So the XTS2 was an internal development that was not necessarily built for any single design. It seems that the AH-2 based on the OH-1, never really took off then.
And you’re saying there an attack version of the UH-2?
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Actually, there were two real “what-if” moments for an OH-1 attack variant:
Around 2000: It was proposed as the AH-1S successor but lost to the AH-64D. (The Defense Technology Journal published a retrospective on this specific design in 2021).
Around 2012: While the project was primarily to replace the aging UH fleet, there was a strong “Family Concept” expectation. The idea was that if the OH-1 based utility variant succeeded, it would naturally pave the way for a unified AH derivative.
The OH-1 based UH actually won the contract! But the whole plan was scrapped after a bid-rigging scandal (officials leaked rival info to Kawasaki).
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To me, it feels a bit strange that you guys use the name “AH-2.” Since it’s an OH-1 derivative and was intended to be the successor to the AH-1S, it’s not logically wrong to call it that, but in Japan, it’s usually referred to as the “AOH-1,” the “Heavily Armed OH-1,” or the “Domestic AH-X Proposal.” The Defense Technology Journal used that last one (the Domestic AH-X proposal) in its retrospective.
OH-1-based UH-1
Interesting
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Official rendering of the cancelled Kawasaki UH-X (with a hint of the OH-1 in the ducted tail rotor)
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If you ask me whether this proposal meets War Thunder’s implementation criteria, I’d say it’s pretty doubtful. But then again, what about the F-16AJ? Since there’s a precedent like that, I can’t help but keep dreaming.
More than anything, I just love the whole concept of an OH-1-based attack helicopter. If it ever actually gets added to the game, I’ll be so moved and shocked that I’ll do a backflip in real life!
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I think this also uses the composite, hingeless rotor of the OH-1 too right?