Another fine book from the folks at Specialty Press and this time it concentrates on one of the most widely used weapons systems, the helicopter gunship. Specifically, the arming of helicopters by the United States.

No sooner was the helicopter accepted as a viable air asset than the US Army started adding weaponry to it. Initial experiments were with the H-13 Sioux and various rocket launching systems Later, machine guns and even cannon were tried on the H-34 and H-21, all of which met with some success both in testing and in operation in the field. But it was the development of the Bell Model 204 or HU-1 (Huey), that propelled the helicopter into a viable weapons carrying platform.

In this book, author Wayne Mutza covers the development of the helicopter itself, the Army's initial trials with helo-borne weapons and the experimentation of a myriad of gun, rocket and missile systems on various helicopters. He also goes into detail on the design, development and deployment of a dedicated gunship, the AH-1G Cobra. This craft led the way and has been itself improved over the decades to where the basic design is still in service with the USMC today.

In addition to the Cobra, other gunship designs are included in the book. The Cheyenne, Apache, Loach, and Kiowa are all covered as is there use in combat over the many years from Vietnam to Iraq. Those that could have been or were flown but not purchased are also part and parcel of the book. Let us not forget that the US isn't the only nation that has developed a gunship helicopter and that is covered in the final chapter.

In all, it is everything you have ever wanted to know about the subject all under one cover. Typical of Specialty Press' books, it is the best reference on the subject you can find and a well written read in and of itself. As such, it is highly recommended.

October 2010

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