US Army Sea King Gunship.

RyanC

RyanC

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Got a book from my library recently on US army aircraft since 1947; and it mentions that the army briefly considered using the Sea King as a gunship base for the AAFS program (AH-56), since it was the fastest rotorcraft at the time.
 
Wouldn't that be the S-67 Blackhawk?

RyanCrierie said:
Got a book from my library recently on US army aircraft since 1947; and it mentions that the army briefly considered using the Sea King as a gunship base for the AAFS program (AH-56), since it was the fastest rotorcraft at the time.
Click to expand...
 
frank said:
Wouldn't that be the S-67 Blackhawk?

RyanCrierie said:
Got a book from my library recently on US army aircraft since 1947; and it mentions that the army briefly considered using the Sea King as a gunship base for the AAFS program (AH-56), since it was the fastest rotorcraft at the time.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

According to All the World's Rotorcraft, a proposed, straightforward Sea King gunship adaptation preceded the S-67.

"When the AH-56A failed to live up to expectations, Sikorsky first offered an intermediate aircraft, consisting of an armed version of the S-61, then designed a simplified AAFSS using the maximum number of components from the S-61. The result was the S-67 Blackhawk which appeared in 1970."

http://avia.russian.ee/helicopters_eng/sik_s-67.php
 
Yeah, ISTR the Navy had an armed version of the SH-3, having some minigun turrets or something. They weren't really satisfied, IIRC. Maybe it was based on it.


Apophenia said:
frank said:
Wouldn't that be the S-67 Blackhawk?

RyanCrierie said:
Got a book from my library recently on US army aircraft since 1947; and it mentions that the army briefly considered using the Sea King as a gunship base for the AAFS program (AH-56), since it was the fastest rotorcraft at the time.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

According to All the World's Rotorcraft, a proposed, straightforward Sea King gunship adaptation preceded the S-67.

"When the AH-56A failed to live up to expectations, Sikorsky first offered an intermediate aircraft, consisting of an armed version of the S-61, then designed a simplified AAFSS using the maximum number of components from the S-61. The result was the S-67 Blackhawk which appeared in 1970."

http://avia.russian.ee/helicopters_eng/sik_s-67.php
Click to expand...
 
Didn't the US military also trial the Kaman Seasprite as a gunship in the 1960s? I seem to remember a minigun/grenadelauncher turret on one in some book or other.
 
The HH-3A was fitted experimenally with two Minigun barbettes for
self-protection, as CSAR heli. (photo from Squadron Signal N°150).
The Kaman UH-2 intended as a tactical escort heli, with armament
on the stub wings and fixed nose mounted 7,62 mm machine guns
and even got an Army name : The Tomahawk.
(from Aviation Week March 1964)
 

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220~ UH-2 Tomahawks were ordered, but after JFK was shot, the order was cancelled in favor of UH-1s.......which were made in Texas; which was where Johnson was from... :-\
 
Hmm. Yet another conspiracy theory! Bell Helicopters was behind the assassination, knowing that Johnson would replace Kennedy & therefore both Bell & Johnson being Texans, Bell would get the orders instead of Kaman........ Yeah, that's it!



RyanCrierie said:
220~ UH-2 Tomahawks were ordered, but after JFK was shot, the order was cancelled in favor of UH-1s.......which were made in Texas; which was where Johnson was from... :-\
Click to expand...
 
They also tested a minigun turret on the Kaman helicopter. There's a pic somewhere in one of my books.
 
There is a facebook group page devoted to the S-67 Blackhawk attack helicopter. Numerous photos, most of which I have never seen before and some commentary from One of the Sikorsky test pilots
 
Evil Flower said:
They also tested a minigun turret on the Kaman helicopter. There's a pic somewhere in one of my books.
Click to expand...
I believe that the turret was also a proposed CSAR modification for operation from destroyers. But the Navy preferred pintle-mounted M-60s. Can't recall where I read that.
 

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