I know this is an extreme long shot but I was wondering if anyone has a few pictures of the interior of an early AH-6C? I am going to be starting a project soon and although I have some pretty decent exterior shots, I have nothing that shows the interior. It seems like the avionics in the back differ significantly from later versions, also am not sure if the instrument panel is pretty much stock OH-6A (plus the black paint) or if it is completely different.

Any pictures or even just written info would be greatly appreciated.

John

As far as the back end, one of the things you might find in the back of an AH-6C was a Robertson "T-tank". This was a black plastic extended range fuel tank that was shaped like an upside-down T. Think of a tank made up of 4 black cubes, with three cubes laid end to end, and then one cube stacked on top of the middle one, making up an upside-down T. This tank ran across the back compartment against the rear wall. I don't see it on Robertson's webpage and don't know if they still make it.

On the left side you would have had the standard minigun and ammo can, and on the right was the rocket launcher connected up with the right tiedown point.

As far as radio fits, I don't know the details, although they were obviously different from the later J models. My suspicion is that they were very much like the standard OH-6A as far as panels, and that the additional radios and antennas were add-ons and were put wherever anything would fit. I've been told that a lot of these early aircraft were non-standard even within the unit as there was no one standard equipment fitting and missions continuously changed, so it was possible to find several different equipment configurations simultaneously.

I'd like to see any AH-6/MH-6 photos you might have. I'm always looking for photos of the early Little Birds.


John Hairell (tpn18@yahoo.com)

Hi John,

Thanks very much for the info. I'm still trying to figure out how to represent all of this in plastic. Didn't know about the t-tank, that could make an interesting addition but I still need to understand how it looked with regard to fuel connections, tie downs, etc.

The only pix I have are the ones that are pretty widely disseminated on the net. If you are looking for new shots of the Charlie model, check out the ARC - helo forum. A guy that used to fly these posted some shots of early charlie models. They have helped me quite a bit on the exterior fittings but they leave me with more questions than ever on how the interior (especially the rear compartment) looked. From the pics that this gent posted, it looks like there are avionics boxes along the rear cabin bulkhead. I've got all the bits to model this aircraft but I really don't want to start a project and just guess at the interior layout. I'd rather postpone it until I get better references (if that ever happens).

Also, there is another somewhat recent thread on this formum that has some very interesting pictures of AH-6J's. These helos have some mods I have never seen before, including a flanged fitting on the rear exhaust and a very large shroud over a screened opening on the left side fuselage. If you haven't seen these pix before, check them out! If you have any info on the purpose of these fittings, I'd be very interested in what your thoughts are.

Both of these posts are only a week or so old, you will have no problems finding them.

Question that maybe you can answer - the pictures this gent posted show the regular seats that are straight out of the OH-6A. The only difference is that they do not have any armor plates on the sides like the Vietnam loaches had. Do you think I would be safe in assuming that if these aircraft were in an operational mode, they would have the regular seat armor kits installed?

Regards,

John

John, this is John....

I think the T-tank was bolted to the floor - I don't remember any tie-downs. It was made of a heavy black plastic. I think the fuel connection was on the right side (looking forward) and connected in somewhere close to where the a/c's own fuel filler neck was. I have a Robertson diagram somewhere but don't know where it is - it's buried deep in a box.

I can't help you with any radio gear info in the rear compartment. I have no details.

As far as seats, they used the standard OH-6 mesh seat. I have never seen a photo of an AH-6C with any armor fitted but that doesn't mean they didn't use it. I know that the AH-6J could use an underseat armor plate. A pilot for the 160th told me they didn't use side armor, that was circa 1998.

On ARC some of the postings had to do with gunsights. I've been told the 160th used grease pencil marks on the w/s. They later developed a laser pointer.

As far as the ARC photos of the AH-6Js with the side scoop, I knew that existed but have never seen a photo of it. The first I ever saw of this was an AH-6J displayed publicly at one of the Andrews AFB air shows about 10 years ago. That aircraft had the opening with the mesh screen and there were places where something could mount. The crewchief told me this was an oil-cooling device. I've also seen photos of the opening with perferated holes, not a mesh.

As far as the flange on the exhaust system, I believe that is what the seldom-seen IR-reducing "sugar scoop" exhaust attaches to. The other option was to use the tailcone, and have the exhaust go out the sides.

General comment on those photos - they are old. Looks like they date to the early '90s. The a/c have the old batwing SATCOM which was later replaced by the x-wing. They also have the longer plank fitted. These a/c also have lots of staining from minigun blast. Interestingly some of them have the fast-rope attachment fittings around the rear doors, indicating they could be used as either an AH-6J or as an MH-6J.


John Hairell (tpn18@yahoo.com)

Hi John,

Thanks for all of the info, very interesting (and useful) stuff. With regard to the AH-6C, I guess my project is stuck for the time being. I'll keep looking around for pix of the rear compartment. I think I could do the T-tank based on what you have told me but I am still not even close to visualizing what else is in the rear compartment for avionics boxes.

Interesting comments on those AH-6J pictures. I'm surprised that anything would need such a big, bulky cooling shroud. I have no idea what is inside the fuselage in that area but I find it surprising that it would be for an oil cooler since (I think) that a regular AH-6 doesn't even have a vent in that location.

I'd love to see what that "sugar scoop" would look like. That would make for a very interesting accessory for a littlebird model.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer....

John

If anyone is interested in early A/MH-6's (John H are you out there?), you may want to check out the ARC helo forum. A gentleman that was one of the original TF-160 Littlebird pilots has posted some outstanding shots of very early A/MH-6's. Best I've seen anywhere of early Littlebirds.

Regards,

John

see pics, click on for bigger

http://www.vhpamuseum.org/aircraft/aircraft.shtml

Hi,

Thanks for the link, there are some really unique helo pictures on that page. However, I couldn't find anything that referred to the AH-6C on it. If I missed something, please let me know and I'll go back and check it out again.

Regards,

John

For those that are interested, there have been a very large number of posts and pictures of early AH/MH-6's on the ARC Helo Forum. Two ex-160th SOAR Littlebird pilots have shared their pictures and info. Very useful resource for those that have an interest in this subject.

Regards,

John