Gunship
[1] In modern usage the term "gunship" refers to fixed-wing aircraft having laterally-mounted heavy armaments (i.e. firing to the side) to attack ground or sea targets.
[2][3] The term "gunship" originated in the mid-19th century as a synonym for gunboat and also referred to the heavily armed ironclad steamships used during the American Civil War.
During 1942 and 1943, the lack of a usable escort fighter for the United States Army Air Forces in the European Theatre of Operations led to experiments in dramatically increasing the armament of a standard Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress, and later a single Consolidated B-24D Liberator, to each have 14 to 16 Browning AN/M2 .50 cal machine guns as the Boeing YB-40 Flying Fortress and Consolidated XB-41 Liberator respectively.
These were to accompany regular heavy bomber formations over occupied Europe on strategic bombing raids for long-range escort duties as "flying destroyer gunships".
During World War II, the urgent need for hard-hitting attack aircraft led to the development of the heavily armed gunship versions of the North American B-25 Mitchell.
De Havilland also produced seventeen Mosquito FB Mk XVIIIs armed with a 57 mm (2.24 in) QF 6-pdr anti-tank gun with autoloader, which were used against German ships and U-boats.
In 1964, during the Vietnam War,[2] the popular Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport was successfully modified into a gunship by the United States Air Force with three side-firing Miniguns for circling attacks.
[10] Cruising in an overhead left-hand orbit at 120 knots (220 km/h; 140 mph) air speed at an altitude of 3,000 feet (900 m), the gunship could put a bullet or glowing red tracer (every fifth round) into every square yard of a football field–sized target in potentially less than 10 seconds.
Although the United States Air Force decided not to procure the AC-27J, other nations including Italy have chosen the aircraft for introduction.
[15] Additionally, in 2013 the US Air Force Special Operations Command reportedly tested a gunship version of the C-145A Skytruck armed with a GAU-18 twin-mount 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine gun system.
During the Overseas wars in Africa in the 1960s, the Portuguese Air Force experimented with the installation of M2 Browning 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in a side-firing twin-mounting configuration in some of its Alouette III helicopters.
During the early days of the Vietnam War, USMC H-34s were among the first helicopter gunships in theater, fitted with the Temporary Kit-1 (TK-1), comprising two M60C machine guns and two 19-shot 2.75 inch rocket pods.
[19] The Soviet Mil Mi-24 (NATO code name: Hind) is a large, heavily armed and armored helicopter gunship and troop transport.
