The Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne was an experimental attack helicopter developed by Lockheed for the United States Army in the late 1960s. It was designed as a futuristic attack helicopter, combining the speed of a jet aircraft with the maneuverability of a helicopter through a "compound helicopter" system.
Design: It featured stub wings, a rigid rotor, and a pusher propeller on the tail, allowing it to reach very high speeds of over 400 km/h.
Armament: It was equipped with a 30mm cannon under its nose that could rotate 360 degrees, a 40mm grenade launcher or a 7.62mm machine gun, and was capable of carrying TOW anti-tank missiles.
Technology Ahead of Its Time: The Cheyenne already had a digital fire control system, a laser rangefinder, and a thermal sensor, which were highly innovative for the 1960s.
Program Cancellation: Despite its technological advancements, the program was canceled in 1972 due to various technical issues (including a fatal test accident that resulted in the death of Lockheed test pilot David A. Beil), cost overruns, and budgetary disputes between the US Army and Air Force.
The failure of the Cheyenne paved the way for the development of the AH-64 Apache, which incorporated many of the design lessons and weapons systems tested on the Cheyenne.
More recently, in late 2025, the AH-56 Cheyenne has been rediscovered as a squadron vehicle in the popular military simulation game, War Thunder.
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