Pretty good video. Nice condition of the instruments. Actually TOW is tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided. Trigger on the pilot's cyclic is for the cannon. The mirror was so the pilots could look at each other. You couldn't see behind the aircraft with it. The Cav used the cobras in Desert Storm. The gunner had the same flight instruments, but not all the navigational instruments. F was the final model of the army cobra.
Thanks for the video. I love the AH-1F. Flew it in Germany 1987-1990. I was there when the Berlin Wall fell, running patrols around the Chech and East German border. Awesome time. Still flying, all this time later, and still miss the Cobra. My first love, so to speak.
We appreciate all the comments and corrections. We do not have Cobra people volunteering with the museum so comments come from those of us who worked with Cobras as FACs in the early 70s. always glad to correct the narrative and info. We will be receiving a Desert Storm Cobra soon that served with Martine squadron HML-169. It is 100% complete and will be a great addition to our collection.
I'm going purely from memory but I'm pretty sure TOW stands for tube launched optically tracked wire guided. I was a cobra mechanic and had to write a paper for the CO to prove I could write before he would recommend me to West Point Prep School so I became a so-called expert on TOW overnight to write the paper.
@ftwaviationmuseum I worked on AH-1S Cobra's in both Korea in the Early 90s, to include installing the First FLIR System on a Cobra...Cobra Night Imaging Thermal Equipment (C-Nite) system. I would then support AH-1s at Fort Hood, 1-7 CAV. We would transition those AC to a Guard Unit in Conroe, TX. If that is a TX Cobra, high odds that i worked on that AC at one point or another. Also did an NTC deployement AVIM Support 4/3 ACR out of Ft Bliss. All in the Early 90s. Was a 68J, 68JX1, 68X then eventually a 15Y. I would transition from the Cobra to the AH-64A, then at 1/227 AVN 1st CAV at Fort Hood, Field the AH-64D Longbow Apache. It's been 30 years, but could probably Boresight that AC in my sleep. Never mind working on the EIA, GCU, HSS, TSU or rebuild the M-197 Gun blindfolded. Oh and the Black thing is an APR-39
Both of the cobra's shown are AH-1F's the Ah-1S is a misprint because the army could not decide how to class these aircraft. Ah-1S where modded Ah-1G & Ah-1Q to fit TOW they had a round canopy and Twin mount Hydraulic Turret with a 7.62mm mini gun on the right side and a 40mm Grande launcher on the left side. A New 90-degree gearbox mounted on the Starboard side opposite compared to the AH-1G and Ah-1Q mounted on the portside to Convert It to a pusher instead of a puller, they also got a more powerful Allison turbine to be able to mount all the new T.O.W. Missile equipment They did not convert AH-1F to AH-1S they converted AH-1S to AH-1F.'s The Missile System is a Tube launched optically tracked wire guided missile T.O.W. The sight mounted in the Nose is T.S.U. or Telescopic Sight Unit the Rockets are not 7.62mm that's funny 30cal rockets how tiny The Rockets are 2.75 in rockets aka F.F.A.R. (Mighty mouse) rockets. And later Replaced by Hydra70 rockets. I have never seen an Army cobra with a Maverick missiles Mounted Airborne TOW missile system does not have this capability There also is a laser detector mounted in the bubble above the cockpit canopy. The Chaff Despencer was mounted opposite of the tail rotor on the vertical stabilizer pointing up Also one mounted mid ship Just aft of the engine The flat top over the engine is the mount for the ALQ-144 infrared jammer The 20mm automatic gun is the M197
@@Hyper_1989 Yes the ones we recived had chaffe dispencers on the tail oposte the tail rotor pointing up the tail the other mount was starboard sibe just after the battery door pointing up not relly shure the pacment of this one been like 20 plus years since I worked on this aircraft but i spent eight years working on these aircraft everyday
The only thing I will add is the Q was a Marine Cobra The G was the first Cobra, The G just had rockets and the 28 system with 7,62 Minni gun and 40mm grenade launcher and the M (modified) had the TOW system added
Pretty sure the S models were actually upgraded to the F models. The "F" stood for fully modernized or something like that and were used up to the early 2000s right before Iraqi Freedom.
goggles with a laser range finder the upgraded nomaclature for these aircraft Starts with Ah-G then Ah-1Q with Tow with laser range finder and 90 degree gear box changed to the starboard side to improve turning handleing And the Xm128 helmet sight system Next was Ah-1S ugraded Engine 1800 Hp tubine engine With upgraded Composite Blades to better carry tow with a lazer range finder still with the xm28 turret and the XM128 helmet sight system. The next Step was ths Ah-1P (fomer Production) Still had Xm28 Turret and upgraded XM136 helmet sight sysetm this was the first to have the flat plate cannopy with tow and lazer range finder.The Next aircraft was Ah-1E (or Enhanced Capability Aircraft E.C.A.S.) This arcraft Sported the Flatplate Canopy And The new M197 turret and 20mm Automatic Gun.With the XM136 helmet sight system And upgraded Rocket Management system for Hydra 70 Rockets. With Tow and lazer renge finder The last upgraded Aircraft was th AH-1F ( on Modernised Cobra) Had the Flat plate Canopy M197 turret And Air Data sensor ARM (A.D.S.) Rocket managment system, The New Headsup Display or H.U.D. A New IR Supressor and cool air mixer was installed on the aft end of the Turbine With an AlQ-144 Jammer mounted above the turbine A Lazer range finder and designater to mark targets The Detyector for the designator was mounted in the dome Above the conopy .Laser radar detectors were in stalled on all models from Ah-1Q up to Ah-1F And all Models had from AH-1Q to the AH-1F had Composite main rotor blades.
This helo has a little different armament arrangement due to its testbed use. Agree, the inner tubes are 2.75" and other launchers are for TOW wire-guided missiles and are placarded as such. The three-barrel gun is most certainly a 20mm. We carried both the 7.62 and the 20 on the OV-10. Very familiar with them. Thanks for watching.
@@FtwAviationMuseum Yes, I wrote that comment before I noticed the long barrels in the front. It was just awesome seeing a Cobra again. The one thing that seemed strange was the "ribs" (raised parallel lines in the sheet metal) on the cowling beside the engine. I don't remember any Cobra having those. Oh, and I also now see that the first cockpit view was the pilot seat. The gunner seat does have the TSU.
The "ribs" are part of the clamshell mod on the intakes to prevent the aircraft from choking and causing compressor stalls when firing multilaunch Hydra 70s.
Mavericks were fired in testing for the Whiskey Cobra, but they never carried Mavericks operationally. Also, the Iranians modded their AH-1Js to fire Mavericks. It had to be a hell of a thump coming off the rails.
The Single engine Two blade Cobras are not aerobatic because of mast bumping and not enough turbine power so sad to see an ARMY cobra with Marine marking terrible Abuse
This particular machine was rehabbed for use at a local VA center. One side in indeed the US Army, while the opposite side shows USMC to honor both services. I'm sure no disrespect was intended or implied.
Pretty good video. Nice condition of the instruments. Actually TOW is tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided. Trigger on the pilot's cyclic is for the cannon. The mirror was so the pilots could look at each other. You couldn't see behind the aircraft with it. The Cav used the cobras in Desert Storm. The gunner had the same flight instruments, but not all the navigational instruments. F was the final model of the army cobra.
Thanks for the video. I love the AH-1F. Flew it in Germany 1987-1990. I was there when the Berlin Wall fell, running patrols around the Chech and East German border. Awesome time. Still flying, all this time later, and still miss the Cobra. My first love, so to speak.
We appreciate all the comments and corrections. We do not have Cobra people volunteering with the museum so comments come from those of us who worked with Cobras as FACs in the early 70s. always glad to correct the narrative and info.
We will be receiving a Desert Storm Cobra soon that served with Martine squadron HML-169. It is 100% complete and will be a great addition to our collection.
Army Cobras served in Desert Storm/Desert Shield!
The rear view mirror allows you to see the other pilot.
I'm going purely from memory but I'm pretty sure TOW stands for tube launched optically tracked wire guided. I was a cobra mechanic and had to write a paper for the CO to prove I could write before he would recommend me to West Point Prep School so I became a so-called expert on TOW overnight to write the paper.
Thanks, always good to hear from an expert.!
you nailed it thats what it stands for
@8:00 AN/APR-39 RWR
@9:28 Flair and Chaff dispenser was located on the tailboom opposite side of the tail rotor
@ftwaviationmuseum I worked on AH-1S Cobra's in both Korea in the Early 90s, to include installing the First FLIR System on a Cobra...Cobra Night Imaging Thermal Equipment (C-Nite) system. I would then support AH-1s at Fort Hood, 1-7 CAV. We would transition those AC to a Guard Unit in Conroe, TX. If that is a TX Cobra, high odds that i worked on that AC at one point or another. Also did an NTC deployement AVIM Support 4/3 ACR out of Ft Bliss. All in the Early 90s. Was a 68J, 68JX1, 68X then eventually a 15Y. I would transition from the Cobra to the AH-64A, then at 1/227 AVN 1st CAV at Fort Hood, Field the AH-64D Longbow Apache. It's been 30 years, but could probably Boresight that AC in my sleep. Never mind working on the EIA, GCU, HSS, TSU or rebuild the M-197 Gun blindfolded. Oh and the Black thing is an APR-39
Both of the cobra's shown are AH-1F's the Ah-1S is a misprint because the army could not decide how to class these aircraft. Ah-1S where modded Ah-1G & Ah-1Q to fit TOW they had a round canopy and Twin mount Hydraulic Turret with a 7.62mm mini gun on the right side and a 40mm Grande launcher on the left side. A New 90-degree gearbox mounted on the Starboard side opposite compared to the AH-1G and Ah-1Q mounted on the portside to Convert It to a pusher instead of a puller, they also got a more powerful Allison turbine to be able to mount all the new T.O.W. Missile equipment They did not convert AH-1F to AH-1S they converted AH-1S to AH-1F.'s The Missile System is a Tube launched optically tracked wire guided missile T.O.W. The sight mounted in the Nose is T.S.U. or Telescopic Sight Unit the Rockets are not 7.62mm that's funny 30cal rockets how tiny The Rockets are 2.75 in rockets aka F.F.A.R. (Mighty mouse) rockets. And later Replaced by Hydra70 rockets. I have never seen an Army cobra with a Maverick missiles Mounted Airborne TOW missile system does not have this capability There also is a laser detector mounted in the bubble above the cockpit canopy. The Chaff Despencer was mounted opposite of the tail rotor on the vertical stabilizer pointing up Also one mounted mid ship Just aft of the engine The flat top over the engine is the mount for the ALQ-144 infrared jammer The 20mm automatic gun is the M197
Do you know if any of the Ah-1fs in Desert Storm mounted the chaff dispensers? I haven't seen any really good pictures of Ah-1Fs during the Gulf War.
@@Hyper_1989 Yes the ones we recived had chaffe dispencers on the tail oposte the tail rotor pointing up the tail the other mount was starboard sibe just after the battery door pointing up not relly shure the pacment of this one been like 20 plus years since I worked on this aircraft but i spent eight years working on these aircraft everyday
Actually, ID plates on the aircraft show both AH-1F and AH-1S.
The only thing I will add is the Q was a Marine Cobra
The G was the first Cobra,
The G just had rockets and the 28 system with 7,62 Minni gun and 40mm grenade launcher and the M (modified) had the TOW system added
@@Hyper_1989 YES THE AH-1F FROM THE GULF THAT WHEN THOURGH THE CT AVCRAD had Chaff Dispencers
Why is an ARMY Cobra pilot better than a Marine Cobra pilot ????
(ARMY pilot only needs one engine)
The later "S Models" had a TSU (telescopic site unit) in the gunner seat. It was like goggles that were used to site the TOWs.
Thanks, Rog, I am not that familiar with the cockpit setups on Cobras. Worked with them a lot, but almost no time in them. Appreciate the comments.
Tube launched, optically tracked, wire guided (TOW) missile
Pretty sure the S models were actually upgraded to the F models. The "F" stood for fully modernized or something like that and were used up to the early 2000s right before Iraqi Freedom.
goggles with a laser range finder the upgraded nomaclature for these aircraft Starts with Ah-G then Ah-1Q with Tow with laser range finder and 90 degree gear box changed to the starboard side to improve turning handleing And the Xm128 helmet sight system Next was Ah-1S ugraded Engine 1800 Hp tubine engine With upgraded Composite Blades to better carry tow with a lazer range finder still with the xm28 turret and the XM128 helmet sight system. The next Step was ths Ah-1P (fomer Production) Still had Xm28 Turret and upgraded XM136 helmet sight sysetm this was the first to have the flat plate cannopy with tow and lazer range finder.The Next aircraft was Ah-1E (or Enhanced Capability Aircraft E.C.A.S.) This arcraft Sported the Flatplate Canopy And The new M197 turret and 20mm Automatic Gun.With the XM136 helmet sight system And upgraded Rocket Management system for Hydra 70 Rockets. With Tow and lazer renge finder The last upgraded Aircraft was th AH-1F ( on Modernised Cobra) Had the Flat plate Canopy M197 turret And Air Data sensor ARM (A.D.S.) Rocket managment system, The New Headsup Display or H.U.D. A New IR Supressor and cool air mixer was installed on the aft end of the Turbine With an AlQ-144 Jammer mounted above the turbine A Lazer range finder and designater to mark targets The Detyector for the designator was mounted in the dome Above the conopy .Laser radar detectors were in stalled on all models from Ah-1Q up to Ah-1F And all Models had from AH-1Q to the AH-1F had Composite main rotor blades.
@@williampaddock4863 wow, did you work at Bell?
I just read Lew Jennings book "19 minutes to live" wow... Thank you for this brilliant insight 👍
Thanks for the kind words!
beauty
Guns are for fun!
I think you are wrong about the missile tubes. Those are 2.75 inch. The 7.62mm is the front gun. The other (outer) pods are for TOW missiles.
This helo has a little different armament arrangement due to its testbed use. Agree, the inner tubes are 2.75" and other launchers are for TOW wire-guided missiles and are placarded as such. The three-barrel gun is most certainly a 20mm. We carried both the 7.62 and the 20 on the OV-10. Very familiar with them. Thanks for watching.
@@FtwAviationMuseum Yes, I wrote that comment before I noticed the long barrels in the front. It was just awesome seeing a Cobra again. The one thing that seemed strange was the "ribs" (raised parallel lines in the sheet metal) on the cowling beside the engine. I don't remember any Cobra having those. Oh, and I also now see that the first cockpit view was the pilot seat. The gunner seat does have the TSU.
@@rogfromthegarage8158 Have no clue about the ribs either. We have two Cobras. We will have to see if they are on both. Cheers.
The "ribs" are part of the clamshell mod on the intakes to prevent the aircraft from choking and causing compressor stalls when firing multilaunch Hydra 70s.
76mm rockets
They didn't convert to F to S. They converted S to F.
Cobras with AGM-65 Mavericks? We sure about that?
That is what we were told by the organization we acquired this aircraft from.
Ha, no probably meant Hellfire.
Mavericks were fired in testing for the Whiskey Cobra, but they never carried Mavericks operationally. Also, the Iranians modded their AH-1Js to fire Mavericks. It had to be a hell of a thump coming off the rails.
no the Army Cobras did not fire the maverick the did test hellfire but operationally carried Tow
The Single engine Two blade Cobras are not aerobatic because of mast bumping and not enough turbine power so sad to see an ARMY cobra with Marine marking terrible Abuse
This particular machine was rehabbed for use at a local VA center. One side in indeed the US Army, while the opposite side shows USMC to honor both services. I'm sure no disrespect was intended or implied.
Umm you just said 7.62 mm rockets? I think you meant to say 76mm. Just a lil difference.😂