09 Februari 2023
Bell AH-1S Cobra of the JGSDF (photo : Keis)
The Philippine Army has shown interest in taking some of the Bell AH-1S Cobra attack helicopters that the JGSDF will be retiring soon.
The Japanese-made Fuji-Bell AH-1S were built starting in 1984 up until 2000, with the latest versions built from the 1990s remaining in service and are equivalent to the newer AH-1F Cobra due to them receiving Step 3 upgrades that make the AH-1F different from the standard AH-1S.
These Japanese AH-1S are much newer than the AH-1S Cobras of the Philippine Air Force, which are actually AH-1S airframes built in the 1970s but were upgraded by Israel to AH-1F Tzefa standards.
(Da-Real)