America’s Twin Cannon Artillery Helicopter is Wild

The U.S. Army once explored the possibility of turning the CH-47 Chinook into a flying artillery platform, mounting 105 mm Howitzers on the helicopter to fire from the sky. While the concept was bold and technically feasible, it ultimately faced too many challenges to move beyond testing.

Why It Was Feasible

The idea was to upgun the Chinook by mounting two 105 mm Howitzers, one on each side of the fuselage. These cannons were supported by reinforced beams, and automatic rotating cylinders were designed to feed the guns, allowing for an impressive fire rate of 120 rounds per minute.

To handle the recoil, the Army used the experimental XM204 Howitzer, which featured a sophisticated soft recoil system. Pressurized nitrogen gas pushed the barrel forward, helping to reduce the impact on the helicopter’s structure.

On paper, this setup seemed promising. The system could rain heavy firepower from the sky while staying out of range of traditional ground-based artillery. Boeing engineers even developed a detachable mounting system, allowing the cannons to be dropped and used as regular artillery pieces on the ground. This flexibility made the concept technically possible and tactically innovative.

Why It Was Abandoned

Despite its feasibility, the system introduced significant drawbacks. The added weight of the Howitzers, recoil system, and ammunition drastically reduced the Chinook’s performance. The helicopter could only loiter for 15 minutes over enemy positions, and its range was limited to 100 nautical miles.

Additionally, the helicopter’s maximum speed dropped from 170 knots to 120, and the aircraft required a running takeoff, reducing the number of landing zones it could operate from.

The real downfall of the project, however, was the XM204 Howitzer. While it had a clever nitrogen-powered recoil system, the barrel’s forward movement created instability. This caused excessive vibration, which increased the dispersion of rounds, making it less accurate. During testing, these issues became more apparent, with the system proving unreliable and unable to sustain repeated firing without causing wear and tear on the helicopter.

Conclusion

The artillery-equipped Chinook was technically possible, but the challenges outweighed the benefits. The complexity of maintaining the system, combined with its impact on the helicopter’s performance, made it impractical for sustained combat operations.

While innovative, the concept was eventually abandoned due to the limitations of the XM204 and the excessive strain it placed on the Chinook. Ultimately, the U.S. Army concluded that the cost and risk of such a system outweighed its operational advantages, and the project was shelved before it could see combat deployment.