In 1964, the U.S. Army sought a heavily armed helicopter for combat operations in Vietnam, and Boeing-Vertol proposed a modified CH47 Chinook that the Army accepted. Although eleven were ordered, budget constraints reduced production to four aircraft. By mid 1966, the 53rd Aviation Detachment, known as Guns-A-Go-Go, had formed and gone to Vietnam to support the 1st Cavalry, the Royal Australian Task Force, IV Corps, and the 1st and 25th Cavalry Divisions. The combat-configured gunship weighed over 31,000 pounds, carried a crew of eight, and could remain in battle for about two hours. Its armament included a nose-mounted 40 MM grenade launcher firing 250 rounds per minute, two 20 MM cannons firing at 800 rounds per minute, two nineteen-shot 2.75 inch rocket pods, and five .50 caliber machine guns, with two on each side and one in the rear. This weapons array allowed the A/ACH47A gunship to successfully complete every combat mission it flew. The aircraft were active from 1966 until 1968, and today Easy Money, completely restored for display, is the only surviving Go-Go bird, while its sister ships Stump Jumper, Co$t of Living, and Birth Control were all destroyed in Vietnam.