AGM-64 Hornet for the Cheyenne?

[XTRMNTR2K]

Truth be told I wasn't really aware of this missile until recently, but from what I can gather the Cheyenne was originally meant to carry the AGM-64 Hornet missile, which used an electro-optical guidance system and did not require wire guidance like the TOW does. But similar to the Cheyenne itself, it was the Air Force that killed the project.

Since the game is already set in an alternate universe where the Cheyenne project wasn't cancelled (yay!), I think the Hornet could be an interesting alternative to the triple TOW-launchers for the Cheyenne, particularly in a low-tech scenario using the AH-56A.

Unfortunately I couldn't find any specs regarding the mass and original range of the missile, so I don't know how many the Cheyenne would realistically have been able to carry. As for the range, it must have been rather short in the original XAGM-64 prototypes, as it was later upgraded to around 4 kilometers when the Hornet was briefly revived to serve as testbed for a laser guidance system (resulting in the Hellfire we know and love today).

Either way, I think it would make for a perfect addition to the Cheyenne's arsenal (particularly the A version), especially since this (short-ranged) guided missile is much faster than the TOW - which is a real issue when the helicopter is moving around half as fast as the missile AND you have to take care not to break the wire. Not sure if it was truly fire-and forget, though, perhaps someone else can enlighten me.

So... thoughts?

[Jimmy Arcade]

Now that is interesting - I quite like the idea of the Cheyenne having a Maverick type missile.

From the images I can find it looks like the missle wasn't much bigger than a Hellfire which would account for it's much shorter range compared to the Maverick.

[XTRMNTR2K]

Publicado originalmente por Jimmy Arcade:

Now that is interesting - I quite like the idea of the Cheyenne having a Maverick type missile.

From the images I can find it looks like the missle wasn't much bigger than a Hellfire which would account for it's much shorter range compared to the Maverick.

Yeah, I think it made sense the US Air Force would prefer the Maverick due to being more suited for planes with its size, mass, payload and range. But I'm sure the Army would've appreciated the Hornet at the time, given it could've provided a reliable ATGM with up to 4km range in the 70s. And it couldn't have been that bad considering it was used as a testbed for laser and EO guidance systems.

And the great thing about this being a game is that the cost in points and potentially limited availabilty in a campaign can easily keep it from being OP in all cases.