Original subtitles

- And then with turbos one and two. - In the green.

- Main rotor torque. - In the green.

- The oil pressure. - In the green.

I don’t believe you people.

You haul my butt out of bed at midnight.

You fly me off to only-God-knows-where

to see some lousy helicopter,

and there’s not even any cream cheese.

It’s not a lousy helicopter, Senator,

it’s Airwolf.

Well, whatever esoteric name you hang on it,

it’s still an overgrown beanie with a propeller,

eating its way through somebody’s budget.

I hate bagels without cream cheese.

It’s a mean-looking bird,

I’ll give you that.

Who designed it?

The pilot. Dr. Moffet.

Moffet?

Moffet, I know that name.

Your cream cheese, Senator.

Damn stuff is pink.

It’s, uh, salmon-flavored.

Only in California.

Red Star Control, Airwolf.

All systems are go.

Airwolf, Red Star Control.

You may clear the defense area.

How fast is that bird?

We don’t know yet.

So far, it’s only slightly exceeded

the speed of sound.

No helicopter can fly

faster than sound.

Airwolf can.

Basically, Airwolf is an aerodynamic lifting body

with a twin turbine-driven rotor system

capable of propelling it to 300 knots.

In other words, it’s a fast,

twin-engine jet chopper.

One can express it

in those terms, except this jet chopper

can disengage its rotor system

and ignite these two additional turbines.

9.6 seconds after ignition,

Airwolf can exceed Mach 1

from sea level to 65,000 feet.

The crew consists of an in-flight systems specialist

in the Electronic Data Command Center

to monitor turbine temperatures, fuel and lubricant pressure,

rotor synchronization, all onboard flight systems.

The second crewman is a countermeasure specialist.

His primary MOS is to suppress,

neutralize, or destroy any weapons

threatening the integrity of Airwolf.

He also has a duplicate flight system control,

in case the aircraft commander becomes incapacitated.

And, finally, the Aircraft Commander,

who’s responsible for positive flight control,

target acquisition, and weapon-system selection.

The latter offers him 14 firepower options

ranging from 30-millimeter cannons

to nuclear-tip Shrike missiles.

In other words, Senator,

Airwolf is a Mach 1 plus chopper that can kick butt.

If Airwolf can kick butt like she says it can,

you’ve developed yourself a tactical weapon.

But that’s not the firm’s mission.

No, sir, it’s not. But when the project started

20 years ago after the Bay of Pigs,

the firm’s priorities were a little different.

- Then as the years went by-- - And the project grew.

Now you got Topsy, what are you gonna do with her?

You can only keep the lid on

testing and development for so long.

And if the firm puts Airwolf in the field,

it’ll leak to Congress in a week.

And they won’t take kindly to the firm’s developing

secret tactical weapons.

That’s why the Firm would like to turn

this prototype over to the Department of Defense

and let them take credit for it.

In exchange for?

Reimbursement of development costs

and the first five Airwolfs off the production line.

Talk to me in dollars and cents.

Billion dollars, Senator.

Give or take a few cents.

Red Star to ground leader, stand down.

To demonstrate Airwolf’s tactical capabilities,

it will penetrate a typical Soviet defense zone,

the type used around their ICBM sites,

their military command posts,

communication installations.

Simulation has a way of always

making the test vehicle look good.

That defense zone is filled with Soviet equipment

and manned by personnel who know how to use it.

This isn’t a simulation, Senator.

Those guns out there are loaded.

Airwolf. Red Star Control.

You have a go.

- He’s gone. - Dropped below the radar.

He’ll use the mountain range to block our defense radar

until he can exceed Mach 1.

After that, he can penetrate the defense zone

from any point on the compass.

Holy sh...

We have a visual sighting.

Grid, Whiskey, Lima, five.

Penetration track indicated.

Speed, Mach 1 plus.

- No shots fired. - I’ll be damned!

He busted right through the Russkie’s front door

- without a scratch. - Not quite.

The computers have Airwolf’s point of penetration

into the defense zone.

They can interpolate his most likely approach

to the target area and deploy

TU-36 helicopters to block the canyon.

He’ll have to climb out of the canyon.

That would put him on SAM radar.

He has no choice.

I have a heat-seeker on our six.

IF suppressor on.

Still closing. Popping a sun burst.

He got past them.

He’s not on radar. He’s done it.

It’s not over yet.

Unless your Dr. Moffet’s a fool,

all he has to do is stay in those canyons

until he reaches the target.

A passive defense mechanism might force him up.

What the hell is that?

Wires!

We have radar contact.

Stand by to launch missiles.

Oh, damn it.

We’re being radar-scanned.

Jamming.

Launching missiles.

I have four incoming

radar-controlled missiles.

Three are off target.

One is on our track at 10 miles and closing.

Missile impact, 12 seconds.

Hold heading and deploy the ADF pod.

ADF pod undeployable above 300 knots.

Reverse thruster engines.

Stand by to reengage rotors.

Thrusters reversed.

Speed, 700 knots. Six-fifty.

Missile impact in seven seconds.

Rotor reengaging. Speed, 400 knots.

Missile impact in five seconds.

Three seventy-fifty.

- Three fifty. - Four seconds.

Three twenty-five.

Three seconds, two seconds.

My God, they’ve blown him away.

Not quite, Senator.

Dr. Moffet, this is Senator Dietz.

I wanna congratulate you on the most spectacular

weapons demo I’ve ever seen.

I’d like to shake your hand.

You already have, Senator,

on Project Proteus.

Proteus?

That was at White Sands in the ’70s.

I trust the Senator remembers me.

Well, it was a-- it was a long time ago.

Yes. The firm has shown great confidence

in my ability to, uh, to change.

Well, I’m sure that trust

is well-founded.

Not really.

Yeah.

It’s perfect.

Nothing is perfect.

Not even this.

Well, I don’t know what can be wrong with this.

We’re here.

Stringfellow Hawke.

Gabrielle.

Hello.

Where’s Marella?

Oh, uh...

sick leave.

Sorry.

This is a nice wine.

It’s a Montrachet, isn’t it?

’79.

Been a long time.

Two years.

I have a job for you.

’78.

I didn’t know the ’78 from '79.

- I already have a job. - And...

This one pays a million dollars.

Half now, half on delivery.

Of what?

Airwolf.

Moffet stole it five weeks ago.

You blew it.

Yeah.

Hindsight’s a wonderful gift, Mr. Hawke.

You scared the eagle.

I what?

Flying in, you downdrafted an eagle.

I’m sorry.

Tell that to the eagle.

I wasn’t expecting company. I’ll get another trout.

God, he’s infuriating.

Only because he likes you.

Moffet probably flew it south

through Central America then jumped from Brazil

across the Atlantic to North Africa.

Same route we used to ferry planes in World War II.

It took two weeks

of concentrated satellite surveillance

to confirm Airwolf’s location.

It’s in Libya.

Gaddafi’s got it.

Great.

That means so do the Russians.

Not yet. So far, he hasn’t even

let them take a look at it.

Gaddafi’s keeping it for himself.

Why don’t you just blow it up instead of stealing it?

Can’t. Moffet's erased the Airwolf program from the firm’s computers.

And it’s gonna take a new development team,

even working with the old subcontractors,

an estimated 5.3 years

to build a new prototype.

This reproduction, it’s really excellent.

I saw the original in Paris at the--

at the Impressionist Museum.

No, you didn’t.

What’s your firm's position on Moffet and the crew?

If you can, bring him out with you.

The other two aren’t important.

And if I can’t?

Use extreme prejudice.

I saw the original in Paris

one month ago.

No, you saw a copy.

Are you trying to tell me this is the original?

So how do I go in?

As a petroleum engineer

from Mirabelle Oil, it’s a French firm,

but most of the technicians are Americans.

Once you land in Tripoli,

our operative there will help you.

The carrier enterprise will be standing by

in the Gulf of Sirte.

You probably won’t have to fly

more than 200 miles to get there.

Yeah, through Gaddafi’s Army,

Navy, and Air Force.

At least it’s not the Russians.

It’s their equipment.

But the Russians aren’t manning it.

You don’t know that.

We have people in there, Hawke,

and they’ve reported the equipment

is being manned by the Libyans.

Besides, you’re being paid a million dollars.

Hell, how much did Moffet get?

Probably five million.

And I get one?

One usually has to pay traitors

more than patriots.

Moffet didn’t do it for the money.

Neither will I.

I want Saint John.

You’re not serious.

God, you are.

Hawke, he’s been an MIA for 14 years.

The odds your brother’s alive

are ten thousand to one.

Well, if he is dead,

at least bring his body back.

I got a job flying in the morning.

You’ll find blankets in the window boxes.

Gets kind of cold around dawn.

Goodnight.

I don’t think he’ll pull this off.

He can.

The question is, can we?

Stringfellow?

You startled me.

I couldn’t sleep.

I was looking at your collection.

It’s incredible.

I thought I heard you moving around up here

and just wanted to talk.

Just about the art.

How anyone could have put together

a collection like that.

It’s fantastic.

I’m sorry, I guess it's none of my business.

You didn’t come up here to talk about art.

Yes, I did.

Don’t.

This is what you came here for.

No.

Archangel’s worried I won’t take the assignment.

You’re here to sweeten the deal.

You’re wrong.

Well, you’re a liar.

You didn’t come here to talk about art.

Yes, I did.

Well, maybe not totally,

but I didn’t come here for Archangel.

A liar’s a liar.

And a whore’s a whore.

Damn you.

You’re too late.

God already has.

Gabrielle.

My grandfather collected the art...

...for my grandmother.

The money is unimportant to him.

That’s right.

- Oh. Good morning. - No. He won’t accept that.

He’ll demand hard data.

We’ll have to inform the President.

Eggs?

Oh, no. Coffee, please.

Absolutely not.

Is he up yet?

Left a couple of hours ago.

If the committee has a better idea, I’m listening.

I’ll be on blue channel till 0800.

Committee is gonna blow this one.

I can feel it.

Hmm.

I don’t think Hawke's gonna do it.

What makes you say that?

I talked to him last night

after you went to sleep.

Oh, come on, it’s too early in the morning

for incriminating looks from the boss.

Gabrielle,

don’t get interested in Stringfellow Hawke.

There’s no future in it for you or any woman.

Why not?

When he was 12, he and his parents

were in a boating accident on the lake.

They drowned.

Just before he shipped out to Vietnam,

he and his girlfriend were in a car crash.

She died.

In Nam, he and his brother went down

in the same mission.

He got picked up,

Saint John didn’t.

Stringfellow is afraid

that anyone he loves, or might love,

will die.

That’s why when he was so cold

to you yesterday,

I knew he liked you.

How’s that for some paperback psychology?

Makes sense.

And, um, everyone he loved can’t have died.

There is one who survived.

Up to now, anyway.

And cut!

I am not gonna let

that stupid jackass kill himself

with my equipment.

He can’t talk to me like that!

I’m the star!

Blaze is right, Santini. He’s the star.

If he wants to kill himself, he can.

Well, fine!

Then let him use one of your cars,

not my helicopter!

I thought we already had this worked out, Mitch.

Listen, uh,

maybe Santini’s right, Blaze.

Uh, I mean, we are talking

- about life and limb here. - No.

No, wait a-- No, wait a minute.

You guys listen to me.

Mona Kahn heard that I was doing

my own flying in this flick.

She’s here to film me for her TV show.

Well, I wonder how she heard that.

She heard it because I did it before.

I mean, I flew a hang glider in-in-in Winds of Oahu.

I flew a Navy jet in Wings of Gold.

You had a Navy pilot with you for it.

He told me I flew it!

God, he-he said I was a natural,

he said that I hardly had to touch the stick.

And besides, Hawke has been letting me fly

for three months.

I’ve been backing you.

What-what does he mean by that?

He means he’s been on the controls

correcting Blaze’s mistakes.

But I’ve been up there doing it

for the cameras, and I’m gonna do it

for Mona!

Either that or you can use your-your choppers

to haul tourists around Disneyland.

- Oh, yeah? - Yeah.

Now you listen to me, Mr. Movie Star.

- Dominic. - What?

Man says he can fly, let him.

I’ll ride shotgun to make it legal.

But if you do that,

Mona will think that you’re flying.

I won’t touch the controls.

If you do...

You’ve got my word on it, Blaze.

To tell you the truth, Mitch,

I thought your star had finally put it

- in the fire. - Blaze?

Come on, he’s a straight guy.

- You know that. - Oh, yeah.

So what’s the other guy doing in the chopper?

Hawke?

Strictly for insurance purposes.

We could never get coverage on Blaze

for something like this.

See, Hawke’s hands and feet

are off the controls.

Ready?

You’re the pilot.

Right.

What’s wrong?

Not enough left pedal.

That’s too much left pedal.

What’s that stunt called?

Well, it-it doesn’t have a name.

You don’t normally see that

unless you’ve lost a tail rotor.

There he is.

Hawke, I’m gonna land now.

You’re the pilot.

You can back me a little if you want, Hawke.

Where is he?

There!

Hawke!

What is that?

A hammerhead stall.

Is it safe?

I don’t know.

I’ve never seen a helicopter do one.

I always did say you had a lot of guts, Blaze.

Moffet, don’t do this.

Leave him alone.

Stop it!

This is perverted.

There’s nothing wrong with a little

perversion, Mark, just as so long as

you don’t hurt yourself.

Oh, two out of three isn’t bad.

Dr. Moffet,

you are looking more and more

like an Arab with each passing day.

Actually, I’m getting more and more bored.

I think I would like to go to Tripoli,

tonight.

Whatever you desire, Doctor.

Perhaps you could do us a favor first.

Our beleaguered freedom fighters in Chad

are being assaulted by the most brutal

and barbaric weapons in the imperialistic French arsenal.

Their reputation for life--

What exactly is it that your leader

would like me to do?

To remove a French Mirage or two from the sky.

Oh, really? Is that all?

For now, Doctor.

Very well.

At least it will relieve the boredom.

Excellent, Doctor, excellent.

I’m curious, what would happen

if a bullet were to enter the intakes?

Nothing, I deliberately designed them

with armored mesh shields.

And the windshield is bulletproof,

and the body armor-plated.

What is your point, Major?

My point, Doctor, is that in the desert

we have a saying,

"The lion can be killed by the jackal

if the jackal knows where to bite."

Where does a jackal bite a wolf?

Come here.

Just here, this is the, uh,

mid-air refueling intake.

Now, one bullet up there,

and the whole thing would blow up.

But not, I guess, today.

You’re insane, Doctor.

Actually, no. I’m just quite bored.

I have a target bearing 052 relative.

Angel’s five.

Speed, 400 knots.

Is your radar searching?

Stand by, one.

Negative radar search.

What type aircraft?

Scanning.

Got it.

It’s a Mirage.

Bring the attack computer online

and stand by for turbo ignition.

Target at seven miles,

bearing 050 relative.

Still at Angel’s five.

He doesn’t see us.

Deploy the ADF pod.

Deployed.

Now, hold it right there.

Thank you.

And that, gentlemen, is another victory

for Gaddafi’s revolutionary forces in Chad.

I’m sorry about that, Dominic.

For what?

Losing that job?

Hell, I ain’t had so much fun

since your dad took old Purdy up

in his P-40.

We were ferrying them, see,

over the hump to Chennault.

The firm’s got a job for me.

I thought you quit flying for them.

They’re gonna go after Saint John.

Don’t do this to yourself, String.

You don’t love your brother

any more than I do.

If I thought it’d help, I’d go to Nam

and hunt for him myself.

But it won’t.

He’s gone and you've got to let him go.

Like I did.

Dom, I need your help.

Doing what?

Well, for starters,

you got to get to Libya.

Well, sure, I’ll just, uh--

Libya?

Hey, that’s Gaddafi's sand pile.

He doesn’t like us, String.

And we don’t like him, either.

Will you do it?

Well, let’s see.

Tony Boswick’s got a charter

flying oil rigs to Libya from England.

I could probably fly copilot on one

of his flights, sure I can do it.

Hey, but why can’t I go with you?

I don’t want the firm to know

you’re backing me.

Hmm.

I am liking this less and less.

What are we gonna do?

Kidnap Gaddafi?

Nothing that simple.

Archangel wouldn’t let them take it.

He didn’t want the firm to take your art,

but the committee overruled him.

Why?

You turned down a million dollars.

Made them nervous.

In exchange for Saint John.

Frightened them even more.

They’re not even gonna try, are they?

The firm will do all it can

to find your brother.

They’re concerned you won’t take the mission

till they have something tangible. They can’t wait.

You’re the only man besides Moffet who’s flown Airwolf.

You’re the only one who has a chance to get it back.

Why didn’t Archangel stay to tell me himself?

He was called back to Washington.

Besides, I was always the one

who was gonna brief you.

Maybe.

Maybe he knew I’d take him apart.

Tet put up a fight?

No.

Smart dog.

I don’t understand what you Westerners

see in women with such skinny bodies.

In the desert,

a body like this would wither and die

in a matter of hours.

After a few hours with such a body,

what would it matter?

I want her.

Ah.

That will be difficult.

We believe she is an American spy.

Perhaps I can question her for you.

I could do that.

Of course,

Brother Gaddafi was most pleased

with your exploits this afternoon

against the French on behalf

of our beleaguered freedom fighters in Chad.

Your destruction of two French Mirage fighters

will be told about in the camps of our people

until the desert sand turns to water.

But it’s still not enough to pay for her.

There are many women here who are just...

What is?

An American destroyer.

Done.

Her name’s Angela.

She’s a dancer at the Red Castle.

You’re not listening, Stringfellow.

She’s our contact in Tripoli.

Where does Archangel get them?

He found me when I was 15.

That was a rhetorical question.

According to Angela,

Airwolf’s located along the coast west of Tripoli.

And we have reason to believe it’s been used

against the French in Chad.

A Mirage fighter was shot down yesterday

over the desert there.

Sit down!

Hand me that net.

Ha! It’s beautiful!

Yeah?

About three pounds.

Well, put it back.

It’s beau-- That's-- I couldn’t eat that.

It’s beautiful. You can’t kill it.

Put it back, OK?

Please?

Eating the poor thing just to spite me.

I suppose you think I’m being stupid.

Yeah?

I know people eat fish.

I eat fish.

It’s just that trout was very beautiful.

Yeah, I got-- I think I understand.

Do you?

Well, you just like to eat ugly fish.

I don’t know. Maybe that’s it.

You know, like sole.

You know, sole has two eyes on one side of his head.

That is an ugly fish.

- Yeah, I like sole. - And pig.

That’s not one of God's most beautiful creatures,

but I bet you like pork.

Yeah, pork’s OK.

- And lamb? - Yeah.

I love lamb.

Cute, cuddly, woolly little lambs.

Oh.

You know, anyone who would teach a dog to--

Ugh!

Another fishing boat, 12:00.

We are being radar-scanned.

Able to absorb 93% of the signal.

It’s American Naval frequencies.

Radar is emanating from a Knox-class destroyer.

Bring a Bullpup on the line.

It’s an American destroyer, Moffet.

Bring a Bullpup on the line.

For God’s sakes, Moffet, they’re Americans.

Missile is five miles from target.

Four miles.

Three.

Two.

One.