These Are The Most Stunning Pictures Of An AH-1 Cobra You Are Likely To Ever See

Updated Aug 27, 2018 12:43 PM EDT

Bell’s AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter, a very close cousin to the iconic UH-1 Huey, has always been a sinister looking machine whose slender physique and venomous bite does justice to its serpent namesake. Over the last fifty years the helicopter has evolved dramatically in some ways, but its basic configuration remains the same. Still, the earlier single turbine models, and especially those with flat ballistic glass canopies, have a certain athletic appearance compared to their ever- bulkier twin-engine Cobra successors. And I have never seen one captured more brilliantly than by my Twitter contact and aviation photographer extraordinaire @ munbo327EJ .

The series of photos below were taken during the Helicopter and Disaster Prevention Festival held in Oyabe, Japan on August 25th, 2018. Our photographer positioned himself in a building on the hillside above the festival to capture the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force AH-1S demo in absolutely spectacular fashion.

We talked just recently about how an elevated perspective can make for the ultimate air show pictures, and once again this rule is proven true:

Japan’s Fuji Heavy Industries built 89 AH-S Cobras under license between 1984 and 2000, about 60 of which remain in service. Following the Cobra’s production run in Japan, JGSDFs procured a dozen AH-64D Longbow Apaches . At times it seemed that Japan would procure addition Longbows, but those orders never materialized and now Japan is look at options for replacing its Cobra fleet to augment the higher-end but tiny Apache force.

Japan also has ordered over a hundred indigenously developed Kawasaki OH-1 light scout and armed reconnaissance helicopters, but they are not seen as a replacement for the Cobras. Instead they will replace Japan’s fleet of aging OH-6 Little Birds that serve in a similar role.

Now known as the AH-X tender, the favorites to replace the single-engine Cobras are the AH-1Z Viper , the latest and most capable of the long-serving Cobra lineage, and the AH-64E Apache Guardian which has a roadmap to quickly add new capabilities and to better excel in the maritime combat environment.

The AH-1Z was developed for the U.S. Marine Corps out of the AH-1W Super Cobra, which itself was derived from the AH-1J Sea Cobra, an aircraft that was built specifically to be at home operating from vessels out at sea. The Apache on the other hand was never realized in a dedicated manner, but operators do fly them from ships—most notably the British Army Army Air Corps.

WAH-64D aboard HMS Ark Royal back in 2010. , UK MoD

As we mentioned a moment ago, the Apache Guardian is going to be get some enhancement to make it better suited for maritime warfare, although the somewhat simpler AH-1Z Viper really has a pedigree for such operations.

There have been various proposals for a maritime Apache variant, some more elaborate than others. The one on the right included a fighter’s pulse doppler radar, widely set landing gear and a host of other modifications. While more conservative concepts have also been offered. This includes the one on the left that shows a lightly modified Apache but packing a huge punch in the form of four AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles. , Public Domain

Why any of this is important is because Japan’s realignment as military power, in which expeditionary and offensive capabilities are now on the table, is going to have a major focus on getting the very most punch out of their existing ‘helicopter carrying destroyers,’ which are actually aircraft carriers. The integration of the F-35B with Japan’s two Izumo class carriers—the largest in Japan’s inventory— is part of this initiative . But fielding highly-modern and capable attack helicopters from these ships and their smaller cousins is a much more easily obtained and economic capability. Using attack helicopters operating from amphibious flattops for dedicated strike operations over land is a tactic that was reenergized and proven highly valuable over Libya by the USMC in recent years, and Japan has surely taken notice.

Izumo and her sister ship will likely be modified to accommodate F-35Bs, but new navalized attack helicopters could also offer some serious punch for the big ships and their slightly smaller cousins., AP

With all this in mind, Japan’s Cobra replacement could be a central player in the country’s naval power projection capabilities, which will have real geopolitical and military impact on the region.

It’s somewhat unlikely that Japan’s AH-1S Cobras will all be sent to the boneyard or the scrap heap. There is an emerging cottage industry that aims to rework these exact types of helicopters, adding new avionics, sensors, and new weaponry, along with a major structural overhaul, that offers a package of for capabilities that creeps towards those found on the new AH-1Z but for a fraction of the price.

As such, Japan’s AH-1s may rise even after retirement to strike again. In the meantime, enjoy these awesome pics of this legendary helicopter.

A huge thanks to @munbo327EJ for sharing is awesome images with us. He has an outstanding Twitter feed, make sure you follow him!

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

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更新于美国东部时间2018年8月27日下午12:43

贝尔公司的AH-1“眼镜蛇”攻击直升机，与标志性的UH-1“休伊”直升机关系密切，一直以来都给人一种阴森恐怖的感觉，其修长的身形和致命的攻击力与它蛇形的名字相得益彰。过去五十年间，这款直升机在某些方面发生了巨大的变化，但其基本结构依然保持不变。不过，早期的单涡轮机型，尤其是那些配备平面防弹玻璃座舱盖的机型，与后来体型越来越庞大的双引擎“眼镜蛇”相比，仍然显得更加矫健有力。而我从未见过比我的推特好友、杰出的航空摄影师@munbo327EJ拍摄的更精彩的“眼镜蛇”照片。

以下这组照片拍摄于 2018 年 8 月 25 日在日本大矢部举行的直升机防灾节期间。我们的摄影师在节日场地上方山坡上的一栋建筑物内，以极其壮观的方式拍摄了日本陆上自卫队 AH-1S 的演示。

我们前不久才讨论过，从高处拍摄可以拍出最棒的航展照片，而这一次，这条规则再次被证明是正确的：

日本富士重工在1984年至2000年间获得许可生产了89架AH-64“眼镜蛇”武装直升机，其中约60架仍在服役。在日本停产“眼镜蛇”之后，日本陆上自卫队采购了十几架AH-64D“长弓”阿帕奇武装直升机。日本一度似乎计划增购“长弓”，但这些订单最终未能实现。如今，日本正在考虑用其他机型替换现有的“眼镜蛇”机队，以增强其性能更优但规模较小的“阿帕奇”机队。

日本还订购了一百多架国产川崎OH-1轻型侦察武装直升机，但它们并非用来取代眼镜蛇直升机，而是用来取代日本老旧的OH-6小鸟直升机，后者承担着类似的任务。

现在被称为 AH-X 补给机的机型，最有可能取代单引擎眼镜蛇直升机的是 AH-1Z 蝰蛇（服役多年的眼镜蛇系列中最新、性能最强的机型）和 AH-64E 阿帕奇卫士（该机型有快速增加新功能并更好地在海上作战环境中表现优异的路线图）。

AH-1Z是美国海军陆战队在AH-1W“超级眼镜蛇”的基础上研发的，而AH-1W“超级眼镜蛇”本身又源自AH-1J“海眼镜蛇”。AH-1J“海眼镜蛇”是一款专为海上舰艇起降而设计的飞机。另一方面，阿帕奇直升机从未以专用机的形式投入使用，但一些用户确实会将其从舰艇上起飞——其中最著名的当属英国陆军航空兵。

2010年，WAH-64D直升机在皇家方舟号航空母舰上服役。（英国国防部）

正如我们刚才提到的，阿帕奇卫士直升机将会进行一些改进，使其更适合海上作战，尽管相对简单的AH-1Z蝰蛇直升机在这类作战中确实拥有丰富的经验。

关于阿帕奇海上改进型的方案有很多，有些比其他方案更复杂。右图所示的方案包括战斗机的脉冲多普勒雷达、宽距起落架以及其他一系列改进。当然，也有一些更为保守的方案。例如左图所示的方案，它展示了一款经过轻微改装的阿帕奇，但火力强大，配备了四枚AGM-84“鱼叉”反舰导弹。（公共领域）

这一切之所以重要，是因为日本作为军事强国的重组计划——远征和进攻能力如今已成为重点——将着重于最大限度地发挥其现有“直升机驱逐舰”（实际上是航空母舰）的作战效能。将F-35B战斗机整合到日本的两艘出云级航母（日本现役最大的航母）上，正是这一计划的一部分。然而，从这些航母及其小型舰艇上部署高度现代化且性能卓越的攻击直升机，则是一种更容易实现且成本更低的作战能力。近年来，美国海军陆战队在利比亚战场上重新启用并证明了从两栖攻击舰上起飞的攻击直升机在陆地上执行专项打击任务的战术具有极高的价值，日本显然已经注意到了这一点。

“出云”号及其姊妹舰很可能会进行改装以搭载F-35B战斗机，但新型舰载攻击直升机也可能为这些大型舰艇及其稍小的姊妹舰提供强大的火力支援。（美联社）

考虑到所有这些因素，日本的眼镜蛇潜艇替代者可能会成为该国海军力量投射能力的核心，这将对该地区产生真正的地缘政治和军事影响。

日本的AH-1S“眼镜蛇”直升机不太可能全部被送往报废场或拆解场。目前有一个新兴的改装产业，专门对这类直升机进行改造，加装新的航空电子设备、传感器和武器，并进行大幅度的结构升级，使其性能接近新型AH-1Z，但价格却低得多。

因此，日本的AH-1直升机即使退役后也可能再次出击。与此同时，请欣赏这些传奇直升机的精彩照片。

非常感谢@munbo327EJ与我们分享这些精彩的图片。他的推特内容非常棒，一定要关注他！

联系作者：Tyler@thedrive.com

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