AH-1 Viper Poster - Marine Light Attack Helicopter

The Bell AH-1Z Viper traces its lineage directly to the AH-1 Cobra, the world's first purpose-built attack helicopter, developed urgently during the Vietnam War to provide dedicated armed escort for troop-carrying helicopters. Where earlier armed helicopters were adaptations of utility designs, the original Cobra was sleek and narrow, presenting a minimal target profile and carrying a dedicated weapons officer in tandem with the pilot. That concept proved so sound that it has been continuously refined over six decades into the AH-1Z, the definitive version, built specifically for the United States Marine Corps. The "Zulu Cobra" is unique among US attack helicopters in being marinized for shipboard operations, capable of folding its rotor blades and operating from the decks of amphibious assault ships in saltwater environments that would corrode less rugged aircraft. Armed with a 20mm rotary cannon, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, Hydra 70 rockets, and uniquely among attack helicopters, AIM-