Armed helicopter

An AH-64 Apache attack helicopter firing an AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missile
HAL Rudra, an armed variant of the unarmed HAL Dhruv transport helicopter

An armed helicopter is a military helicopter equipped with aircraft ordnance.[1] Most commonly, it is used for attacking targets on the ground. Such a helicopter could be either purposely designed for a ground-attack mission—in which case it would be more specifically categorized as an attack helicopter—or may have been previously designed for other uses, such as utility, air cargo, aerial reconnaissance, etc., with the weapons mounts being modifications, rather than part of the design of the helicopter. The purpose of the modification to an armed helicopter configuration can be field expediency during combat, the lack of military funding to develop or purchase attack helicopters, or the need to maintain the helicopter for missions that do not require the weapons.

Specialized armed helicopters fly from ships at sea, and are equipped for anti-submarine warfare or strikes with anti-ship missiles.

  1. ^ The Military Dictionary. DIANE. 1987. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-941375-10-8. armed helicopter— (DOD, NATO) A helicopter fitted with weapons or weapon systems