CH-42 Tomahawk


 * The CH-42 Tomahawk is a G.I. Joe vehicle.

Vehicle profile
The G.I. Joe Tomahawk is a 3-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift transport helicopter. Its roles are primarily air mobile and cargo transport, all-weather air-sea rescue (ASR), and ground ordnance neutralizer.

While not identical, the Tomahawk is similar in design to the Marine CH-46 Sea Knight and the Army CH-47 Chinook. There are no seats, but it can carry a passenger capacity of 10. Because of its primary purpose of carrying troops in and out of enemy territory, it is one of the most heavily used G.I. Joe vehicles.

Features
The Tomahawk weighs 37,000 lbs, has a service ceiling of 60,000 ft, and can attain a top speed of 175 mph when fully loaded or 240 mph when unloaded and minimally armed. It has a range of 320 mi when fully loaded or 1,750 mi when ferry flying. It is powered by twin UH-8N turboshaft engines mounted on either side of the forward rotor pylon as well as a single UH-6N turboshaft rear engine fitted with heat/noise reduction; all are covered by layered composite, bulletproof cowlings. The counter-rotating horizontal main rotor assemblies have 5 layered-epoxy blades and titanium-alloy hubs. The tail houses a third, vertical stabilizing tail rotor in a pivoting fantail assembly.

The front cabin seats a 2-man crew (pilot + copilot) in Kevlar-armored ejection seats under a bulletproof forward-hinge high-visibility canopy. In the main fuselage behind the cockpit sits the staging area/cargo hold with capacity for 5 seated passengers and 2 door gunners manning the machine guns. Both the side cargo doors and rear loading ramp can be used to (off)load cargo or passengers.

The Tomahawk is loaded with certain special equipment, including: a belly hook on a motor-driven winch with a 2.5-ton load capacity, INS, TACAN, and IFF/UHF/Data link. The cabin has a side-by-side, glass cockpit with MMD, FLIR screen, RALT, and an ECM suite tied into a fully automated threat display. The helicopter's softkill measures include chaff and flare dispensers under the rear engine, and the engine exhausts have infrared filters as well as baffle plates that mix hot gases with cool air before discharging.

The Tomahawk is fitted with an ESSS (External Stores Support System) on 2 winglet pylons which carry 6 × 250 lb free fall GP “dumb” bombs and 2 anti-obstacle AGMs that can also be used for air-to-air engagements. The helicopter is also fitted with 2 laser-enhanced NVS .50 caliber fully automatic machine guns on swinging pintle mounts and a 6-barreled XM197 20mm cannon mounted to the electric chin TAT (Tactical Armament Turret). The TAT is slaved to the gunner's helmet-mounted sight.