Scouting is one of the key elements of the modern battlefield ever since technology cought it's foot in the door. The Bell helicopter took this into perspective and built a lightly armored, single engined, double-bladed reconnacence helicopter. Durring Desert Storm 115 Kiowa Warriors took to the battlefield and showed the generals not only it's capability in reconacense but its light weight strike capabilities as well. During the entire operation, the Kiowa flew 9,000 hours, and has the highest readiness amung all helicopters. It also carries the pride of having the lowest ratio of maintenance hours to flight hours of any strike combat helicopter in the U.S. arsonal. It is infact the only helicopter that is stricktly in U.S. forces. In this war Kiowas were based on ships including, Cruisers, Battleships, but mainly among Aircraft Carriers. They stoped attacks on oil tankers from fast moving aircraft (fast movers), and high speed gun-ships. Although its purpose is to track, and gather information of enemy forces it carries an optimum of transport, utility, and strike capabilities on externally mounted tech points. The weapons are loaded onto quick change weapons pylons. It is also equiped with a cargo hook that can carry loads up to one ton. It also can carry injured troops out of an area on the skid streachers (a lot like the Korean war). A distinguishing factor of the warrior is the mast mounted sight (MMS) from Boeing, situated above the rotor blades, enables the Kiowa Warrior to operate by day and night and to engage the enemy at the maximum range of the weapon systems it can hover just below the tree line leaving only the MMS site exposed leaving the helicopter relitivly safe. The MMS itself is equiped with a high resolution television camera, low light target detection an infra-red thermal imaging sensor for target indentification, a laser rangefinder and designator. The laser rangefinder designator is also employed for handoff to an AH-1 Cobra helicopter for TOW missile engagements a boresight assembly which provides quick in-flight sensor alignment. The Kiowa is vulnerable to all kinds of bombardment so it has been equiped with an infrared jammer, radar warning receivers against pulsed and CW hostile radars and a laser warning detector. But the best countermeasure the Kiowa has is its versitile maneuvering capablities. In the hands of an experienced pilot, it can outmaneuver many intersepting aircraft, including fast movers, and ground fire, and Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) or triple-A. An onboard computer in the cockpit assists all ranging, targeting, guidance, and control systems. It also assits the Global Positioning System's (GPS) navigational display. The Kiowa is special in that the entire helicopter can be "folded" up and shiped long distance to a location with-in 24 hrs, from ready take-off platform to ready take-off platform. . Specifications Developer Bell Textron Length Rotor Span Width Power Plant Allison 480 kW turbine Transmission Rotor Blades 4 . Performance Action Data Ceiling Max LIFT Payload Top Speed Range 430 km Combat Radius 200 km . Armament Type Size Number Placement Fixed forward auto. .50 calibre 200 rds. Hydra 70 rockets 14 Catch Runs Stinger missiles (AAM) 4 Stub Tips Hellfire missiles (AGM) 4 Individual Cylindars in dual formation