Helicopters – Gunships

Until the Vietnam conflict, military helicopters were used most often for evacuating wounded troops. In Vietnam, US forces saw an increase in the use of helicopters as troop transports, often flying missions in which they came under heavy fire. The need for heavily armed helicopters soon became apparent. The Huey UH-1C troop transport was kitted out with machine guns and 2.75in FFAR rockets which were mounted on stub-wings attached to the chopper’s fuselage. Other gunship configurations that were considered included modified CH-47 Chinooks (ACH-47s) armed with multiple guns, cannons, rockets and grenade launchers although these proved to be too cumbersome for use in the field. In 1967, the US Army fielded the AH-1 Cobra, a dedicated gunship. Built around the UH-1 power plant, the Cobra had a much thinner profile, increased armor, speed and firepower. It proved to be highly effective in action against the NVA and Viet Cong. This is the story of the world’s deadliest gunships from Vietnam to Afghanistan.