Attack helicopter An attack helicopter is a military helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft , with the capability of engaging targets on the ground , such as enemy infantry and armored vehicles . Due to their heavy armament they are sometimes called helicopter gunships . Weapons used on attack helicopters can include autocannon s , machine - gun s , rocket s , and guided missile s such as the Hellfire . Many attack helicopters are also capable of carrying air to air missile s , though mostly for purposes of self - defense . Today ' s attack helicopter has two main roles : first , to provide direct and accurate close air support for ground troops , and the second , in the anti - tank role to destroy enemy armor concentrations . Attack helicopters are also used to supplement lighter helicopters in the armed scout role . In combat , an attack helicopter is projected to destroy around 17 times its own production cost before it is destroyed . Development . In the mid - 1960s the U . S . Army concluded that a purpose - built attack helicopter with more speed and firepower than current armed helicopter s was required in the face of increasingly intense ground fire ( often using heavy machine guns and anti - tank rockets ) from Viet Cong and NVA troops . Based on this realization , and with the growing involvement in Vietnam , the U . S . Army developed the requirements for a dedicated attack helicopter , the Advanced Aerial Fire Support System ( AAFSS ) . The aircraft design selected for this program in 1965 , was Lockheed ' s AH - 56 Cheyenne . As the Army began its acquisition of a dedicated attack helicopter , it sought options to improve performance over the continued use of improvised interim aircraft ( such as the UH - 1B / C ) . In late 1965 , a panel of high - level officers was selected to evaluate several prototype versions of armed and attack helicopters to determine which provided the most significant increase in capability to the UH - 1B . The three aircraft ranked highest during the evaluation ; the Sikorsky S - 61 , Kaman H - 2 Tomahawk , and the Bell AH - 1 Cobra , were selected to compete in flight trials conducted by the Army ' s Aviation Test Activity . Upon completion of the flight evaluations , the Test Activity recommended Bell ' s Huey Cobra to be an interim armed helicopter until the Cheyenne was fielded . On 13 April 1966 , the U . S . Army awarded Bell Helicopter Company a production contract for 110 AH - 1G Cobras . The Cobra had a tandem cockpit seating arrangement ( vs UH - 1 side - by - side ) to make the aircraft a smaller frontal target , increased armor protection , and greater speed . In 1967 , the first AH - 1Gs were deployed to Vietnam , around the same time that the Cheyenne successfully completed its first flight and initial flight evaluations . And while the Cheyenne program suffered setbacks over the next few years due to technical problems , the Cobra was establishing itself as an effective aerial weapons platform , despite its performance shortcomings compared to the AH - 56 , and design issues of its own . By 1972 , when the Cheyenne program was eventually cancelled to make way for the Advanced Attack Helicopter ( AAH ) , the " interim " " Snake " had built a solid reputation as an attack helicopter . Modern attack helicopters . During the late 1970s the U . S . Army saw the need of more sophistication within the attack helicopter corps , allowing them to operate in all weather conditions . With that the Advanced Attack Helicopter program was started . From this program the Hughes YAH - 64 came out as the winner . The Soviet armed forces also saw the need of a more advanced helicopter . Military officials asked Kamov and Mil to submit designs . The Ka - 50 officially won the competition , but Mil decided to continue development of the Mi - 28 that they had originally submitted . During the late 1970s and early 1980s , attack helicopters became a key component of Soviet operational art ( as they ecompassed full air - mechanized brigades ) , that maneuvered ahead of the Operational manoeuvre group , Soviet Army ' s main battle unit . After Vietnam , and especially into the 1990s , the missile - armed attack helicopter evolved into a primary anti - tank weapon . Able to quickly move about the battlefield and launch fleeting " pop - up attacks " , helicopters presented a major threat even with the presence of organic air defenses . The gunship became a major tool for both the US Army and their Warsaw Pact counterparts in tank warfare , and most attack helicopters became more and more optimized for the antitank mission . The US Marine Corps continued to see the helicopter , as well as its fixed - wing aviation assets , in the close support role , although the Marines did dedicate a close - support helicopter in the form of the AH - 1 Super Cobra . Soviet helicopters retained troop transport capability rather than being attack only . While helicopters were effective tank - killers in the Middle East , attack helicopters are being seen more in a multipurpose role . Tactics , such as tank plinking , showed that fixed - wing aircraft could be effective against tanks , but helicopters retained a unique low - altitude , low - speed capability for close air support . Other purpose - built helicopters were developed for special operations missions , including the MH - 6 for extremely close support . Today , the attack helicopter has been further refined , and the AH - 64D Apache Longbow demonstrates many of the advanced technologies being considered for deployment on future gunships . The recently fielded AH - 1Z upgrades the twin - engine AH - 1W Super Cobra currently operated by the US Marines . The Russians are currently deploying the Ka - 50 , Ka - 52 and Mi - 28 , which are roughly equivalent to the AH - 64D and the AH - 1Z . Many students of ground attack helicopter warfare feel that linking into a network is a requirement of today ' s modern armies , since attack helicopters are being increasingly incorporated as part of a linked support element system by most of the armies of the world . This doctrine is known a network - centric warfare in US military circles . In action . The 1990s could be seen as the coming - of - age for the U . S . attack helicopter . The AH - 64 Apache was used extensively during Operation Desert Storm with great success . Apaches fired the first shots of the war , destroying enemy early warning radar and SAM sites with their Hellfire missile s . They were later used successfully in both of their operational roles , to direct attack against enemy armor and as aerial artillery in support of ground troops . Hellfire missile and cannon attacks by Apache helicopters destroyed many enemy tanks and armored cars . In 1999 during the Kargil War , the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army found that there was a need for helicopters that can operate at such high altitude conditions with ease . The limitations of attack helicopters from operating with high payloads and restricted maneuverability led India to the develop the Light Combat Helicopter that can operate in high altitudes . These helicopters will be used by the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army aviation wing . HAL ' s Advanced Light Helicopter ( ALH ) , Rudra was formally granted Initial Operational Clearance ( IOC ) by the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification ( CEMILAC ) on 4th Feb 2013 The " deep attack " role of independently operating attack helicopters came into question after a failed mission , during the 2003 Gulf War attack on the Karbala Gap . A second mission in the same area , four days later , but coordinated with artillery and fixed - wing aircraft , was far more successful with minimal losses . In 2011 , France and Britain sent Eurocopter Tiger and AgustaWestland Apache attack helicopters to Libya . The primary objective of the 2011 military intervention was to protect civilians in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1973 . Within days of the Apaches deployment , it had completed a variety of tasks such as destroying tanks , checkpoints held by pro - Gaddafi forces and vehicles carrying ammunitions loyal to Muammar Gaddafi . The attack helicopters were reported to be far more effective than the fighter jets which had previously been given the task of completing the aforementioned tasks . Types . Modern examples include :