The YAH-56 Gunship is the Allied Nations primary gunship that is 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-Materiel 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 Dragunov 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 from 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. Then, 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 armored, but less maneuverable 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 favor of the AN, due to its sheer force and power.
Trivia
- Even though it is called the YAH-56, it has the designation AH-64 printed just above the auto cannon. It also looks like an AH-64 Apache and not at all like an AH-56 Cheyenne (which in the real world was cancelled in 1967 and never went into mass-production)
- 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.