The YAH-56 Gunship is the Allied Nations primary gunship featured in Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction.
Overview[]
The Allied Nations YAH-56 Attack Helicopter is one of the strongest helicopters in the game.
The helicopters are only found patrolling the airspace around Kusong and the Allied M.A.S.H. in the Northern Province of North Korea.
The easiest way to acquire a YAH-56 is to use an Anti-Armor Rifle (easiest if the player has acquired the Special Weapons Drop as a reward for completing the 'In the Neighorhood' contract for the Russian Mafia. However, one can use the Sniper Rifle to do the same, as it does not damage the helicopter as much as the anti-materiel rifle, marginally decreasing the chances of the YAH-56 exploding when it lands), and shoot the YAH-56 near the auto cannon at the bottom.
The bullet should go through the chopper's bottom armor and kill the pilot. If the there is a flat surface for the chopper to land on, the YAH-56 should survive the fall, but will be damaged. To repair the helicopter, simply order a Vehicle Repair Drop on the helipad of the Allied M.A.S.H. Then, pilot the YAH-56 over to the helipad and pick up the vehicle repair drop. Afterwards, use the YAH-56 to flatten any enemy ground forces or aircraft in your path. Just watch out for SAMs, especially the SA-8 AA.
Tactics[]
They are a formidable force, armed with a 30mm auto cannon firing explosive rounds, thirty-eight unguided folding fin rockets, eight AGM-114 hellfire anti-tank missiles and four AIM-9 sidewinder air-to air missiles. These armaments allow it to take on any adversary, whether it be infantry, light or heavy armour and even other helicopters.
The gunship is heavily armoured but still susceptible to small arms, unlike the Mi-35 Gunship. It is less manoeuvrable than the MD-530, but more so than the UH-60. The YAH-56 is most likely one of the causes for air power in favour of the AN, due to its sheer force and power.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Even though it is called the YAH-56, it has the designation AH-64 printed just above the autocannon.
- In the sequel, World in Flames, the YAH-56 is replaced by the fictional Ambassador Gunship as the main close air support helicopter of the AN.
- The designation AH-56 was used for the Cheyenne, an experimental attack helicopter developed by the United States Army in the late 1960s to replace the then-stopgag AH-1 Cobra. A fatal crash and numerous technical problems plagued the Cheyenne's development and led to the Army canceling the production contract on 19 May 1969. With American involvement in the Vietnam War winding down, the Army canceled the program on 9 August 1972. The Army subsequently announced the Advanced Attack Helicopter program on 17 August 1972, which led to the development of the AH-64 Apache.
Real Life[]
The Yah-56 gunship is based on the Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. While not used by the UN per se, it is used by the US military and other operators such as the UK, Israel, and Egypt. It is most likely that the ones seen in the game are being used by the United States.