Fixed-Wing AH-56 Cheyenne Attack Helo: USAF egotantrums
Author: Ian Simpson
Clearly, the 1947 National Security Act creating the separate service USAF and quasi-separate USMC has been a total disaster with the Air Farce SAYING it wants to do ALL aviation functions but is only really interested in doing sexy fighter-bombing to try to win wars by their firepower alone. This over-reaction to the 1943 North Africa USAAF troubles by centralizing ALL air power functions has left the US Army without a tactical air force to support ground maneuver by fixed-wing observation/attack and transport planes since these things are neglected by the USAF. When General Gavin proposed the Army “Sky Cavalry” he expected the flimsy and slow helicopter to be only a interim stop-gap to work around USAF racketeering corruption until VTOL/ESTOL fixed-wing aircraft became available–not the rotten use of helicopters for 60 years that has cost us thousands of lives and $ BILLIONS of dollars. 4, 000 helicopters lost in Vietnam led the still-with-common sense Army to want replacements that fly much faster–in the 300 mph range. The AH-56 Cheyenne compound helicopter with fixed-wings and a pusher prop in the tail could fly over 100 mph faster than current type helicopters. www.geocities.com Being selfish racketeers, the USAF threw a temper tantrum when they saw fixed-wings on the AH-56 as if it was their God-given right to them and demanded Congress cancel the AH-56. The USAF only accepted the A-10 in order to get the Cheyenne cancelled to spite the Army: www.combatreform.com …
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The air force has always been the spoiled brat, primadonna of our military. I would go so far as to say that they actually endangered national security for their own ego. Under Truman they almost got away with getting rid of naval and marine corp aviation. What saved them was the korean war. The airforce couldnt handle it and it was naval air that saved our bacon in that war!
, the Marines would’ve gotten the Amphibious kits for tanks, and the Air Force would’ve gotten SOME of it’s Missile Force, andBombers and it’s own share of both Air Defense, and Armoured Ground Vehicles, as well as Attack Helicopters for Rescue support operations.
In 62, Bell made the Hueycobra out of corporate funds, but Congress said you have to put it up to bid, and raised the speed to disqualify Bell, so Lockheed got the contract. But Bell built it anyways, and the Army bought 1,000 of them “in the interim”. By the time the bugs were worked out in 1972, the Army was out of Vietnam, and wanted the Apache instead, and Lockheed never made a production copter.
They have one of these at the Armt Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker, AL (aka: “Mother Rucker”). From what I remember its attempt to be the Army’s Attack Helicopter ended when it had a mishap during testing. Supposedly its main rotor blade flexed when they were performing an autorotation to tghe ground. The blade flexed down and sliced through the co-pilot/gunner’s (CPG) cockpit (front seat).
It would have been an interesting aircraft had it been fielded though.
one of them is now a static display out side the airfield at Fort Polk LA,
I remeber seeing airframes of 2 of these at a couple army posts I was stationed at I even had one e6 in my unit who was a crew chief for one these during test trails
Looks like a rotary version of the OV-10 Bronco. lmao!
Cool! Either I’ve forgotten about this thing, or I’ve never seen it, before!