AH-6M

AH-6M

AH-6M

USA

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.7	10.3	10.0

Class:

Attack helicopter

Research:370 000

Purchase:990 000

Show in game

Description

The AH-6M cockpit features 5 displays of which 3 are adjustable.

The AH-6M "Little Bird" is a class of light helicopters utilized primarily for special operations by the U.S. Army. The prototype was designed to compete in U.S. Army Technical Specification 153 in 1960 for a Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) that could perform personnel extraction, scouting, and light attacks to replace the existing Bell H-13 Sioux fleet. The Hughes Model 369 competed against two other prototypes, developed by Fairchild-Hiller and Bell, for a production contract. The Model 369 had its maiden flight on February 27, 1963. The teardrop-shaped fuselage provided excellent external visibility. Thanks to its four-bladed, fully articulated primary rotor, it was incredibly agile, making it excellent for personnel extraction, scouting, and light attacks. Hughes was given a production contract by the U.S. Army in May 1965. A gunship variant, known as the AH-6, was painted black primarily for nighttime operations.

Introduced in the Update "Sky Guardians", the "Little Bird" is a twin-seat (gunner and pilot next to each other) light helicopter that can carry a capacity of up to six passengers. With a diverse arsenal of weapons at its disposal, the AH-6M "Little Bird" can conduct a wide range of missions in the game, from scouting to anti-armor. With its exceptional maneuverability and small size, it possesses remarkable agility and is capable of performing extreme evasive maneuvers that most other helicopters cannot. With its thermal imaging device and ballistic computer, it can readily scout for targets for the friendly team and provide close air support with Hydra-70 M247 rockets when necessary. The AGR-20 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), which converts standard unguided Hydra-70 M247 rockets into precision-guided munitions (PGMs), is also available for the AH-6M "Little Bird". This enables the helicopter to precisely eliminate lightly armored targets from a distance, making it a more "economic" alternative when the AGM-114 Hellfire can be saved for heavier armored adversaries.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 1 000 m252 km/h

Max altitude3 475 m

EngineAllison 250-C30

Power440 hp

Take-off weight2 t

Describe how the helicopter behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics	Max speed (km/h at 1,000 m)		Max altitude (metres)
	AB	RB
Stock	223	210	3475
Upgraded	___	___

Survivability and armour

Crew2 people

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear320 km/h

Examine the survivability of the helicopter. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical systems.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB9 599 → 13 189

RB4 333 → 5 953

SB5 592 → 7 683

Total cost of modifications286 000

426 000

Talisman cost2 400

Crew training280 000

Experts990 000

Aces2 200

Research Aces890 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

100 / 260 / 390 %

214 / 214 / 214 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Compressor Research: 19 000 Cost: 28 000 330 Replacing helicopter blades Research: 16 000 Cost: 24 000 280 Engine Research: 24 000 Cost: 36 000 420	Flak jacket Research: 19 000 Cost: 28 000 330 Helicopter frame Research: 16 000 Cost: 24 000 280 NVD Research: 24 000 Cost: 36 000 420 Cover Research: 31 000 Cost: 46 000 540	M163_Minigun_new_gun Research: 19 000 Cost: 28 000 330 Gun pod GP-19 Research: 16 000 Cost: 24 000 280 APKWS II Research: 16 000 Cost: 24 000 280 GAU_19_belt_pack Research: 24 000 Cost: 36 000 420 GAU_19_new_gun Research: 31 000 Cost: 46 000 540 AGM-114 Research: 31 000 Cost: 46 000 540

Armaments

Night vision devices

Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.

Thermal imager

Allows to see thermal radiation in the infrared range day and night

Ballistic Computer
CCIP (Guns)	CCIP (Rockets)	CCIP (Bombs)

Suspended armament

The AH-6M can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:

• 38 x Hydra-70 M247 rockets
• 4 x AGM-114K Hellfire II missiles
• 14 x Hydra-70 M247 rockets
• 2 x 7.62 mm M134 Minigun machine guns (6,000 rpg = 12,000 total)
• 2 x 12.7 mm GAU-19 machine guns (1,200 rpg = 2,400 total)
• 14 x APKWS II (M151) missiles
• 14 x APKWS II (M282) missiles

Custom loadout options

	1	2	3	4
7.62 mm M134 Minigun machine guns (6,000 rpg)		1*	1*
12.7 mm GAU-19 machine guns (1,200 rpg)	1*			1*
Hydra-70 M247 rockets	7, 19			7, 19
AGM-114K Hellfire II missiles	2*			2*
APKWS II (M151) missiles	7			7
APKWS II (M282) missiles	7			7
* M134 Minigun machine guns cannot be equipped in conjunction with GAU-19 machine guns or AGM-114K Hellfire II missiles on the neighbouring hardpoint

Usage in battles

The AH-6M Littlebird is a great attack helicopter for close air support. Its speed, agility, and small size allow it to make use of cover behind small buildings and hide from enemy tanks and aircraft.

The AH-6M Littlebird has options to carry 7.62 mm Miniguns with Hydra-70 rockets, APKWS, or AGM-114 Missiles. You cannot use both the 7.62 mm Minigun with the 12.7 Minigun on the same side.

Use the AH-6M's excellent manoeuvrability and small size to evade enemy fire. Favour unpredictable flight paths, low-altitude flying, and sudden changes in direction to make yourself a difficult target.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Very agile
• Thermal vision device
• 360° laser
• Wide cockpit view

Cons:

• No armour
• No countermeasures
• Limited loadout options

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the helicopter in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the AH-6M from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

AH-6M Little Bird Review - Bob Dickinson

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] AH-6M Little bird the killer egg
• [Wikipedia] MD Helicopters MH-6 Little Bird

McDonnell Aircraft Corporation
Jet Fighters	F2H-2 · F3H-2
	F-4C Phantom II · F-4E Phantom II · F-4J Phantom II · F-4S Phantom II
	F-15A · F-15C MSIP II · F-15E
Strike Aircraft	AV-8B Plus · AV-8B (NA)
Helicopters	AH-6M
Export/Licensed
Aircraft	◄F-4F Early · ◄F-4F · ◄F-4F KWS LV · Phantom FG.1 · Phantom FGR.2 · F-4J(UK) Phantom II · F-4EJ Phantom II · F-4EJ ADTW · Kurnass · Kurnass 2000
	F-15J · F-15J(M) · Baz · Baz Meshupar · F-15I Ra’am
	▄AV-8B Plus
Helicopters	Lahatut
	The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation merged with Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas Corporation. Later it was merged with The Boeing Company in 1997.
See Also	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

USA helicopters
Attack
Black Hawk	MH-60L DAP
Choctaw	H-34
Cobra	AH-1F · AH-1G · AH-1Z
SuperCobra	AH-1W
Kiowa	OH-58D
Little Bird	AH-6M
Apache	YAH-64 · AH-64A · ▃AH-64A Peten · AH-64A (GR) · AH-64D
Utility
Huey	UH-1B · UH-1C · UH-1C XM-30