SaturnCanuck said:Too bad they didn't build this.
Stargazer2006 said:Thanks. But the naming of Bell's helicopters after Indian tribes had nothing to do with Bell themselves... it's the standard US Army practice for helos!
Here's a three-view to complement your pictures:
frank said:And nearly all of their fixed wing a/c except for some reason the DHC manufactured a/c & the Cessna L-19/O-1.
Stargazer2006 said:Thanks. But the naming of Bell's helicopters after Indian tribes had nothing to do with Bell themselves... it's the standard US Army practice for helos!
Here's a three-view to complement your pictures:
yasotay said:I believe that the "Cobra" was given a non-standard Army naming convention because it was still a derivative from the UH-1 series and not considered a new aircraft at the time. Obviously it quickly turned into a completely different aircraft (...) Like the OH-6A Cayuse which became the ubiquitous "Loach" and now "Little Bird" and "Killer Egg", it would never be called by its' official name as "Cobra" and "Snake" were ingrained into the Army psyche.
On their own initiative, Bell engineers had designed a mock-up for a dedicated attack helicopter, the Bell Model D255 "Iroquois Warrior". Designed more along the lines of a jet fighter than a helicopter, the D255 featured a fore and aft cockpit layout, small stub-wings and a nose-mounted gun turret.
Though the Army showed some interest, the conventional wisdom favored multi-purpose machines like the UH-1, which provided much more utility than a dedicated attack platform. Events in Vietnam soon changed this way of thinking.
The gun that ended up in the aircraft was the M-134 Minigun in 7.62 caliber.
I will speculate that the under fuselage position was removed because; a. it created a lot of blast pressure on the bottom of the aircraft and b. the nose mount put the gun more in line with the gunner who occupied the front seat of the aircraft.
Not sure to be honest. Another reason they likely moved the gun was due to the difficulty servicing the gun and gun mount on the bottom of the aircraft (which was already low to the ground).The gun that ended up in the aircraft was the M-134 Minigun in 7.62 caliber.
I will speculate that the under fuselage position was removed because; a. it created a lot of blast pressure on the bottom of the aircraft and b. the nose mount put the gun more in line with the gunner who occupied the front seat of the aircraft.
Did the underfuselage position have a 7.62mm or larger gun/cannon?
IMHO a source:photo of D-255, 1962
Not sure to be honest. Another reason they likely moved the gun was due to the difficulty servicing the gun and gun mount on the bottom of the aircraft (which was already low to the ground).