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

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?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doAGwslV6VI

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:

http://www.geocities.com/usarmyaviationdigest/superchinook.htm

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

http://www.combatreform.com/killerbees2.htm
http://www.combatreform.com/killerbees3.htm

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

FYI, the USAF only accepted the A-10 in order to get the Cheyenne cancelled to spite the Army:

http://www.combatreform.com/A10TheWarthogAirForcetookittospitetheArmyfromChey...

Want to build a 1:72 scale model of the Cheyenne?

http://www.anigrand.com/AA2085_AH-56.htm

Want to know more?

Our book, "Air-Mech-Strike: Asymmetric Maneuver Warfare for the 21st Century" is ONLINE for FREE skyjacked by Google!

http://books.google.com/books?id=RCWtHnYZ0LMC&pg

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• AH-56
• Cheyenne
• gunship
• observation
• attack
• helicopter
• 30mm
• cannon
• autocannon
• A-10
• USAF
• U.S.
• Army
• CAS
• close
• air
• support

[fedupx5900]

Are there any Native American tribe names left for new helicopters?

[airraideagle]

The AH-56 Cheyenne seems more advanced for its time, the 1960s, than the AH-64 Apache was for its time,the 1980s.

[redreaper2020]

Cheyenne was pretty badass.

[slowmodan]

Another Lockheed design way ahead of it's time.

[hmavenger1]

a brillant attack helicopter one qestions for you helicopter folk out there i hear in a dive this baby punched 280 mph is this true or myth plz reply thnx.

[Mockingbird5150]

sure looks like it would give a Hind a scare.

[DetoxMansion]

16 yaers before the AH-64 Apache and it would eat an apache alive!

[HHacker1959]

My Father in Law was on the team that designed the optics for the gun site. I have some of the technical drawings and some pictures but never got a chance to see the helicopter in action until I saw this video. Thanks for sharing!

[HuasoPodrido]

It was a decent helicopter, but had the bad habit of flexing the rotor thru the cockpit.

[rcvideogamer]

@fedupx5900 yeah whats up with that we come into the native americans country kill nearly half them off, then we name a bunch of roads,bridges and attack helicopters after them.is that suppose to help anyone!?!?!

[TripleZ89]

@fedupx5900

Why do you think we haven't seen a new helicopter since the cancellation of the Comanche?

[highlo3517]

@boobtuber06 actually the A-10 was designed after this concept. the airforce put out the specifications for an attack airframe designed to provide close air support. for fear of losing the close air support role. damn thing looks like an A-10 with rotor bleades though.