AH-56 Cheyenne: Turn Tail & 30mm Gun!

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Ever watch fixed-wing or pod gun camera footage and note that just when the bullets/cannon shells begin to hit the target and achieve a telling effect the plane has to pull up or else fly into the ground?



An amazine "icing" capability that the AH-56 Cheyenne helicopter gunship had that can be applied to fixed-wing, 2-seat observation/attack aircraft is that the observer/gunner was in a swiveling seat and aimed a 360 degree swiveling autocannon so the aircraft doesn't have to dive and break off the attack just before hitting the ground; but can turn away and not over-fly the target but keep cannon shells hitting to facilitate a safe get-away. The ACH-47 Chinook "Guns-A-Go-Go" gunships in Vietnam had a similar capability by their rear ramp gunners hosing down Viet Cong/NVA who thought they had a free shot at the tail when the helicopter gunship turned away. Since the CH-47 is our fastest helicopter, we should have some ACH-47 gunships today to escort troop and M113 Mini-Gavin carrying CH-47s:



The new recoilless German 30mm recoilless autocannon on a swivel mount like the OV-10D NOGS Broncos had




could gain us the Cheyenne's "Turn Tail & Gun" abilities we have long needed.

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Channel: Science & Technology
Uploaded: March 19, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Author: dynmicpara

Length: 00:02:52
Rating: 4.00
Views: 3670

Tags: AH-56 Cheyenne gunship observation attack helicopter

Video Comments:
airraideagle (August 17, 2008 at 3:24 am)
The AH-56 Cheyenne seems more advanced for its time, the 1960s, than the AH-64 Apache was for its time,the 1980s.
ogahb (July 20, 2008 at 9:32 pm)
Even if it's not a true Heli, it's still an awesome aircraft. Cobra + Thunderbolt II = sweetness
smithraymond (April 8, 2008 at 9:36 pm)
I'm a big fan of military harware. I must say that I've never heard of this aircraft. Looks like a forerunner to the AH-64 Apache.
boobtuber06 (May 12, 2008 at 8:24 am)
It was. I believe the AF was getting nervous because it was getting close to fixed-wing qualities and championed the A-10.
Would've been an EXCELLENT sucessor to the Cobra.