American helicopter MD 969 launches missiles from the cockpit
A little over a month after the American company MD Helicopters unveiled its latest military development, the MD 969 helicopter, a new option for this rotorcraft was announced.
We are talking about a seven-barrel launcher, which, located inside the main cabin, fires precision-guided munitions or launches small drones through a hatch at the rear of the fuselage. She received the designation Common Launch Tube, or CLT.
- explained in the company.
The CLT launcher for MD 969 can be installed without sacrificing space for other species. weaponslocated on the wings. However, it, of course, limits the space inside the cabin. Thanks to the new MD MD 969, UAVs can be positioned, “providing increased situational awareness for both ground and air combat units,” the developer said.
The arsenal of the machine can also include a wide range of combat systems, in particular, 70-mm unguided and guided missiles, various ATGMs such as AGM-114 Hellfire. In the nose of the helicopter mounted sensor head, equipped with electro-optical and infrared cameras, as well as a laser pointer.
The twin-engine light attack helicopter MD 969 in the basic version was demonstrated on 5 March 2019 of the year, with an option marked - 14 April. MD 969 is an extreme variant developed in the MD 900 series, known as Explorer. The first samples related to it first appeared at the beginning of the 1990s.
As in all other versions of Explorer, MD 969 is equipped with MD Helicopter's No Tail Rotor (Notar) system, which uses vector thrust from main engines, rather than tail rotor, to counteract the torque of the main rotor. As stated, this allows for a quieter operation of the power plant, eliminating the danger of hitting the tail rotor and reducing the overall size of the tail of the helicopter, which can be useful for flying in cramped conditions.
MD 969 has a number of common improvements over earlier 900 series models. Among them is a modular glass cabin with an open architecture that is customized according to customer requirements and adapted to future updates and improvements.
We are talking about a seven-barrel launcher, which, located inside the main cabin, fires precision-guided munitions or launches small drones through a hatch at the rear of the fuselage. She received the designation Common Launch Tube, or CLT.
By integrating this innovative and adaptable CLT system — an opportunity not currently offered to any lightweight helicopter attacker — MD 969 will become a true power multiplier.
- explained in the company.
The CLT launcher for MD 969 can be installed without sacrificing space for other species. weaponslocated on the wings. However, it, of course, limits the space inside the cabin. Thanks to the new MD MD 969, UAVs can be positioned, “providing increased situational awareness for both ground and air combat units,” the developer said.
The arsenal of the machine can also include a wide range of combat systems, in particular, 70-mm unguided and guided missiles, various ATGMs such as AGM-114 Hellfire. In the nose of the helicopter mounted sensor head, equipped with electro-optical and infrared cameras, as well as a laser pointer.
The twin-engine light attack helicopter MD 969 in the basic version was demonstrated on 5 March 2019 of the year, with an option marked - 14 April. MD 969 is an extreme variant developed in the MD 900 series, known as Explorer. The first samples related to it first appeared at the beginning of the 1990s.
As in all other versions of Explorer, MD 969 is equipped with MD Helicopter's No Tail Rotor (Notar) system, which uses vector thrust from main engines, rather than tail rotor, to counteract the torque of the main rotor. As stated, this allows for a quieter operation of the power plant, eliminating the danger of hitting the tail rotor and reducing the overall size of the tail of the helicopter, which can be useful for flying in cramped conditions.
MD 969 has a number of common improvements over earlier 900 series models. Among them is a modular glass cabin with an open architecture that is customized according to customer requirements and adapted to future updates and improvements.
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