As far as I'm aware, attack helicopters have never really been sorted into 'generations', especially to the totality of fighter aircraft. But I was watching a DVD the other night and it said that the AH-64A Apache is a second-generation attack helicopter.

This got me thinking. Can you please help me make a bit of a list of what helicopters are what generation? It'll be a bit of a guessing game for the most part, as the only mention of generations with attack helicopters have been the aforementioned 'second-generation' AH-64 Apache and the 'fifth-generation' Russian UVK.

I would have assumed that the early Cobra family, at least, were first-gen? The Apache is second-gen? The Comanche and perhaps Longbow are third-gen? The Sikorsky Raider is fourth-gen? Take the 'fifth-gen' UVK with a grain of salt, it is claimed to be that by Russians, after all!

Thanks for the assistance.

Actually, that sounds wrong. The UH-1C was probably the first gunship/attack helicopter. While a derivative aircraft, it was more than just putting a couple of hard points on the Charlie models. A much different rotor, different hydraulic system because of rotor, nose 40mm turret option, and SS-11 missile option would make this, I think, the first helicopter that is legitimately an attack helicopter.

Thanks for your input. You may well be right, but as I don't believe it's ever been documented about attack helicopter generations - and indeed have only been mentioned for the very brief times that I include above - I don't know exactly to what extent what helicopters should be included.

If we are just talking about 'attack helicopters', then yeah the Huey variants would be valid entries. But for all I know, the term attack helicopter could have been misused to really mean 'gunship' - in which case I would take the first dedicated armed tandem-seat helicopter, the Cobra.

Well, the Cobra is just a derivitive of the C-Model:) The rotor system and hydraulic system from the UH-1C were used with very few changes in the Cobra. The Cobra - only helicopter in the Army NOT named for an Indian tribe - was to be an interim aircraft while the Cheyenne finished development and was put into service.