"user314" (user314)
10/02/2020 at 11:00 • Filed to: flightline
4
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"user314" (user314)
10/02/2020 at 11:00 • Filed to: flightline | 4
| 31 |
‘The Special’ in flight over LA
The advanced helicopter known variously as ‘The Special’ and “Blue Thunder” was designed to bring the latest in technology to police use. Built by an unknown contractor (possibly Hughes Aerospace, original builder of the AH-64 Apache), the Special was armored against small-arms. The helo’s engines and blades incorporated a “whisper” mode to allow it to hover nearly silently, as well as a ‘turbine-boost’ which temporarily increased engine output . The surveillance equipment included two Nitesun spotlights, directional microphones sensitive enough to hear a conversation through a building, and visible light and IR cameras. All of t he surveillance video and data was recorded on 3/4in videotape, stored in a locker in the belly of the chopper. ‘The Special’ was armed with a six-barreled 20mm rotary cannon, capable of firing 4000 rounds per minute. The cannon and pilot’s night vision systems were aimed by a helmet system, similar to the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! used by the AH-64. The helicopter was also fitted with a sophisticated computer with uplink/downlink capacity, allowing it to interface with any other online computer. ‘The Special’s’ communications system allowed it to send and receive mobile telephone calls as well as regular radio coms.
“Blue Thunder” landing at the L.A.P.D. helipad, showing off the 6-barrelled gun
H.U.D. view of the pilot on a demo run
‘The Special’ at the L.A.P.D. helipad. Visible are the pilot’s IR seeker, Nitesun, and IR/visilight camera
The observer’s position, showing IR imaging.
Pilot’s instrument panel
The observer’s TV screens and switch panel
The various switches and controls for ‘The Special’s’ advanced systems
“Blue Thunder” with the armored glass canopy closed
Ostensibly, the Blue Thunder was to be used by the L.A.P.D. to ensure safety at the 1984 Olympics, but in secret it was being fronted for a project codenamed T.H.O.R. (“Tactical Helicopter Offensive Response”), which involved government officials and was intended to develop ‘The Special’ for widespread use quelling disturbances . Surveillance carried out by “Blue Thunder’s” test pilot implicated the officials behind T.H.O.R. in the murder of a councilwoman who had also found out about the plan. The pilot managed to get the video of this meeting to the local media, though his observer was captured and killed trying to escape. A brief battle was fought over LA by the Special and one of the conspirators, who was flying an AH-6. The conspirator was killed by the Special’s pilot, who then landed the helicopter on a railroad track directly in the path of a freight train. The train, unable to stop in time, hit the helicopter, destroying it.
OPPOsaurus WRX
> user314
10/02/2020 at 11:08 |
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what movie is this all from, cuz certainly this i sn’ t real life, right?
ClassicDatsunDebate
> user314
10/02/2020 at 11:12 |
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That observer screen looks suspiciously like a Shkval TV guidance system.
SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
> user314
10/02/2020 at 11:15 |
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No JAFO reference?
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SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
> OPPOsaurus WRX
10/02/2020 at 11:16 |
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Blue Thunder. I spoke too soon. Just found the JAFO!
facw
> OPPOsaurus WRX
10/02/2020 at 11:16 |
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Blue Thunder: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085255/
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user314
> SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
10/02/2020 at 11:17 |
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I was kinda rushed on this one...
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SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
> user314
10/02/2020 at 11:18 |
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Interesting that, with all the civil unrest, the issue of “tactical helicopters operating over LA” is back in the news. I saw two of them over Glendale the other day driving out to the desert. They have a strange, strange look.
f86sabre
> SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
10/02/2020 at 11:18 |
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Came for this and didn’t leave disappointed.
That and Roy Schneider is a god second only to James Garner in coolness.
For Sweden
> user314
10/02/2020 at 11:21 |
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Fun fact: those power lines by the LAPD heliport had no visual warnings for decades
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SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
> user314
10/02/2020 at 11:22 |
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Great work!
My fave in this genre was the tribute to the anniversary of Goose’s tragic death in an F-14 “flat spin” training incident out of Mirarmar.
OhCrikeyTheRozzers
> user314
10/02/2020 at 11:29 |
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This post made my morning—outstanding work.
My bird IS the word
> user314
10/02/2020 at 11:31 |
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Its a cool loking helicopter. There used to be a hotwheels of it I think. Is it based on anything real?
subexpression
> user314
10/02/2020 at 11:35 |
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In addition to the movie, there was a short-lived Blue Thunder TV series.
Svend
> user314
10/02/2020 at 11:38 |
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Bloody hell. 6 20mm canons. Jesus Christ do you guys need to weaponise everything.
We talk about the police in the U.S. using ex-military armoured vehicles, but this is from 1984.
This is just a military helicopter masquerading as a police asset.
That would never go down in Europe.
We have helicopters called ‘Blue Thunder’ (coined by the press as the group were so secretive up to the point they rappeled ere in the U.K.. They are AS365II Dauphine helicopters, they carry discreet military numbers on their tails and are piloted by the 658Squadron Army Air Corps (motto, ‘Videmus Delemus’, translate, ‘We See and Destroy) transporting SAS troops to where needed.
As far as I've looked, it's not armed.
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user314
> My bird IS the word
10/02/2020 at 11:42 |
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The airframes were Aérospatiale SA-341G Gazelle with new cockpits more-or-less based on the AH-64.
representative image, not one of the helos used.
The forward bits of one of the Blue Thunders, on the MGM studio tour after scrapping.
Roundbadge
> Svend
10/02/2020 at 11:47 |
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Just a movie, bud. Skyfire77's having some fun here.
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Roundbadge
> subexpression
10/02/2020 at 11:47 |
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Featuring Dana Carvey as JAFO.
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user314
> Svend
10/02/2020 at 11:48 |
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Yeah, this was really prescient for a 37 year old movie.
In reality though, the LAPD has a brace of AS-350s, a couple B206s and a B412. Pretty sure none of them are armed, not with Gatling guns.
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user314
> subexpression
10/02/2020 at 11:51 |
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Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> user314
10/02/2020 at 11:57 |
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This one has missiles and guns.
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Svend
> Roundbadge
10/02/2020 at 12:06 |
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Okay, I'm with you now.
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Svend
> user314
10/02/2020 at 12:07 |
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Lol. My bad.
I wonder though, how many police actually went, ‘hmmm, that’s an idea!’.
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user314
> Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
10/02/2020 at 12:07 |
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I was thinking about doing a write-up for The Lady, but Blue Thunder is at least kinda realistic. Airwolf was pretty much “New power as the story demands it” each week .
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user314
> Svend
10/02/2020 at 12:13 |
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Oh, the thermograph and zoom cameras definitely, the microphone thing I’m sure they can do too, or at least something like it. Not sure we’re to the point that they’re thinking of armor, though I’d guarantee they’re researching ways to block lasers, either canopy coatings or flash googles.
TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
> user314
10/02/2020 at 12:28 |
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You say that like it’s a bad thing...
Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
> subexpression
10/02/2020 at 12:30 |
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And there was a toy helicopter from the TV series.
415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
> Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
10/02/2020 at 14:32 |
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Airwolf > Blue Thunder
Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com
> Svend
10/02/2020 at 14:38 |
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As consultation
, yesterdays MiG-31 had me confused
until I got to the comments.
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Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
10/02/2020 at 14:51 |
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J us t how many missiles does airworlf hold?
A lso apparently bullet proof for 20mm rounds.
And good vs bad airworlf, I think I remember that episode.
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415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
> Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
10/02/2020 at 15:04 |
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Oh infinite missiles, it’s like bullets in a clip for shitty movies. I tried watching some episodes last year, it’s got a lot of recycled scenes. I tried watching Inspector Gadget and Voltron and they are pretty much all recycled animation sequences, kids don’t care I guess.
Oh yeah they had a bad Airwolf episode if I remember, have to have that. Probably did in Knight Rider too.
BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
> user314
10/03/2020 at 00:15 |
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Actually, it was probably built by Aerospatiale.
(it is a modified Aerospatiale Gazelle, and reportedly was quite front-heavy)