The ACH-47A Chinook, as a gunship, could carry an eight-person crew and was armed with up to five M2 12.7mm machine guns or M60D 7.62mm machine guns (four mounted on the side windows and one on the ramp extending from the tailgate). It had two fixed M24A1 20mm cannons on the stub wings, and external hardpoints could be either two M18/18A1 cannon pods or two 19-tube rocket pods. A 40mm automatic grenade launcher was mounted on the nose. For enhanced protection, additional armor was added to the pilot and some critical equipment.

      During the Vietnam War, three ACH-47 Chinook helicopters were deployed to Vietnam for a six-month testing period, nicknamed "Ill-gotten Gains," "Stump Jumper," and "Birth Control." A fourth ACH-47A, known as "The Price of Life," remained in the United States as a prototype for testing. Although these armed helicopters underwent successful evaluations, including a period of successful target destruction, all three ultimately succumbed to their fate.