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Posted on 02/17/2004 12:01:15 AM PST by SAMWolf
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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Panther  After meeting the Soviet T-34 tank in late 1941 the German army was considerably shaken to find that there was a tank better than its PzKpfw IV. Although work on a successor to the PzKpfw IV had started as early as 1937, which eventually became the Tiger heavy tank, it largely incorporated features from the earlier development prototypes and owed nothing to the T-34 design. After examining captured T-34s during an "on the spot" investigation, the key features of the T-34 design were assessed. The three main characteristics were:
 Wooden model of the Daimler-Benz proposal Having received the commision's report on November 25 1941, the Heereswaffenamt contracted with two armament firms, Daimler-Benz and MAN, to produce designs for a new medium tank in the 30-35 ton class. To be ready for the following spring, the specifications called for a vehicle with 60mm frontal armor and 40mm side armor, a high velocity 75mm gun and the front and sides to be sloped like the T-34.  MAN Panther Ausf. D In April 1942, the two designs were submitted, with an interesting contrast. Daimler-Benz proposal was an almost unashamed copy of the T-34 in layout, with the addition of a few refinements. It had a hull shape similar to the T-34 with turret mounted well forward; the driver sat within the turret cage. A diesel engine was fitted with transmission to the rear sprockets. Paired steel bogies without rubber tyres were suspended by leaf springs. Other features included jettisonable fuel tanks on the hull rear in T-34 fashion.  Panther Ausf. A Hitler was impressed with the Daimler-Benz "T-34 type" proposal, although he suggested that the gun be changed from the 75mm L/48 model to the longer L/70 weapon, and prototypes went into production. Leaf springs were cheaper and easier to produce than torsion bars, and the diesel engine would have been an advantage in later years when petrol supply became restricted. However, the Heereswaffenamt preferred the MAN design, since simply copying the T-34 was unpatriotic and there were mechanical features of the T-34 which made copying an impractical proposition for German manufacturers.  Panther Ausf. G The MAN design displayed original German thinking, sophisticated rather than simple. It had a higher, wider hull than either the Daimler-Benz design or the T-34, with a large turret placed well back to offset as much as possible the overhang of the long 75mm gun. Torsion bar suspension was used with interleaved road wheels, while a Maybach petrol engine was proposed, with drive to the front sprockets. The internal layout followed conventional German practice with stations for the driver and hull gunner/radio-operator in the front compartment.  The crew of a Panther, Eastern Front, April 1944 Militarily, there were two important prerequisites in the comparison of the two models: mass production should start in December 1942, and the weapon should be of superior quality to counter the numerical material superiority of the enemy. Daimler-Benz was not able to produce the turret for the deadline, and needed modifications on the turret as well. The recommendation of the MAN's proposal was presented to Hitler on 13 May 1942, and accepted. At the same time the specifications were restated, increasing the frontal armor thickness to 80mm, a change increasing the weight to 44 tons. By that time much of the design, like wheels and suspension, had been completed and subcontractors at work; throwing additional strain on components designed for the original weight, which lead to problems of unreliability in action. 
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The tactical missions of the Eighth and Ninth Airforces supported the advancing allied armies through a network of FAC's (Forward Air Controllers), that would work directly with ground echelons on the advance. Air strikes terrorized the German armor and ground forces, and few encounters between the fighters and fighter bombers came out in favor of the Germans. Throughout the dalight hours of August and September 1944, these attacks hounded and paralyzed the supply lines and logistics of the enemy. Moving war material and troops at night under the cloak of darkness offered one of the few opportunities for the Germans to make any progress. Few targets escaped the punishing attacks of these fighters, who used their bombs, rockets and .50 caliber machine guns to pulverize the surprised Germans. tHe level of intensity of these attacks were such that 56 years later, surviving German soldiers still speak in hushed tones ofthe ferocity of fighter attacks and the feelings of hopelessness and fear that became increasingly an every day occurence.
In Robert Bailey's latest painting Mustang Menace, just such a scenario unfolds. A German tank column moving to the front has had the unfortunate luck to cross paths with a Kriegslok train carrying petro chemicals. Alerted by an FAC, fighters of the 357th. F.G. attack with a vengeance at the target-rich environment. The ensuing conflagration is just another day on the job for the 357th.
I've seen the C-5. How's it compare in size so I can get a mental picture?
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Air Power |
The Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche is the Army's next generation armed reconnaissance helicopter. It also is the first helicopter developed specifically for this role. The Comanche will provide Army Aviation the opportunity to move into the 21st century with a weapon system of unsurpassed warfighting capabilities crucial to the Army's future strategic vision.
The RAH-66 Comanche is an advanced twin engine, two seat (tandem) light attack/armed reconnaissance helicopter currently being developed for the U. S. Army by a joint venture comprising Boeing Helicopters and Sikorsky Aircraft. The Comanche features a five-bladed bearingless main rotor, a shrouded tail rotor, a low radar cross section composite fuselage with retractable weapons pylon, a fly-by-wire flight control system, and a fully integrated cockpit. The mission equipment package incorporates forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and image intensified television sensors for night pilotage and target acquisition. The Comanche will initially be armed with the semi-active laser Hellfire missile, the air-to-air Stinger missile, 2.75 inch aerial rockets, and a turreted 20 mm gun.
The Comanche is intended to replace the current fleet of AH-1 and OH-58 helicopters in all air cavalry troops and light division attack helicopter battalions, and supplement the AH-64 Apache in heavy division/corps attack helicopter battalions. The Army's April 2000 Aviation Force Modernization Plan recommended acquisition of 1,213 Comanche aircraft, valued at nearly $34 billion. The first US Army Comanche unit will be operationally equipped in 2006. Aviation battalions will be reorganized as part of the Army's 2000 Aviation Force Modernization Plan. AH-1 Cobras were divested by October 2001, and A and C model OH-58 Kiowas will be retired by 2004. The Cobras and Kiowas will be replaced by AH-64D Apaches and eventually by RAH-66 Comanches, the new reconnaissance and attack helicopter scheduled to begin joining the Army in 2008. Later-model Kiowas are scheduled for retirement in fiscal year 2013, according to the plan.
As of September 2002 the Army was considering a plan to cut the number of Comanche helicopters by almost 40%, to about 800, amid growing pressure to cancel the program entirely. Skeptics of the program suggest that unmanned planes capable of performing the Comanche's surveillance and precision-strike roles will be available to the Army prior to the maturing of the Comanche system. Under a revised concept of operations, each two-person Comanche crew could control one or two UAVs that would fly ahead of the Comanche, expanding the crews' vision of the battlefield.
In October 2002 the Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) approved the Army's restructuring plan for the Comanche helicopter program - the sixth so far in the program's history. The new Acquisition Decision Memorandum (ADM) formally approving the plan added about $3.4 billion to the Comanche's $3.1-billion development program. The program's original procurement level of 1,213 aircraft was cut to 650, due in part to the longer-than-expected service life of the AH-64 Apache combat helicopter. The first helicopters will be combat-ready in September 2009, three years behind the previous schedule. Production and purchase of the first helicopters would begin in fiscal 2006, one year later than planned under the previous schedule. The contractor team would produced the first 650 Comanches for 14 to 15 years at a rate of up to 60 helicopters per year [a reduction from the previously planned maximum annual procurement rate of 95 per year]. The Army says it needs a minimum of 819 helicopters. Reducing the Comanche buy to 650 helicopters will cut $13 billion from the $42 billion procurement budget, but also will raise the cost of each helicopter by about $8.1 million. The Comanche's unit cost will rise from $24.1 million to $32.2 million. The Pentagon approved production quantities in the Comanche program's early years that fall slightly short of the earlier plan: 15 in 2007, 23 in 2008 and 35 in 2009. The earlier schedule called for 18, 24 and 36 aircraft, respectively. The latest plan lets the Army buy up to 60 helicopters per year once full production begins after 2009, versus 62 under the old plan.
Aviation battalions will be reorganized as part of the Army's 2000 Aviation Force Modernization Plan. AH-1 Cobras were divested by October 2001, and A and C model OH-58 Kiowas will be retired by 2004. The Cobras and Kiowas will be replaced by AH-64D Apaches and eventually by RAH-66 Comanches, the new reconnaissance and attack helicopter scheduled to begin joining the Army in 2008. Later-model Kiowas are scheduled for retirement in fiscal year 2013, according to the plan.
The multi-functional battalion structure is made up of 10 AH-64D Apache attack helicopters, 10 UH-60 Blackhawk utility helicopters and will eventually include 10 RAH-66 Comanche reconnaissance and attack helicopters. The Army will begin structuring battalions in this manner soon, although the Comanche requirement will have to be filled with Apaches and Kiowas until Comanche fully comes on-line.
As of late 2002 Army plans called for fielding detachments of 12 Comanche aircraft to the Objective Force brigade-strength 'units of action', accompanied by eight UAVs. Despite the cut to 650 systems, the Army still has a requirement for at least 819 Comanche helicopters. The reduced number provides systems for the 'unit of action', but does not provide enough to field the system to higher echelons of the Objective Force.
Specifications |
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| Manufacturer | Boeing Helicopter Company and Sikorsky Aircraft Division (joint venture) |
| Length | 46.78 feet (rotor turning) |
| Width | 39.04 feet (rotor turning) |
| Height | 11.0 feet (overall) |
| Armament |
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| Weight | Empty 7,765 pounds Combat Mission 10,600 pounds |
| Mission Equipment |
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| Propulsion | Two T800 1,440 SHP gas turbine engines 5-blade main rotor Fantail anti-torque |
| Crew | Two |
| Speed | 330 km/hr / 172 knots - Dash speed 315 km/hr / 164 knots - Dash speed (@ 4,000 feet/95oF / with Longbow) 310 km/hr / 161 knots - Cruise speed |
| Vertical Rate of Climb | 500-850 feet per minute |
| Range | 262 nm Max Range (internal fuel) 1,260 nm self-deployment range |
Compare to the Apache.
Wow what an amazing guy. He certainly knew his tank's capabilities and pushed them to the max.
ROFLOL. That's a good one.
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