Author Topic: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread  (Read 24411 times)

Offline Weaver

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Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« on: March 25, 2016, 07:07:48 AM »
Post any and all inspiring photos, drawings, ideas, cave-paintings etc... of sideways mayhem that might be relevent to the Gunships GB, or the denizens thereof, herein.
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Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2016, 07:29:07 AM »
Okay as moderator I won't be taking part in the GB, so here are all the gunship ideas I've had. Please feel free to use/abuse any of them as you see fit. I may get around to making some or all of these one day, but don't hold your breath.

1. A Victorian steampunk airship with side-firing Gatling guns. Colonial policing role.

2. A Heyford with a manned gallery of side-firing guns under it's belly. Colonial policing role.

3. A Ford Trimotor with Maxim or water-cooled Browning guns in it's windows and/or doorway.

4. A Noratlas with side-firing guns used by the French in Algeria and/or Indo-China.

5. A DH Dove or Heron with an improvised side-firing gun in the doorway, using in a local war in Africa or Central America. (A Dove fitted with a 0.50 cal ground gun on it's tripod was used in Biafra for real).

6. An An-12 Cub with side-firing guns used by the Soviets in Afghanistan.

7. An An-72 Coaler with side-firing guns used by the Soviets in Afghanistan.

8. An An-26/32 Curl/Cline with side-firing guns used by the Soviets in Afghanistan or Indian Air Force.

9. A Canadair CL-215/415 used as an amphibious gunship (France/Thailand?)

10. A Dornier Do-28 with side guns used just about anywhere in Africa or Central America.

11. A Bristol Freighter with side guns used by the RAF in a Britain-in-Vietnam scenario.

« Last Edit: March 25, 2016, 07:49:52 AM by Weaver »
"I have described nothing but what I saw myself, or learned from others" - Thucydides

"I've jazzed mine up a bit" - Spike Milligan

"I'm a general specialist," - Harry Purvis in Tales from the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke

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Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #2 on: March 25, 2016, 07:33:34 AM »




"I have described nothing but what I saw myself, or learned from others" - Thucydides

"I've jazzed mine up a bit" - Spike Milligan

"I'm a general specialist," - Harry Purvis in Tales from the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke

Twitter: @hws5mp
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Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #3 on: March 25, 2016, 07:36:08 AM »
"I have described nothing but what I saw myself, or learned from others" - Thucydides

"I've jazzed mine up a bit" - Spike Milligan

"I'm a general specialist," - Harry Purvis in Tales from the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke

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Offline Kerick

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #4 on: March 25, 2016, 09:23:44 AM »
The article said the developer could fit a similar system into a Spartan. Hmmmm........

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2016, 10:32:33 AM »
The article said the developer could fit a similar system into a Spartan. Hmmmm........



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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #6 on: March 25, 2016, 10:34:40 AM »
How about a Uninhabited Gunship - see details here:

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Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #7 on: March 26, 2016, 08:47:26 AM »
Here's an idea I had a few year ago when considering the vulnerability of traditional gunships to modern AA weapons and the consequent desire for greater stand-off:

The Vertical Gunship.

This is a converted transport plane similar to a classical gunship, but the difference is that it only has one high-velocity gun, mounted to fire downwards at the centre of gravity, in a limited-traverse mounting. The aircraft has a large optical sensor turret on it's nose, similar to the usual EO turrets but much larger and with greater magnification, and a control room with a operators and a ballistics computer. With all the volume available in a transport type, you should be able to design a system that lets the gun have a long barrel that retracts or swings out of the way for landing. My default mental picture is of a ball turret in the floor through which the gun barrel can slide. The hydraulic rig that moves the breech around can slide backward in the airframe, thus giving it more room to retract the barrel completely inboard for landing.

The modus operandi is that the the aircraft stays at about 15,000ft, well out of the envelope of MANPADS and portable AAA. When it finds a target, it flies towards it, and the ballistics computer, which also takes inputs from the aircraft flight control system, computes the correct moment to fire the gun. The ammunition has LED tracer in it, which is picked up by a second EO sensor mounted near the gun, and tracked to correct subsequent bursts (effectively a passive version of the closed-loop spotting used by Phalanx).

Why not just drop a bomb? Because a high-velocity cannon shell will be much less susceptible to wind drift and therefore more accurate.

Okay, so why not drop a guided bomb/missile? Because they're disproportionately large and expensive for small/low value targets. The aircraft can also carry way more shells than anybody can afford missiles.
« Last Edit: March 26, 2016, 08:52:22 AM by Weaver »
"I have described nothing but what I saw myself, or learned from others" - Thucydides

"I've jazzed mine up a bit" - Spike Milligan

"I'm a general specialist," - Harry Purvis in Tales from the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke

Twitter: @hws5mp
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Offline kitnut617

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #8 on: March 26, 2016, 08:58:50 AM »
I've plans to do something like this only I don't think I can get it done in the GB time period, the base/donor kit will be a Transall and some V-22 wings
« Last Edit: March 26, 2016, 09:01:11 AM by kitnut617 »

Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #9 on: March 26, 2016, 10:04:20 AM »
I've plans to do something like this only I don't think I can get it done in the GB time period, the base/donor kit will be a Transall and some V-22 wings

It'd be interesting trying to find a field of fire for the guns when the rotors are in the horizontal position... ???
"I have described nothing but what I saw myself, or learned from others" - Thucydides

"I've jazzed mine up a bit" - Spike Milligan

"I'm a general specialist," - Harry Purvis in Tales from the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke

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Offline Kerick

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #10 on: March 26, 2016, 10:59:01 AM »
I read a story once about aerial resupply during WW2 where the Germans had AAA along a tree line parallel to the approach to a drop zone. I don't recall why but the drops were low level and transports were getting shot up. Finally resorted to using bombers which fired all their guns sideways at the tree line. B-24 gunship anyone?

Offline finsrin

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #11 on: March 26, 2016, 11:16:36 AM »
B-24 high wing does lend to building gunship version.
Korea and SEA come to mind !

Offline Volkodav

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #12 on: March 26, 2016, 11:19:35 AM »
US Civil War hot air balloon gunship with Gatling guns, sharpshooters and grenadiers in a long, rather than square basket.

Offline Tophe

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #13 on: March 26, 2016, 07:28:07 PM »
Sometimes, without side-guns, there are pivoting guns, and gunship name, does this qualify for here?:

Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #14 on: March 26, 2016, 11:08:29 PM »
Sometimes, without side-guns, there are pivoting guns, and gunship name, does this qualify for here?:

No, sorry. If you look at the definition in the rules thread, I deliberately made it fairly tight around AC-130-style things to avoid confusion with helicopter gunships, normal bombers firing their turrets sideways, bombers fitting with noses full of guns and sci-fi things that bring their own definition of 'gunship'.
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"I've jazzed mine up a bit" - Spike Milligan

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Offline Tophe

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #15 on: March 26, 2016, 11:13:46 PM »
All right, I will follow these rules, no problem. :)

Offline kitnut617

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #16 on: March 26, 2016, 11:45:41 PM »
I've plans to do something like this only I don't think I can get it done in the GB time period, the base/donor kit will be a Transall and some V-22 wings

It'd be interesting trying to find a field of fire for the guns when the rotors are in the horizontal position... ???

Having heard a V-22 while flying at the Yuma Airshow a couple of years ago, I noticed it had a distinctive sound, just as C-130's have their sound which can be heard for miles before you actually see them. So my plan is to have a turret (or two) under the fuselage instead of all the side firing guns so the first attack would be a head-on attack with the turrets facing forward.
« Last Edit: March 26, 2016, 11:49:56 PM by kitnut617 »

Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #17 on: March 28, 2016, 10:51:50 AM »
Here's another thing to think about: gunships don't have to be big.

I can't find a useful picture, but a handful of Cessna O-1 Bird Dogs were converted in Vietnam to have a side-firing M-60 in place of the rear seat. At least one of them was christened 'Little Puff'. That's got to be the smallest manned gunship ever conceived.

I believe there was also a Helio Stallion and/or a PC-6 Turbo Porter converted to have side-firing guns too, and I seem to recall a Cessna O-2 version (Rhodesian?) too.
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Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #18 on: March 28, 2016, 11:10:46 AM »
The PC-6 gunship version was the Farichild AU-23A Peacemaker, evaluated in Vietnam by the USAF and later suppied to Thailand:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_AU-23_Peacemaker







It'd be easy enough to do a What If version of this: how about a Dornier Do.28 or an Antonov An-2?


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"I've jazzed mine up a bit" - Spike Milligan

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Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #19 on: March 28, 2016, 11:55:24 AM »
"I have described nothing but what I saw myself, or learned from others" - Thucydides

"I've jazzed mine up a bit" - Spike Milligan

"I'm a general specialist," - Harry Purvis in Tales from the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke

Twitter: @hws5mp
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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #20 on: March 28, 2016, 03:20:54 PM »
The PC-6 gunship version was the Farichild AU-23A Peacemaker, evaluated in Vietnam by the USAF and later suppied to Thailand:

...

It'd be easy enough to do a What If version of this: how about a Dornier Do.28 or an Antonov An-2?
Soviets had an experimental high-altitude meteo version of An-2 designated An-2ZA, and later An-6 Meteo. Only one example is built and never entered production. It had additional cockpit in front of vertical stabilizer and it just cries for a gunner...  ;)

There was also a version An-2NAK, later An-2F, an artillery observation variant with twin tale. Still, my vote goes to An-6...
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Offline kitnut617

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #21 on: March 28, 2016, 10:00:38 PM »
By Harold's definition of a gunship, I don't think this qualifies but here's an idea.






Offline taiidantomcat

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #22 on: March 29, 2016, 12:51:49 AM »




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Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #23 on: March 30, 2016, 01:15:16 AM »
I've often wondered how practical it would be to fire missiles sideways from a gunship. If it was a tube-launched weapon with a high launch velocity like HOT or AT-6 Spiral, and you fitted it so that was nothing immediately behind it (like the tailplane) it should work. I envisages a pallet of side-firing AT-6s sliding out of the tail door on an An-72 to complement it's GSh-30-6s...

Another interesting avenue would be recoilless weapons. You might imagine a 106mm RR fitted with a extension tube on the back which carries the recoil-compensating back-blast out of the opposite side of the aircraft. The tube would slide back to allow reloading. Hard to see how you'd make it trainable though: maybe only in one axis (elevation)?

For a smaller machine with one or two fixed guns, the Rheinmetal RMK 30 recoilless autocannon offers some interesting possibilities. You could fit a light aircraft with a much greater calibre of weapon than it could otherwise stand the recoil of.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rheinmetall_RMK30
« Last Edit: March 30, 2016, 01:29:43 AM by Weaver »
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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #24 on: March 30, 2016, 03:14:48 AM »

All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #25 on: March 30, 2016, 06:21:14 AM »
None of those three would count for the GB Taiidantomcat, because they have forwar- firing guns. They're basically just heavy attack aircraft that don't do anything tactically different from a conventional fighter-bomber, just more of it.
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Offline The Big Gimper

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #26 on: March 30, 2016, 07:02:08 AM »


Really? 6x 50 Cal?  Field modification or factory gone berserk?
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Offline Kerick

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #27 on: March 30, 2016, 11:22:39 AM »
I have a B-25 in the stash. Empty the bomb bay of all the racks and replace with M-2 50 cals. Maybe a couple more where the side gunners stood. Make it a real side firing gunship were the idea took hold in WW2 instead of Vietnam.

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #28 on: March 31, 2016, 03:27:57 AM »
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline Cliffy B

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #29 on: April 01, 2016, 01:15:26 AM »
Man I still love those P-3 based gunships!!!  Please someone build one this go around  8)
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Offline Kerick

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #30 on: April 01, 2016, 01:36:12 AM »
They would be a sight to see!

Offline elmayerle

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #31 on: April 04, 2016, 09:05:28 AM »
A couple odd thoughts here:

1) A gunship version of the Li-2, a Soviet "mirror" of the AC-47.

2) YB-40 and YB-41 modified for ground attack with additional downward- or sideways- firing guns installed as possible.

Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #32 on: April 04, 2016, 08:00:06 PM »
A couple odd thoughts here:

1) A gunship version of the Li-2, a Soviet "mirror" of the AC-47.

2) YB-40 and YB-41 modified for ground attack with additional downward- or sideways- firing guns installed as possible.

There was a Russian bomber fitted with a vast number of downward-firing PPSh-41s in the bomb bay as a ground attack aircraft.
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"I've jazzed mine up a bit" - Spike Milligan

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Offline TurboCoupeTurbo

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #33 on: April 05, 2016, 11:41:20 AM »
This thing needs the steam punk treatment very badly...


Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #34 on: April 05, 2016, 07:17:09 PM »
This thing needs the steam punk treatment very badly...



What that needs is anti-gravity, then it's be a flying saucer gunship... :)
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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #35 on: April 05, 2016, 07:20:19 PM »
A couple odd thoughts here:

1) A gunship version of the Li-2, a Soviet "mirror" of the AC-47.

2) YB-40 and YB-41 modified for ground attack with additional downward- or sideways- firing guns installed as possible.


There was a Russian bomber fitted with a vast number of downward-firing PPSh-41s in the bomb bay as a ground attack aircraft.


Indeed:



***edit to find the image, apparently buried inside of an article on the PPSh-41 so I changed the link to go to the URL instead and if you page down you will see several images that apply to the PPSh-41/Tu-2. -- Jeff

Re-edit - sorry about that folks - my iPad was playing up last night.  Photo now attached.  And to make up for my error, here is another:

« Last Edit: April 06, 2016, 03:04:25 AM by GTX_Admin »
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #36 on: April 05, 2016, 07:26:27 PM »
A couple odd thoughts here:

1) A gunship version of the Li-2, a Soviet "mirror" of the AC-47.

2) YB-40 and YB-41 modified for ground attack with additional downward- or sideways- firing guns installed as possible.


There was a Russian bomber fitted with a vast number of downward-firing PPSh-41s in the bomb bay as a ground attack aircraft.


Indeed:




Picture link doesn't work Greg.
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Offline Jeffry Fontaine

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #37 on: April 05, 2016, 11:39:01 PM »
Picture link doesn't work Greg.

Link fixed.  :)
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Offline finsrin

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #38 on: April 06, 2016, 09:05:11 AM »
Short Stirling looks good to be gun ship.
How about that fleet of He-177s US squandered into storage after WW2.  Refitted with 3350 or 4360 and used as SEA gunships !

Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #39 on: April 06, 2016, 07:56:57 PM »
I just picked up an HP Dart-Herald for £cheep: that'd make a nice Brits-in'Nam gunship (if I wasn't the moderator...)
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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #40 on: April 07, 2016, 03:16:44 AM »
(if I wasn't the moderator...)

Why would that matter?  There is no rule saying Moderators can't participate in GBs...
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #41 on: April 07, 2016, 05:54:24 AM »
(if I wasn't the moderator...)

Why would that matter?  There is no rule saying Moderators can't participate in GBs...

I know, but it feels wrong. Poachers and gamekeepers and all that...
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Offline Jeffry Fontaine

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #42 on: April 07, 2016, 06:17:35 AM »
Harold, you should not feel that way.  I suppose you could enter and just not cast a vote when it comes time to vote on entries or maybe just not vote for your own work.  Entirely up to you but as Greg said, nothing says you as the Group Build Moderator are not allowed to participate. 
"Every day we hear about new studies 'revealing' what should have been obvious to sentient beings for generations; 'Research shows wolverines don't like to be teased" -- Jonah Goldberg

Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #43 on: April 07, 2016, 06:51:22 PM »
Here's an idea inspired by PantherG's profiles: a Boulton-Paul Defiant gunship.  >:D

Let's say a Defiant user realises that the turret-fighter concept is dead, but they can't afford to just relegate the airframes to target-towing. One thing they might do is take the turret off to save weight, and then re-fit the guns (and maybe more guns) in the same place but fixed to fire sideways (I think downwards is out because of the radiator) for straffing ground targets.

The RAF had an interest in 'beach-straffing' in the days when invasion looked credible, which led to that bizzare Delanne biplane Lysander with a rear turret. The Defiant conversion would be much simpler and probably just as effective. Alternatively, you could sell the Defiant to somebody else (Finland was my favorite, but PantherG has also done a Netherlands profile) and they could do it. The Netherlands home forces wouldn't get much chance to learn lessons and convert planes before they were overrun, but maybe the units in the Far East would, particularly when you consider how the standard Defiant might have fared against the Zero... ???
"I have described nothing but what I saw myself, or learned from others" - Thucydides

"I've jazzed mine up a bit" - Spike Milligan

"I'm a general specialist," - Harry Purvis in Tales from the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke

Twitter: @hws5mp
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Online GTX_Admin

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #44 on: April 08, 2016, 06:09:10 AM »
Maybe base it on this real world proposal for a cannon armed Defiant with a single 20mm gun:


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Offline Tophe

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #45 on: April 08, 2016, 04:59:17 PM »
Without retractable rear antenna, I would not understand how that would be possible... ;)

Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #46 on: April 14, 2016, 02:14:49 AM »
From Wikipedia:

Quote
In 2006, Colombia started operating retrofitted AC-47s, where they are known by civilians as avion fantasma (ghost plane). They are successfully operated by the Colombian Air Force in counter-insurgency operations in conjunction with AH-60 Arpia helicopters (an armed variant of the UH-60) and Cessna A-37 Dragonflys against local illegally armed groups. These are five Basler BT-67s purchased by Colombia with .50 cal (12.7 mm) GAU-19/A machine guns slaved to a forward looking infrared (or FLIR) system. They also have the ability to carry bombs.[3][4] At least one has been seen fitted with one GAU-19/A and a 20 mm cannon, most likely a French made M621. The BT-67 is a variant of the C-47/DC-3 modified by the Basler Corporation of Oshkosh, Wisconsin.









Alley Cat Basler conversion (UK):  http://www.alleycatmodels.co.uk/basler-bt-67-turbo-dakota-conversion-6495-p.asp

Alley Cat Basler AC-47T Fantasma conversion (as above plus guns and sensors): http://www.alleycatmodels.co.uk/basler-ac47t-fantasma-latin-american-af-gunship-bt67-6525-p.asp

Modelwolf Basler Conversion (Germany): http://www.modellwolf.de/conversion/conversion.html

Basler's home site: http://www.baslerturbo.com/military-options.html
« Last Edit: April 14, 2016, 03:06:28 AM by Weaver »
"I have described nothing but what I saw myself, or learned from others" - Thucydides

"I've jazzed mine up a bit" - Spike Milligan

"I'm a general specialist," - Harry Purvis in Tales from the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke

Twitter: @hws5mp
Minds.com: @HaroldWeaverSmith

Online GTX_Admin

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #47 on: May 04, 2016, 03:22:39 AM »
I wonder...a more developed version of the ACH-47...with more sideways firing guns?

« Last Edit: May 04, 2016, 03:24:33 AM by GTX_Admin »
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #48 on: May 04, 2016, 05:45:00 AM »
I wonder...a more developed version of the ACH-47...with more sideways firing guns?



More bolts for the guns it had would have been a start.... >:D

Good idea though. The way they were used in combat was close-up, like any other helicopter gunship, but they were too big and cumbersome for that. You might well imagine them flying circles at night, raining down bullets more like a fixed-wing gunship though, and unlike an AC-130 or similar, they could be based right up near the front line for a quick response time.

Should easily be able to take a couple of 20mm Vulcans and maybe a couple of 7.62mm miniguns too.
"I have described nothing but what I saw myself, or learned from others" - Thucydides

"I've jazzed mine up a bit" - Spike Milligan

"I'm a general specialist," - Harry Purvis in Tales from the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke

Twitter: @hws5mp
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Offline kitnut617

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Offline Weaver

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #50 on: May 04, 2016, 10:43:11 AM »
Been done ---

http://www.ipmsusa.org/reviews/Archive/Kits/Aircraft/Italeri_72_ACH-47/Italeri_72_ACH-47.htm


I know it's been done as a real world model, but what Greg and I are proposing is a Whif version of it that could be built with any Chinook model.
"I have described nothing but what I saw myself, or learned from others" - Thucydides

"I've jazzed mine up a bit" - Spike Milligan

"I'm a general specialist," - Harry Purvis in Tales from the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke

Twitter: @hws5mp
Minds.com: @HaroldWeaverSmith

Offline Volkodav

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Re: Gunships GB Inspirations Thread
« Reply #51 on: May 04, 2016, 08:08:06 PM »
The ACH-47 apparently worked quite well but the Chooks were far more valuable as lifters and there were never really enough of them for their primary mission set to be able to spare them for specialist roles.