Time Travel 04: I Fight the US in the Middle East

The Apache was designed to meet battlefield needs: a narrow fuselage, a cockpit that is low in the front and high in the rear, armor protection... all of which are designed to improve survivability on the battlefield.

This also resulted in a very limited interior space for the helicopter. The front housed the crew and avionics, the top housed the rotor and engine, and the fuel tank had to be squeezed into the space below the main gearbox.

This 375 gallon fuel tank is the maximum capacity that the designers have racked their brains to find!

Compare it to the Black Hawk, which is also in the ten-ton class. Although the standard internal fuel tank is only 360 gallons, an auxiliary fuel tank of 200 gallons can be installed at any time as needed, since there is enough space inside the aircraft!

This fuel tank not only has a small capacity, but it's also quite close to the engine. Well, there's nothing we can do about it. Fortunately, it's a self-sealing fuel tank with strong resistance to damage. If it's hit by a bullet, the fuel tank can automatically seal the gap.

If you want to further increase the range, you can only install auxiliary fuel tanks on the stub wing pylons. David found a way to improve the range by adding podded fuel tanks on the belly of the aircraft. However, this is something only David could do, since the opponents he was going to fight were weak and he didn't have to worry about anti-aircraft shells hitting his belly and causing a fire.

Now... although the shoulder-fired missile only hit one side of the engine, as the flames burned, it quickly flew to the bottom of the main gearbox and burned to the main fuel tank through the gap opened by the warhead fragments!

Fuel tank catches fire!

Seeing the fuel tank fire warning light, Garcia dared not pull the helicopter up any further. He could only look around for a suitable landing spot, and then... he chose the roof of a small building. He pushed the control stick, and the helicopter roared away!

If a fighter jet catches fire, the pilot can eject to safety, but a helicopter cannot!

If you launch it directly, it will be shredded into mincemeat by the rotor blades!

Ejecting downwards? A helicopter a treetop tall would be suicide if it were ejected downwards!

Only the Russian Ka-52 helicopter used ejection seats. The first step in ejection was to blow up the rotor. Moreover, the success rate of this ejection was unknown, since it had not been tested in actual combat.

Since ejection is not an option, the only thing helicopters can pursue is crashworthiness, which means hard landing, to see if they are tough enough.

If it flies at a low altitude, the speed at which it crashes down will not be very fast, and the suspension of the wheels can completely cushion the impact!

If the helicopter flies at a high altitude, the rotor on top of the helicopter will soon start to rotate under the influence of the wind, acting like a parachute to reduce the speed of descent!

Boom!

The aircraft wheel slammed violently onto the roof!

Splash...

The next moment, a crater appeared where the wheels were. What a damn shoddy construction!

In the early years, when the domestic economy of Yituo was developed, reinforced concrete structures could be used. However, with the deterioration of the economy in recent years, after the roof was damaged, the only way to repair it was to use the simplest method of rebuilding the roof with bricks.

Angle iron is installed on the roof, with the spacing exactly matching the length of the bricks. Then, neat bricks are laid on top, and a layer of cement is applied on top.

Before the angle steel rusts and rots, the roof is still safe to walk on, but it definitely can't withstand a helicopter landing!

Angle steel bent, roof collapsed...

The helicopter continued to crash.

However... thanks to this buffer, neither of the two people inside the helicopter felt too strong an impact. Once the helicopter came to a stop, the two quickly opened the side windows and jumped out.

Amidst the billowing smoke, the two practically tumbled and crawled, feeling incredibly good to be alive!

Wait a minute, something seems off here?

The three-story building had one floor destroyed, turning it into a two-story building. The two people stood on the ruins, looking at the roof of a three-story building next to them.

A large group of armed men appeared there, some carrying AKs and others carrying RPGs!

Especially the one carrying the RPG, their eyes met, and a sly smile appeared in the other's eyes.

not good!

"Oh no, we surrender!"

Before he could finish speaking, he saw the other side already aim at the helicopter and pull the trigger...

The propellant at the tail burns rapidly and is ejected backward, simultaneously propelling the rocket in front out of the launch tube at a speed of 120 meters per second!

A flame shot out of the RPG's horn!

Whoosh!

The rocket flies forward, and three meters after leaving the launch tube, the solid rocket range extender engine ignites, accelerating the rocket to 300 meters per second. The tail fins deploy to maintain flight stability.

The distance was no more than fifty meters, and they arrived in an instant!

Boom!

The warhead accurately hit its target: one of the short wings of the Apache helicopter!

The piezoelectric fuse was triggered, detonating the electric detonator.

boom!

An explosion rang out, and flames completely engulfed the entire short wing!

Boom! Boom boom!

The anti-tank missile hanging under the stub wing was detonated!

Martinez and Garcia felt a surge of air, and their bodies were once again sent flying into the sky!

Pilots, after all, have to be in the sky!

At that moment, almost all the American troops in the city witnessed this scene: the Apache helicopter was hit and destroyed! Their hearts... also sank to the bottom.

That very morning, they marched into the city with great fanfare, thinking they could easily wipe out the Mahdi army like cutting melons and vegetables, but...

Supply trucks were intercepted, fuel searches were thwarted... they fell step by step into a trap set by the Mahdi Army!

Now... the crash of this Apache helicopter is just a signal, a signal to begin the all-out offensive!

Downtown, in front of the newspaper office.

Major Joseph McDonald felt a chill run down his spine, and his voice trembled as he said, "Lieutenant Colonel, I agree with your assessment; we must retreat immediately!"

Forget the division commander's orders, forget battlefield resistance and potential court-martial—get out of here! Right now... the most important thing is to stay alive!

retreat?

Lieutenant Colonel Gary Wallersky's face was ashen, devoid of any color.

"It's too late. We've missed the best opportunity, or rather, the Mahdi army has already seized the best moment to attack!"

As if in response to his words.

Da da da!

Gunshots rang out from all directions, one after another!

That was the familiar sound of AK rifles firing; the Mahdi Army's attack had officially begun!

Boom! Boom boom!

An explosion rang out!

The Mahdi Army soldiers, who had climbed to the rooftop beforehand, threw down grenades one by one, and the unsuspecting American soldiers fell down screaming...

In fact, in terms of combat strength, the 1st Cavalry Division far surpasses the Mahdi Army. Even a cavalry battalion of a few hundred men can fight against thousands of Mahdi Army members.

but now……

The American soldiers had no will to fight!

Having suffered several setbacks, they had lost the will to resist. Suddenly attacked, surrounded by enemies, their only thought was...

Run! Retreat now! If you don't run now, are you waiting to become snacks for the Mahdi army?

The Apache helicopter that crashed is a prime example!