VA-1 Kestrel

Been a while to make this...

This is the Kestrel 2. The one on the top is operating for Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773 (HMLA-773) out of Robins Air Force Base in Georgia (who currently operate AH-1W Super Cobras ). In WW3 they operated on the LAH-19 Khe Shan.The other is a Boeing test bird firing an AGM-64.

The VA-1 Kestrel 2 was originally the Boeing XVA-27. Funding began in 2025 as a replacement for the aging AH-1Z Zulu (Viper) was needed for the Marines. During the Nationalist revolution (2030-34), the program was halted. When the Nationalist's won, they cancelled most future military programs the old government had running. Luckily for the XVA-27, when the first Nationalist government was voted in (2035), they decided the program was so close to completion and so much money had been spent on rolling out the kinks in the tilt jet engines, that it might as well be completed.

In 2041, the Kestrel 2, now named the VA-1 entered service in the USMC. Most were stationed on the Marines fleet of 28 Light assault ships. They effectively replaced the AH-1Z, SH-3, AV-8B and VH-71. The only birds the VA-1 could not replace were the CH-53E, which the VA-1's bigger cousin, the V-25 Pelican replaced and the F-35 and which the F-24 Diamondback replaced. The ability of these airframes to fulfill the roles that multiple airframes once needed to made the US Marines several times more effective.

The VA-1 can attack targets from up to 10 nautical miles away, giving it the same attack abilities as the AH-64 in a cheaper, lighter, faster and stealthier frame. When the VA-1 is overwhelmed, it can quickly run away, going from a near stop to full speed in 30 seconds, giving it advantages over all of its counterparts during attack runs. Its Gauss Hawk engines were specifically designed to give the Kestrel the ability to run.

Similar to most attack helicopters, the VA-1 has both a pilot and a gunner/navigator. The pilot can take control of the weapon systems while maintaining flight controls in case of emergency, and vice versa. The VA-1 is notably sturdy for a jet powered bird. During WW3, some managed to get home after being hit by Soviet era, early 21st century and modern SAMS.

After WW3, the Marines large fleet of VA-1's were sold to various branches of the US military and were loaned to allied military units operating under NADC (North Atlantic Defense Command).

Question for all of you, what am I paying homage to by calling the ship the Kestrel is from the Khe Shan?