A Banana-Shaped Chopper With an Old Gun Turret Isn’t Much of a Gunship
Modified helicopter could barely manage the weight
by JOSEPH TREVITHICK
On June 7, 1957, a group of U.S. Army troops showed off seven prototype armed helicopters at a symposium the private Association of the United States Army was sponsoring at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Among the experimental gunships was an odd vehicle that combined a transport chopper with an old, World War II era gun mount.
With a small budget and lack of support from top Army brass, the unit in charge of the work had to make do with whatever weapons and equipment it could get. One option the General Electric company had offered was to rig up an old turret for the B-29 Superfortress bomber underneath a H-21 Shawnee helicopter.
Bizarre.
https://warisboring.com/a-banana-shaped-chopper-with-an-old-gun-turret-isnt-much-of-a-gunship-b0e146d5aa61#.vcrf3f63f
