AH-56A Cheyenne
Compound helicopter with a pusher propeller and a wing, cancelled after it flew at 393 km/h.
- Pusher propeller
- Rigid rotor
- Swivelling gunner seat
- Cancelled in 1972
Specification
- Origin
- United States
- Manufacturer
- Lockheed
- Role
- Attack helicopter
- Introduced
- 1967
- Combat type
- Ground, Air
- Spawn code
- ah56
On the server
The AH-56A first flew in September 1967 and was unlike any helicopter before or since. Lockheed gave it a rigid rotor, a small wing to offload the rotor in forward flight, and a pusher propeller at the tail driven by the same transmission, so in cruise it flew partly as an aircraft and reached speeds no pure helicopter of the era could approach. The gunner sat in a seat that rotated with the turret so he always faced his target. Technical problems, cost and army politics killed it in 1972 after ten prototypes. On MCS the Cheyenne is the fastest thing with a rotor. It crosses the map at aircraft speeds, arrives before anyone expects a helicopter, and its rigid rotor makes it precise in a way older gunships are not. It is a prototype, lightly protected and unforgiving of rough handling. Recommended for players who want speed above all.