 During the mid-1960s, United States Army initiated the Advanced Aerial Fire Support System (AAFSS) program to develop the Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne for the anti-tank gunship role.The U.S. Army pursued the AH-1G HueyCobra as an interim type for the "jungle fighting" role.However the Army's broader concern was the task of protecting Western Europe from the legions of Warsaw Pact armor to the east.