AH-1 Cobra - Fort Stewart, GA
Posted by: 
crackergals
N 31° 51.567 W 081° 36.480
17R E 442483 N 3525018
Located at the main entrance of Fort Stewart Army Base, GA as part of a display for the 3rd Infantry Mechanized.
Waymark Code: WM674E
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 04/15/2009
Views: 7
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America's first active helicopter gunship was born out of the Vietnam War. Armed utility/transport helicopters had been employed during the war but a need for a dedicated gunship soon became apparent. The AH1 Cobra is essentially built around a UH-1 Huey transport, with the same engine, rotors and tail boom.
An array of FFAR rockets and anti-tank missiles are carried on the stub wing pylons and a 20mm cannon is housed in a steerable gun pod beneath the nose. Early Cobra models had a twin 7.62mm minigun pod or 2x40mm 'thumper' grenade llaunchers as their main gun.
The US Army gradually improved the AH-1 Cobra with enhanced engines and firepower. The ability to fire TOW wire-guided missiles meant gave the Cobra the edge when taking on North Vietmanese PT-76 & T54 tanks.
With a relatively weak powerplant, the Cobra was built to be light and so was only very lightly armored. Its narrow profile meant it could hide down low amongst the trees if needed.