Gunship Helicopters

What Gunship Helicopters does

Gunship Helicopters, operating under the legal entity Fly Sin City, LLC (Nevada), is a Las Vegas-based adventure tourism company founded in 2016 that operates the world's only civilian helicopter aerial gunnery experience. The core product places paying guests in an open-door A-Star helicopter to fire mounted belt-fed weapons — primarily the M249 SAW and M240 — at targets across a privately controlled 71-acre mountainside range in Sandy Valley, Nevada, approximately 50-60 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip. A complementary ground-shooting range offers the company's full military armory, including the Barrett M82A1, M4 carbine, MP5, M2 Browning, and Benelli M4, broadening the catch for non-aerial customers.

The business monetises through a packaged, pay-per-experience B2C model. Group-size tiers (1, 2, 4, and 10 persons) are priced individually, with the premium 'Fully Loaded' individual package running $1,100-$1,375 per person and the four-person 'Upgraded Squad Up' running $3,050-$4,150 per group, supplemented by a wide menu of add-ons (additional ammunition, video packages, professional photography, scenic and tactical 'Air Assault' flights, ride-along passengers, smoke-grenade action shots, and luxury chauffeured or helicopter transfers). A second revenue stack layers professional services on top of the consumer base: film and content creation for movies, TV and advertising; corporate team-building and event demonstrations; defense-contractor aircraft and firearm test-platform work; long-line lift and sensor/data collection; and bespoke private packages. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the company's website (integrated Xola checkout), phone reservations, and email, with earned-media traction driven by consecutive Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Awards in 2025 and 2026.

The company is privately held, veteran-operated (staffed by ex-Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy personnel including military-aviator helicopter pilots and range safety officers), and runs a lean 8-employee organisation over a single operational footprint. Customer segments span Las Vegas leisure tourists, group celebrations (bachelor parties, reunions), veterans and first responders (offered discounted experiences), corporate teams, and film/content production clients. The recurring competitive narrative is the company's regulatory-first-mover status: aerial gunnery is conducted under licensed aviation (FAA) and federal firearms approvals that establish a high barrier against replication, even as ancillary revenue lines are being expanded to reduce dependence on tourism-discretionary cash flow.

Name

Gunship Helicopters

Legal name

Fly Sin City, LLC

Website

https://gunshiphelicopters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gunship Helicopters is a Las Vegas-based adventure tourism company that operates the world's only civilian helicopter aerial gunnery experience, firing M249/M240 machine guns from an open-door A-Star helicopter over a private 71-acre Nevada desert range, alongside ground shooting, film, corporate, and defense-testing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adventure Tourism Services

akta.pro primary industry

Helicopter Charter & Sightseeing (TLAFABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Helicopter Event & VIP Transport Services (TLAFACAG)

Keywords

• Aerial shooting experiences
• Helicopter gun tours
• Adventure tourism
• Ground shooting packages
• Military-grade firearms experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder City, Nevada

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Aerial Shooting Experiences: One-time purchase experiences where guests pay per person to shoot from helicopters. Packages include various weapon combinations and round counts. Additional revenue from ammo reloads and add-ons.
2. Ground Shooting Packages: Standalone ground range experiences with military-grade weapons. Additional revenue stream for non-aerial shooting activities.
3. Film & Content Creation Services: Custom filming and production services for movies, TV, advertising, and content creators. Also offers aircraft for film shoots and aerial photography.
4. Team Building & Corporate Events: Custom corporate team building exercises and industry event demonstrations. Private range time and pyro/catering available.
5. Utility & Testing Services: Aircraft and firearm test platforms for defense contractors, aerial photography, long-line lift operations, and sensor/data collection.
6. Add-on Services: Photo/video packages, additional ammo purchases, luxury transportation, professional photography, ride-along guests, scenic flight add-ons.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Gunship Helicopters provides helicopter-based aerial shooting experiences where civilians fire mounted belt-fed machine guns (M249 SAW, M240) from open-door A-Star helicopters at a private 71-acre desert gun range in Sandy Valley, Nevada, near Las Vegas. The company also offers ground shooting packages using military-grade firearms, plus ancillary services including film/content creation, team building, utility and defense contractor testing, and catered lunches.

Product overview

Gunship Helicopters is a Las Vegas-based adventure tourism company offering aerial and ground shooting experiences at a 71-acre private desert range. The core product consists of helicopter gunnery packages (1-10 person capacity) where guests fire mounted machine guns (M249 SAW, M240) from an open-door A-Star helicopter at targets below. Ground shooting packages complement the aerial experience with access to a full armory including Barrett .50 caliber, M4, MP5, M2 Ma Deuce, and Benelli M4. Add-on services include professional filming/content creation, military training, utility operations, and catered lunch. The company is veteran-operated and holds Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Awards for 2025 and 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aerial Shooting Packages

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 10% of attractions worldwide (Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Award)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Battlefield Vegas: Las Vegas-based shooting range and firearms tourism operator that lets civilians fire a wide range of military-style weapons on a large drive-through range. Direct competitor to Gunship Helicopters for the same Las Vegas adventure-tourist customer, with similar all-ages, high-volume, premium-pricing positioning.
• The Range 702: Modern Las Vegas indoor shooting range offering firearms experiences, training, and tourist packages. Comparable customer base (Las Vegas visitors) and similar product positioning around experiential firearms tourism, though smaller and indoor-focused.
• Air Combat USA: Civilian aerial combat experience operator offering dogfighting and aerobatic flights in fighter-style aircraft across multiple U.S. locations. Closest analog on the "civilian aerial adventure" business model even though the equipment category (fixed-wing vs. helicopter) differs.
• Sky Combat Ace: Operator of civilian aerial combat experiences using stunt planes in a different geography. Closest comparable on the aerial-adrenaline-experience business model and target customer (bucket-list adventure tourists), even though it uses fixed-wing aircraft and dogfighting rather than helicopter gunnery.
• Machine Guns Vegas: Indoor Las Vegas range specializing in firing automatic and belt-fed weapons by civilians. Closest direct competitor on machine-gun experience and Las Vegas tourist segment, although it lacks the helicopter and outdoor range dimensions that differentiate Gunship Helicopters.
• Shoot Las Vegas: Las Vegas shooting experience provider offering a variety of firearms packages to tourists and corporate groups. Overlaps with Gunship Helicopters on firearms tourism and group/corporate bookings in the same Las Vegas market.

Others

• Helinet Aviation: Long-established helicopter services company specializing in film, television, and electronic news-gathering aerial production. Comparable on the B2B helicopter-for-content-creation service that Gunship Helicopters sells as an add-on, even though Helinet is primarily a crew/services provider rather than a tourism operator.

Broad incumbents

• Maverick Helicopters: Largest helicopter tour operator in Las Vegas, offering Grand Canyon, Strip, and night flights. Comparable on the helicopter-based Las Vegas tourism platform and customer base, but operates at significantly greater scale and focuses on sightseeing rather than firearms-themed experiences.
• Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters: Long-established Grand Canyon and Las Vegas helicopter tour operator with the largest fleet in the region. Comparable on helicopter tourism economics and Las Vegas visitor market, but operates sightseeing experiences and does not compete in firearms-themed adventures.

Regional players

• Desert Sportsman's Range: Outdoor shooting range in the Las Vegas/Sandy Valley area offering firearms practice and tactical training. Direct competitor for the ground-shooting portion of Gunship Helicopters' business, with comparable location geography but a more training-focused, less tourist-oriented product.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@GunshipHelicopters
• Facebookfacebook.com/gunshiphelicopterslasvegas
• Instagraminstagram.com/gunshiphelicopters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gunshiphelicopters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gunship Helicopters