Cobra ID please

HeavyArty wrote:

Not without a picture...unless it is the new Stealth Cobra, since I can't see it.

DOH!

http://public.fotki.com/lewbud/cobra

Looks like an AH-1S that has been de-milled by removing the target head on the nose and replacing it w/a fiberglass nose-cone.

HeavyArty wrote:

Looks like an AH-1S that has been de-milled by removing the target head on the nose and replacing it w/a fiberglass nose-cone.

Thanks Gino.  Stay safe.

I could be wrong but it looks more like a old G model to me. My reasoning is if this is a de-militarized Mod, I would think it should have the Kaman blades. This photo has the standard G and original S model blades.  Kaman blades really did not appear until the Production model and then were put on the older S models as they were eventually updated to P and F's. My second reason is the outside pylon mount looks more like a rocket pod pylon instead of a TOW pylon. I could be wrong because the picture is just not that detailed. My other question is why this model has two M29 launchers. The Mod S and Production S had a M134 and M129. The upgunned version which later became the E I believe, had the 20mm as the S-modernized. That does not mean that whomever bought this modified it as they saw fit, but it does look to me to be a G more than a S. The nose is a question, but to me it just looks too rounded up to the replacement nose. I believe the S's that had the TSU installed where flatter on the sides and top. This picture looks too rounded. As I said before this picture just doesn't show enough detail to make a really informed answer. The point though is someone owns a nice machine to play with. I love the old Gs and Ss before they went to flat glass. I did not like the flat glass models, they were not as fun to fly as the older, simpler and sexier models. But I am old.

Charlie 

Another issue I forgot to mention in my first reply, is the pitot tube. The Gs had the pitot in the nose. The S moved the pitot up to the left side of transmission fairing. I can not see the [itot tube in the posted picture, so either this is a G with the nose removed and some other pitot system installed, or a S that has had the pitot removed and I can not understand why any de-milling would remove the pitot mounted on the transmission fairing. A true puzzling picture.

Charlie

Retired Gunpilot wrote:

Another issue I forgot to mention in my first reply, is the pitot tube. The Gs had the pitot in the nose. The S moved the pitot up to the left side of transmission fairing. I can not see the [itot tube in the posted picture, so either this is a G with the nose removed and some other pitot system installed, or a S that has had the pitot removed and I can not understand why any de-milling would remove the pitot mounted on the transmission fairing. A true puzzling picture.   Charlie

Will post more pics shortly.

http://public.fotki.com/lewbud/cobra

Ok, more pics added.

Edited:  Oops... at first glance, it looked like it had G pylons, but looking again, those are definitely Q/S pylons outboard.  

Jon

JosephOsborn wrote:

Definitely an AH-1S (modified from AH-1G/Q) but weird in that it doesn't have a pitot.  The rotor head looks like it has been recently rebuilt or scavenged from some other machine.  Perhaps a work-in-progress and the pitot is part of the current work?

Joseph,

The Cobra belongs to the Cold War Air Museum in Lancaster, TX.  Their main focus is Soviet/Warsaw Pact stuff and the Cobra is their only piece of US/NATO equipment.  Most of their stuff is flyable, so it is entirely possible that the Cobra will fly again one day. 

Jon,

I have plans on going back out in a couple of weeks and can get the tail number at that time.

Here's the link to the museum.  If ya'll see something you want pics of, let me know.

http://www.coldwarairmuseum.com

Thanks for the help.

Thanks for the additional pictures. I agree, definitely a S. I was thinking after I posted last night that this might just be a hybrid that someone had bought parts to just put together a cobra. What confused me was the missing pitot, the outboard pylons and the gun turrent. THe additional pictures clears up the pylons for sure. Another thing I think is missing is the helmet tracker rails/assembly. I did not see them in the pictures and that too made me believe it might be a possible G with a lot of S parts on it. Anyway, an intersting puzzle.

Charlie

       ".....I have plans on going back out in a couple of weeks and can get the tail number at that time. Here's the link to the museum. If ya'll see something you want pics of, let me know...."

I for one can never get enough rotor hub photos, but that would probably be a tad difficult to accomplish on the Hind unless you possess Inspector Gadget-style extendable legs ; - )

Tread,

Tread wrote:

".....I have plans on going back out in a couple of weeks and can get the tail number at that time. Here's the link to the museum. If ya'll see something you want pics of, let me know...."   I for one can never get enough rotor hub photos, but that would probably be a tad difficult to accomplish on the Hind unless you possess Inspector Gadget-style extendable legs ; - )   Tread,

Tread,

I'll see what I can scrounge up.

minimortar wrote:

I've always related the "S" with a flat-sided canopy. The elongated nose on this one is odd too.

The nose on this one is just a fiberglass replacement for the TSU bucket.  I never understood why they didn't just make the replacement nose look like a G model...

As for the AH-1S with the flat canopy, you've actually got three choices there, the AH-1P, AH-1E and AH-1F.  As discussed elsewhere, AH-1S was originally an umbrella designation that covered four different airframes.   The aircraft above came to be known as an AH-1S(MOD).  The flat plate was introduced on the AH-1P, which had the same M28 minigun/chunker turret that the G had.  The AH-1E (ECAS - Enhanced Cobra Armament System) integrated the M197 20mm cannon with the airframe (can be built with the Fujimi AH-1S Step III kit) and the AH-1F (depicted in the Monogram 1:48th kit) which introduced new self-protection and target acquisition systems. 

Wow.... I'm gettin good at that breakdown! 

Jon