The UH-80 Ghost Hawk is a BLUFOR medium-lift utility helicopter with stealth design. The Ghost Hawk was developed for special operations with a focus on deployment and extraction of troops undetected by enemy radar. Some pilots say the stealth design hindered the versatility of the helicopter compared to its predecessor, the UH-60. Nevertheless, the Ghost Hawk is now used as a primary transport helicopter in the BLUFOR army.
The Ghost Hawk is a five-bladed, twin engine, rotary-wing stealth helicopter designed to transport both troops and slingloaded cargo.
Armament
It is armed with two 6.5 mm Gatling guns mounted onto both side doors.[CfgVh 9][CfgVh 10] Each of these Gatling guns feed from a single 2,000-round linked belt (for a combined total of 4,000 rounds). Neither of the guns have spare belts to reload from.[CfgVh 13][CfgVh 14]
The Ghost Hawk does not support dynamic loadouts as the door guns are unable to mount any other types of weapons, nor does it have the ability to carry heavy ordnance as it lacks stub wing pylons.
Laying down suppressive fire with the Minigun 6.5 mm.
Features
A direct successor to the venerable UH-60 Black Hawk, the UH-80 Ghost Hawk serves as the U.S. Army's primary medium-lift air assault/transport helicopter.
Like the AH-99 Blackfoot, the Ghost Hawk's rotors are modified so that they operate much more silently. It is more difficult to hear a Ghost Hawk flying in from afar compared to the Mohawk or the PO-30, both of which can be easily heard from many kilometres away. The stealthy design of the airframe makes it difficult to detect by fighter radars and can easily blend into ground clutter provided that the pilot flies nap-of-the-earth.[CfgVh 15][CfgVh 16]
Unlike its AAF counterpart, the Ghost Hawk is always armed by default. This means that it is less risky to drop or pick up troops/cargo in a hot landing zone since the Ghost Hawk's door gunners can suppress the enemy, whereas the Mohawk cannot do the same without an escort providing cover for it.
Mobility
The Ghost Hawk is fairly agile and is second only to the Blackfoot in terms of manoeuvrability. While not nearly as fast as the Mohawk, it is simpler to fly and has overall better stability.
Drawbacks
With a base armour value of only 40[CfgVh 17], the Ghost Hawk remains just as vulnerable to heavy ground fire as the Mohawk is. Though the Ghost Hawk is durable enough to sustain a small amount of ground fire thanks to its armour plating, it should not be flown into areas with significant anti-air threats as a single surface-to-air missile is enough to cripple (if not outright destroy) the Ghost Hawk.
Crew Capacity
The Ghost Hawk has a seating capacity of twelve personnel (including the crew). This consists of both the pilot and a co-pilot[CfgVh 1], two crew chiefs manning the door guns[CfgVh 2][CfgVh 3], and up to eight passengers in the flight cabin.[CfgVh 4]
It should be noted that the pilot and co-pilot cannot swap seats with each other, nor can they swap seats with the side door gunners (and vice versa).[CfgVh 18][CfgVh 19] This caveat similarly applies to the passengers in the cabin.[CfgVh 20] Only the side door gunner seats and passengers may interchangeably swap positions.[CfgVh 21][CfgVh 22]
Camouflage[]
Black
Green
Sand (CTRG)
Tropic
1/4
Black: Pattern-less matte black paint scheme. Used by both Mediterranean and Pacific NATO forces.
Green: Pattern-less olive drab green paint scheme.
Sand (CTRG): Two-tone dazzle pattern camouflage scheme used by CTRG forces in arid/desert environments.
Tropic: Two-tone dazzle pattern camouflage scheme used by CTRG forces in jungle/tropic environments.
Dark Grey: Pattern-less scheme that uses a dark ghost grey paint colour.
Protection: Hitpoints[]
The Ghost Hawk has a base armour value of 40.[CfgVh 17]
LEGEND[SCR 2] Green = Hull Orange = Engines Violet = Fuel tank Light blue = Transmission Maroon = Instruments Yellow = Main rotors Dark blue = Tail rotors
Hull[]
The hull takes full damage from high-explosive (HE) type munitions.[CfgVh 23] 100% of incoming damage will always be shared with the Ghost Hawk's main "health" pool.[CfgVh 24]
Damage to the helicopter's hull is dependent on the total amount of damage inflicted to other components.[CfgVh 25][CfgVh 26] On its own, depletion of the hull's integrity cannot cause the helicopter to explode unless all other components have been destroyed as well.[CfgVh 27]
Engines[]
The Ghost Hawk's twin engines can each take up to 28 points of damage before they start to fail.[CfgVh 28][CfgVh 29][Formula 1] Both engines take 300% additional damage from HE-type munitions.[CfgVh 30][CfgVh 31]
100% of incoming damage to either engine will be shared with the helicopter's main "health" pool. If the Ghost Hawk is at critical "health" status, destruction of the engines has the potential to cause an explosion.[CfgVh 32][CfgVh 33]
Fuel tank[]
The Ghost Hawk's fuel tank can withstand up to 28 points of damage before it ruptures.[CfgVh 34][Formula 2] It takes 200% additional damage from HE-type munitions.[CfgVh 35] 100% of incoming damage will always be shared with the Ghost Hawk's main "health" pool. Depending on the helicopter's overall status, destruction of the fuel tank has the potential to cause an explosion if the Ghost Hawk is at critical "health" status.[CfgVh 36]
Instruments[]
The Ghost Hawk's flight instruments and its Multi-Functional Displays (MFD) can take a maximum of 52 points of damage before they begin to fail.[CfgVh 37][Formula 3] They take 150% additional damage from HE-type munitions.[CfgVh 38] 100% of incoming damage to any of these components will be shared with the Ghost Hawk's main "health" pool.[CfgVh 39]
Main rotor[]
The Ghost Hawk's main rotors can a maximum of 104 points of damage before they suffer from failure.[CfgVh 40][Formula 4] They take 250% additional damage from HE-type munitions.[CfgVh 41] Only 10% of incoming damage will be shared with the Ghost Hawk's main "health" pool.[CfgVh 42]
Tail rotor[]
The Ghost Hawk's tail rotors can only take 52 points of damage before they start to fail.[CfgVh 43][Formula 5] The tail rotors take 600% additional damage from HE-type munitions.[CfgVh 44] Only 30% of incoming damage will be shared with the Ghost Hawk's main "health" pool.[CfgVh 45]
The Ghost Hawk is protected by a mix of plain metal and composite armour plates:
The main/tail rotors, left side horizontal stabilator (but not the right side), tail rotor pylon, and landing gear doors are protected by composite metal plates that have a thickness of 12 millimetres.[rvmat 1][bisurf 1]
The Ghost Hawk's fuselage (aft/mid), nose section, main rotor pylon, tail cone, and right side horizontal stabilator (not including the left side) are all protected by composite metal armour plates that have a thickness of 20 millimetres.[rvmat 2][bisurf 2]
The fuel tank and transmission/main rotor shaft are protected by plain metal plates that have a thickness of 30 millimetres.[rvmat 3][bisurf 3]
The cockpit/flight cabin's windows are all protected by panes of armoured glass that have a thickness of 30 millimetres.[rvmat 4][bisurf 4]
All of the Ghost Hawk's windows are bullet-resistant and can block bullet projectiles fired by 6.5 mm/7.62 mm assault rifles. However, they are not sufficiently durable enough to block hits from 7.62 mm DMRs/LMGs or any other larger calibre bullet projectiles.
Stealth[]
The Ghost Hawk provides limited stealth against active radars and infrared sensors. Against fighter radars, it stands a better chance of remaining undetected by flying above ground clutter:
RCS[]
The Ghost Hawk has a radar cross-section rating of 0.7, which lowers the maximum detection range of active radars by 30%.[CfgVh 15]
IR[]
The Ghost Hawk has reduced visibility on the infrared spectrum, and can only be detected at 80% of an infrared-based sensor's maximum range (factor of 0.8; reduction of 20%).[CfgVh 16]
Visual[]
The Ghost Hawk does not apply any reductions to visual-based sensors and can be tracked at full range.[CfgVh 46]
Sensors[]
Designed exclusively for transporting troops, the Ghost Hawk has only one passive-type sensor available:
The Ghost Hawk's Passive Radar can detect Active Radar threats in any direction (regardless of the helicopter's facing direction).[note 1]
Armament[]
The crew chief positions control the twin Minigun 6.5 mm turrets mounted to the side doors on each side of the airframe.[CfgVh 9][CfgVh 10] The pilot does not have the ability to directly "control" the gunner weapons, though they do have the ability to utilise the Ghost Hawk's flare/chaff countermeasure dispensers:[CfgVh 11][CfgVh 12]
They can attain a "fake" fire rate of up to 5,400 rounds per minute[CfgWp 1][CfgWp 2][Formula 7][note 3] but have an actual fire rate of only ~ 1,800 RPM.[CfgWp 3][CfgWp 4][Formula 8] They have a muzzle velocity of 825 m/s.[CfgMa 1] Accuracy-wise, the Minigun 6.5 mm has a dispersion of 0.0115 rad.[CfgWp 5][CfgWp 6] It takes at least 15 seconds to reload the Minigun 6.5 mm with a fresh belt or to fully rearm from a supply truck/ammunition crate.[CfgWp 7][CfgWp 8] Every round fired will emit a visible red tracer.[CfgMa 2] The bullets have a spill radius of 2 metres upon impact.[CfgAm 7]
For horizontal rotation limits, the Minigun 6.5 mm's gun mount allows the crew chief to swivel it up to a maximum of 160 degrees in either direction.[CfgVh 55][CfgVh 56][CfgVh 57][CfgVh 58] Vertical rotation limits are more restrictive, permitting a maximum depression of 50 degrees[CfgVh 59][CfgVh 60] and an elevation of just 15 degrees.[CfgVh 61][CfgVh 62]
Dynamic loadouts[]
The Ghost Hawk cannot have its loadout adjusted and is unable to utilise the dynamic loadouts mechanic.
Avionics[]
MAWS[]
The Ghost Hawk has a Missile Approach Warning System installed. It will warn the helicopter's crew if there are one or more guided munitions that have successfully locked onto the helicopter and are inbound towards it.[CfgVh 63]
RWR[]
The Ghost Hawk has access to a Radar Warning Receiver. It will alert the helicopter's crew if they are being locked onto by a radar-based targeting system.[CfgVh 64]
IWR[]
The Ghost Hawk is not fitted with an Infrared Warning Receiver. The helicopter's crew will not be alerted if an infrared-based targeting system is attempting to acquire a lock-on.[CfgVh 64]
LWR[]
The Ghost Hawk is fitted with a Laser Warning Receiver. It will alert the crew if a laser-based targeting system is attempting to lock onto the helicopter.[CfgVh 64]
The Ghost Hawk has a maximum lifting capacity of 4,000 kg[CfgVh 65] and is capable of slingloading a variety of light vehicles and equipment.
However, its lifting abilities are not quite comparable to the larger CH-67 Huron or even the AAF'sCH-49 Mohawk, as it cannot transport MRAPs, UGVs, any of the armed boats or the Huron's supply containers.
AI[]
NOTE:The following information only applies to the AI.
The Ghost Hawk is considered to be a dangerous threat[8] to AI-controlled infantry units (0.8) and a medium-risk threat to aircraft (0.6).[CfgVh 68]
On the other hand, ground vehicles consider the Ghost Hawk to be a low-risk threat (0.1) and will usually ignore it unless there are no other valuable targets or a more dangerous threat in the area.[CfgVh 68]
The Ghost Hawk has an audible[9] factor of 50.[CfgVh 69]
Trivia[]
The Ghost Hawk is ArmA 3's take on the real-world stealth variant of the Sikorsky "UH-60 Black Hawk". This heavily modified variant of the Black Hawk was flown by U.S. special operations in Abbottabad, Pakistan, during the 2011 Osama Bin Laden raid (officially named as "Operation Neptune Spear").[10]
The Ghost Hawk was not originally available in the Alpha and was only later added to ArmA 3 after the release of Game Update 0.70 (as part of the Beta).[11]
Prior to Game Update 1.50, the side door miniguns did not emit sound effects whenever the gunners swivelled turrets in any direction.[12]
Ghost Hawks adorned in CTRG's Dazzle camouflage were not originally present at launch. Both schemes were only added with the release of the Apex expansion pack.[13]
Pre-2.02 non-Inverse Kinematics (IK) side gunner.
Following the release of Game Update 2.02, the side gunners now physically "use" their hands to handle the grips on the side door miniguns.[14]
Prior to the update, the gunners would simply "control" the gun without physically touching the weapons in the exact same way as helicopter side gunners did in previous titles (Armed Assault/ArmA 2).
The information below details unused, pre-release or removed content.
Unused stub wing-fitted Ghost Hawk icons.
While the model can no longer be found in the game files, leftover icons (Texture names: heli_transport_01_armed_ca.paa[17], map_heli_transport_01_armed_ca.paa[18]) still exist for a variant of the Ghost Hawk that would have been supposedly outfitted with external stub wings akin to the real-life External Stores Support System (ESSS).
This configuration would have made it similar to that of the real-world "MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator", a variant of the standard UH-60 (which the Ghost Hawk is based on) that was designed exclusively to serve as a gunship.
A repurposed model of the Ghost Hawk fitted with stub wings would eventually make an appearance in Mobile Ops, but as an unmanned drone for the Drone Launchpad defensive building instead.
Gallery[]
The interior of the Ghost Hawk's cockpit.
Pilot-side interior view on the flight deck of the USS Liberty.
Promotional image released for ArmA 3's ninth anniversary (as part of the so-called "Legendary Assets" series).
Config/script references[]
CfgAmmo
↑CfgAmmo >> B_65x39_Minigun_Caseless_Red_splash >> hit
↑This sensor IS NOT affected by the player's View and Object Distance settings.
↑Damage will be reduced if the projectile's velocity drops below this value.
↑The Minigun 6.5 mm does not actually have a fire rate of 5,400 rounds per minute. This is because the Minigun 6.5 mm actually consumes three rounds for every bullet fired due to the usage of the multiplier token. As a result, its real fire rate is only ~ 1,800 RPM.
↑ARMA 3 2013 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Combined Arms (showcase), "GOLF-2: Papa Bear, Golf-2, approaching objective, over. PAPA BEAR: Acknowledged, Golf-2. Wait one. Echo Lead, birds are inbound! What's your status, over? ECHO LEAD: This is Echo, town is secure. Rolling to staging area. Multiple contacts reported. ETA ... 2 mikes! PAPA BEAR: Golf-2, be advised, LZ is hot. Echo will provide support in the assault. Out."
NATO - Vehicles (ArmA 3)
