American Aircraft Penetrator

American Aircraft Corporation · United States · first flew 1991 · helicopter

The American Aircraft Penetrator, later referred to as the Aerocraft Stealth Star 204 SS, was a gunship helicopter modified from the Bell UH-1B Iroquois. It had tandem seating for the pilots and a troop-carrying compartment.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, rotary
E — Engines	1 × turboshaft, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Stub wings on the outer fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Gunship rebuilt from a Bell UH-1B with tandem seating for pilot and co-pilot
Stub wings on the outer fuselage
Glazed gun turrets under each side of the engine and a rear-facing 20 mm turret under the fuselage

A rebuilt Huey with a tandem cockpit, armoured composite outer fuselage and stub wings. Turrets sit under the cockpit, under each side of the engine and under the rear fuselage.

Specifications

The American Aircraft Penetrator has a length of 14.88 m (49 ft).
It has a wingspan of 14.73 m (48 ft).
Typical crew: 4.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

In 1990 a single UH-1B was stripped down to the engine, transmission and tail boom, and an armoured composite structure was added. The stated goal was to convert Vietnam War-era UH-1 airframes to modern armour and weapons standards, targeting third-world militaries with ageing fleets.

Variants

Only the single prototype was built, with a 1,300 shp Avco Lycoming T53-L-13 turboshaft engine. The type was renamed the Aerocraft Stealth Star 204 SS.

Where you'll see it

The prototype was completed in 1991 and test flown in October of that year, but the manufacturer never won a production contract. The prototype was overhauled by Robert Laura and was flying as of 2004.

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