▲ U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z gunship
Recently, the U.S. Marine Corps Air Wing at Pendleton, California, received the latest batch of AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters. If calculated according to the first basic model of the "Cobra" series of Wuzhi, ah-1g, which was officially commissioned in 1967, this classic Wuzhi has been in continuous service for more than half a century and is still in service on the front line as one of the main models of the US Marine Corps.
▲ Early AH-1 helicopter prototypes, test aircraft and the first production model AH-1G
The Bellah-1 Cobra was the world's first purpose-built helicopter gunship, developed in the mid-1960s as an interim solution to the U.S. Army's Vietnam War. No one would have imagined at the time that this "temporary solution" would continue to evolve and continue to be produced today in the 21st century.
In the Vietnam War, the US military used helicopters for the first time in large quantities
Helicopters participated in a large number of direct combat for the first time in the Vietnam War. At first, the U.S. Army equipped the Bell UH-1 Huey transport helicopter with weapons and used it for attack missions, but the Huey was not designed to perform such tasks, and its survivability was obviously insufficient. As a temporary solution, Bell developed a dedicated helicopter gunship on the basis of the "Huey", the ah-1 "Cobra", which was equipped by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps and put into combat, and the aircraft performed well in Vietnam.
▲ UH-1C helicopter used by the US military in the Vietnam War
The ah-1g was the first production model of the early ah-1 series, entered service in 1967, and basically established the basic configuration of the successor to the "Cobra" family. Its highly streamlined fuselage is made of honeycomb aluminum and features a large number of mouth caps for easy maintenance. Key systems such as engine areas and fuel in the fuselage are protected by armor. The two crews were equipped with armored seats, and the gunner was also equipped with organic nose armor in front, but due to weight limitations, the production version did not use bulletproof glass.
▲ The Ah-1G, which was flying at a low altitude during the Vietnam War, hung a rocket nest and a cannon pod under the short wing
The ah-1z Viper (also known as the Zulu Cobra) is the latest model in the Marine Corps' cobra series. The aircraft was significantly improved, replaced with a new four-blade composite rotor, a more powerful engine, and a stronger weapon system, as well as an advanced digital "glass" cockpit. The aircraft entered service in September 2010, and the U.S. military is gradually upgrading the previous generation of AH-1W fleets to the Z-type standard.
▲ Ah-1z helicopter gunship is launching a ground attack
Ah-1z firepower is powerful, 20 mm machine ammunition, "Sidewinder" air-to-air missiles, rocket launch nests and auxiliary fuel tanks, and 16 Hellfire anti-tank missiles under the short wing, single-machine firepower is comparable to the US Army's "Apache" heavy weapons.
According to the US Marine Corps plan, ah-1z can continue to serve for at least 10-15 years, and the story of this "poisonous snake" will continue.
(Source: Comprehensive reference to the military, wings of the air force, etc., some of the pictures from the network)