There were two very different Royal Bahrain Air Force AH-1s at the show
November 16, 2024
Following the so-called Hawar operation, in which Bahrain’s Bell 212s helped defeat a Qatari attack against the Hanwar islands, the tiny kingdom decided to acquire armed gunship helicopters.
The Royal Bahrain Air Force acquired 14 (11 according to some sources) ex-US Army AH-1Es and six (or eight) TAH-1Ps in 1994, and ten more were to have followed in 1997, though these seem to have been cancelled. The original batch equipped No.8 Squadron at Riffa Air Base.
Some 12 AH-1Fs (14 according to some sources) were delivered in 2002, equipped with full infrared day and night vision equipment (C-NITE), new mission computers, and an expanded weapons capability. The new batch equipped a second AH-1 unit at Riffa, No.9 Squadron.
When Bahrain decided to acquire the Turkish TAI T-129A ATAK, it also commissioned an upgrade of 17 aircraft to AH-1FB standards by TAI, adding avionics systems from the Turkish helicopter, including multi-function display screens and an Aselsan ASELFLIR 300T electro optical/infrared turret mounted on top of the nose. This included a high resolution infrared camera, laser range finder/designator (LRF/D), laser spot tracker, and a colour daylight TV camera as well as a spotter TV camera. Quad launchers were installed to allow the use of Roketsan Cirit 2.75 inch laser-guided rockets.
The upgrade contract was signed in June 2015. The T-129 purchase was cancelled as a result of Turkey’s support for Qatar when the GCC sanctioned Qatar in 2017, but the AH-1FB upgrade continued, albeit under conditions of considerable secrecy.
The prototype AH-1FB made its first flight at Ankara in September 2017 and it was delivered to Bahrain, after two years of further integration work and testing. Two upgraded AH-1FBs made their public debut at the 2022 BIAS.
From Cobra to Viper
While the US Army used a succession of single-engined Cobra variants, the US Marines operated a succession of twin-engined versions, including the AH-1J SeaCobra and AH-1T Improved SeaCobra, the AH-1W SuperCobra, the one off AH-1(4B)W Viper (the
‘Four-Bladed Whiskey’) and finally the AH-1Z Viper with an upgraded four-blade main rotor and new Target Sight System (TSS).
When the T129 contract was cancelled, Bahrain ordered 12 Bell AH-1Z Vipers at a cost of US $912 million, announcing the contract at the 2018 BIAS.
The RBAF AH-1Z fleet is now fully operational, the last of the new aircraft having been received last year.
In March 2023, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency outlined a request from Manama to field 24 retired AH-1Ws, valuing a deal at an estimated $350 million.
On 29 March 2023 the US State Department made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Bahrain of equipment and services to refurbish 24 Excess Defense Article (EDA) AH-1W multi-role helicopters, at an estimated total cost of $350 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of the possible sale that day.
The USMC retired the last of its AH-1Ws in 2020, replacing them with the more capable AH-1Z. The Bahrain programme is expected to use 31 stored aircraft to produce 24 fully airworthy examples, which would be close to the AH-1Z standard.
Our thanks go to AGN’s good friend Tim Robinson, editor of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s magazine, ‘Aerospace’ for generously providing photos accompanying this piece. Thanks Tim!
