The AH-1W Super Cobra is the U.S. Marines’ attack helicopter that entered service in 1985. It was the first attack helicopter to use both the Sidewinder air-to-air missile and the Sidearm anti-radiation missile. Both missiles can use the same LAU-7 rail launcher, with a Sidearm that has a range of more than 15km. AIM-9L Sidewinder, with a missile range of 15km, is an all-aspect, short-range, air-to-air missile produced by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, Military.com stated.
In this video, you will see the US Marines AH 1W Super Cobras and the U.S. Army A/MH-6X Mission Enhanced Little Birds assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One conduct an offense air support exercise during a Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI) 2-16 at Yodaville, near Yuma, Arizona. The clips in the videos were captured by the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma Combat Camera.
(The Joint Forces Channel/YouTube)
The Little Bird is a small unmanned helicopter that was nicknamed “the killer egg.” The mission of this aircraft is to “deposit special operations forces onto rooftops or into narrow spaces. It was originally designed for reconnaissance, but has primarily been used by special operations forces, and has also proven effective in combat. It made its first independent takeoff and landing in October 2004,” according to Task & Purpose. Boeing verified the capability of the Little Bird in the exercises shown in the video, where it was tested in its full capacity.
WTI is a seven-week event hosted by Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One, who provide standardized tactical training and certification of unit instructor qualifications to support Marine Training Aviation and Readiness and assists in developing and employing Aviation Weapons and Tactics.
The AH-1W Super Cobra was manufactured by Bell Helicopter that is armed with a 20 mm M197 Gatling cannon, a Hydra 70 rockets, 5 in Zuni rockets, and TOW missiles, an AGM-114 Hellfire, and an AIM-9 Sidewinder. It has a two-man crew and has a flight speed of 170 knots. It is powered by two GE T700-GE-401 turbo-shaft engines, Military.com explained.
(The Joint Forces Channel/YouTube)
The Super Cobra is the spine of the Marine Corps’ air-ground task force. They are the ones that show up when Marines are being attacked but they are also used for ground attack, making it possible for pilots to fly above the battlefield and to coordinate efforts to attack on specified positions.
The aircraft is the first attack helicopter in the world and used a design based from the UH-1 Huey. In 2006, the AH-1W was redesigned and re-manufactured as the AH-1Z. By 2020, the last of the AH-1W will have been replaced.
