BO 105 PAH-1A1

This page is about the German utility helicopter BO 105 PAH-1A1. For other uses, see BO 105 (Family).

BO 105 PAH-1A1

BO 105 PAH-1A1

Germany

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.7	9.3	9.7

Class:

Utility helicopter

Research:370 000

Purchase:990 000

Show in game

Description

The BO 105 PAH-1A1 is a rank VI German utility helicopter with a battle rating of 9.7 (AB/SB) and 9.3 (RB). It was introduced in Update 1.83 "Masters of the Sea".

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 0 m242 km/h

Max altitude5 180 m

Engine2 х Allison 250-C20R3

Power440 hp

Take-off weight3 t

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - at sea level)		Max altitude (metres)
	AB	RB
Stock	___	___	5180
Upgraded	___	___

While not the fastest helicopter at this BR, BO 105 PAH-1A1 is without a doubt the most agile one, being able to perform barrel rolls and other maneuvers without problems.  This excellent agility is retained even while going at full speed. 

Light weight of this helicopter also means that it won't bleed as much speed while doing so.

This agility allows for a plethora of defensive maneuvers.

Survivability and armour

Crew2 people

Speed of destruction

Structural300 km/h

Gear320 km/h

Being a repurposed utility helicopter, there are no armor plates nor armored glass to protect its two crewmembers.  

Pilot and Co-pilot sit side by side in front of the helicopter, exposed to enemy fire. While they have access to flak vests modification, those won't protect them from the majority of threats they will face.

On the bright side, BO 105 PAH-1A1 has small size and is very agile; meaning it can utilize any cover very well and also dodge enemy fire with great success.

BO 105 PAH-1A1 is equipped with RWR (radar warning reciever) from the get go.

RWR issues a warning to the pilot when it detects active radar pulsing towards the helicopter; this will be heard as beeps. It also warns pilots when their helicopter gets "radar locked" by continuous tone. It also displays the approximate position of active radar relative to the helicopter and highlights radar that achieved "radar lock".

There are also weapon loadouts that allow BO 105 PAH-1A1 to equip countermeasures launchers, increasing its survivability in contested airspaces.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB10 390 → 13 184

RB3 626 → 4 601

SB6 178 → 7 839

Total cost of modifications289 000

431 000

Talisman cost2 400

Crew training280 000

Experts990 000

Aces2 200

Research Aces890 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

100 / 300 / 430 %

214 / 214 / 214 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Compressor Research: 19 000 Cost: 28 000 260 Replacing helicopter blades Research: 22 000 Cost: 33 000 300 Engine Research: 36 000 Cost: 54 000 490	Flak jacket Research: 19 000 Cost: 28 000 260 Helicopter frame Research: 22 000 Cost: 33 000 300 Cover Research: 47 000 Cost: 70 000 630	FN HMP400 LCC / LTC. Research: 19 000 Cost: 28 000 260 bmg50_belt_pack Research: 22 000 Cost: 33 000 300 FN RMP LC / LTC Research: 36 000 Cost: 54 000 490 bmg50_new_gun Research: 47 000 Cost: 70 000 630

As BO 105 PAH-1A1 has access to ATGMs while in stock configuration, Weapon modules are not priority and pilots can choose to go for Flight performance upgrades first. On the other hand, both gun pods modification allows BO 105 PAH-1A1 to equip countermeasures launchers.

Armaments

Suspended armament

The BO 105 PAH-1A1 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• 6 x HOT-2 TOW missiles
• 2 x 12.7 mm FN M3P machine guns (500 rpg = 1,000 total) + 60 x Flares
• 2 x 12.7 mm FN M3P machine guns (500 rpg = 1,000 total) + 60 x Flares + 6 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
• 1 x 12.7 mm FN M3P machine gun (500 rpg) + 3 x HOT-2 TOW missiles + 30 x Flares
• 1 x 12.7 mm FN M3P machine gun (500 rpg) + 3 x HOT-2 TOW missiles + 30 x Flares + 3 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets

HOT-2 TOW - BO 105 PAH-1A1 stock ATGMs and without a doubt, its strongest weapons. They offer up to 900mm of penetration and range of 4km. 

12.7 mm FN M3P machine gun - gun pod containing standard .50cal machine gun with 1000 round belt. While these are pilots' best weapon against enemy helicopters and planes, they are severely underpowered for such tasks as most enemies will have access to Air-to-air missiles. They are also next to useless against ground targets and can only reliably damage open top vehicles.  

FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets - Sporting 290mm of penetration, these can be used against roof armor of ground vehicles. However, BO 105 PAH-1A1 is a less than ideal platform for their use, as it lacks a ballistic computer to provide firing solution and carries only 6x of them at max. On top of that, their effective use requires close distance to targets - and as there is no armor on BO 105 PAH-1A1, they basically guarantee that the helicopter will get shot down.

Countermeasures launcher - Provides 30x countermeasures per one launcher. This option allows for another layer of defense, but BO 105 PAH-1A1 cant take its maximum possible number of ATGMs while using them, severely limiting its fragging potential.

Usage in battles

Ground Realistic Battles

Loadout

BO 105 PAH-1A1 should be used only as an ATGM carrier. HOT-2 missiles are strong for its BR, but pilots should be aware that composite and reactive armor are becoming more common and they significantly reduce the amount of spalling from chemical munitions. 

Pilots can either choose from pure ATGM loadout or ATGMs combined with gun pods and countermeasures launchers. First option has better fragging potential against ground targets, while second option increases helicopter survivability by adding another layer of defense against AA and gun pod to fend off aerial threats at cost of halved ATGM count. Sadly, a single gun pod with .50cal is not much of a threat to aerial targets, but it is certainly better than nothing.

As most ground AA vehicles utilize radar guidance for both missiles and guns, and only two vehicles currently in game utilize IR missiles (PGZ04A and Type 93), pilots should pick the “Chaff only” option most of the time. Chaff breaks radar lock and confuses enemy tracking radar, increasing probability of miss.

Under no circumstances should pilots pick pure gun pod loadout, as it practically makes them a dead weight.

Tactics

Pilots should approach the battlefield flying at low altitude, keeping a distance of 4 km (maximum range of ATGMs). Then they should bleed speed and start hovering. Finding any cover to hover behind and to break line of sight tremendously helps players survival - even trees can become extremely useful.

Pilots should pop above the cover for a few seconds, launch a missile or two, then go back and change position. Rinse and repeat. 

Pilots should stay around an altitude of 25 m when not engaging enemy tanks. Helicopters at this altitude confuse tracking radar and search radar might not detect them at all. Radar needs an unobstructed line of sight to work properly, so flying low and utilizing ground obstacles helps with helicopters survival. RWR helps with detection of enemy radar AA, but pilots should note that lack of active radar does not necessarily mean that there's no AA active; some skilled players turn off search radars in order to drawn out enemy air assets out of cover. If there's enemy AA, it needs to be taken out first. 

Also, proximity fuze of SAMs is disabled below 25 m. If the pilots are higher and they detect incoming fire or SAM, they should try to duck below 25 m as fast as possible, deploy countermeasures if they have them equipped and they should consider disengaging for the time being. Direct hit can and will obliterate helicopters, but those are harder to pull off when dodging.

Staying in one place not only helps the enemy team to locate helicopters sooner, but some tanks with laser range finders might be able to shoot hovering helicopters down with tank guns at a range of several kilometres, since they present almost static targets.

At BO 105 PAH-1A1s BR, the biggest threat comes in the form of SAMs, such as Roland missiles. Those greatly outrange BO 105 PAH-1A1, thus it is vital to keep situational awareness at all times. Due to their speed, there is just a small time window when pilots can successfully dodge.

Planes and other helicopters also pose a significant threat - if an aerial target is spotted, pilots should consider retreating, either to the closest airfield or in the vicinity of friendly AA. If an enemy helicopter is spotted, pilots may attempt to shoot it down with ATGM if it's close enough, but misses are to be expected.

Pilots should engage aerial targets with gun pods only in self defense and as last resort, since BO 105 PAH-1A1 is poorly equipped for such task.

Specific enemies worth mentioning:

T-64 and T-72 tanks - Later models are equipped with ERA, and thus can survive several hits from ATGMs in the frontal arc.

FlakRakPz1 and Roland 1 - Both can be equipped with Roland 3 SAMs that greatly outranges HOT-2 missiles, but they are radar guided and thus RWR can detect them.

Type 93 - Rarer vehicle, but dangerous nonetheless. Pilots need to detect its missiles visually as they are IR guided, making RWR useless. 

Khrizantema-S - While not dedicated AA, it has access to powerful missiles with enough range to pose a threat.

Gazelle helicopters - They have access to all powerful Mistral air-to-air missiles. 

Mi-24P and Mi-24V - Even more threatening than Gazelle helicopters, not only they are heavily armored and armed with deadly cannons, they also have access to R-60M air-to-air missiles

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Small size
• Excellent agility
• Armed with powerful HOT-2 missiles
• Does not need to research said missiles
• Has access to RWR while stock
• Can research countermeasures launchers

Cons:

• Equipping countermeasures launchers halves ATGM count
• No organic gun arment; relies on gun pods
• Defenseless agaisnt most aerial threats
• Lacks thermals
• No armor

History

The development of the BO 105 light utility helicopter started in 1964 by the Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm company. The prototype made its first flight on 16 February 1967. The design was known for its very good manoeuvrability, even allowing use for aerobatic show purposes (with the Red Bull Flying Bulls for instance). It had a good load capacity, a decent speed, and nice, steady, and responsive controls, as well as good flight behaviour.

In 1975, the German Army, interested in the design, commissionned a BO 105 armed with wire controlled HOT ATGMs for anti-tank purposes, thus creating the BO 105 PAH-1. The newer HOT-2 ATGMs were installed in the PAH-1A1 variant. This helicopter however was considerated as a temporary solution, while waiting for a proper anti-tank platform (what would become the EC-665 Tiger UHT)

The BO-105 didn't have proper combat services: it is presumed to have been used by Indonesian forces, in the Papua conflict and the 1999 East Timorese crisis. The helicopter was almost exclusively used in civilian roles such as EMS.

Media

Images

• 
• 
• 

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the helicopter;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] BO 105 Attack Helicopters

Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB)*
Utility	BO 105 CB-2 · BO 105 PAH-1 · BO 105 PAH-1A1
Export	HKP9A · HKP9A (FC)
	*This company is a conglomeration of several post-war aviation companies which focused on building helicopters.

Germany helicopters
Attack
Hip	◊Mi-8TB
Hind	◊Mi-24P · ◄Mi-24P HFS 80
Tiger	EC-665 Tiger UHT
Utility
BO 105	BO 105 CB-2 · BO 105 PAH-1 · BO 105 PAH-1A1
Alouette	◄SA 313B Alouette II
Huey	◄UH-1D