol in Czechia (Polish: Sokół).

Poland
I forgot, that since 1/24 Poland uses AW149 https://www.janes.com/osint-insights...for-operations. Italian unit 490 AW139 could do, with an increased carry capacity to 19. An armament as for now are only two 7.62 mm MGs in windows and 2x 7x70 mm rocket pods (not used before in this caliber).

[Pibwl]

I've found and article on Malaysia. Sorry for digging... I wanted to fix only S-61A4 Nuri, but the deeper you dig, the more questions come...

324 S-61A4 Nuri - grounded permanently after a crash in 8/19 due to wear out and lack of spares (now ends 12/25). Unless we assume, that in case of war they would fly somehow.

We have currently (only the 21st century):
325 - Mil Mi-17 Available 01/099 to 12/125;
326 - S-70A Blackhawk - Available 01/097 to 12/104
327 - S-70A Blackhawk - Available 01/105 to 12/125
- but the article doesn't mention any other transport helicopters existing in Malaysian military in last decade or two apart from H225M (unit 664) and S-61A4 Nuri, grounding of which caused problems with transport capability.

Wikipedia doesn't list Malaysia among Mi-8/17 operators either, apart from Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department.
There were some rumours, that S-70 were to be delivered by Brunei in 2015, but it is not clear if they were https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_UH-60_Black_Hawk, which links to https://web.archive.org/web/20150322...ce.com/?p=5827

Starting from 12/21, the air force leased 4 AW-139 (we can do without them I think), and the army leased 4 UH-60A expected in 1/24 as a stopgap - but as I read, they were not delivered https://aviationweek.com/defense/air...-fails-deliver

Wikipedia doesn't list any of older helicopters (Bell 205, Agusta 212N, Whirlwind, Belvedere, Wessex) in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...n_Armed_Forces - unless the earliest ones are purely RAF. I have no other knowledge here


As for light helicopters:
We have (in the 21st century only):
307 - Wasp - Available 01/088 to 12/125
308 - Sioux - Available 01/074 to 12/125
310 - Alouette III - Available 01/063 to 12/110
311 - Chetak - Available 01/081 to 12/125
312 - Fennec - Available 01/103 to 12/125
313 - A-109 - Available 01/090 to 12/125
314 - A-109R - Available 01/103 to 12/125

Wasps were used by the navy until 2000 only.
Alouettes were withdrawn from 2009 from the army, but in 2017 from the airforce.
Fennecs are used indeed by the navy.
A109 were bought by the army only in 2005/2006.
There is no mention on any other light helos in recent period (and it is doubtful if Sioux survived that much).

However, in 3/23 MD 530G were introduced to service, as light scout/attack helicopters. They have observation devices and can be armed with 7.62mm or 12.7mm MGs and 70mm rockets.
https://www.mdhelicopters.com/malays...ning-complete/
https://fl360aero.com/detail/malaysi...ters-texas/818

Armed helicopters are in class 221 Light Attack Helicopter
540 - Ranger - Available 01/074 to 12/088 (?)
541 - Ranger - Available 01/074 to 12/088 (?)
542 - Gazelle - Available 01/078 to 12/083 (Wikipedia doesn't list Malaysia among users in Gazelle nor List of aircraft of the Malaysian Armed Forces articles)
544 - Wasp - Available 01/088 to 12/103 (until 2000, as above)
546 - Fennec - Available 06/103 to 12/125
548 - Super Lynx - Available 06/099 to 12/125 (used by the navy indeed)

[Pibwl]

Portugal

275 SA330 Puma - according to https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%A...le_SA-330_Puma used only from 1970 until 2009 (now 1969-2011) (first operational flight in Angola in 10/70, probably available a bit earlier)

280 EH101 Merlin - better icon is 1904, since they are camouflaged https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...101_Merlin.jpg