Gunship
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A gunship (not to be confused with a gunboat) is a military aircraft armed with heavy aircraft guns, primarily intended for attacking ground targets either as airstrike or as close air support.
In modern usage the term "gunship" refers to fixed-wing aircraft having laterally-mounted heavy armaments (i.e. firing to the side) to attack ground or sea targets.[1][2] The term "gunship" originated in the mid-19th century as a synonym for gunboat and also referred to the heavily armed ironclad steamships used during the American Civil War.[3]
The term helicopter gunship is commonly used to describe armed helicopters.
World War II aviation[change | change source]
![](http://chped.net/https/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/B25_Mitchell_-_Chino_Airshow_2014_%2814033501440%29.jpg/220px-B25_Mitchell_-_Chino_Airshow_2014_%2814033501440%29.jpg)
Attack aircraft[change | change source]
During World War II, the urgent need for hard-hitting attack aircraft led to the development of the heavily armed gunship versions of the North American B-25 Mitchell.
![](http://chped.net/https/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/B25_Mitchell_-_Chino_Airshow_2014_%2814033501440%29.jpg/220px-B25_Mitchell_-_Chino_Airshow_2014_%2814033501440%29.jpg)
Post–World War II aviation[change | change source]
Fixed-wing aircraft[change | change source]
![](http://chped.net/https/upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/An_AC-47_from_Topeka%2C_Kansas%2C_conducts_a_gunship_legacy_flight_during_AirVenture_Oshkosh_2021%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-An_AC-47_from_Topeka%2C_Kansas%2C_conducts_a_gunship_legacy_flight_during_AirVenture_Oshkosh_2021%28cropped%29.jpg)
In the more modern, post-World War II fixed-wing aircraft category, a gunship is an aircraft having laterally-mounted heavy armaments (i.e. firing to the side) to attack ground or sea targets.[1][2]
The Douglas AC-47 Spooky was the first notable modern gunship.
Helicopter gunships[change | change source]
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References[change | change source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ballard 1982, p. 9.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hamlin 1970.
- ↑ Mystery photo unseen for 30 years may show Civil War gunship, Fox News, February 14, 2015
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