A little history lesson, Chinook style

[Grimfury160]

ACH-47A

The ACH-47A was originally known as the Armed/Armored CH-47A (or A/ACH-47A). It was officially designated ACH-47A by US ArmyAttack Cargo Helicopter and unofficially Guns A Go-Go. Four CH-47A helicopters were converted to gunships by Boeing Vertol in late 1965. Three were assigned to the 53rd Aviation Detachment in South Vietnam for testing, with the remaining one retained in the US for weapons testing. By 1966, the 53rd was redesignated the 1st Aviation Detachment (Provisional) and attached to the 228th Assault Support Helicopter Battalion of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). By 1968, only one gunship remained, and logistical concerns prevented more conversions. It was returned to the United States, and the program stopped.
The ACH-47A carried five M60D 7.62x51 mm machine guns or M2HB .50 caliber machine guns, provided by the XM32 and XM33armament subsystems, two M24A1 20 mm cannons, two XM159B/XM159C 19-Tube 2.75 in rocket launchers or sometimes twoM18/M18A1 7.62×51 mm gun pods, and a single M75 40 mm grenade launcher in the XM5/M5 armament subsystem (more commonly seen on the UH-1 series of helicopters).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns_A_Go-Go

The original (Vietnam) and the now revised (FTLWA) Guns-A-Go-Go.
Keep them SOARing Alpha!

 

[AWP]

Cool program, only one of them survived the war. One was lost during a ground taxi, another shot down and destroyed by a mortar, the last suffered a weapons mount malfunction and crashed, killing everyone onboard.

Neat website with the story and images...if your eyes can tolerate the colors.

http://www.chinook-helicopter.com/chinook/gunsagogo.html

It always reminded me of the YB-40 Flying Fortress.

 

[Kraut783]

Thanks for the link Free....very interesting.