Israel Grounded its Cobra Helicopters

News
Israel's air force has grounded its fleet of Cobra helicopters after two Israeli soldiers died when one of the aircraft crashed on Sept. 10 near the northern town of Afula.

The helicopter crashed about 10 minutes after takeoff, while on a routine training flight with another helicopter.

The helicopter that crashed was carrying a large amount of explosives, which caused a fire, military radio reported.

An early report from army radio suggested the crash might have been sparked by a midair collision between the two aircrafts.

But a witness told public radio that he had seen the helicopter lose a rotor before hitting the ground. Investigators are now looking for technical faults.

Introduction Of Cobra:

Cobra is an attack helicopter with maximum firepower, armed with missiles, rockets, cannon and machine gun.

Features:

Cobra is a two-bladed, tandem-seat (front & back), attack helicopter powered by a single turbine engine. This weapon system performs anti-armor, air cavalry and armed reconnaissance roles and can attack point (individual) targets with its anti-armor and anti-helicopter capabilities. It also provides fire support and security missions. The mix of weaponry depends on the model. Cobras can be armed with TOW and Hellfire anti-armor missiles, Sidewinder anti-aircraft missiles, Sidearm anti-radar missiles, Hydra 70 rockets, 20mm (.80 caliber) cannon and a 7.62mm (.30 caliber) machine gun.