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Enter the TexasRanger
6000 Examples Later, Bell Produce an Anti-Armour Version of the Top Selling 206
Development of the TexasRanger, a multi-mission 206L capable of rapid in-the-field conversion to anti-tank configuration, has been announced by Bell Helicopter Textron.
Bell developed the Texas Ranger for the foreign military market without US Government participation. Bell has used the Hughes Aircraft Company lightweight roof sight version of the airborne TOW missile system and will offer a combination of more seating/cargo space and armed mission flexibility than any other light helicopter.
The seven-place helicopter is thoroughly proven throughout the free world for personnel transport, medical evacuation, search and rescue, internal/external cargo transfer and many other utility roles. For armed helicopter applications, its quick-change capabilities permit it to employ any of the following:
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• Four TOW missiles in two launchers, for anti-tank operations, or
• Fourteen 2. 75-inch rockets in dual pods, or
• Dual pods, each with two 7. 62 machine guns and a total of 2000 rounds, or
• Other armament systems such as air-to-air.
All of the armament systems, as designed for the Texas Ranger, are jettisonable.
The TOW roof sight, which incorporates a high and low-power optical telescope sight, has space provisions for the later inclusion of a forward-looking infrared (FUR) receiver and laser rangefinder/designator. Rear seat mounting is provided for missile black boxes. The passenger compartment also has racks for storage of four TOW missiles to reload the four in the launching tubes.
The TOW missile system for the Texas Ranger is the only such system that can be completely removed and reinstalled in the field without a requirement for re-boresighting.
The aircraft has armoured seats, high inertia rotor, Nodamatic® suspension and stability augmentation. It will be powered by the Detroit Diesel Allison 250-C30 engine for enhanced hot day and high altitude performance.
In the anti-tank role, it can accommodate pilot and gunner, 748 lb (340 kg) of fuel, the installed TOW missile system, four TOW missiles, plus an internal storage rack with four additional missiles.
Thus, the TexasRanger, in short order, can undertake troop lift, command control, armed reconnaissance and surveillance and other military missions up to and including engagement with tanks.
Bell believes that with the 206L serving as the aerial platform, it offers governments an ideally-sized alternative to both the larger and smaller dedicated, single-purpose gunships.
Another plus, the company believes, is the familiarity of customers, worldwide, with the 206 series. More than 6000 now are operational in military and commercial applications.
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