- Yes
- No
General info
The story of the AB 412, begins in America, it was a development of the Huey family, more specifically the Bell 212, 2 of the helicopters would undergo a series of modifications in the 1970’s which brought them to the prototype stage of the 412, changes included a new composite four-blade main rotor, and other minor improvements that helped the helicopter be a truly powerful aircraft. It would be shown to the American high command which promptly put it into service. The way Italy comes into play is in 1981, Agusta signed a contract with Bell, which allowed a licensed production of the 412 helicopter to be made in Italy, under the designation Agusta-Bell AB 412. After the first batch of civilian AB 412’s, Agusta specialists would continue to develop the AB 412 for the Italian army, who showed great interest in the vehicle. This would finally lead to what we know as the Agusta-Bell AB-412 Grifone. One of the many upgrades the Agusta made to the vehicle in comparison with the civilian model, would be made with reinforced chassis, this was done to absorb the shocks during a hard landing. The cockpit had shock-absorbing partially armored seats, and a number of important onboard systems would also be covered with armor. In terms of speed, the Grifone used the PT6T-3B Turbo Twin Pace engine, and allowed it to reach a max speed of 259km an hour. One of the many other improvements on the helicopter was the benefit of the addition of screen-exhaust devices that reduce the thermal signature of the helicopter, which would mean it would be harder to spot if someone would use a thermal sight. Flares could also be installed, it didn’t have any onboard radar however a singular vehicle would mount the CRESO (Complesso Radar Eliportato Sorveglianza Obiettivi) radar, although not much was done with it, due to it being too complex and expensive, it would be used in various training exercises but was never put in active service. In terms of armaments, the Italian army usually only mounted various rocket launchers, and machine guns, however while Agusta tried exporting the machine, it was revealed in various military expo’s that it could also mount things such as 25mm cannons and TOW ATGM’s if needed. In terms of service and vehicle usage, the Italian army would be its main user for many years, starting from 1987, and currently still being used in the majority of the parts of the Italian military. In the Italian army it was used in Iraq, being used as reconnaissance, troop transport and search and rescue. It also has been used in other armies, as it had great export potential, countries like Tunisia, Mexico and Peru have integrated it into their armed forces. Overall, this multi-role helicopter has proved the test of time, and although its not as advanced as it was at one point, its still being used to this day in nearly every part of the globe.
Armament+Equipment
x2 25mm Oerlikon-Buhrle KBA-B cannons
x1 Lucas Helicopter Gun Turret with 400 rounds
x1 12.7mm or 7.62mm machine guns (door gunner)
x4-8 ATGM BGM-71 TOW
x4 Sea Skua anti-ship missiles
x2 gunpods 12.7mm or 7.62mm machine guns
x2 or x4 rocket pods (Hydra, NUR Medusa, PU or SNORA)
Flares/Chaff counter measures
Radar (only one helicopter tested with it keep in mind)
Specifications
Why it should be in game
I feel like this helicopter could do really well in the Italian helicopter tree, and give the tree a chance to branch off into the huey family, this being the last helicopter on this possibile line. Its armament is very similar to the westland lynx. It wouldn’t be too hard to model as this helicopter is still around and a lot of the things it uses has already been modeled in game. It deserves to be represented due to the sheer amount of them being used. Lastly it wouldn’t be a very op helicopter, so people wouldn’t or at least shouldn’t be mad about its implementation.
Sources
Spoiler
Storaro F., Agusta Bell AB-47G AB204B AB-412 in Italian Service
AB-412 Manual
MONTEROMANO '88
Уголок неба ¦ Agusta-Bell AB.412 Grifone
Bell 412 - Wikipedia
Elicottero da Sostegno al Combattimento AB-412 - Esercito Italiano
AB 412 - Militarypedia
https://www.coccardetricolori.it/agusta-bell-ab-412-hh-412/
Militare italiano ucciso in Iraq (6): l'AgustaWestland/Bell AB-412 Griffon
R.E.O.S. – 3º Reggimento Elicotteri Operazioni Speciali “Aldebaran” – Mezzi | Corpi d' élite - Forze speciali italiane, antiterrorismo, intelligence
Photos
