11bee Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 (edited) I was mulling over bulding a late war (73-end) VNAF Huey gunship when the long-awaited Kitty Hawk Huey arrives. Unlike the US Army, the Vietnamese flew the long body version in the gunship role. Typically armed with two 7-shot rocket pods and flex XM-93 miniguns in the cabin. I initially posted on the KH UH-1 Huey thread but I don't want to take that thread OT. Cobra offers the sugar scoop and a nice looking XM-93 set, any info out there on where I could get the rocket pods and their mounting system? Also, anyone make decals for VNAF subjects (if not, might be a cool subject for Werner's Wings)? Lastly, any good pictures out there of these gunships or specifically the XM-93 system mounted in a Huey. No luck with Google. At one time, I thought I saw a couple of awesome detail shots of an NVAF Huey that showed the interior in great detail (a unique trait of VNAF Hueys seems to be that the crew flew with a LOT of personal equip stuffed in the troop compartment) but I can't find those pics either. Any help is appreciated. Here is one potential subject: Edited November 19, 2016 by 11bee Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hawkwrench Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 Here's a quick trip of pics I found for ya Hope these help! Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chief Snake Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 The middle picture is not a VNAF huey, it's a US huey with the "Nighthawk" night interdiction system on it. Although it shows a minigun installed it is not the XM-93 system or any of it's components. You can also research UH-1N 20th SOS and find pictures of this system as well as UH-1P instals for details. The rocket pods could come from an MRC UH-1C, 7 shot pods are in some issues of it. The Panda/Dragon UH-1N gunship version had pods and mounts although I think the pods were 19 shot, at least the mounts could be used. Chris M Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hawkwrench Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 Oops, sorry. Those were the pics I found on a VNAF website. You would be in the know Chris. Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
midnightprowler Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 For the decals, www.speedwaydecals.com may be able to help with the artwork you have. Send him a email. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
11bee Posted November 20, 2016 Author Share Posted November 20, 2016 Guys, Can't thank you enough. Tim - those were the exact pics I was trying to find. Midnight - Thanks for the tip on Speedway, if I can get all my ducks lined up AND KW releases their Huey, I'll reach out to them. Only issue I see is that typically most custom decal outfits request detailed measurements for each marking, which may be an issue. We'll see. I'm still hoping we see a boatload of aftermarket decals for the Huey once it's finally released. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AH6C-SIP Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 Interesting John, from the lead graphic shows the VNAF Huey as being at Can Tho AB in 1973. I was at Can Tho thru March of '73, but there was no VNAF unit there during my time with C/16 Cavs. Must have been after US aviation units departed. Just a little historical trivia for you! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
11bee Posted November 20, 2016 Author Share Posted November 20, 2016 3 hours ago, AH6C-SIP said: Interesting John, from the lead graphic shows the VNAF Huey as being at Can Tho AB in 1973. I was at Can Tho thru March of '73, but there was no VNAF unit there during my time with C/16 Cavs. Must have been after US aviation units departed. Just a little historical trivia for you! Seemed like an interesting subject. After the US withdrawal, most people in the US (vets aside) completely lost interest in that war. Although some SVN units called it quits, many, especially air force and elite army units, fought hard until the end. Even when it was apparent their cause was lost, they kept fighting. Very much a forgotten war by then. GT, not many pics out there of US army aviation units towards the end of the (US) war. If I'm not mistaken, your unit must have been one of the last Army units to leave Vietnam. If you have any pics, please feel free to share. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rotorwash Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 One thing you should realize about the XM157 rocket pods on the VNAF UH-1H is that they are not mounted to a Army M156 universal mount. In fact, the mount looks more like the mount for the Marines TK-2 system although not exactly like it either. I am unsure if this was an in-county mod or a factory made mounting system, but it certainly is not a standard Army setup. Ray Quote Link to post Share on other sites
thatguy96 Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 These are BRU-20/A bomb racks. USAF UH-1Ns used the same arrangement. Its indicative of the fact that VNAF advisory and technical support came from the USAF, not the US Army. So VNAF UH-1H gunships look essentially like USAF UH-1N gunships. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AH6C-SIP Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 (edited) I flew my Cobra and along with two other Cobra's we went hunting along the Cambodian border. We had a Huey with us with the local RVN Colonel aboard. He had to give us permission to shoot. ROE gone made back then too. Anyway we did find some bad guys and shot 'em up real good, untill we ran out of ammo. We went back to Can Tho to rearm, but our CO said nope, that's all. The next day came the ceasefire, 8AM January 27, 1973, and we never flew our Cobra's again. ere's a pic from 11/72. My tail rotor and gearbox came off. Good thing it was in the Monsoon season, as we ditched in a rice paddy. We don't seem to be able to upload as many pictures as we used too. GT Edited November 21, 2016 by AH6C-SIP Quote Link to post Share on other sites
flyingdragons75 Posted November 23, 2016 Share Posted November 23, 2016 Here are a couple VNAF Huey gunship pix for you Quote Link to post Share on other sites
snake36bravo Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 Well let's see if I've got adding a picture worked out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
11bee Posted February 19, 2017 Author Share Posted February 19, 2017 Looking good Snake. Nice pic. I really like this version of the Huey. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CharlieUH-1H Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 I was building one but it was kind of imposible for me to get the decals so I change my mind to a modern era.. the picture you are using as a reference from aviation graphics is a great subject! I will follow your build for shure!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
snake36bravo Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 You can always trim down any decal set from a SPAD kit for your tail markings. Just a thought. And the standard VNAF national decals are in any VNAF aircraft kit from the Dragonfly, the SPAD, the Trojan, to the F-5 in varying scales. They also make a sheet for all scales. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
snake36bravo Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 It's a doable project and one that I'd also love to see. Plenty out there to make it happen. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.