Kawazaki Type-98

The Kawazaki Type-98 (Izugo: タイプ-98攻撃ヘリコプター) is a fast helicopter gunship designed primarily for ground-attack and anti-tank roles. It was developed between 1895 and 1897 by the Kawazaki Aerospace Corporation for the Imperial Izumese Army to supplement their close air support aircraft, and has become a mainstay in the Imperial Army. It was produced between 1898 to 1930 by Kawazaki Aerospace and under license by Mitsushishi Heavy Industries. Kawazaki retains the rights to restart production of the Type-98 if needed.

The Type-98 has the United Nations Callsign of Hellhound, which the Izumese military has also informally adopted.

Development
In the early 1880s, the Imperial Izumese Army issued a demand for a conventional helicopter that could support ground troops effectively and move at a rapid speed capable of keeping up with their existing jet VTOL aircraft during combined-arms attacks. The newly-introduced YAGR-4b jet VTOL gunship was the main heavy close air support aircraft in the Imperial Army's inventory at the time as older gunships were being phased out, but rising fuel costs in the later part of the 19th century gave the perception that operating a full fleet of jet VTOLs uneconomical. A conventional helicopter was thus needed.

In 1887, Kawazaki, Mitsushishi, Nagajima and Gomusubi all began to develop independent attack helicopter designs for evaluation by the Imperial Army. Gomusubi left the competition early due to financial troubles. The Kawazaki model was developed by the team led by Shinchiro Onoda in the "Green Building" complex, a part of the Kawazaki main headquarters under maximum security. Allegedly, Onoda used contacts in the Soviet Union to gain insider information on the Mi-24 gunship, applying it to the Type-98's design. By 1890 the first Nagajima prototype was ready, followed by Kawazaki and Mitsushishi in early and late 1891, respectively. In 1896, the Imperial Army conducted tests to select the winning helicopter.

Flight and combat tests were carried out in the Fuji Manoeuvre Area. While all three models passed the trials, the Kawazaki model easily topped the charts, and was selected to be the new Imperial Army helicopter gunship, with production starting in 1898. In 1899, Mitsushishi was awarded a contract to produce a limited run of 25 Type-98s, which only have minor aesthetic differences from the Kawazaki model.

Combat usage
The Type-98 rarely saw combat until the Fourth World War in the 1920s, when the United States attacked Izumo.

Design
The Type-98 is a fast attack helicopter designed for speed and superior firepower to support ground troops and vehicles. It is able to fly at fast speeds to keep up with rapidly advancing mechanised troops or to fly raiding and hit-and-run missions on enemy positions. It has a crew of two, a pilot and a gunner.

To reduce engine noise, the Type-98 is equipped with the NOTAR system, and lacks a tail rotor, instead relying on engine exhaust on a tail exhaust port to provide thrust opposite the motion imparted to the fuselage by the torque effect of the main rotor. This design feature is also used by the Mitsushishi O1-6RB-II and the PNAC SK-33 Pribumi helicopters.

It is extremely fast and manoeuvrable, capable of travelling at a top speed of 436km/h with the aid of the two Kawazaki jet engines on either side of the fuselage and an aerodynamic body. The Type-98 is capable of negotiating tight spaces and moving close to obstacles with an advanced computer-controlled proximity sensor that prevents pilots from crashing into obstacles such as buildings or tall trees. The helicopter is well-suited to operate in a variety of environments, including urban and open environments.

The Type-98's major electronics and exterior are hardened against electromagnetic pulse weapons and small-arms fire, though the Type-98 is not well armoured and relies on speed and manoeuvrability to survive. The helicopter is equipped with advanced targeting and processing systems, as well as "aim-by-sight" controls for the main cannon that follow the gunner's head movements. The gun can also be controlled manually with the help of a camera on the gun pod itself.

Armaments
The Type-98 has two large stub wings on either side of the fuselage, with three hard points each for armaments. These are able to mount various rocket, missile and equipment pods for different missions, though the Type-98 is usually armed with anti-tank wire-guided missiles and unguided rocket pods while on routine patrol. These weapons can be controlled by either the gunner or the pilot.

The main weaponry of the Type-98 is a four-barrelled 20mm rotary cannon in a gun pod mounted on the underside of the helicopter, unlike most other helicopter gunships that mount the cannon on the chin. The central position on the underside of the fuselage provides the cannon with a wider range of fire than on a chin mount, able to aim in a full 360 degrees. In manual control mode it is even able to fire backwards. The cannon can fire armour-piercing or explosive rounds, though the general-purpose explosive rounds are preferred as they allow for infantry suppression and a wider range of support capabilities on the Type-98's part.

Specialised variants
Specialised variants of the Type-98 exist in various configurations for different mission types. The most prominent variant is the Type-98J2 variant, which was developed in 1927 and makes use of optical camouflage and liquid crystal displays, in addition to confidential rotor silencing technologies, to create a virtually invisible air support unit. Currently only five such units exist, under the special Gray Ghost Unit.

Operator

 * Yamato Flag.png Izumo
 * Imperial Izumese Army

Type-98R2 Hellhound-A
General characteristics Performance Armament
 * Crew: 2: one pilot, one gunnerKawazaki_Type-98_Helicopter_(4).png
 * Length: 18.5 m
 * Rotor diameter: 13.6 m
 * Height: 4.15 m
 * Rotor system: 4 blades on main rotor, no tail rotor
 * Fuselage length: 15.76 m
 * Stub wing span: 8.82 m
 * Maximum speed: 436km/h
 * Range: 475.3 km
 * Service ceiling: 6900 m
 * 1x 20 mm four-barrel Type-86 rotary cannon
 * 4x pylon stations on stub wings
 * 70 mm rockets - 7 rockets mounted in the H27 launcher or 19 rockets in the H53 launcher
 * Wire-Guided Missiles - 4 missiles in the M65 launcher
 * STM-92 Sasu air-to-air missiles on dual-mounts
 * 7.62 mm Minigun pod or XM35 armament subsystem with XM310 30 mm cannon