"John Hairell" wrote in message ...
On Tue, 12 Aug 2003 00:20:34 -0400, "Charles Talleyrand"
wrote:

Has anyone used a helicopter cannon at LONG standoff range. By long range I mean
a range where the gun must shoot significantly above the straight line to the target
rather like a howitzer.

To do something like that you'd have to angle the cannon up through
the blades.

I don't think the angle need exceed 45 degrees, and that should clear the
blades with ease. If not, please select a lower angle.




My vision is a helicopter standing off for safety and firing at an area. I'm assuming
if an AH-64 unloaded it's magazine at me from 10 miles away I would experience
a hail of shells all around me that would chew up every soft target including
any anti-air batteries.

The current cannon doesn't have the range, and it would take a pretty
big cannon to fire 10 miles. And why use helicopter-borne cannon fire
when you can call in longer-ranged arty?

I don't know any numers, but recall that the helicopter is firing from above
the horizon and might have a forward velocity, both of which might help.
If ten miles is extreme, what would seem reasonable.

Remember that the gun can fire two miles without a substancial arc,
so the range with upward firing must be substancial.

There is a solution for this problem: it's called a "missile". ;-)

Missiles often cost more than the target.

Also, simply having the option might help the attack even if this is
not the first option for every attack. Options almost always help.