Helicopters have won high marks in Viet Nam doing the chores they were designed for: carting supplies, ferrying troops, evacuating wounded. But, decked out with bolt-on guns and rocket launchers, the shaking, rattling and rolling choppers are less than perfect for close-in fire support. Looking for a solution, the Army last year awarded an $86 million AAFSS (Advance Aerial Fire Support System) development contract to a company that, until recently, had never been in the helicopter business at all: Lockheed Aircraft Corp.
Last week at its Van Nuys, Calif., plant, Lockheed rolled out a bug-eyed brute of a prototype that...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
