gunship

American  

[guhn-ship] / ˈgʌnˌʃɪp /

noun

1. a helicopter or fixed-wing airplane armed with rapid-fire guns or cannons and used to provide close air support for troops in combat.

---

Etymology

Origin of gunship

First recorded in 1965–70; gun ¹ + ship ¹

Example Sentences

Fortson was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron at nearby Hurlburt Field as a special missions aviator serving on an AC-130J Ghostrider gunship.

From Seattle Times

He was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron as a special missions aviator, where one of his roles was to load the gunship’s 30mm and 105mm cannons.

From Seattle Times

Fortson was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron as a special missions aviator, where one of his roles was to load the gunship’s 30mm and 105mm cannons.

From Seattle Times

The gunship, an AC 130, spotted them from the air, she said.

From New York Times

Experts said that was probably the first such use of a helicopter gunship in the occupied West Bank since the second Palestinian uprising about 20 years ago.

From New York Times