Deployed in late 1966, the “Guns a Go-Go” unit quickly proved its worth in Vietnam’s unforgiving terrain.
In the dense jungles of Vietnam, at a time when American and North Vietnamese forces were embroiled in a horrific and bloody insurgency, innovation in aerial warfare became essential for the United States to maintain an edge over their highly effective North Vietnamese adversaries. One innovation from that war, regrettable as it was, was the use of helicopters as part of this innovation process.
And one helo that made quite the name for itself during the Vietnam War was nicknamed “Easy Money.” An ACH-47A armored CH-47A Chinook helicopter, the Army transformed this bird into a formidable gunship known to the troops as “Guns a Go-Go.”
As one of four prototypes designed for intense ground support, Easy Money exemplified the Army’s push for superior air dominance during the conflict. It was the closest thing to a sky monster that the Americans developed to fight the communist insurgency in the Vietnam War, and this bird provided unparalleled close-air support (CAS) and heavy firepower.
The Army’s “Guns a Go-Go” Initiative
The “Guns a Go-Go” initiative emerged in the mid-1960s amid escalating US involvement in Vietnam. By 1964, the vulnerability of transport helicopters like the standard CH-47 Chinook to enemy fire during landing operations prompted the Army to seek a dedicated escort gunship. The Bush Board evaluated options and selected the Chinook for its power, speed, and payload capacity.
In June 1965, Boeing Vertol was contracted to convert four CH-47A models into armed and armored variants, designated ACH-47A. These prototypes were delivered in November of 1965, each receiving colorful nicknames: Easy Money (serial number: 64-13149), Cost of Living (64-13145), Stump Jumper (64-13151), and Birth Control (64-13154).
Initial testing at Edwards Air Force Base and Fort Benning proved promising, leading to the formation of the 53rd Aviation Detachment Field Evaluation (Provisional) in April 1966. By June, three aircraft—excluding the original prototype—deployed to Vietnam for a six-month combat evaluation, attached to the First Cavalry Division’s 228th Assault Support Helicopter Battalion at An Khe.
This marked the debut of the world’s first heavy-lift helicopter gunship—unofficially dubbed “Guns a Go-Go” for its aggressive firepower.
The ACH-47A’s Specs
- Manufacturer: Boeing Vertol
- Year Introduced: 1965
- Number Built: 4 (based on Chinook CH-47)
- Type: Heavy helicopter gunship
- Rotor Diameter: 18.29 m (60 ft)
- Engine: 2 T55-L-712 engines
- Cruise Speed: Unknown (circa 188 mph)
- Range: Unknown (circa 460 mi)
- Crew: 8
About the Army’s ACH-47A Gunship
The ACH-47A was no ordinary Chinook; it underwent extensive modifications to become an armored powerhouse for close air support. Boeing removed non-essential features like troop seats, cargo hooks, winches, and soundproofing to reduce weight and accommodate weaponry. Approximately one ton of hardened steel armor plating protected the crew and critical components, including armored seats for the pilot and copilot. Additional upgrades included fire suppression systems, fuel cross-feed mechanisms, and enhanced interphone communication.
Easy Money’s greatest feature, of course, was its massive armaments package. Before the A-10 Thunderbolt II (the “Warthog”) took wing conducting CAS missions around the world, Easy Money served as America’s first “flying tank.” And, when looking at the armaments, one could almost pity the Viet Cong on the ground, horribly outmatched against the American behemoth. Among other armaments, Easy Money included:
In essence, this configuration allowed the ACH-47A to deliver more ordnance than three UH-1 “hog” gunships combined—all while withstanding heavy machine gun fire from the ground. With a crew of eight, including gunners, Easy Money could loiter over battlefields, obliterating whatever enemy formations she found maneuvering in the foliage below her bulbous armored, green belly.
Easy Money’s Heroic Service in Vietnam
Deployed in late 1966, the Guns a Go-Go unit quickly proved its worth in Vietnam’s unforgiving terrain. Easy Money and her siblings supported airborne assaults, escorting troop transports and unleashing devastation on enemy positions. During evaluations, they destroyed every assigned target, earning high praise from stressed field commanders for their ability to operate in extremely poor weather when fixed-wing aircraft could not.
Key operations highlighted Easy Money’s heroism. On July 19, 1966, near Trang Bang, the gunships provided critical fire support to besieged ground troops, halting enemy advances and minimizing casualties.
The pinnacle came during the Tet Offensive on February 22, 1968, near Hue. One of Easy Money’s sister gunships, nicknamed “Birth Control,” was hit by enemy fire and forced to autorotate into a rice paddy. Under intense Viet Cong assault, Easy Money landed to rescue the seven-man crew, laying down suppressive fire with rockets and guns while taking hits that wounded some of Easy Money’s heroic crewmembers.
All survivors of “Birth Control” were rescued by “Easy Money” and successfully evacuated to Camp Evans. Birth Control’s fate, sadly, was not as fortuitous as that of her downed crewmen; she was annihilated by mortars during the battle.
As with so much during the Vietnam War, the Guns a Go-Go program suffered losses. Another one of Easy Money’s sister gunships, the “Stump Jumper,” had a taxiing accident. The “Cost of Living” had a cannon malfunction crash that killed all eight of its crew in 1967. And there was the aforementioned plight of “Birth Control.” Of the four ACH-47A gunships that traveled to Vietnam, Easy Money, accumulating 927 flight hours, became the only one to return to the United States.
The End of an Incredible Era for Close Air Support
By mid-1968, with only Easy Money operational, the Army canceled the program. Doctrine required paired operations, and the demand for Chinooks as transports outweighed their use as gunships. Easy Money was repurposed as a maintenance trainer at Vung Tau until the American withdrawal. She was then shipped stateside. In the 1990s, she was restored to her former glory and placed on display at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., in 2000—preserving its legacy as a beautiful museum exhibit.
The legacy of Easy Money and Guns a Go-Go endures in Vietnam War aviation lore. These armored Chinooks influenced future gunship designs, like the AC-130, and demonstrated the value of heavy helicopter support. Infantrymen recalled enemy forces abruptly fleeing at the sight of a “Go-Go Bird,” underscoring the psychological and tactical impact of the helicopter.
Though short-lived during the Vietnam War, Easy Money symbolized American ingenuity in adapting to the brutal and unforgiving asymmetric warfare tactics that the North Vietnamese and their Viet Cong guerrilla forces operating in South Vietnam subjected American troops to on a daily basis throughout the war. Easy Money and her armored kin balanced that equation.
Indeed, Easy Money was the pinnacle of CAS innovation during the Vietnam War. Its armored frame and heavy firepower saved numerous American lives, proving the Chinook’s versatility beyond transport. We must remember the glorious legacy of Easy Money and her fellow “Go-Go Birds.” So much of America’s post-Vietnam War CAS mission can be traced back to this inventive program during an otherwise disastrous war in Indochina.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert is a senior national security editor at The National Interest. Recently, Weichert became the host of The National Security Hour on America Outloud News and iHeartRadio, where he discusses national security policy every Wednesday at 8pm Eastern. He is also a contributor at Popular Mechanics and has consulted regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including The Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, The Asia Times, and others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Shutterstock.
