A new study on how the first purpose-built anti-armor attack helicopter – the Bell AH-1 Cobra – engaged with communist tanks and well-equipped insurgents in the war for control of Vietnam. The Vietnam War is often called "the helicopter war" because it was the first conflict in which helicopters played a dominant role. As the only dedicated fighter used by US forces during the conflict, the AH-1 Cobra saw combat against North Vietnamese tanks, armored personnel carriers, and heavy anti-aircraft guns, participating in "Pink Team" flights alongside OH-6A "Loach" reconnaissance helicopters. There were more than 700 Cobras in operational condition in Vietnam in 1972, and it proved to be such an effective weapon that the NVA often avoided shooting at it, fearing massive and immediate retaliation. In this action-packed new study, Vietnam War expert Peter E. Davies examines the development and deployment of the Cobra, its engagements with tanks and heavy machine guns supplied by the Soviet Union and China, as well as how it adapted to face devastating surface-to-air attacks in 1972. Many significant battles – including the Tet Offensive and actions at Loc Ninh and An Loc – are explored in depth, with first-hand accounts, new artworks, and more than 50 photographs that bring the operations of this iconic helicopter to life.