Already impressed with the use of the present helicopters such as the UH-1B Hueys and yet recognizing their vulnerabilities, the United States Army sanctioned the development of a helicopter that would provide direct fire support as the Hueys landed and their cargo of troops disembarked. After a long development process, the US army chose the AH-1 Cobra for mass production.

The AH-1 Cobra first went into action in 1967 during the Vietnam War and saw impressive use all the way up to the withdrawal of US forces in 1973. They carried a variety of weapons that included guided missiles and free-flight rockets and operated in different missions such as fire support, escorting other helicopters and operating in hunter-killer teams alongside scout helicopters. Among one of their most famous exploits during the war was their participation in stopping the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive of 1972. In that campaign, they used their missiles to great effect against North Vietnamese armored units.

Afterwards they would see action in later conflicts such as the Persian Gulf War where they served alongside the next generation US helicopter, the AH-64 Apache. Eventually the Apaches took over most of the duties of the Cobras but they remained in use with the US Marine Corps.

The capabilities of the helicopter impressed the allies of the United States and soon they began to acquire it for their own uses. Among them was Japan, which bought several Cobra helicopters then began to build many more in 1984.

Though the JSDF never used them in their intended roles against human foes, the Cobras would see action as Japan's great tormentor, Godzilla reappeared after a long absence.

In 2004, Godzilla returned from the depths of the ocean to once again menace Japan and seek out to destroy Kiryu, the cyborg monster that had been built by the Japanese with the bones of the first Godzilla as its main base. As Godzilla made the final approach to Tokyo and its citizens evacuated the grand city, squads of Cobras flew in scouting missions over the city and Tokyo Bay as they waited for the arrival of Godzilla.