- Yes
- No
- Italy
- Others
- I said no
Description: The Agusta Bell AB-212 ASW was an Italian anti-submarine helicopter of the Cold War. It made its first flight in 1976, and it was used mainly by the Italian Navy, but it was also exported to various countries. One of those countries was Iran, which operated a fleet of ten units in 1978. Two years after the units were delivered, the Iraqi-Iranian war broke out, and the heli’s were equipped with the French-made AS12 air-to-ground missile that was used extensively against Iraqi vessels and armored units. Unfortunately, after the end of the war, the stockpiles mostly ran out of AS12, and due to the various embargoes imposed by the European countries, the Iranian navy was not able to rearm its helicopters. Also, various parts, such as the targeting sight and the LN-66 X-band radar, were removed after the war because they were not necessary anymore. In 1990, the Iranian Navy started to analyze the possible weapons that could be installed on their units to rearm the AB212 ASW once more. Many weapons were retained ideals, like the GPU2 gun pod (fitted with a M197 20 mm cannon), the LAU68 roket launcher armed with 70 mm Hydra rokets,and other smaller caliber gun pods. There was also a plan to implement the C-704KD anti-ship missile, but that possibility was scrapped. The Iranian AB212 ASW is still used today mainly for two roles: SAR and armed escort. Currently, there is no plan to replace them, so it is very likely that they will continue to serve the Iranian Navy in the future.
Why it should be in the game: If added alongside the main tt version, this heli could be a very good premium option of the Italian helicopter TT since it has various different weapons compared to the Italian one.
Special Thanks to Iranian_armored_class for all the help!
Specifications
Spoiler
Armaments
Spoiler
Gun Pods
2x GPU2 (M197 20 mm cannon)
2x 7.62 mm Minigun
7.62 mm machinegun pod
Unguided Rokets
14x Hydra 70 mm rokets
Air to Ground Missiles
2x AS12
Sources
Spoiler
Running on Empty: How budget cuts have damaged Iranian Naval Aviation
https://www.marina.difesa.it/EN/thefleet/airfleet/Pagine/ab212.aspx
Iranian AB 212 Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Helicopter | Global Military Review
Fars | فارس
Pictures
