Aviation Classics 27 Bell UH-1

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THE FULL STORY OF BELL’S INCREDIBLE HUEY,THE MOST SUCCESSFUL AND LONGEST SERVING HELICOPTER IN THE HISTORY OF AVIATION

www.aviationclassics.co.uk

DESERT VENOM

The UH-1 in Iraq and Afghanistan

GLOBAL SUCCESS

HUEYS AROUND THE WORLD

Inside the Huey Close up with a legend

BELL UH-1 IROQUOIS THE IMMORTAL HUEY

CIVIL AND MILITARY – THE MANY VERSIONS OF THE HUEY

ISSUE

27

The cockpit of a Bell UH-1J of the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force taken in Tokyo in 2006.The original layout placed the majority of the ﬂight instruments in front of the right hand seat with the engine instruments in the centre, while the aircraft commander had a smaller panel with a less impeded view.The modern UH-1Y Huey variant has similar multifunction displays on both sides. Haragayato

Contents 6

Extraordinary utility

54

Oddities and one offs

8

Bell – Innovation in design

56

The longbodies

26

Bell helicopters

64

South American success

32

In the beginning

78

The UH-1N, 212 and 214

40

Improving the breed

84

Four bladed success

52

Civil counterparts

86

Unlicensed and licensed

4

BE RI 9 C 12 BS E SU PAG

90

British Hueys

94

A helicopter for the world

106 Super Huey 112 Inside the Huey 124 Survivors

Editor: Publisher: Contributors: Thanks to:

Tim Callaway [email protected] Dan Savage Keith Draycott, Rick Ingham, Christian Jilg, Brian Lockett, David G Powers, Constance Redgrave, Santiago Rivas Dana Schenk and the team at Bell Helicopter.

Designer: Reprographics:

Libby Fincham Simon Duncan

Group production editor:

Tim Hartley

Divisional advertising manager: Sue Keily [email protected] Advertising sales executive: Stuart Yule [email protected] 01507 529455 Subscription manager: Circulation manager: Marketing manager: Production manager: Publishing director: Commercial director:

Paul Deacon Steve O’Hara Charlotte Park Craig Lamb Dan Savage Nigel Hole

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© 2015 Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher ISBN No 978-1-9091128-55-2

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Extraordinary utility

The success of the Bell Huey family is an astounding achievement in rotar y winged design; some of the ﬁrst helicopters built in the 1960s are still in regular use today.

F

Above: That’ll be me then. Being hoisted out of the Mediterranean by a Bell Grifﬁn HAR Mk.2 of 84 Squadron based on Cyprus.The reputation of the Huey instills tremendous conﬁdence, a most important factor in the search and rescue role. Keith Draycott Top: A restored UH-1C in the other role that made the Huey a legend, that of medevac or ‘dustoff’ helicopter. US Army Right: The classic role. US troops practice rappelling from a UH-1N. It is as a troop transport that the Huey is most widely used. US Navy 6 EXTRAORDINARY UTILITY

irstly, I have to apologise to the readers who were expecting the Huey to be the subject of the last issue, I am afraid I broke my left arm rather badly in an accident so was unable to complete the work in time. I would like to offer my thanks to Dan Sharp who ﬁlled in with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 issue so well, and to surgeon Nick Gillham who made such an excellent job of putting me back together again. I would also like to thank my physiotherapist, Harriet, for her patience! To the subject of this issue, and what a subject it is. The story of Larry Bell and the company he built is one of the inspiring tales of aviation history, a man driven to work at the cutting edge of technology and the incredible machines he created. His support of Arthur Young in 1941 was to kick-start the development of rotary winged ﬂight. Helicopters today have become a common part of daily life in most cities, many different models ﬁlling the skies as they ply their trade for the police and ambulance services as well as the business and TV community among others. Among all of these varied machines, only a few helicopters have become part of the public consciousness, instantly recognisable wherever they appear. The Huey and its variants ﬁrst came to public attention in the news coverage of the Vietnam War, reinforced in modern culture through ﬁlm and television shows, as well as through regular appearances saving lives or dousing ﬁres on the news. The memorable

scenes from movies such as Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now and Randall Wallace’s We Were Soldiers are only part of the cultural popularity of the type, the physical appearance of the aircraft and its unmistakeable sounds are just as responsible for its iconic status. The Huey sounds like no other helicopter, the early big twin bladed rotor making a deep repetitive thud over a high pitched turbine howl, the tail rotor interfering with its own beat as the aspect of the aircraft to the listener changes. The twin rotor gave way to the four bladed version it is true, but somehow the beat remains, albeit somewhat less basso profundo with a slightly faster tempo. As to appearance, from the earliest incarnations the Huey had a ‘face’, a cheerful look and if anything this has increased in the most recent models. Aside from this slight anthropomorphisation, a very human trait with machines, the Huey has always looked solid, dependable. It inspires conﬁdence just in the way it sits on the ground, let alone ﬂies. The engineering behind the aircraft is also responsible for its longevity in two most important respects. Firstly, the central pillar and twin spar structure enabled the Huey to be stretched like no other helicopter, resulting in a ﬂexible range of models to suit widely varying customer needs. It also made the Huey incredibly strong and easy to work on, resulting in a long lived and very cost effective airframe, maintenance costs being low from the start.

Couple this with the powerful, light and fuel efﬁcient T53 turbine engine and you have the ﬁrst truly capable transport helicopter. Altogether, these traits have made the Huey popular with the public, operators and pilots, and have further translated so no museum seems complete without at least one of the helicopters in its collection. On a personal note, I have been lucky enough to both ﬂy and ﬂy in a UH-1H and the later 412 versions of the aircraft and can tell

you this, even a non-helicopter pilot such as myself found the Huey straightforward to understand and to operate. Not terribly accurately in my case it must be said, but that was my fault not the Huey’s! Having also been used as a rescue dummy by both SARTU and 84 Squadron in Cyprus, I can honestly say there is no helicopter I would rather be hanging underneath, as I said, the reputation for reliability just inspires conﬁdence. With the latest version, the

UH-1Y, giving excellent account of itself already in operations in the harsh climate of Afghanistan, the Huey is destined to be with us for many years to come and is likely to be the ﬁrst helicopter to join the 100 club of aircraft with a century of service behind them. I would like to express my thanks to Dana Schenk and the team at Bell Helicopter, and my congratulations to them on continuing to build a living legend. ■ Words: Tim Callaway The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 7

Lawrence Dale Bell and the

Bell Aircraft Company Innovation by design

Lawrence ‘Larr y’ Bell had a passion for aircraft that drove his entire life. He was not only one of the most remarkable innovators in the histor y of aerospace, he was also one of its greatest exponents; being described by many, including General Charles E Yeager, as a great salesman with a love of aviation. The company he founded was to produce ground breaking ﬁxed wing designs before becoming a pioneer developer of rotar y winged ﬂight.

T

he small town of Mentone lies on the junction of Routes 19 and 25, about halfway between Warsaw and Rochester, roughly in the middle of the Hoosier state, Indiana. There is a rather delightful museum there now, full of memorabilia and much of the private collection of one man who was born in Mentone on April 5, 1894. Lawrence Dale Bell was the youngest of 10 children, growing up in the close knit community surrounded by miles of farmland. His father Issac Evans Bell owned the local lumber mill, while his mother, Harriet Sarber Bell, was a schoolteacher. In 1907, just as Lawrence, universally known as Larry, turned 13, his father decided to sell his mill and retire

to California, selecting the coastal town of Santa Monica as the family’s new home. It was here in 1910 that Bell witnessed his ﬁrst aircraft in ﬂight, when he and his brothers Vaughan and Grover attended the Los Angeles International Air Meet at Dominguez Field near between January 10 and 20.

First Us air show

The meeting was the ﬁrst major aviation event in the United States, attracting entrants from France such as Louis Paulhan and Didier Masson as well as aviators and inventors from all over the US including Glenn Curtiss and Lincoln Beachey. Organised by two American pioneer aviators, Charles Willard and Augustus Roy

The excellent Lawrence D Bell Aviation Museum is on South Oak Street in Mentone Indiana and features, appropriately, a UH-1 on display in front of the buildings. Lawrence D Bell Aviation Museum

Knabenshue, a total of 43 entrants competed for considerable cash prizes offered for the longest ﬂight, greatest altitude reached and other achievements. The event was dominated by Louis Paulhan in his Farman III biplane, who won over $19,000 of the prize fund. While the heavier than air machines were ﬂying at Dominguez Field, balloons and dirigibles were operating from Huntington Park throughout the week in their own demonstrations and competitions. More than 254,000 tickets were sold, making the airshow proﬁtable as well as popular. Aside from the three Bell brothers, the aviation meeting was to inﬂuence many other people and have far reaching

French aviator Louis Paulhan ﬂies his Farman III at the Los Angeles International Air Meet at Dominguez Field in 1910.This display deeply affected the Bell brothers. San Diego Air and Space Museum

effects on the course of US aviation development. In the crowd was nine-year-old Florence Leontine Lowe, brought to the show by her grandfather, pioneer aeronaut Professor Thaddeus Lowe who had made reconnaissance ﬂights during the US Civil War. She would later become famous as ‘Pancho’ Barnes, a barnstorming and air racing pilot and founder of the motion picture stunt pilots’ union. Didier Masson was to make a number of ﬂights in California over the course of the next year, one of which took place at Santa Barbara. Fascinated by the aircraft and its construction was John Knudsen ‘Jack’ Northrop, who would go on to found his own aircraft company and produce an astounding variety of aircraft including the huge ﬂying wing bombers of the late 1940s. For Larry and Grover Bell, their visit to the Los Angeles meeting was a revelation, imbuing both with a passion for all things aeronautical. On their return home, they began constructing model aircraft and kites, indeed anything that would ﬂy. Grover Bell met Glenn L Martin who was just setting up his aircraft company in Santa Ana in an old church, and asked for a job. Martin not only employed Grover, but taught him to ﬂy, after which he joined Martin and Lincoln Beachey in demonstrating aircraft at exhibitions and meetings across the country. Grover was so delighted with his new work that in early 1912 he asked his younger brother Larry to join the team as his mechanic, as he had a ﬂair for making and ﬁxing things, a talent he had demonstrated in their model aircraft experiments. At that time, Larry Bell was a month away from completing his High School Diploma at the Santa Monica Polytechnic, but managed to take his ﬁnal exams early and leave school to join his brother. Grover Bell was rapidly becoming one of the most well known aviators in the US, continuing to ﬂy demonstrations for Martin

Lawrence Dale Bell at the controls of his brother’s Glenn Martin pusher biplane. The intensity and passion for aviation in the young Larry Bell is self evident. Bell

after Lincoln Beachey left the team. Larry Bell settled in quickly to the task and it quickly became apparent he had found his metier.

TRAGEDY

Life seemed perfect for the two brothers until July 4, 1913, when tragedy struck. Grover was ﬂying a Curtiss Type D pusher biplane in practice for a demonstration ﬂight at Petaluma just north of San Francisco. The Martin Company had been contracted to provide the ﬂying exhibition but Glenn Martin himself could not attend as he was taking part in the Great Lakes Challenge for seaplanes at the time. Kenilworth Park near the centre of the town was being used as an airﬁeld, but when Grover came back in to land there were a herd of horses loose in the area of his landing strip. In trying to avoid the horses, Grover crashed and was killed. Larry Bell was devastated by the loss of his brother; they had been extremely close and were bonded by their mutual love of aviation. He vowed to quit ﬂying altogether after the crash, but his close friend Dave Hunt, who knew how deeply he had been bitten by the ﬂying bug counselled him against leaving. Bell and Hunt formed a short lived team that built seaplane ﬂoats, the work rekindling Bell’s love of aeronautical engineering. As the orders for ﬂoats were fulﬁlled, Bell began casting around for a new job, ﬁnding one in the Martin Company factory where he began building aircraft for the ﬁrst time. Bell was a natural engineer, self taught, quickly demonstrating skills and sheer competence that saw him rise to shop foreman at Martin within a few months and would be a deﬁning characteristic of his aviation career. Larry Bell was not a pilot and rarely ﬂew, but had a sound grasp of the fundamentals and thoroughly understood the technology behind ﬂight. This is aptly demonstrated by

A rare photograph of Larry Bell’s older brother, Grover Bell. Bell

an event that occurred when Bell was alone in the Martin factory, the owner and other pilots being away at various ﬂying exhibitions. A young Japanese naval ofﬁcer arrived at the plant with the requisite $500 in cash that Martin demanded for ﬂying tuition. Rather than turn the man away, especially as he was charmingly persistent, Bell found a used engine and ﬁtted it to an old biplane that was languishing behind the factory. With this rather cobbled together contraption, detailed explanation and patient demonstration was carried out seated in the aircraft moving the controls around. This was followed by shouted instruction as the Japanese student taxied about the airﬁeld, before actually taking to the air. Bell had succeeded in clearly explaining how to take off, turn and land with consummate success and without ever leaving the ground himself. The student achieved sufﬁcient ﬂight time to be granted his aviator’s certiﬁcate, a remarkable achievement and no small measure of Bell’s clear understanding of the dynamics of ﬂight. ➤ The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 9

Lincoln Beachey, one of the most famous aviators during the early years of ﬂight, a demonstration pilot and pioneer extraordinaire. He encouraged Grover Bell who ﬂew displays with him. Editor’s collection

Early combat aircraft

With his promotion to shop foreman, Bell also became more involved with the demonstration and exhibition ﬂying that the Martin Company was carrying out all over the United States. He remembered the success of the ﬁrst great air show he attended in Los Angeles, the size and range of the spectacle on offer attracting large crowds and delivering ﬁnancial success. In 1914, he convinced Martin to better any air show spectacle previously attempted with the April 1914 ‘Battle of the Clouds’ exhibition, featuring as its climax a live bombing demonstration by Martin aircraft. Held over two days at the site of the motor speedway then under construction on the north side of the Ganesha Hills in Pomona, the show included a parachute jump by 18year-old Georgia ‘Tiny’ Broadwick, the ﬁrst woman to make a free fall parachute jump from an aircraft only three months earlier. There was also a range of demonstration ﬂying, including one of the ﬁrst radio transmissions made from an aircraft, and a mock wooden fort painted to look like stone, defended by a fake cannon and Martin employees dressed as soldiers with blank ﬁring riﬂes. The aircraft attacked ‘Fort Sham’ as it was known, dropping bombs, which were in fact oranges to make them easy to see! As they struck their targets, Bell choreographed the detonation of dynamite and black powder charges on the ground which simulated the bomb impact rather well. Rather too well in

fact, as the fake cannon caught ﬁre and as the ‘battle’ raged it looked like the entire place would burn to the ground. The ruins were then charged by ‘D’ Company of the local National Guard unit to ﬁnally ‘take’ the fort. Eventually, the action ceased and the smoke and dust slowly settled, at which point the capacity crowd went wild with excitement, cheering and applauding. Such an incredible spectacle had never been seen before and it was the talk of the whole of the US for many weeks. Bell had created a tremendous ﬁnancial success and a publicity triumph, Martin’s faith in him as an engineer and now as a businessman had reached a new peak. The ﬁnancial and public relations successes of the ‘Battle of the Clouds’ were not its only triumphs. In the crowd watching the demonstration were two Mexican brothers, Jan and Pedro Alcadez. They were representatives of the revolutionary Mexican General José Doroteo Arango Arámbula, better known as Francisco or ‘Pancho’ Villa. Bomber aircraft had already begun to shift the balance of power in the ﬁghting in Mexico, so they asked Martin how much such a machine would cost. On hearing the reply of $10,000, they simply opened a suitcase full of money, on seeing which, Martin was apparently quick to add, “plus bombs”! There seems to be a great deal of confusion about this period, as the French pilot Didier Masson had been operating a Martin pusher in Mexico since 1913. This

10 lawrence dale bell and the bell aircraft company

aircraft, named Sonora, had carried out the ﬁrst air to ship attacks in history in May of that year, striking at the gunboats moored in Guaymas harbour. This, and other aircraft, went on to be used for a variety of reconnaissance and bombing missions during the civil war by both sides, a situation further complicated by the divided nature of the warring factions. Many of these aircraft were ﬂown by mercenaries from around the world, as well as by Mexican pilots who had been trained both at home and in France. General Villa had decided to establish his own air arm to redress the balance of forces, the purchase from Martin being part of this modernisation programme. It is believed that the aircraft purchased, widely believed to be a Martin pusher design similar to the one already being used in the country, was in fact a Martin TT military trainer. This was an advanced conventional tractor three bay biplane design which had made its ﬁrst ﬂight in 1913 and was sold to the US Army as a military trainer. It is thought that this was the aircraft that Larry Bell had helped to convert into a bomber, which was delivered to Tucson, Arizona in only two weeks then ﬂown in Mexico during 1914 and 15 by an American crew, William Lamkey and Floyd Barlow. However, the situation and the various reports are confusing in the extreme, so if there is anyone who has deﬁnitive proof we would be delighted to publish details on the Aviation Classics website.

LEFT: Glenn Martin was an aviation pioneer in every respect. He not only developed aircraft but expounded their usefulness, such as here making one of the ﬁrst newspaper deliveries by air. San Diego Air and Space Museum

A Martin TT tractor biplane of the type I believe was sold to agents of General ‘Pancho’Villa of Mexico. San Diego Air and Space Museum

AmAlgAmAtion

Two views of Lawrence Bell’s extraordinary ‘Battle of the Clouds’ air display at Pomona in 1914. Firstly, aircraft are seen taking off from the newly completed speedway track, then a Martin TT tractor biplane makes an attack on ‘Fort Sham’. Pomona Archive

Promotion

These events also interested the US Army in the use of aircraft in combat, Martin being asked to provide demonstrations of the capabilities of aerial bombs. This also led to the company supplying a range of training and patrol aircraft to the US Army and Navy, placing Martin on a sound ﬁnancial footing. At this point in late 1914, the post of company superintendent was vacant at Martin Aircraft, and Larry Bell asked for the position. Glenn Martin was dismissive of the idea, claiming that Bell’s lack of formal training as an engineer and relative youth at only 20 years old precluded him from selection for the post. However, he did give Bell the task of interviewing the candidates for the job, allowing Bell to select the man he would be working directly under in his current role of shop foreman at the Grifﬁth Park factory. To this end he contacted the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who recommended a recent graduate from their ﬁrst ever aeronautical engineering course, Donald Douglas. Douglas so impressed Bell in an interview that he introduced him to Martin, feeling that he was the right man for the job. The following day Martin announced that Douglas would become chief engineer, while Bell was promoted to superintendent of the company after all. It was a test the young man had passed brilliantly by ﬁnding exactly the calibre of engineer Martin needed.

Alongside his responsibilities for overseeing the day to day running of Martin Aircraft, Bell was also the company contract writer, purchasing agent and head salesman. There was not a part of the company’s operations he did not manage or directly control. All of this experience was to be put to good use later in his career, and it shaped the young man into a competent business leader alongside his skills as an engineer. There was also a change in personal circumstances for Bell in 1915 as he had met and courted one of the secretaries at Martin, Lucille Mainwaring, who he married later that year. Donald Douglas, now 23 and only just two years older than Bell, moved to join the company in Los Angeles in August 1915 and immediately began work on reﬁning the Martin TT trainer design. This led to his ﬁrst aircraft, the Martin Model S, of which two were acquired by the US Navy and a further six by the US Army’s Signal Corps, who used them as the ﬁrst US Military aircraft to be based overseas in March 1916. They were assigned to the 1st Company, 2nd Aero Squadron at Fort Mills on Corregidor in the Philippines, where, equipped with radios, they assisted the coastal artillery to adjust their ﬁre by reporting the fall of shot. Douglas’s ﬁrst aircraft design proved to be a winner, not just in the sales it generated for Martin, but in setting three world altitude and an endurance record in 1916, the latter of which was to stand for three years.

With the First World War raging in Europe, military contracts for aircraft and engines were causing a rapid expansion of America’s still relatively small aviation industry. In order to better deal with their backlog, especially for aero engines, the Martin and Wright Aircraft Companies amalgamated in August 1916, Larry Bell being instrumental in ensuring the business processes were smoothly orchestrated. Wright-Martin produced one notable type of aircraft in its short existence, the Model V, which was a two seat biplane intended as a reconnaissance and training aircraft, looking for all the world like a streamlined Curtiss JN-4 in appearance. Donald Douglas resigned from WrightMartin in November, a move caused directly by his success with the Model S. The US Army Signal Corps offered him the post of chief civilian aeronautical engineer, a tremendous vote of conﬁdence in his capabilities as an engineer. This was not to be a long employment, as Douglas quickly discovered the frustrations of working within government administration, particularly one that remained unconvinced as to the viability of aviation. Friction between Wright and Martin steadily built up over the ﬁrst year of the amalgamation to the point where Glenn Martin resigned from his own company on September 10, 1917. Larry Bell also left, travelling with Martin to Cleveland in Ohio, where a new Glenn L Martin Company was formed to resume independent aircraft design and construction. Larry Bell resumed his role of company superintendent and oversaw the development and equipping of the new factory Donald Douglas also returned as chief engineer, leaving his post with the US Army with some relief and plunging straight into the new project. ➤ The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 11

Donald Douglas at work at his drawing board at the Martin Company. Martin

BomBer contractS

The US Army’s Air Service was looking to acquire a twin engined bomber with a performance and payload superior to that of the British Handley Page 0/400, and Martin had responded when the Army issued its ofﬁcial requirement. Douglas’s ﬁrst task was the design of this, his largest aircraft to date with a wingspan of 71ft 5in (21.77m). The MB-1, as it was known inside the company, quickly took shape around a pair of 400hp Liberty 12A engines, making its ﬁrst ﬂight on August 17, 1918. It was a conventional twin engined biplane, with the crew of three housed in open cockpits. For such a large aircraft, its handling was described as sprightly, the bomber being docile and stable, but with a quick response to the controls. The MB-1 had a maximum speed of 105mph (169kph) and could carry a load of 1040lb of bombs (472kg) over a range of 390 miles (628km). The rear gunner and the bombardier’s positions were both armed with .30 cal machine guns on ﬂexible mounts for defence. Given his recent employment history, Donald Douglas knew the requirement and the people running the project ofﬁce, so was able to

The Martin MB-1 or GMB bomber. USAF

ensure his aircraft met or exceeded all of the planned targets for the bomber. After trials, the air service accepted the MB-1, known as the GMB or Glenn Martin Bomber, in October 1918. An order for six was quickly ﬁlled, the ﬁrst four being conﬁgured for reconnaissance, the last two as bombers. Four more were built by the end of the First World War, at which point all further contracts were cancelled. While the last four aircraft were being built, it was decided to produce the ﬁnal three in experimental conﬁgurations. The ﬁrst was the GMT or Glenn Martin Transcontinental, a long range version of the bomber with additional fuel tanks that gave it a 1500 mile (2400km) endurance. The second was the GMC, with the C standing for Cannon, which mounted a 37mm cannon in the front cockpit. The third version was the GMP, or Passenger, with an enclosed cockpit for the crew and 10 passengers, which later became known as the T-1. It was the design and production of this aircraft that convinced Donald Douglas that commercial aviation was the way of the future. Military contacts may come and go, but transport aircraft would always be needed.

Splitting up

For Glenn Martin, the MB series was a great success, 10 more being built for the US Navy and Marine Corps, two MTB and eight TM-1 torpedo bomber versions between 1921 and 1922. Six of the Army’s GMBs were later modiﬁed for use by the United States Postal Service, and the bomber was developed into the MB-2, of which 130 were built between 1920 and 1923. Larry Bell was the liaison between Martin and Army over the MB-2 speciﬁcation, working particularly with General Billy Mitchell, the strategic bombing pioneer. The aircraft allowed the Glenn Martin Company to survive the cancellation of their wartime contracts, an event which drove many small aircraft manufacturers into closure at that time. The design of these new versions was materially assisted by the arrival of a new chief draughtsman in early 1920, another name who would become a legend of US aviation, James H ‘Dutch’ Kindleberger who would later work on the DC-1 and DC-2 transport aircraft for Donald Douglas. By this time, there was a great deal of tension between Larry Bell and Donald Douglas. The latter had three ambitions, to

Larry Bell was the liaison between Martin and Army over the MB-2 bomber speciﬁcation of which 130 examples were built. Editor’s collection 12 lawrence dale bell and the bell aircraft company

The Martin GMP, Douglas’s ﬁrst passenger transport design. USAF

The extraordinary Reuben Hollis Fleet, founder of the Consolidated and Fleet aircraft companies convinced Larry Bell to return to aviation after his split with Martin. Editor’s collection

return to the pleasant climate of California, to develop commercial aviation and to found his own company to further his aims. In January 1920, with only $600 to his name, he moved his wife and two sons back to Los Angeles, Douglas following in March after he had ﬁnished the design on the MTB. Here he later founded the Douglas Aircraft Company and an entirely new chapter of US aviation history began. Larry Bell continued with his management work at Martin, but also developed a reputation as an inspiring speaker and a tireless promoter of aviation in speeches to industry and government bodies alike. He was promoted again, this time to general manager and vice-president of Martin, but the relationship between Martin and Bell was beginning to sour. Bell had managed the entire business for Martin and believed his work in building up the company had earned him a share as a joint owner rather than just as an employee. Martin disagreed, so on January 18, 1925, Larry Bell resigned from the company.

COnsOlidatiOn

For the next three years Bell stayed out of aviation, ﬁnding himself a variety of jobs from selling machine tools to becoming involved in the hunt for a lost gold mine in Arizona. By 1928, he was back near home, selling secondhand goods in Los Angeles. His sterling reputation as a salesman, manager and promoter of aviation meant that he was contacted by Reuben H Fleet of Consolidated Aircraft in Buffalo, New York. Initially, Bell joined Consolidated as vicepresident in charge of sales, but with an interest in the company agreed with Fleet. Soon after he joined Consolidated, Bell was made president of Fleet Aircraft, a subsidiary company that Reuben Fleet had set up in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, just over the Niagara River from Buffalo. In 1928 this company was concentrating on building the

The Martin Model S, Donald Douglas’s ﬁrst design for Martin. Editor’s collection Bell was made president of Fleet Aircraft, a subsidiary company that Reuben Fleet had set up in Fort Erie in Ontario. In 1928 this company was concentrating on building the Consolidated Model 14 Husky Junior, now known as the Fleet Model 1, seen here in is US Navy guise and designated N2Y-1. US Navy

Consolidated Model 14 Husky Junior, now known as the Fleet Model 1, which became a great success as a civil sports and touring aircraft, over 300 being produced in its ﬁrst year of production alone. It was to serve with the Canadian, Mexican and Turkish Air Forces as a military trainer, becoming famous as the Fleet Fawn and Fleet Finch in Canada who used nearly 700 examples throughout the Second World War. At the time, Consolidated was building a variety of aircraft, including the PT-1 Trusty and PT-3 trainers for the US Army and the US navy equivalent, the NY-1. It had also built the prototype XPY-1 Admiral ﬂying boat, but lost the production contract for the US Navy to Martin. This was to lead to the P2Y Commodore ﬂying boat and eventually to the world famous PBY Catalina. Most importantly for Bell was the Fleetster eight seat single engined light transport aircraft. This was the ﬁrst aircraft to be produced in the US with an all metal monocoque fuselage, which gave Bell useful experience of working with this type of construction. The advantages of the techniques in terms of performance and structural strength made Bell a strong advocate of all metal stressed skin construction and shaped his thinking on future projects. The Fleetster also was the ﬁrst design with a ‘wet wing’, fuel tanks integral to the wing structure, and was to be purchased by airlines and the US Army as a transport, while a single example was

evaluated by the US Navy as a carrier based dive bomber. Reuben Fleet was badly injured in a ﬂying accident on September 13, 1929, which also caused the death of his secretary. While he recovered, Fleet promoted Bell to general manager of Consolidated; Bell assuming responsibility for the day to day running of the entire business on both sides of the Niagara.

OppOrtunity

In order to explain Larry Bell’s next move at Consolidated, which was to have far reaching consequences for him, we need to leave the main narrative for a moment and look at the history of two other companies, the Detroit Aircraft Corporation (DAC) and Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. Lockheed had been enjoying tremendous success with a range of high performance monoplanes designed by John Knudsen ‘Jack’ Northrop. This success attracted the attention of the Detroit Aircraft Corporation (DAC), and in July 1929 it convinced Fred Keeler, the investor behind the Lockheed company and the 51% majority shareholder, to sell his shares and the company assets to DAC, which at the time was acquiring aviation companies across the US. Allan Loughead was against the sale to DAC from the start, but was outvoted by the board members. He had no choice but to resign from his own company on June 3, 1931, selling his DAC stock for the going rate of $23 a share. ➤ The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 13

This was to prove a wise move, as the stock market crash of October 1929 reduced the DAC shares to 12.5 cents and by October 27, 1931, both the DAC and the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, as it was now known, were declared bankrupt and placed in receivership. A skeleton staff produced two more aircraft under the leadership of general manager Carl Squier, but the doors were ﬁnally closed on June 16, 1932. Before this ﬁnancial calamity struck the companies, DAC had begun developing a military version of the Lockheed Model 8D Altair. This was known as the DetroitLockheed XP-900, a two seat ﬁghter and attack aircraft which was later designated the YP-24. Designed by Robert J Woods of DAC, successful trials led to an order for nine prototypes, ﬁve ﬁghters and four attack aircraft. An accident with the prototype and the ﬁnancial crisis meant the contract was cancelled in October 1931, which is where Larry Bell saw his opportunity. He hired Robert Woods to work as a designer at Consolidated, and approached the US Army to resurrect the YP-24 contract, which was developed into the Consolidated Model 25 and designated the Y1P-25. This replaced the original wooden wings of the YP-24 with metal ones and added a larger tailplane for improved handling and stability. The prototype of the ﬁghter variant was delivered to the US Army Air Corps in December 1932, joined by the attack version prototype in January the following year. Both these prototypes were lost in crashes, but despite this, the high performance and promise of the types led to orders for a total of 60 aircraft as the P-30 and P-30A ﬁghters and A-11 attack aircraft. The structure was

modiﬁed and strengthened in places, with deliveries beginning in January 1934. This was an excellent piece of management by Bell who had not only increased Consolidated’s portfolio of aircraft to include ﬁghters and attack aircraft, but had brought the prodigious design talents of Robert Woods into the company, which would have far reaching effects for Bell himself.

Bell AircrAft

Despite these successes and being given a free hand to manage as he wished by Reuben Fleet, Larry Bell was still aware that this was not his company, that he was still not leading his own organisation. Fate took a hand in matters when Rueben Fleet decided to move Consolidated Aircraft from Buffalo to San Diego in June 1935. A large percentage of Consolidated’s business was involved with seaplanes and ﬂying boats, and Fleet wanted access to a warm water harbour to allow operations to continue all year round. Bell saw his chance to found his own company, especially as Fleet had promised him a great deal of sub-contractor work to help get his new enterprise started. Along with Bell, Consolidated’s assistant general manager Ray Whitman, designer Robert J Woods and Bell’s secretary Irene Bernhardt all elected to form the core staff of the new venture. They resigned from Consolidated on June 20, and on July 10, 1935, the Bell Aircraft Corporation was ofﬁcially founded. Bell had contacted many of his business associates and friends to raise the necessary $150,000 capital required by September 1 to formalise the company, which he successfully achieved by the middle of August. However,

The Finch trainer was a great success for Fleet, with 606 being built, 431 for the Royal Canadian Air Force alone. Tom Hildreth

the stress of this hard work caused Bell health problems, including a stomach ulcer, which would affect him for the rest of his life. A number of buildings used by Consolidated in Buffalo were rented and for the ﬁrst six months the company produced a range of goods including radio masts and exhaust pipes. True to his word, on January 28, 1936, Reuben Fleet delivered a contract for over $870,000 for Bell to build the wing panels for 146 Consolidated PBY Catalina ﬂying boats as Consolidated was at full stretch to meet the US Navy contracts for the type. Along with this sizeable task, the US Army Air Corps (USAAC) also contracted Bell to ﬁt an Allison V-1710 engine into a Consolidated A-11A attack bomber to act as an engine testbed and development aircraft. By the end of 1936, Bell Aircraft had grown to 642 employees and had an order backlog in excess of $2 million. With the ﬁnancial situation secure, Bell could now concentrate on his own projects and was about to launch a series of innovative and original designs quite unlike the aircraft of any other company.

Model 1 – the AirAcudA

The ﬁrst true Bell aircraft design set the stamp on the company’s work in no uncertain terms. It was utterly unconventional in just about every respect and featured entirely new technology, both of which were sadly to be the source of the aircraft’s undoing. The project started with an ofﬁcial requirement issued by the USAAC for a long range escort ﬁghter in 1936, to which Bell and Lockheed responded with twin engined designs. The initial study competition was won by Bell, who received a contract in May 1936 for a single prototype, the aircraft being

The Consolidated Fleetster was an important type for Larry Bell, as it gave him experience of working with all metal stressed skin monocoque construction, a method he became a staunch advocate of. San Diego Air and Space Museum

designed by Robert Woods with the assistance of the project engineer Art Fornoff. Designated XFM-1 for eXperimental Fighter Multiplace and named Airacuda after the Barracuda, a fast and well armed ﬁsh, the Bell design team had created something truly unique. Firstly, the aircraft was large for a ﬁghter, with a wingspan just 2in shy of 70ft (21.33m), a dimension more ﬁtting for a medium bomber of the time. Power came from a pair of supercharged Allison V-1710-13s which produced 1150hp, mounted in streamlined nacelles in the wing. However, they drove three bladed pusher propellers mounted behind the wings at the end of 64in (1.62m) drive shaft extenders, a feature that was to crop up again in later Bell designs. The front of each nacelle was smoothly glazed and contained a gunner’s

The Detroit-Lockheed XP-900, a two seat ﬁghter and attack aircraft which was later designated the YP-24 was designed by Robert J Woods who was to become a key ﬁgure in Bell Aircraft. USAF

One of the military variants of the Consolidated Fleetster, the Y1C-22 transport. USAF

position complete with a 37mm M4 cannon and .30 cal (7.62mm) machine gun in each, unprecedented ﬁrepower for 1936. The cockpit was streamlined into the rounded nose with seats for the pilot and navigator in tandem, the latter also doubling as the ﬁre control ofﬁcer using a centralised Sperry ‘Thermionic’ ﬁre control system complete with a gyro-stabilised optical gunsight. The gunners in the nacelles could aim and ﬁre the weapons it is true, but were largely there to reload the cannons as 110 rounds of ammunition were stored in each position. The last crew member was the radio operator who doubled as a defensive gunner, being armed with two .50 cal (12.7mm) machine guns, one in each of two glazed blisters on either side of the fuselage aft of the

wing. The ﬁghter was also ﬁtted with small bomb bays in the wings that allowed up to 20 30lb (13.6 kg) fragmentation bombs to be carried to give the aircraft a secondary capability in the ﬁghter-bomber role. Other than the unusual design and armament, the Airacuda was full of innovative design features, such as the intercom between the crew and the hinged steps that emerged from the entry doors in the fuselage and nacelles as you lowered them to board the aircraft. The electrical system was a case in point, this being the ﬁrst aircraft to be totally reliant on an auxiliary power unit (APU) mounted in the fuselage with its own supercharger. No engine driven generators were ﬁtted, the APU being the only source of electrical power for the Airacuda’s systems. ➤

Robert Woods moved to Consolidated, bringing the YP-24 design with him where it became the Y1P-25, later to emerge as the P-30A two seat ﬁghter as seen here. USAF

The ﬁnal development of the YP-24 design was the A-11 attack aircraft. USAF

Another of the Consolidated military trainers was the US Army Air Corps’ PT-3. Flug Kerl

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 15

After leaving Consolidated to start Bell Aircraft, Larry Bell received a large order for outer wing panels for the Consolidated PBY Catalina from his old company to help him get started. Constance Redgrave

The prototype took shape at the Buffalo factory and on September 1, 1937, First Lieutenant Benjamin S Kelsey took XFM-1 36351 into the air for the ﬁrst time. Kelsey was not just a test pilot for the USAAC however, and is a name we shall return to shortly.

The Bell XFM-1 Airacuda in ﬂight showing the air intakes in the orignal position on top of the nacelles. USAF

Development problems

The advanced design and its extensive use of new technology were to be the Achilles’ heel of the XFM-1. The pusher propellers and their shaft drives proved to be sound, but the engines were prone to overheating as they had no additional cooling systems. The XFM-1 had trial superchargers ﬁtted whereas the development aircraft, designated YFM-1, had the production version. These were plagued with problems which caused backﬁres and in one case an engine explosion. An engine problem on the ﬁrst ﬂight and an undercarriage collapse on the second delayed the testing of the XFM-1, with maintenance

problems of the complex systems causing further headaches for the USAAC engineers after the Airacuda was transferred for service trials on October 21, 1937. By May 20, 1938, sufﬁcient promise had been shown for the USAAC to order 13 of the YFM-1 development aircraft, which featured a number of changes. The superchargers were built into the nacelles which had modiﬁed engine cowlings for improved cooling. Added to this the radiator air intakes were moved from the top of the nacelles to the leading edge of the wing outboard of the engines. The .30 cal machine guns in the nacelles were moved to the nose of the aircraft and the rear side blisters were replaced with hatches, the defensive guns being repositioned in a ventral and dorsal hatch above and below the rear fuselage just aft of the wing. Underwing bomb racks could also be ﬁtted to increase the offensive load in the ﬁghter-bomber role.

The ﬁrst Bell Aircraft factory was a former Consolidated building on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo. Bell

The wind tunnel model of the Bell XFM-1 Airacuda under test. Note the extremely clean proﬁle of the aircraft, unusual for the day. NASA

A rare colour shot of a Bell YFM-1 Airacuda in ﬂight. Note the rear fuselage blisters have been replaced by hatches, and the intakes are now in the leading edges. USAF

16 lawrence dale bell and the bell aircraft company

The ﬁrst YFM-1 made its maiden ﬂight on September 28, 1939, but only nine were completed in this guise. The last three were built with a nosewheel undercarriage replacing the original tailwheel design, and were designated YFM-1As. The superchargers continued to cause problems and attempts were made to ﬁx the recurring engine problems by ﬁtting different versions of the Allison, all to no avail. The fact was that the Airacuda was too big and too slow for a ﬁghter; in fact it was slower than the B-17 then being tested. The lack of performance was matched by a lack of manoeuvrability, in a modern dogﬁght the aircraft would simply not have survived. The cannon ﬁlled the nacelles with smoke when they were ﬁred, and the loss of the APU in ﬂight meant the entire electrical system shut down, including the engines. The technological issues could have been overcome, but by 1940 the original concept of an escort ﬁghter and bomber destroyer had already been far surpassed by other aircraft then in development. In January 1942, the nine remaining airworthy Airacudas of the 13 built were taken to Chanute Field in Illinois and used as instructional airframes, eventually being scrapped three months later.

Larry Bell, third from right, with the ﬂight test and engineering crew and the prototype XFM-1 Airacuda ﬁghter at Buffalo Airport. Bell

Larry Bell himself admitted that the Airacuda was simply too far advanced for its day; the technologies it relied upon were insufﬁciently developed to achieve the required performance. However, the experience of solving the problems inherent in the design was not to be wasted, the lessons learned would shape the next generation of Bell aircraft.

A NEW FIGHTER

In 1936, while the Airacuda was in development, the USAAC canvassed aircraft manufacturers for proposals for new single seat ﬁghters. The most recent American ﬁghter to be ordered, the Seversky P-35, was clearly not going to match the performance of the latest designs from other nations and it was considered that a solution had to be found quickly due to the worsening world political climate. Bell was one of the aircraft companies approached, with designer Robert Woods and engineer Harland Poyer beginning work on two different models of an unusual single seat ﬁghter design. This initial approach was followed on March 19, 1937, by the ofﬁcial issue of USAAC Circular Proposal X-608 and X-609, the former for a single-seat, twin-

engined ﬁghter that would lead to the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, the latter for a single-seat single-engined type. Mention must be made at this point of two remarkable men responsible for the proposals issued from the Wright Field Pursuit Projects Ofﬁce of the US Army Air Corps. Wright Field at the time was the centre for testing aviation technology and development of new military aircraft, fulﬁlling a similar role to Martlesham Heath in the UK or Rechlin in Germany. The two men were lieutenants at the time, Gordon Phillip Saville, who would end his distinguished career as a major general, and Benjamin Scovill Kelsey, who would become a brigadier general. Both were keenly aware of the shortcomings of both the doctrine and the aircraft in US service at the time, particularly in comparison to those entering service in Germany, Japan and the UK. This awareness also extended to the limitations of the ofﬁcial Army Air Corps rules and regulations that governed the acquisition of new aircraft, rules that were the inevitable result of decades of inter-service rivalry and distrust of aviation as a viable arm of the US forces. Both men became adept at ﬁnding necessary loopholes in the rules to draw up ➤

Gordon Phillip Saville, one of the authors of the proposals that led to the P-39 and one of the architects of modern air power. USAF

Benjamin Scovill Kelsey in very appropriate pose for a man who lived in the cockpit. A great test pilot and co-author of the proposals that led to the P-39, he was to be instrumental in shaping many important aircraft programmes. USAF

The Bell P-39 Airacobra was incredibly innovative for its day as it was designed around its heavy cannon armament and features a rear mounted engine and tricycle undercarriage. USAF

recommendations and proposals in order to develop and acquire the kind of systems and high performance aircraft they foresaw would be required in the near future. In this case, they avoided the rules regarding ﬁghters and pursuit aircraft by referring to the project only as an interceptor, a new term that had no limiting regulation. They may be said to be as responsible for the development of US ﬁghter aircraft as any of the designers and engineers, but often only receive a mention as the architects of the proposals. Woods and Poyer began the design of the new ﬁghter with another Bell design ﬁrst, in as much as they designed the aircraft around its armament. Their contention that a modern ﬁghter required tremendous ﬁrepower led to the selection of either a 25mm or 37mm cannon as the prime weapon, with two .50 cal and a single .30 cal machine guns in support, all mounted in the nose to concentrate the ﬁre and simplify aiming.

Since both the cannons under consideration were large, the engine had to move backwards to almost the centre of the fuselage with the propeller driven by an extension shaft, a technique already successfully tested on the Airacuda. Two designs emerged. The Model 3 had the cockpit aft of the engine, but this limited the pilot’s downward view from the cockpit. The Model 4 had the engine further aft, with the cockpit ahead of it so the pilot was sitting over the wing’s leading edge giving excellent visibility in all directions. This also moved the engine near the centre of gravity which would theoretically improve the manoeuvrability, while the tapered and streamlined nose section of this design decreased drag. Again in a departure from the common practice of the day, both of these designs were ﬁtted with tricycle undercarriages, the nosewheel retracting aft under the armament. On October 7, 1937, a contract was issued for

ABOVE: A retouched publicity shot but still a fair indicator of the tremendous ﬁrepower grouped in the P-39s nose. On this P-39D the four wing mounted .30 cal machine guns are also ﬁtted. Bell LEFT: The success of the P-39 in attracting orders meant a massive expansion for Bell Aircraft, with a new plant being opened at Wheatﬁeld north of Buffalo to cope with the demand. Bell 18 lawrence dale bell and the bell aircraft company

the construction of a single prototype ﬁtted with a turbo-supercharged 1150hp Allison V1710-17 in the centre fuselage. The new ﬁghter was given the designation XP-39 and later named Airacobra. The prototype was completed and ground tested at Buffalo, then taken to Wright Field where it made its ﬁrst ﬂight on April 6, 1938, in the hands of James Taylor. The performance was immediately impressive, with the aircraft reaching 390mph (627.6kph) and climbing to 20,000ft (6096m) in just ﬁve minutes. At this point, while the ﬂight tests were ongoing, Larry Bell was called away at the request of the US Government.

EuropEAn tour

During 1938 President Roosevelt sent a party of 45 leaders of the American aircraft industry, Larry Bell among them, to Europe to conduct a liaison and fact ﬁnding tour. This was in fact a thin disguise to see what the German aircraft industry was up to and what could be gleaned of their technological advances and future intent, as well as assessing the preparedness of France and the UK to meet the challenge of a resurgent Germany. In what could be described as state sponsored spying, Larry and his wife Lucille sailed for Europe on July 15 and met with Ernst Udet, who arranged a tour of various factories in Germany including those of Messerschmitt, Heinkel and Focke-Wulf. A former colleague of Bell’s from his time at the Martin Aircraft Company, Dr Georg Madelung, was back in Germany and was Willy Messerschmitt’s brother in law, a relationship which smoothed the way for a full inspection of

Messerschmitt’s facilities. The speed and efﬁciency of the German production lines impressed Bell, so much so that when he later built a new production line he modelled it on the Heinkel factory he had toured. Bell was less impressed by the Italian aircraft industry, which he considered inferior to that of Germany, whereas the French industry was disorganised and the British was unprepared for rapid expansion, although it did have some excellent designs in production. On his return to the US, Bell wrote extensive reports on his ﬁndings and presented them to ofﬁcial audiences in Government and the armed forces. Bell faced some criticism of these reports, which paciﬁsts in Government saw as unnecessarily alarmist regarding the Nazi regime in order to increase military aircraft budgets for his own ends. Less than a year later, the critics were silenced in the wake of the invasion of Poland. One other thing happened while Bell was in Germany which was to have a far reaching effect on the future of his company. Heinrich Focke had been ousted from his own company Focke-Wulf, yet had been encouraged to set up another company with Gerd Achgelis known as Focke-Achgelis to develop a new type of aircraft. Focke-Wulf had produced what is generally considered to be the world’s ﬁrst practical helicopter, the Fw61, which was developed further by the new company so is often referred to as the Fa-61. This ﬁrst ﬂew on June 26, 1936, and was demonstrated inside the Deutschland Halle in Berlin by Hanna Reitsch in 1938 before going on to set a range of performance records for helicopters.

Bell considered that the Fa-61 was the most interesting aircraft he had seen in Europe and it set a seed in his mind that would grow into the company we know today.

AirAcobrA to KingcobrA

To return to the activities of the company, the impressive initial tests of the XP-39 led to an order for 13 YP-39 development aircraft in April 1939, the ﬁrst of which ﬂew on September 13, 1940. These had the full armament and armour plate ﬁtted along with a larger ﬁn and rudder to improve directional stability and control. However, for a variety of complex reasons, the turbo-supercharger had been removed which was to severely limit the high altitude performance of the ﬁghter. One of the reasons was that with the failure of the Airacuda, the ﬁnancial position of Bell Aircraft was precarious at this time, Larry Bell agreeing to the removal of the turbo system to simply get the aircraft into production. In this he was successful as the USAAC ordered 80 Bell P-39Cs on August 10, 1939, only 20 of which would be delivered, the rest being built as P-39Ds with armour plate and self sealing fuel tanks, all lessons from the combat experience being gained in Europe. Bell also secured a $9 million order for 200 P400s, the export model of the P-39, from the French Government, a deal signed in March 1940 with deliveries due to begin in October. Of course, events in France precluded delivery, but a British order for 675 P-39Ds signed in April 1940 was augmented by the aircraft intended for France. Altogether 9588 Bell P-39 Airacobras were built in 10 major ➤

A P-39Q of the Fighter Collection comes in to land at Duxford during an air show in 2008.This aircraft is one of the reconnaissance versions of the late Q model of the Airacobra and had two cameras mounted in the rear fuselage. Julian Humphries

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 19

The Bell production lines were modelled on those of Heinkel and were extremely efﬁcient. Here, the P-63 Kingcobra has begun to replace the P-39 Airacobra in the Buffalo factory, but the two types were produced alongside each other for a few months. Bell

The majority of the Bell P-63 Kingcobras built were supplied to the Soviet Air Force where they excelled as ﬁghters. Bell

variants until production ended in August 1944, 4773 being used by the Soviet Air Force through the Lend-Lease programme. Many myths have built up around this aircraft, several of which are simply not true. Legend has it that the Airacobra was easy meat for the Japanese ﬁghter forces in the Paciﬁc, whereas the ﬁgures show they clearly held their own in terms of numbers shot down against the aerial victories P-39 pilots achieved. It is also widely believed that the P-39 was used as a ground attack aircraft by the Soviet

A Bell P-63 Kingcobra fresh out of the factory over the Niagara Falls. Bell

Air Force due to its heavy M4 37mm cannon making it an ideal anti-tank aircraft. This is utterly untrue; the majority of the P-39s were used in air-to-air combat, the low level nature of combat conditions on the Eastern Front playing to the Airacobra’s strengths and making it one of the most successful ﬁghters in the theatre. The myth appears to have grown up around a mistranslation of the Russian phrase used to describe the mission of the P-39 as ground attack, whereas it actually means to

20 lawrence dale bell and the bell aircraft company

cover ground forces or act as air support to prevent friendly ground forces coming under attack by enemy aircraft. The full story of this remarkable machine and its development will be told in a future issue of Aviation Classics. The success of the P-39 despite its deﬁcient high altitude performance led to the development of its replacement on the Bell production lines, the P-63 Kingcobra. This was essentially an enlarged P-39 with the same armament, but a more powerful version of the Allison engine with a secondary supercharger

A line up of the four ﬁghters Bell produced during the Second World War. Furthest away is the XP-77 lightweight ﬁghter prototype, then a P-39, P-63 and ﬁnally America’s ﬁrst jet aircraft, the P-59A Airacomet. Bell

which returned the high altitude performance of the P-39 prototype. The ﬁrst P-63 ﬂew on December 7, 1942, and entered production in October the following year. The Soviet Air Force was the major customer for the type, the USAAF being committed to the P-51 Mustang by that time. A great deal of Soviet combat experience went into the design of the P-63, reﬁning the aircraft into exactly what was required to meet the conditions on the Eastern Front where it was as successful as the earlier P-39. A total of 3303 Kingcobras were built before production ended in 1945, 114 being supplied to France at the end of the Second World War, later being used in combat in Indochina in 1950 and 1951. Two unusual uses of the P-63 must be mentioned, ﬁrstly that of manned aerial gunnery target. The armament was removed and over a ton of additional armour was added to allow the ‘Pinball’ P-63s to be shot at safely by trainee air gunners. The trainees used a frangible round made of lead mixed with bakelite which broke up on impact, any hits which were scored on the P-63 being detected by a sensor system which caused a light in the nose to ﬂash. Two more P63Cs were modiﬁed by Bell for the US Navy in 1946 and ﬁtted with 35º swept wings investigate

the low speed and stall characteristics of these. Leading edge slats and trailing edge ﬂaps were also ﬁtted to gather data on their aerodynamic effects. One of these aircraft will return to our story shortly.

Wartime groWth

The mass production of nearly 10,000 of only its second aircraft design had a tremendous effect on Bell Aircraft. In late 1940 Larry Bell had been allowed to build a massive new factory near the airport at Niagara Falls, just north of Buffalo, to meet the demand for his new ﬁghter. A separate modiﬁcation centre was also built at Niagara Falls to prepare aircraft for shipment overseas, especially to Russia. Bell also expanded into building gun mounts for the US Army and Navy at a new factory in Burlington, Vermont, which opened in the ﬁrst quarter of 1943. Known as the Ordnance Division, this facility would also produce parts for the Boeing B-29 Superfortresses that Bell built under licence in the Government owned aircraft factory at Atlanta, Georgia. The company grew from 1170 employees in 1940 to 50,764 in 1944, but rapid as this expansion was, the reverse was also true at the end of the war which saw the Atlanta ➤

A Bell YP-59A in ﬂight as evinced by the nose armament which was not ﬁtted to the three XP-59A aircraft. USAF

A rare colour shot of two Bell jet ﬁghters in ﬂight, a P-59A in the foreground and a YP-59A behind. Note the different wingtip shapes. USAF The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 21

A Bell P-59A Airacomet showing the revised broader ﬁn and rudder and the squared off wingtips of the production version of the type. USAF

Captain, now General, Charles ‘Chuck’Yeager with the Bell X-1 he named ‘Glamorous Glennis’ for his wife. On October 14, 1947, he made the ﬁrst supersonic ﬂight in this aircraft. USAF

plant closed and the number of employees fall to just over 5300 by June 1945 as military contracts were cancelled. Before this massive contraction, a number of other projects were started, several of which would lead the company to thrive in future years.

First jet

The ﬁrst of these started in a former Ford Motor Company toolshop in Main Street, Buffalo, and had begun when General Henry ‘Hap’ Arnold approached Bell Aircraft on September 5, 1941, and asked if the company could design and build the ﬁrst American jet powered aircraft. Bell was chosen for a number of reasons, not least of which was its proximity to the

The bullet origins of the Bell X-1 design are perfectly illustrated by this shot of the X-1 in ﬂight with its rocket motor ignited. USAF

General Electric plants at Syracuse, New York and Lynn, Massachusetts, which would be building development copies of the British Power Jets W.2B engine designed by Frank Whittle. General Arnold had witnessed a test ﬂight of the Gloster E.28/39 powered by a Power Jets W.1 engine while he was in the UK and had been impressed. General Electric began developing the engine as the I-A to I-16 models, until standard designation for jet engines was introduced and the powerplant became known as the J31. The early I-A engines only produced 1300lb (590kg) of thrust, so Bell did not have a great deal of power to work with. For this reason the new ﬁghter design took shape around a pair of the engines, mounted

22 lawrence dale bell and the bell aircraft company

side by side in the lower fuselage with air intake just forward and below the leading edges of the wing and exhausts just aft of the trailing edge. The early jet engines needed short tailpipes to prevent a loss of thrust, limiting the design still further, but other than the engines, the aircraft was remarkably conventional for a Bell design. Secrecy was considered vital; hence Bell’s use of the Ford building in town and the fact the prototype was ﬁtted with a dummy propeller whenever it was on the ground. The ﬁrst American jet aircraft was named Airacomet and designated XP-59A, again in the interests of secrecy as the original P-59 was a Bell ﬁghter project that had been cancelled. Only one year and one week after the

The Bell X-1A was a much reﬁned version of the research aircraft featuring a completely revised cockpit layout. USAF

A development of the P-59 programme was the Bell XP-83 intended as a long range escort ﬁghter.The early jet aircraft suffered from short range which the XP-83 dealt with through sheer size and fuel capacity. USAF

approach had been made to Bell, the ﬁrst XP59A was crated up in sections and sent to the Muroc Desert in California for ﬂight testing on September 12, 1942. The ﬁrst ﬂight was made unintentionally by Bell test pilot Robert Stanley on October 1, the aircraft becoming airborne during high speed taxy trials. Three XP-59As were built, followed by 13 YP-59A test and development aircraft. The poor performance of the early jet engines, including the slow throttle response and some major reliability issues, hampered the test ﬂying programme, but it soon became evident the airframe needed modiﬁcations as well, as the directional stability and spin recovery performance of the aircraft were in need of improvement.

The ﬁn and rudder were increased in area and a ﬁn ﬁllet added to cure both of these problems. In addition, the wingtips were squared off to improve the roll response. On March 11, 1944, the USAAF ordered 150 P59As, but due to protracted development problems with the engines, only 50 would be built, all of which were delivered by August 1945. Of the 50 examples, 20 were built as P-59As, the remainder as P-59Bs with additional fuel tanks in the outer wing panels. All 50 were armed with a single M4 37mm cannon and three .50 Cal Browning machine guns, but their only operational use came when a mixed batch of P-59As and Bs were issued to the 412th Fighter Group of the 4th Air Force for service evaluation before

In order to conserve the limited rocket fuel, the Bell X-1 was designed to be carried to altitude by a ‘mothership’, in this case a Boeing B-29 Superfortress. USAF

being replaced by the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star within a year. The remainder of the production run was used by trials units to gain experience with jet aircraft, but by 1950 the last Airacomet had ceased ﬂying. Short lived it may have been, but America’s ﬁrst jet aircraft had served its purpose of bringing the new propulsion method into the USAAF and giving air and ground personnel vital experience of working with the new engines.

X AIRCRAFT

Bell did produce two more ﬁghters during the Second World War, the ultra lightweight XP-77 of which two were built, ﬁrst ﬂying on April 1 1944; and the XP-83, a larger development of ➤ The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 23

The Bell X-5 had variable geometry wings which could be swept to 20, 40 or 60 degrees in ﬂight to test the viability of building ‘swing-wing’ aircraft. USAF

the P-59A which ﬁrst ﬂew on February 25, 1945, and was intended as a long range escort jet ﬁghter. Again, only two were built, both projects being dropped due to performance and protracted development issues. The most famous Bell Aircraft of the immediate postwar years were the experimental aircraft aimed at breaking the sound barrier and exploring supersonic ﬂight on behalf of the USAAF and NACA, the forerunner of NASA. The ﬁrst of these, the X-1, was the ﬁrst aircraft to exceed the speed of sound and was based on the design of the Browning .50 cal bullet, which designer Robert Woods knew to be stable in supersonic ﬂight. A contract had been issued jointly by the USAAF and NACA

on March 16, 1945, for three XS-1s as they were originally known. Rocket powered and intended for launch from the bomb bay of a B29 ‘mothership’, the X-1 made its ﬁrst gliding ﬂight on January 19, 1946, in the hands of Jack Woolams at Pinecastle Field in Florida. Powered ﬂights began in September at Muroc in California, the USAAF taking over the programme in June 1947. On October 14 that year, just a month after the USAAF had become the US Air Force, Captain Charles ‘Chuck’ Yeager ushered in the supersonic era with a ﬂight that reached Mach 1.06. Testing continued apace from that moment, and a number of developments of the X-1 were ordered, the A through E models that pushed the maximum speed reached up

24 lawrence dale bell and the bell aircraft company

to Mach 2.44. The success of the X-1 programme led to the swept wing X-2 of 1952, Bell test pilot Jean ‘Skip’ Ziegler making the ﬁrst glide ﬂight on June 27 of that year. The second of the swept wing P-63 Kingcobra aircraft was used to test the 40º swept wing design for the X-2, the aircraft being extensively modiﬁed in the process. The X-2 was to reach Mach 3.2 on September 27, 1956, but was to be lost along with pilot Captain Milburn ‘Mel’ Apt when the aircraft went out of control in a turn at high speed. Two other experimental ﬁxed wing aircraft were produced by Bell in the X series. The X-5 was intended as a variable geometry technology demonstrator with wings that could be swept to 20, 40 or 60 degrees in ﬁght.

The Bell X-2 had a 40º swept wing and was carried aloft by the development of the B-29, the Boeing B-50. USAF

A Boeing B-29 drops a Bell X-1A on another research ﬂight. Note the North American F-86 Sabre ﬂying as chase plane. USAF

The ﬁrst ﬂight of the two X-5s built took place on June 20, 1951, but the stall spin characteristics were extremely poor, causing the loss of the second aircraft in a crash on October 14, 1953, which also killed the pilot Captain Ray Popson. The ﬁrst X-5 continued to be used as a chase and test aircraft up until 1958, proving the viability of the variable geometry concept in producing aircraft with a high maximum speed and low landing speed. The X-14 was a vertical take off technology demonstrator based on the wings of a Beech Bonanza light aircraft and the rear fuselage and tailplane of a Beech T-34 Mentor military trainer. Two small turbojets, initially Bristol Siddeley Vipers but later General Electric J85s, were mounted in the nose, the thrust from which was directed through moveable

nozzles to allow transition from vertical to horizontal ﬂight to take place. The X-14 ﬁrst ﬂew on February 19, 1957, and was used to explore the problems of vertical take off and landing aircraft. The Hawker pilots that were engaged in the P.1127 project, the forerunner of the Harrier, ﬂew the X-14, as did many of the Apollo astronauts as its control system was adapted to mimic that of the lunar lander. Incredibly, the X-14 ﬂew without major incident until it was damaged in a landing accident on May 29, 1981, completing 24 years of test ﬂying. It is now under restoration by a private owner in Indiana. Immediately after the Second World War, Bell had been forced to diversify into producing two-stroke motors and a motorised wheelbarrow known as the Bell Prime Mover

Lawrence Dale Bell, seen in the early 1950s before he died after suffering a stroke on October 20, 1956. Overwork may have damaged his health, but it did not dim his passion or his drive one jot. Bell

to keep the factories open and the workforce employed. During the late 1940s through to the 1960s, Bell produced a range of projects beyond those listed here, including the ASMA-1 Tarzon 13,000lb guided bomb that was used against pinpoint targets in the Korean War and a range of test rocket and guided missile programmes. It also produced the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle, a vertical take off jet powered Lunar Module simulator to train Apollo astronauts. However, in 1941, Larry Bell had backed a talented engineer called Arthur Middleton Young, who had been experimenting with model helicopters. His story led to a completely separate division of Bell Aircraft, and is told in the next article in this issue. ■ Words: Tim Callaway The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 25

rotary pioneers Arthur Middleton Young, the architect of Bell’s rotary winged success. Editor’s collection

The beginnings of Bell Helicopters

The Bell Aircraft Corporation was founded on July 10, 1935. Only six years later Lawrence Bell was to invite a young engineer called Arthur Middleton Young to bring his ﬂying models to the plant and demonstrate them. The models were helicopters, and a whole new chapter of Bell’s histor y was about to begin.

A

rthur Middleton Young was a rare combination of talents. He was an inventor and engineer as well as being a philosopher and an author. Interestingly, he had acquired knowledge of mathematics and engineering to fully develop his philosophies of the nature of reality, a concept that had fascinated him from an early age. He was born on November 3, 1905, in Paris, France, the son of Charles Young and Eliza Coxe, his father being a celebrated Philadelphia landscape painter. The family returned to Jenkintown in Pennsylvania in 1906, settling in a farm near Radnor where Young attended the Haverford School. He became known as an inveterate tinkerer, always making or improving things. He built a crane out of Meccano which would lift his brother, having also made the electric motor that drove the crane. Young also built many model sailing boats, sailing them during family holidays spent on the Maine coast. He wanted to continue his studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but attended Princeton University instead after pressure from his father. Here he began studying astronomy, but soon swapped to mathematics, completing all the available maths courses while still in his junior year. At his request, a new course was set up to teach relativity, led by one of the outstanding mathematicians of the day, Oswald Veblen, with Young as the only student. Graduating in 1927, he decided that his future was in philosophy, and wished to establish a comprehensive theory of the universe. He soon abandoned the traditional 26 rotary pioneers

The ﬁrst Bell Model 30 with the long four skid undercarriage ﬁtted during early test ﬂights. Bell

structure theories to concentrate on process, to which end he decided to develop a new invention and test his theories against the actual process involved. Essentially, he wanted to ﬁnd a problem against which he could apply his knowledge of mathematics and physics in order to develop a better understanding of how the world worked. In 1928, he visited the Patent Ofﬁce in Washington DC in order to ascertain which of the many inventions he was interested in had met with any success. His investigation revealed that the helicopter had been a singular example of failure up to this point, so he elected to bring the problems of rotary winged ﬂight to a successful conclusion.

Model beginnings

Working in a converted stable on his parent’s farm in Pennsylvania, Young began building and testing model helicopters, the ﬁrst being rubber powered and ﬂying for 10 seconds in February 1929. He developed a system of ailerons on the rotor blades controlled by a vane on the hub to control direction, some of the electric powered models being remotely controlled through leads from a control box also of his own devising. For 13 years Young struggled to understand the intricacies of rotary winged ﬂight and all the forces at work on a helicopter, learning a great deal about stability and how it could be best achieved. He married in 1933, and moved to a farm near Paoli in

Arthur Young in the cockpit of the ﬁrst Bell Model 30. Note the stabiliser or ﬂy bar the Young invented, immediately below the main rotor. Bell

Floyd Carlson, later Bell’s chief test pilot, ﬂying the prototype Bell Model 30 while Arthur Young checks the undercarriage. Bell

Arthur Young ﬂying one of his remotely controlled models on his farm. Bell

A remarkable colour photograph of the second Bell Model 30 as Arthur Young, outside the aircraft, talks to Larry Bell in the left hand seat and pilot Bob Stanley. Bell

The ﬁrst two Bell Model 30s in ﬂight together showing the different cockpit and undercarriage arrangements. Bell

Pennsylvania, the barn there becoming Young’s new workshop. He tried tip powered models, one using a vacuum cleaner motor that drove tip propellers via shafts in the rotor blades, the complex bearings and gears being made by Young himself. This was scaled up to a 10ft diameter rotor model powered by a 20hp outboard boat engine, but proved overly complex and suffered repeated failures so was abandoned after crashing in 1938. Also that year he began attending the Rotating Wing Aircraft Meetings at the Franklin Institute and gained many new insights and ideas from such pioneers as Igor Sikorsky and Haviland Platt. Such was his understanding of the problems of rotary

winged ﬂight that he was invited to speak on his ﬁndings at the 1939 meeting. Just after this meeting came Young’s biggest breakthrough in the pursuit of stability, the rotor ﬂy bar, also known as the stabiliser bar. This is a bar that rotates with the main rotor and has a small blade or a weight on each end. This serves to create a stable rotating ‘platform’ in the centre of the rotor system that can reduce the effect of external forces such as wind or internal forces such as errant or unintentional control inputs. Essentially, the bar acts as a damper on forces acting on the main rotor and makes the helicopter much easier to ﬂy and control. By 1940, Young had patented a working system

that would provide both the stability and control to develop a full size helicopter from, and began to seek support from the aviation industry in building such a machine. Interest in his developments was almost nonexistent until a friend of Young’s, Dr John Sharpe, visited the Bell factory. Young was invited to demonstrate his models and explain his ﬁndings and developments to Larry Bell on September 3, 1941. Bell was already aware of helicopter developments in Germany and had been fascinated by the possibilities of rotary winged ﬂight. He was most impressed by Young’s work, and agreed to fund the construction of two prototype full size helicopters to be known as the Bell Model 30. ➤ The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 27

The second Bell Model 30 was ﬂown inside the Buffalo armoury on May 10, 1944. Bell

Larry Bell, second from left, with Arthur Young on his right, demonstrating the Model 30 to the USAAF. Bell

The ﬁrst Model 30 was ﬁtted with crop spraying equipment as an agricultural demonstrator. Bell

A line up of Bell H-13Ds at the factory. Large scale production of the type caused the Helicopter Division to move to the new plant at Fort Worth. Bell

Joe Mashman ﬂies the ﬁrst Model 47 with members of the Bell Helicopter team on the outside, Arthur young is standing on the far side of the aircraft. Bell

the Model 30

Work began almost immediately on the new helicopter; Young and his long time assistant Bart Kelley moving to the Bell facility in Buffalo on November 24, 1941. The rotary wing team were quickly found their own building, a former Chrysler garage in Gardenville on the outskirts of Buffalo, where Dave Forman, a Bell engineer, was assigned to manage the project for the company. The ﬁrst helicopter design was a very straightforward machine intended to prove Young’s theories in a man carrying aircraft. Powered by a 165hp Franklin six-cylinder piston engine, the fuselage and undercarriage were welded steel and aluminium tubes to reduce the weight and keep the structure simple. The engine was mounted vertically in the fuselage behind the cockpit, the rotor hub and mast being connected directly to the engine through a universal joint. Below the main two bladed rotor was Young’s stabilising bar, the arms of which were at right angles to the blades of the main rotor. The main blades were rigidly ﬁxed to the central hub and were made of a composite of ﬁr and balsa wood with a steel billet inserted into the leading edge. The twin tail rotor 28 rotary pioneers

The ﬁrst Bell Model 30 as it appears today in the Steven Udvar-Hazy Centre of the National Air and Space Museum at Chantilly,Virginia, just outside Washington DC. Michael Peel

blades were also solid wood, all of the blades being carefully shaped to a symmetrical aerofoil section. The tail rotor was mounted on the port side of a tube that extended from the rear of the fuselage. The ﬁrst of the two prototypes was rolled out on December 24, 1942, named Genevieve and registered NX41867. The fuselage was left uncovered for the ﬁrst tethered test ﬂights while pilots Arthur Young, Bob Stanley and Floyd Carlson familiarised themselves with the controls and the reaction of the craft to control inputs. The ﬁrst tethered ﬂight was made by Arthur Young on December 29, damage from an accident grounding the ﬁrst Model 30 in early 1943. This was repaired and on June 26, Floyd Carlson took the ﬁrst Bell helicopter on its ﬁrst free ﬂight. During the next month, speeds of up to 70mph (113kph) were achieved and the open structure was clad in an aluminium skin. A three wheeled undercarriage replaced the simple tube skids and a windscreen was added to the open cockpit. While the ﬁrst prototype was beginning to make its ﬁrst demonstration ﬂights to both military and civilian agencies, the second Model 30, NX41868 was completed in September 1943.

The ﬁrst production Bell Model 47s were dual control and used by Bell as trainers. Bell

This differed greatly from the ﬁrst prototype, having a revised undercarriage and a semimonocoque construction rear fuselage to save weight. The second prototype featured an enclosed cabin with two seats accessed by car type doors on either side, and was in all respects a modern helicopter as we know them today.

First rescues

The ﬁrst Model 30 suffered a crash in September 1943, so the second prototype took over its demonstration ﬂying. A number of notable ﬂights were made, including being ﬂown inside Buffalo armoury on May 10, 1944. The ﬁrst prototype was repaired and returned to the test ﬂying programme which was proving so successful that a third Model 30 was under construction. While this was being built, Bell helicopters ﬂew their ﬁrst two rescue missions proving the value of the helicopter in the search and rescue (SAR) role. On January 5, 1945, Bell test pilot Jack Woolams was rescued by Floyd Carlson and Dr Thomas Marriott after being forced to bail out of a P-59 Airacomet. Just over two months later on March 14, Floyd Carlson rescued two ice ﬁshermen trapped on Lake Erie and achieved a great deal of publicity for the project and gaining

The Bell Model 47A was given the initial designation of YR-13, later YH-13, 28 of which were evaluated by the US Air Force. Bell

The new Bell Helicopter Division plant near Hurst, just outside Fort Worth,Texas. Bell

The Bell 47B had a completely revised cockpit with car type doors. Bell

The Bell 47J or H-13J was the ﬁrst helicopter to carry a US president, President Eisenhower ﬂying from the White House lawn as part of a civil defence exercise in 1957. Bell

The most familiar guise of the Bell 47, an H-13D medical evacuation helicopter in the Korean War theatre. Bell

The Bell 47 was also built under licence in Italy, Japan and the UK.This is a Westland built Sioux of the British Army Air Corps. Constance Redgrave

the Treasury Department’s Silver Medal for Floyd Carlson. The third Model 30 differed again from the ﬁrst two. It had a four-wheeled undercarriage and an open frame tailboom, which lightened the structure considerably and made the aircraft, NX41869, the best performer of the trio. However, it retained the open cockpit of the ﬁrst prototype which made the aircraft uncomfortable for pilots and passengers alike. Young came up with a novel and lightweight idea when he suggested that the cockpit be covered with a large plexiglass bubble to protect the crew from the rotor and slipstream and also to provide an outstanding view. This suggestion was to lead directly to the ﬁrst production model of Bell helicopter, the highly successful and adaptable Model 47.

Certified suCCess

With the outright success of Young’s theories and the test ﬂight programme, the team at the Chrysler building in Gardenville was moved to the Bell factory at Niagara Falls Airport. Here they began work on a developed version of the third Model 30 prototype, providing more power in the shape of a 175hp Franklin and lightening the airframe as much as possible. The skin on the rear fuselage was deleted

The ﬁnal model of the Bell 47 family was the 47K for the US Navy, designated HTL-7, 18 of which were built as trainers, redesignated TH-13N in 1962. Bell

as unnecessary, the welded tubes of the structure being left open. The undercarriage was simpliﬁed to four short legs with a castoring wheel on the front legs and a ﬁxed wheel on the rears. A two seat design, it was the ﬁrst Bell helicopter to be ﬁtted with dual controls for use as a trainer. The ﬁrst ﬂight took place on the same day the new model was rolled out of the factory, December 8, 1945, and would be followed by 10 more of the type for demonstration and test ﬂying. The techniques of autorotation to safely land a helicopter in the event of an engine or other failure had been explored and understood in the Model 30s test ﬂying programme. With this ability clearly demonstrated, Bell began the process of achieving type certiﬁcation for the Model 47 with the Civil Aeronautics Administration. From this test and evaluation process, Bell was to gain two major ﬁrsts, the ﬁrst commercial helicopter licence on March 8, 1946, and the ﬁrst Helicopter Type Certiﬁcate two months later in May. Sales were slow to begin with, the ﬁrst civil Bell 47, a B version with a different cabin, was sold on December 31, 1946. The civil market began to pick up, single aircraft being ordered by organisations all over the US involved in all

The Bell Model 47 was reﬁned into the 47H, also known as the Bellarius. Bell

kinds of industry, the ﬁrst examples being purchased by a crop spraying company and a geophysical research company. The early demonstrations to the US armed forces and the loan of a Bell 47 to the Army in 1946 ﬁnally began to bear fruit when the US Air Force ordered 28 Bell 47As for evaluation. Three of these aircraft were modiﬁed for cold weather trials and sent to Alaska in January 1947. Known as YR-13s, later YH-13s, 10 of these helicopters were later transferred to the US Navy as HTL-1s for sea trials, with two more going to the US Coast Guard for their evaluation. In September 1947, an Argentinean crop spraying company ordered 10 Bell 47s to help ﬁght the annual locust population explosion, which they did successfully. Suddenly, the little Bell helicopter was in demand everywhere. British European Airways set up an experimental helicopter division using the aircraft, and the French Navy conducted deck trials aboard its ships among many others. In October 1947, with this level of success achieved in not only developing but in selling the concept of the helicopter, Arthur Young decided he had reached his goal, and left, assigning all his patents on his inventions to Bell. ➤ The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 29

The ﬁve seat Bell Model 42, only three of which were built in 1946. Bell The ﬁrst Bell Model 48, a military development of the Model 42, was designated XR-12 and evaluated by the US Air Force. Bell

Arthur Young was a man of extraordinary discipline. His work on developing the helicopter done, he returned to his philosophical theories. National Archives

He was to pursue a career developing his philosophical theories, particularly process theory, and founded the Foundation for the Study of Consciousness. An astounding, focused and disciplined man, Arthur Young can be considered the architect of Bell’s rotary winged success.

Larry Bell in one of the passenger seats of the Model 42 with Floyd Carlson and Joe Mashman at the controls. Bell

The development of the Bell Model 48 resulted in a very different shape to the cockpit and cabin. Bell

New divisioN

The civil Bell 47 and military H-13 Sioux were to be a startling success for Bell. Sufﬁce to say here that 5600 civil and more than 2400 military versions of the Model 47 were built between 1946 and 1974, becoming the ﬁrst iconic helicopter design. They were to become synonymous with the Korean War in their role of transporting wounded soldiers back to the Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals or MASH units, over 18,000 wounded soldiers being carried by H-13s of the US Army and UN forces. The late 1950s television series Whirlybirds and the later ﬁlm and television series MASH were to make the Model 47 a household icon, instantly recognisable as a modern example of American technology. The armed forces of 36 nations were to use the H-13 or Sioux as it was later named, and the aircraft was also produced under licence by Agusta in Italy, Kawasaki in Japan and Westland in the UK. The success of the Model 47 meant that a new division of Bell Aircraft was formed just to produce helicopters. It was considered that a new factory was required to keep up with the demand, so a site was selected near Hurst just outside Fort Worth in Texas in January 1951. While this factory was being built, production continued in a leased factory in Saginaw until the new plant was ready at the end of the year. By 1956, this new factory and its undertakings had become so large that on January 1, 1957, the division became a separate company in its own right, the Bell Helicopter Corporation. 30 rotary pioneers

The Bell Model 54 four seat liaison and utility helicopter of 1948 was intended for the USAF but again, only three prototypes were built. Bell

Three more helicopter models were produced during this period, none of which were to reach the success of the H-13. The ﬁrst was the ﬁve seat Model 42 utility and transport helicopter of 1946 and the military version, the Model 48 or H-12, but only three prototypes of the former were built and 13 evaluation versions of the later. The Model 54 four-seat liaison and utility helicopter of 1948 was intended for the USAF but again, only three prototypes were built. More successful was the Bell Model 61 or HSL-1, 53 of which were built for the US Navy in response to an urgent requirement for an anti-submarine helicopter. This was the only tandem rotor helicopter design produced by Bell, the twin rotors powered by a 2400hp Pratt and Whitney R-2800 radial engine mounted in the rear fuselage. The prototype XHSL-1 ﬁrst ﬂew on March 4, 1953, but suffered from severe vibration and other technical problems which were to delay production. The fuselage was built to accommodate two sonar operators and two pilots, but it was never really a success in its intended role, a few being used by the US Navy to develop techniques for aerial mine sweeping.

Designated YH-12B, 13 of these utility helicopters were evaluated by the US Air Force. Bell

TilT roTor

In 1943, Larry Bell was considering that attaching the vertical take off abilities of a helicopter to the speed and performance of a ﬁxed wing aircraft, to make what was then termed a ‘converti-plane’, would achieve the best of all possible worlds. Arthur Young and Bart Kelley had begun some preliminary drawings and built some ﬂying models, but it wasn’t until August 1950 when the US Army announced a design competition for an aircraft that a serious design study was begun. McDonnell, Sikorsky and Bell all responded, Bell with the Model 200, also known as the XH-33 and later designated the XV-3, designed by Bob Lichten and Kenneth Wernicke. A single 450hp Pratt and Whitney R-985 radial engine was mounted in a conventional fuselage, driving a pair of three-bladed rotors at the tips of the wings via shafts. These rotors could be tilted through just over 90°, providing lift when angled vertically, then angling forwards to increase the speed of the XV-3 to allow the wings to produce lift, the rotors now acting as propellers, only producing thrust.

The Bell Model 61 was a twin rotor helicopter, seen here with the blades folded. Bell

The Bell Model 61 was produced for the US Navy to ﬁll the anti-submarine role, 53 were built designated HSL-1. Bell

The Bell XV-3 tilt rotor demonstrator in its early form with the three bladed main rotors. Bell

The Bell XV-3 after modiﬁcation to two bladed rotors. NASA

On December 18, 1958, Bell test pilot Bill Quinlan made the ﬁrst successful transition from rotor borne to wing borne ﬂight in the XV-3. NASA

The XV-3 in the NASA wind tunnel, where a rotor failure caused signiﬁcant damage to the aircraft in 1966. NASA

Bell won a contract to produce two test aircraft based on this design in October 1953, the ﬁrst ﬂying on August 11, 1955 with chief test pilot Floyd Carlson at the controls. Several test ﬂights ended in hard landings or crashes due to instability in the rotors, so the second aircraft had its three bladed rotors replaced by two bladed units and testing resumed in January 1958 after considerable wind tunnel examination of the instability phenomenon. On December 18, Bell test pilot Bill Quinlan made the ﬁrst successful transition from rotor borne to wing borne ﬂight, an amazing achievement for the technology of the day. Flight testing by the USAF and NASA continued until June 14, 1966, with the XV-3 amassing 250 ﬂights and 110 rotor to wing borne conversions. The last XV-3 is today on display in the National Museum of the US Air Force, having been restored after suffering damage in a wind tunnel test in 1966.

Passing of a legend

As can be imagined, with all of the developments in rotary and ﬁxed wing

Larry Bell with Charles ‘Chuck’Yeager after one of his supersonic ﬂights in the Bell X-1A.Yeager described Bell as a great salesman of aviation. Bell

aircraft, particularly the X-plane series, Larry Bell was an extremely busy man in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He had also begun work on a design concept for a hypersonic aircraft in 1951 which later gained the backing of the US Air Force and was to eventually emerge as the Dyna-Soar programme, as well as which the company had developed the Automatic Carrier Landing System (ACLS) for the US Navy which entered service in 1955. The overwork of the prewar years as he struggled to build up his company had taken their toll, and in 1953, after a tour of the Korean War theatre to report on the use of the H-13 Sioux in that conﬂict, he complained of chest pains and was diagnosed with severe heart disease. He resigned as Bell’s general manager on October 2, 1954, but continued to work hard on various projects and as a proponent of aviation, organising talks to various interested groups. However, on May 24, 1956, Larry Bell suffered a severe stroke, recovering slowly from the effects and resigning as president of Bell Aircraft in September. On October 10 he suffered a heart attack that put him back in

Lawrence Dale Bell, an aviation pioneer and visionary who had an astounding impact on the history of aviation. Bell

hospital, where, on October 20, 1956, Lawrence Dale Bell died. The contribution that Larry Bell and his company made to the development of aviation cannot be overstated. They always led the ﬁeld, never following the trends in aircraft design. They built the ﬁrst aircraft to ﬂy supersonically in level ﬂight, the ﬁrst successful tilt-rotor and the world’s ﬁrst commercially successful helicopter. These are just a few of the major milestones in Larry Bell’s aerospace legacy. There is one sad coincidence regarding his death. On the same day, at the Bell Helicopter plant at Fort Worth, Bell’s test pilot the redoubtable Floyd Carlson was making the maiden ﬂight of the Bell Model 204 or XH-40 as it was initially designated. This was the prototype that would become the Bell UH-1, the most successful aircraft of its type in terms of sales and the world’s ﬁrst turbine powered helicopter, better known as the immortal Huey. Larry Bell was never to see it ﬂy nor know of the success it would become, but his career could have no more ﬁtting epitaph. ■ Words: Tim Callaway The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 31

the

beginning of a

legend

The XH-40 to the UH-1A The extraordinar y usefulness of the Bell 47 Sioux during the Korean War, especially in the role of medical evacuation transport, had been a clear pointer to the future of battleﬁeld utility helicopters. The US Army were particularly interested in developing such a vehicle, an interest that would lead to the introduction of a legend.

The Bell H-13 had proved the value of the helicopter in the medevac and battleﬁeld logistics roles during the Korean War. USAF

32 the beginning of a legend

Three views of the prototype XH-40 on a test ﬂight in front of the staff at the Bell plant. Note the doors, engine cowlings and tail rotor drive shaft cover have not been ﬁtted for these ﬂights. Bell

T

he development of the UH-1 and its eventual use in an astounding variety of roles began with the lessons learned by the US Army during the Korean War, which had introduced a number of new weapons and vehicles to the United Nations forces ﬁghting in the country. The Bell 47 Sioux helicopter had fulﬁlled a number of roles and is best remembered for the evacuation of wounded personnel to the Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals just behind the front line. Around 18,000 casualties were evacuated by air, saving many lives because of the speed with which the wounded reached medical aid. This lesson was not lost on the US Army, nor on civilian medical organisations worldwide and would result in the development of the medical evacuation (medevac) and air ambulance services we know today. The Bell 47s had also operated in logistics support, taking ammunition and rations to the front line and supporting units cut off from other ground forces. The transport of supplies and personnel into the battleﬁeld was also seen as a prime requirement for future helicopters and these two roles began to shape the Army’s thinking regarding new aircraft.

Power requirements

The experiences of the Korean War prompted Bell Helicopters to write a detailed report on the use of the helicopter on the battleﬁeld, a report which also suggested the future improvements required in helicopter performance in order to efﬁciently fulﬁl these roles.

This sat very well with a US Army Colonel, Jay Vanderpool, who had already been pressing for the development of high performance and armed helicopters for close battleﬁeld support. The Key West Agreement of 1948 had rigidly deﬁned areas of responsibility and resources between the US Army, Navy and Air Force. While this agreement gave the army the ability to develop and ﬁeld reconnaissance and medevac air assets, there were a number of senior army personnel who believed that close air support should also be within the army’s purview. Against this background of growing support for the concept of a truly capable multirole battleﬁeld support helicopter, by 1952 the US Army recognised a requirement for a medevac and transport aircraft which would also have to be capable of operating as a trainer for instrument ﬂying. The helicopters then available were all considered but were found to either lack power and therefore load lifting capability, were too large and unmanoeuvrable, or were too mechanically complex to be easily maintained in the ﬁeld. Reliability, manoeuvrability and excess power were all going to be vital if the new helicopter was to survive on a modern battleﬁeld. The initial requirement was reﬁned until it was issued in November 1953. Twenty companies responded to it with new designs. The speciﬁcation was exacting for the time, an 8000lb (3629kg) payload had to be carried over a range of at least 100 nautical miles (185 km) at speeds above 100 kts (185kph). The new helicopter also had to have sufﬁcient power to be able to hover at heights

The second prototype Bell XH-40 with the all ﬂying elevators in the full down position. Note that a stabiliser bar has been added to the main rotor, but below the blades. Bell

of up to 6000ft (1829m) and yet be able to be carried easily inside a Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. Bell was one of the companies that responded to the requirement, and with Lycoming had been developing a novel approach to the power problem in helicopters, between them devising the airframe and engine which would provide the necessary performance. The Lycoming Turbine Engine Division at Stratford, Connecticut, had begun developing a new turboshaft engine in 1951 under the design leadership of Anselm Franz. Franz had been the chief designer at Junkers’ engine department in Germany during the Second World War and had produced the Jumo 004 turbojet that had powered the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet ﬁghter. Franz’s design concept was to produce a small, light but tremendously powerful engine suitable for operation as a turboprop or to provide shaft drive for helicopters. A simple ﬁve stage axial compressor was mated to a sixth stage centrifugal compressor which fed an annular combustion chamber before the exhaust gasses exited over two impeller turbines which drove the compressors ahead of them. The main drive gearbox and ancillary drives for electrical generators and other aircraft systems were mounted forward of the ﬁrst stage compressor, central to the air intake, resulting in a very small engine, only 58in long (1.48m) and 23in (0.58m) in diameter. The layout also allowed the airﬂow through the engine to keep the heat generated by the combustion chamber away from the gearbox for the propeller or rotor, ➤

A rare colour shot of the prototype Bell XH-40. Note the original position of the all ﬂying elevators at the end of the tail boom and the low mounted stabiliser bar on the main rotor. Bell The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 33

The prototype Bell XH-40 with the engine cowling and other covers removed on a early test flight shows the arrangement of the engine, gearboxes and main rotor transmission clearly. It also shows how the aircraft was built in three sections, cabin, centre section and tailboom. Bell

A close up of the early Lycoming YT53-L-1 turboshaft engine installed in the prototype Bell XH-40.This small, light engine produced 700hp. Bell

depending on how the engine was being used. The most impressive result of this engine development was its power to weight ratio, the ﬁrst version of the LTC-1, as it was initially known, produced 700hp for a weight of just 655lb (297kg), a tremendous leap forward over the relatively low powered and heavy piston engines that had been ﬁtted to helicopters up to this point. The new turbine had a number of other advantages in addition to its low weight. Its fuel consumption was much lower than a piston engine, meaning less fuel needed to be carried to achieve a given endurance or lift a given payload. The high power output bestowed high speed on the helicopter, and the simplicity of the engine’s design reduced the time required and therefore the costs of maintaining the aircraft. In short, the turbine was exactly what the helicopter industry had been looking for to revolutionise the capabilities of its aircraft.

baggage compartment which would later be used to house the weapons control electronics on the armed versions of the helicopter. A deck separated these three compartments from those above. Central above the fuel tank sat the main rotor transmission and rotor head, to either side of which were the oil and hydraulic tanks and aft of which was the engine. The air intake for the turbine was immediately behind the main rotor transmission and drew cooling air over the gearbox when the engine was in operation. The semi rigid rotor head design featured Arthur Young’s stabiliser bar, mounted above the main rotor in this case, a 44ft (13.41m) span two bladed rotor with a 14in (35.6 cm) chord to the blades.

the work as far as the stresses in the helicopter are concerned. It consists of two main beams that run fore and aft from the rear of the centre section to the nose. These have lateral bulkheads linking them together, but at the centre of gravity they are joined by the lift beam, a vertical structure that has the transmission with its planetary type gearbox and rotor mounted at the top and the hook for slinging external loads at the bottom. The main bulkhead at this point forms the rear wall of the cabin. The lower space aft of this compartment is separated into three sections. The ﬁrst, again under the centre of gravity, housed the port and starboard main fuel tanks, aft of which were the combustion heater unit then a crew

New desigN

Bell Helicopters was well aware of the shortcomings of existing rotary winged aircraft and was certain that the new Lycoming turbine could solve the performance issues and meet or exceed the US Army’s requirement. The design team at Bell started with a blank sheet of paper to produce an aircraft that would take best advantage of the performance the engine offered. Yes, there were proven elements from their earlier designs in the new aircraft, but the new powerplant allowed the design team a degree of freedom hitherto unknown in helicopter construction. The helicopter they designed can be thought of as three separate sections. The section around the centre of gravity does all 34 the beginning of a legend

The ﬁrst prototype Bell XH-40, 55-4459, during ﬁeld trials with the US Army. Note how low on the ground the fuselage is sitting, which led to an undercarriage modiﬁcation on the production aircraft. Bell

Two views of the third prototype Bell XH-40, 55-4461, showing the increased span of the all ﬂying elevators and their changed position, further forward on the tail boom and that the stabiliser bar has moved to above the main rotor. Bell

Above: A production Lycoming T53 turboshaft.This powerful lightweight engine was one of the keys to the UH-1’s success, and was to double in power during its development. Cliff Arlington

Left: The production line at Fort Worth, showing short and the later long bodied UH-1s and the way the aircraft was built in three distinct sections.This brilliant design allowed rapid changes to be incorporated into production and bestowed its famous ﬂexibility on the helicopter. Bell

Forward of the main bulkhead was the cabin structure. The two main ﬂoor beams and their interconnecting bulkheads formed the structure on which the cabin ﬂoor sat; beneath which were two under ﬂoor fuel tanks and the forward attachment point for the main undercarriage. This consisted of two curved transverse tubular legs, the rear one of which was just aft of the centre of gravity in the centre section, the legs attaching to the main skids at either end. The skids were long, almost the length of the cabin and cockpit and sat 8ft 4in (2.54m) apart, giving the helicopter tremendous stability on the ground. The undersides of the skids were ﬁtted with replaceable metal shoes to prevent wear to the skids themselves. The cabin was intended to seat eight armed troops in two rows of four canvas seats, ahead of which the

two pilots sat in a tandem cockpit with full dual controls. The cabin was 98.5in (2.5m) wide deliberately to accommodate standard stretchers across its width. The side cabin doors slid aft, fully opening to allow up to four of these stretchers to be loaded quickly and easily. Forward of these, the pilots each had a car type door on either side of the cockpit. The instrument panel and avionics bays were supported by the front ends of the two main ﬂoor beams, either side of which the lower nose was glazed to afford the pilots the best possible view while landing. The pilots’ doors were extensively glazed, in addition to which a large split windscreen ran the full width of the cockpit and a large window was set into the roof above each pilot’s head. The last section of the design bolted onto the rear end of the centre section structure

with just four bolts, and comprised the semimonocoque tail boom, tail rotor and drive, the ﬁn and elevators. The tail rotor was large, 102in (2.6m) in span and mounted on the top of the ﬁn on the port side. The shaft drive to the tail rotor ran along the top of the tail boom under its own protective shroud then up the leading edge of the ﬁn via a bevel gearbox at its base. The twin elevators were all moving ﬂying surfaces mounted on either side of the tail boom underneath the base of the ﬁn. These were linked to the pilots cyclic control column and provided pitch stability in the cruise as well as increasing the aircraft’s allowable centre of gravity range while loaded. A great many of these design features have become standard on helicopters, but it must be remembered that at the time Bell was at the cutting edge of rotary winged ➤ The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 35

The ﬁrst turbine helicopter in production and service underwent extensive testing in all environments, such as this Bell HU-1A seen during cold weather trials. US Army

development and this design would become the world’s ﬁrst turbine powered helicopter to enter production. To learn more about the use of turbine engines in helicopters, Bell had taken a Model 47 and ﬁtted it with a 425hp Continental CAE XT-51 turboshaft. This single example ﬁrst ﬂew on October 20, 1954, and was used to test components for the new design, eventually being designated as the XH-13F and used by the US Army as a turbine testbed from April 1955 onwards. Meanwhile, the Bell entry for the US Army’s medevac and utility helicopter competition had been selected as the winner on February 23, 1955, Bell being contracted to provide three prototypes of its Model 204 as it was known under the designation XH-40.

First Flight

As mentioned earlier, Bell’s chief test pilot, Floyd Carlson made the ﬁrst ﬂight of the XH40 prototype on the day Larry Bell died,

The 57th Medical Detachment (MD) of the Brooke Army Medical Centre at Fort Sam Houston in Texas were the ﬁrst to receive the Bell HU-1A in the medevac role. US Army Aviation Museum

October 20, 1956. The helicopter had been built at Bell’s Hurst plant on the outskirts of Fort Worth and was powered by an early development model of the Lycoming LTC-1 turboshaft engine, designated YT53-L-1 in its military guise, which produced 700hp. Only 16 months had elapsed since the initial design work had begun and even before the ﬁrst ﬂight the US Army had ordered six more development prototypes for service testing, designated YH-40s. The urgent requirement for the type and the promise the design showed even from this early stage meant that the other two XH-40s joined the ﬂight test programme in 1957 and all six YH40s were delivered by August 1958. The XH-40s had proved to have a maximum speed of 138mph (222kph) and a service ceiling of 17,500ft (5334m), but there were a number of changes the army required in the design. The cabin was too short to comfortably carry the envisaged load of troops or stretchers and had to be stretched by 1ft (30.48cm) in length.

Fortunately, in basing the design on the two ﬂoor beams as the main structural element, such a stretch was easily accommodated. The main cabin sliding doors also had to be stretched by the same amount and the engine cowlings needed to be redesigned to improve cooling and ease of access for maintenance. The elevators were increased in span to 9ft 4in (2.84m) and moved forward on the tail boom to about two thirds of the way along its length. Lastly, the ground clearance was increased by 4in (10cm) by increasing the length of the two main skid support tubes on the undercarriage. This last change was to allow ground crew to more easily attach under-slung loads and to prevent the fuselage ‘bottoming’ on rough terrain. All of these changes were incorporated in the six YH-40s, which were also ﬁtted with the ﬁrst production version of the new engine, the Lycoming T53-L-1A producing 860hp, but derated to 770hp to extend engine life and reliability.

An early Bell HU-1A at Fort Rucker, the Army Aviation School in Alabama. US Army Aviation Museum

The cabin of the Bell UH-1 was 98.5in (2.5m) wide deliberately to accommodate standard stretchers across its width. US Army Aviation Museum

While the construction of these ﬁrst batches of helicopters was going on, the army had introduced a new designation system in 1956, which meant the helicopter became the HU-1, the trials aircraft becoming the XHU-1 and YHU-1. The six YHU-1s were followed by a pre-production batch of nine HU-1s, which began to be delivered for service trials from June 30, 1959. The new designation quickly gave rise to the nickname the aircraft is known by the world over – Huey. So popular was this name that the casting of the rudder pedals was changed to incorporate the word into the face of them, a practice continued to this day.

The 57th MD was the ﬁrst unit to deploy the Bell UH-1A, as it was now known, to Vietnam in medevac support to ARVN forces in April 1962. US Army Aviation Museum

The trials with the prototype aircraft were still ongoing when the US Army issued its ﬁrst production order on March 13, 1959, these being designated HU-1As to differentiate them from the pre-production airframes. A total of 173 HU-1As were built, and were intended to give the US Army experience of operating the type as it was the ﬁrst turbine powered helicopter in both production and in general service. Fourteen of these helicopters were delivered equipped for blind ﬂying trainers as the TH-1A, entering service with

the US Army Aviation School at Fort Rucker in Alabama and being used to teach instrument ﬂying on Army helicopter pilot courses. The ﬁrst operational units to receive HU1As were the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and the 101st Airborne Division (AD) at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, along with the 57th Medical Detachment (MD) of the Brooke Army Medical Centre at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. The 57th MD was the ﬁrst to use the aircraft in its intended medevac role, but the ﬁrst to be deployed overseas were two HU1As from the 82nd AD who took part in an exercise in Panama in early 1960. The following year, the ﬁrst HU-1As to be permanently based outside the US were delivered to the 55th Aviation Company in Korea, from which time the HU-1A began to spread across the world, several European based units receiving the type from the end of 1961 onwards. With the introduction of the production variant came the ofﬁcial name, Iroquois, but in practice this has almost never been used as the nickname Huey was already both widespread and popular. A number of changes happened to Bell during this period. In July 1960, Bell Aircraft

The Piasecki CH-21C Shawnee was being used in air assault and logistics support missions in Vietnam from February 1962 onwards. US Army

Fifteen UH-1As were deployed to Vietnam in October 1962 with the US Army’s Utility Tactical Transport Helicopter Company (UTTHCO) based at Tan Son Nhut airport. These were the ﬁrst UH-1s to be armed to act as escorts to the CH-21C transport helicopters. US Army Aviation Museum

Into servIce

and Bell Helicopters were bought by Textron Incorporated of Rhode Island. The Bell Aerospace Corporation was founded to cover the experimental, ﬁxed wing and rocket motor activities of the group, while the Bell Helicopter Corporation was renamed the Bell Helicopter Company. Things changed for their helicopter too, not least of which through the interest aroused by it setting six Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) recognised world records in 1960. These included climbing to 19,686ft (6000m) in just eight minutes 7.1 seconds and sustaining a speed of 142.22mph (228.9kph) over a 100km (62 miles) closed course. One ﬁnal change was made as the Huey began to enter large scale service. In 1962 the US armed forces introduced a new standardised designation system which meant that the HU-1 became the UH-1, the designation we know it by today.

Into battle

Despite the intention only to use the ﬁrst production HU-1As as evaluation aircraft, ﬁve of the aircraft of the 57th MD were deployed to Vietnam in April 1962, the ﬁrst Hueys to arrive in theatre. ➤

Two .30 cal machine guns were mounted on the skids of the UTTHCO UH-1As, the ammunition feed running from boxes in the cabin through slots cut in the ﬂoor and sides of the cabin. US Army Aviation Museum The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 37

One of the innovative senior engineers responsible for successful ﬁtting of weapons to the UTTHCO UH-1As was Chief Warrant Ofﬁcer Cleatus Heck who was killed during his second tour in Vietnam. US Army Aviation Museum

Three views, including two rare colour shots, of the weapons package improvised on the skids of the UTTHCO UH-1As. On each side of the aircraft are eight 2.75in Folding Fin Aerial Rockets (FFARs) and a .30 cal Browning M-37 machine gun. US Army Aviation Museum

Right: A Bell UH-1A of the US Army Aviation Board, the test and evaluation unit behind much of the development of the helicopter in service. US Army

They were tasked with evacuating wounded Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) soldiers from battleﬁelds, and for the next 10 years, the thudding of the Huey’s rotor was to be a familiar sound over the war torn country. The next group of UH-1As to arrive in Vietnam were with a new trials and evaluation unit, the US Army’s Utility Tactical Transport Helicopter Company (UTTHCO) based at Tan Son Nhut airport. Fifteen UH-1As had arrived on October 9, having been ferried from Okinawa via a workup period in Thailand, during which the helicopters had been extensively modiﬁed. It is worth explaining that by this time, the forces of other countries had found more military uses for the helicopter. A small number of Sioux were armed with machine guns by the French Army and provided ﬁre support to ground forces on counter insurgency missions during the Algerian War between 1954 and 1962. These proved particularly useful in countering dispersed guerrilla forces in the mountain regions, and were soon joined by more heavily armed versions of other Sikorsky and Piasecki types ﬁelded by the French Army and Navy. 38 the beginning of a legend

The US Navy and Royal Navy had already begun developing armed anti-submarine warfare helicopters to track and attack submarines with sonars and depth charges, while in the Soviet Union, Mil-8s had been ﬁtted with rocket pods in an experiment to provide air support to ground forces during airborne assaults. These lessons were not lost on the US Army, who had begun to experience losses to ground ﬁre among the transport helicopters deployed to Vietnam. The Piasecki CH-21C Shawnee twin

rotor cargo helicopters based at Da Nang and Tan Son Nhut with the 8th, 33rd, 57th and 93rd Transportation Companies (Light Helicopter) had been ﬂying troop transport and supply missions with ARVN units since February 1962. These transport helicopters were increasingly coming under attack by North Vietnamese Army and Vietcong units who were beginning to ﬁeld more anti-aircraft weapons, particularly heavy machine guns, shooting down a CH-21 near the Laotian border in July and killing its four man crew.

Major Robert Reuter was the commander of the UTTHCO in 1962 and took these rare shots of armed UH-1As in ﬂight in Vietnam from their base at Tan Son Nhut Airport. His photographs are now part of the US Army Aviation Museum’s archive. US Army Aviation Museum

One of the US Army Test Board aircraft used in developing the armament systems of the UH-1, seen here with the M-21 weapons system of miniguns and rocket pods on the universal fuselage mounts and an M-5 grenade launcher in a turret in the nose.The M-5 was ﬁrst tested on a UH-1A. US Army Aviation Museum

Another of the US Army weapons trials on the Bell UH-1A was ﬁtting six AGM-22 wire guided missiles.These were a licence built version of the French Nord S.11 anti-tank missile and were used in Vietnam from September 1965 onwards. US Army Aviation Museum

In order to protect the transport helicopters, the UTTHCO was formed using 15 UH-1As taken from the 53rd Aviation Detachment on Okinawa. The Hueys were extensively modiﬁed with weapons to enable them to act as an armed escort to the transports and to ensure the intended landing zone was clear of enemy activity and antiaircraft weapons. Experiments began with various free swinging door mounted machine guns aimed and ﬁred by the crew in the cabin. The best way to mount these was found to be on bungee cord, elasticated rope slung from the cabin roof, which effectively stabilised the weapons prior to the introduction of ﬁxed pintle door mountings later in the conﬂict. Mountings were also devised by the UTTHCO senior engineers to allow rocket packs to be carried on the skids, these containing seven or eight of the 2.75in Folding Fin Aerial Rockets (FFARs). Alongside these were a .30 cal M-37 or 7.62mm M-60 machine gun, again in

improvised mounts on the skids, both these and the rockets being ﬁred by the pilots. Two of the unit’s engineers, Chief Warrant Ofﬁcers Clemuel Womack and Cleatus Heck were to be responsible for the development of a standardised mount for rocket pods which would be adopted throughout the Huey ﬂeet. Back in the US, a single UH-1A, 58-2038, had been redesignated as the XH-1A and used for a variety of weapons trials, including the ﬁtting of a grenade launcher in a turret on the nose. Meanwhile, using the improvised mounts, the UH-1As of UTTHCO under the command of Major Robert Reuter began ﬂying missions on October 16, 1962, their task being to protect the transport helicopters and ARVN forces engaged in Operation Morning Star, aimed at clearing Tây Ninh province of enemy personnel. From these small beginnings, the armed version of the UH-1 grew in complexity and capability and would eventually develop into an entirely new design, but that helicopter will be covered in another issue of Aviation Classics.

The UH-1A had proved itself a quantum leap forward in performance over the earlier piston powered helicopters and was already proving incredibly adaptable despite still being under evaluation from its recent entry into service. The early experiences of Huey crews in Vietnam showed that the aircraft was more than rugged enough to take the stresses of operational ﬂying and simple enough to easily maintain in the ﬁeld. However, the US Army had also recognised that the performance of the UH-1 would have to be increased still further in future model in order to fully enable it to meet their needs in all environments, especially the hot and high conditions to be found in southeast Asia. These requirements had been put to Bell and an order placed for an improved version as early as July 1959 while the UH-1As were still being delivered. This would lead to the UH-1B, and a plethora of sub-types as will be described next. ■ Words: Tim Callaway The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 39

short body variants The UH-1B to UH-1P

The introduction of the UH-1A into ser vice had revealed restrictions in the performance of the aircraft particularly in hot and high environments. In July 1959, the US Army issued a contract to produce four prototypes of a new version of the helicopter, one which was to solve these issues and spawn an incredible series of variants.

E

ven though the ﬁrst production variant of the Bell UH-1, the UH1A was considered an evaluation and trials version of the type by the US Army, it was already proving its reliability and adaptability in the medevac and armed helicopter escort roles on active service in Vietnam. Prior to these ﬁrst deployments, the US Army had recognised the need for greater power and performance from the helicopter, particularly during an exercise held in

The classic image of the Huey in Vietnam and the lifeline it represented to the deployed troops in the ﬁeld. Here, during Operation Macarthur in December 1967, a UH-1B ﬂies a resupply mission for B Company, 1st Battalion of the 8th Infantry some 20 miles southwest of Dak To. US Army

40 short body variants

Panama and earthquake relief mission in Chile, where the heat and altitude reduced the useful payload of the UH-1 and limited its mission effectiveness. Bell was already considering a number of improvements to the rotor and airframe and Lycoming had developed a more powerful version of the T53. All of these were discussed with the army, resulting in a contract in July 1959 for four prototypes designated YUH-1B, the ﬁrst of these ﬂying on April 27, 1960.

Bravo Blades

The new variant of the engine, the T53-L-5, produced 960hp, an increase in power that was absorbed by a redesigned main rotor. The blades were increased in chord from the original 14in (35.56 cm) to 21in (53.34 cm) wide but retained the original span of 44ft (13.41m). The blades were now made with an extruded aluminium D section leading edge spar covered in a protective stainless steel anti-erosion strip. Behind the spar the body of

One of the lesser known roles for the UH-1B in Vietnam was conducting ‘psyops’, psychological warfare against enemy forces using powerful broadcast speakers. US Army

the blade was built with a lightweight honeycomb core covered in a glass ﬁbre skin, making the new blades both stronger and lighter than those of the earlier Hueys. The most obvious change was in the rotor mast, which was increased in height by 13in (33.02cm) giving the main rotor greater ground clearance and improving its aerodynamics. The cabin was enlarged again and was now able to accommodate three stretchers, two ambulatory casualties and a medical attendant in the medevac role. As a transport, two aircrew and seven troops and their equipment could be carried or the canvas seats could be quickly and easily removed and up to 3000lb of cargo loaded internally. The maximum loaded weight of the Huey had increased from 5800lb (2631kg) in the UH-1A to 8500lb (3850kg) in the B model, nearly a third increase in load lifting capability. The US Army began testing the ﬁrst UH-1Bs in November 1960 with the ﬁrst production aircraft entering service in March the following year. Two sub-types were designated, a single NUH-1B which was used for testing a variety of new systems and a pair of GUH-1Bs which were ground instructional airframes. With the deployment of UH-1As to Vietnam with the Utility Tactical Transport Helicopter Company (UTTHCO) in October 1962, the limitations of the early armed Huey became apparent as they carried out their role as armed escorts to larger transport helicopters. These ﬁrst ﬁeld modiﬁcations allowed both rockets and machine guns to be carried, but ﬁxed in the direction of the line of ﬂight, limiting their usefulness. The increased lifting capacity of the UH-1B allowed a greater range of weapons to be carried; to complement this a variety of mounts were developed to improve the UH-1s offensive and defensive capabilities. A complete description of the weapons systems and mounts developed for the Huey would ﬁll this issue on its own, so the major systems ﬁtted to the early ‘short body’ models are listed in the accompanying table. ➤

The increased power of the UH-1B is evident in this photograph of one recovering another while on exercise in the southern US. US Army Aviation Museum

UH-1 major weapons systems and moUnts There were a number of ﬁeld modiﬁcations to arm the UH-1 for its escort role in Vietnam.These were followed by ofﬁcial developments, initially given X or experimental designations, of which the most common systems are described here. There were others, such as the XM18 which featured podded versions of the M134 miniguns but these are the most common ﬁts. Note: the 2.75in rockets referred to throughout are the Mk.4 or Mk.40 Folding Fin Aerial Rockets (FFAR).

Us army

XM3/M3 – Initially referred to as Aerial Rocket Artillery (ARA) the concept was to provide overwhelming ﬁrepower in the ﬁrst stages of an assault.Two 2.75in rocket launchers comprising 24 tubes each were ﬁtted on Bell Helicopter produced mounts on either side of the rear cabin and linked to a Mk.8 sight in the cockpit. These could be ﬁred in pairs or salvoes of up to six pairs a second.The original XM3 was given longer tubes to improve accuracy to become the XM3E1, this model becoming the M3, initially ﬁelded in 1963.The following year the US Army Limited War Laboratory developed the Troop Landing Smoke Screen (TLSS) based on the M3 but using the rocket tubes to launch M8 smoke grenades to cover helicopter assault landings. Fitted to the UH-1B, C and M models. XM5/M5 – A single UH-1A, 58-2038, had been redesignated as the XH-1A to test a nose mounted turret for an M75 40mm grenade launcher, later designated XM5.The turret was aimed by the copilot via a hand controller and an electronically linked sight or in ﬁxed forward mode by the pilot with a trigger on the cyclic. Depending on the other equipment ﬁtted to the helicopter, the system could be provided with either 150 or 302 rounds of ammunition with a feed to the nose bay. Fitted to the UH-1B, C and M models.

A Bell UH-1B ﬁtted with the 48 3.75in rocket M3 launcher system referred to as Aerial Rocket Artillery (ARA). US Army Aviation Museum

A Bell UH-1B ﬁtted with the M3 rocket system, the pilot’s M8 sight is visible in the cockpit. US Army Aviation Museum

A Bell UH-1B ﬁtted with an early version of the XM5 nose turret for an M75 40mm grenade launcher. US Army Aviation Museum

The M156 universal mounts could carry a range of weaponry. Here ﬁtted to an Army Aviation Test Board UH-1B, the starboard mount are ﬁtted with two M60 ‘Flex’ guns and an M200 rocket pod. US Army Aviation Museum

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 41

The M6, the famous ‘Quad’ or ‘Flex’ gun system used the new M156 mounts with four M60C 7.62mm machine guns fed by electric drive motors from ammunition boxes under the rear bench seat in the cabin.The guns are shown here in their depressed position. US Army Aviation Museum

The M16 added two M157 or M158 rocket pods to the M6, each containing seven tubes for 2.75in rockets which were aimed via an M60 reﬂex sight mounted in the cockpit. Here the M60s are shown in the fully raised position. US Army Aviation Museum

XM156/M156 – The ﬁrst ‘universal’ mount developed for a variety of weapons, usually ﬁtted on the fuselage sides at the rear of the cabin under the centre of gravity. During trials these were also ﬁtted at the forward end of the cabin, a practice used rarely on operational aircraft due to centre of gravity limitations. A similar mounting, known as a Kellett pylon had been developed by UTTHCO during early 1963 and allowed a similar variety of weapons to be carried, including bombs and napalm tanks, but these were quickly replaced by the M156 on service aircraft. Both types could be ﬁtted with two pylons per mount for weapons, or carry a single pylon with machine guns mounted on the ends. Fitted to examples of all of the early models of the UH-1. XM6/M6 – The famous ‘Quad’ or ‘Flex’ gun system was the ﬁrst to use the new M156 mounts with four M60C 7.62mm machine guns fed by electric drive motors from ammunition boxes in the cabin. Trials took place in the forward and rear mounted position, the latter becoming standard on operational aircraft.The M6, as it was designated in May 1963, could also be ﬁtted with four twin tube MA-2/A 2.75in rocket launchers on each mount.This was a tremendous increase in ﬁrepower and capability for the UH-1, not least because the co-pilot could steer the guns by depressing a ‘dead man switch’ on the pantographic sight mounted in the roof.This sight allowed the guns to be elevated up to 15º above or depressed to 60º below the helicopters line of ﬂight, or moved up to 12º inboard or 70º outboard, the guns having a safety cut off to prevent ﬁring into the fuselage. If the deadman switch were released, the hydraulically driven mounts automatically returned to the ﬁxed forward position, the pilot being able to ﬁre them in this mode using the trigger on his cyclic.The four guns ﬁred 2200 rounds a minute, the ability to offset them from the line of ﬂight making them far more effective than the earlier mounts. Simple and reliable, the M6 system often had rocket launchers added in the ﬁeld, the additional ﬁrepower being further supplemented by door gunners with bungee slung M60 machine guns. A development, the XM9, saw the four M60 machine guns removed and two M75 40mm grenade launchers ﬁtted in their place, but this was not widely adopted.The M6 was ﬁtted to the UH-1B and C models.

A close up of the XM26 system on a UH-1B showing the front end of the missile pod and the nose mounted sensor and aiming turret. US Army Aviation Museum 42 short body variants

The co-pilot’s cockpit of a UH-1B ﬁtted with the XM26 system showing the sensor turret binocular sight and missile steering controller. US Army Aviation Museum

The M17 system used the Kellett two pylon mount to ﬁt four M159 rocket pods carrying 19 2.75in rockets each, a system ﬁtted here to a UTTHCO UH-1B, but not widely adopted due to its weight. US Army Aviation Museum

The M22 system ﬁtted six AGM-22A wire guided anti-tank missiles, a licence built version of the Nord S-11, aimed via an XM-70 sight. US Army Aviation Museum

XM16/M16 – A development of the M6, this added two M157

or M158 rocket pods to the M156 universal mount along with the four machine guns. Both pods contained seven tubes for 2.75in rockets and were aimed via an M60 reﬂex sight mounted in the cockpit. Like the M6, this system was ﬁtted to both UH-1B and Cs. XM17/M17 – The Kellett two pylon mount was used to ﬁt four

M159 rocket pods carrying 19 2.75in rockets each, a system ﬁtted to a number of UTTHCO UH-1Bs and Cs.There is some evidence to suggest a version based on the M156 mount was also tested, but the weight of the M17 system limited its usefulness and it was not widely adopted. XM21/M21 – Another development of the M16 system in which

the four M60 machine guns were replaced by a pair of M134 six barrelled machine guns known as Miniguns.The high speed rate of ﬁre was a devastating 4800 rounds per minute with both guns ﬁring together. Either the original seven tube or a 19 tube rocket launcher could also be carried on the M156 mount. XM22/M22 – Experiments to ﬁt guided missiles to the UH-1 began with the AGM-22A, a licence built version of the Nord S-11 wire guided anti-tank missile aimed via an XM-70 sight.The M22 system was developed from this, six missiles being carried, three on each side of a UH-1B or C on an extended M156 mount.The M22 system had a number of improvements over the early trials, including the upgraded AGM-22B missile and the XM58 stabilised sight.The ﬁrst 12 UH-1Bs with the M22 system were deployed to Vietnam in September 1965, but saw limited use due to the lack of suitable targets. One other system was developed to use the AGM-22, built by Warrant Ofﬁcer Robert Maxwell in theatre.The Maxwell system as it became known adapted the M3 weapons system ﬁtted to his unit’s helicopters by removing one or two banks of six rockets from the 24 tube packs on either side of the UH-1. A custom built short pylon was then added to the outside of the M3 packs with a launch rail for a single AGM-22B.

Later door gun mounts were developed to carry the M60, or as seen here mounted on US Navy UH-1s, the Browning .50 Cal or M134 minigun.The Sagami mount was widely adopted as were a number of other pintle systems for door gunners. US Navy

A close up view of the AGM-22A missiles of the M22 system on their mount. US Army Aviation Museum

Warrant Ofﬁcer Robert Maxwell adapted the M3 weapons system by removing one or two banks of six rockets from the 24 tube packs then adding a launch rail for a single AGM-22B. US Army Aviation Museum

A rare colour shot of one of the UH-1Bs ﬁtted with the XM26 system with two pods of three Hughes BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles with the nose mounted sensor and aiming turret. US Army Aviation Museum

Two views of the M21 system with a pair of M134 six barrelled machine guns known as Miniguns mounted on the ends of the M156 mounts which could also carry a seven tube or a 19 tube rocket launcher. US Army Aviation Museum

XM26/M26 – The second generation of anti-tank missiles were

also carried by the UH-1 in the form of a triple tube launcher pod for the Hughes BGM-71 TOW developed in 1963.These pods were supported by a specialised raised pylon, the system including the sight and sensor turret mounted in the copilot’s nose glazing. Two UH-1Bs, 62-12553 and 62-12554, were modiﬁed and ﬁring trials were conducted in Germany in 1964.The development of the AH-56 attack helicopter cancelled the UH-1 TOW programme and these aircraft were stored.The Easter Offensive and the increased use of armour by the North Vietnamese Army in 1972 meant the two TOW Hueys were deployed to Pleiku with the 1st Air Battalion. Here they were a decisive factor in the Battle of Kontum in late May, striking 47 targets which included 24 tanks. XM29 – The bungee mounted door guns on the UH-1Bs and Cs

had a number of shortcomings, so the XM29 pintle mount was developed to support an M60D 7.62mm machine gun. While more effective than the bungee cords, the mount meant that no other armament could be carried so limited its use. Due to this, a frame mount that could swing out from the rear of the cabin was developed, known as the Sagami mount.This could take a single or pair of M60s, an M2HB machine gun or an M134 Minigun and was ﬁtted to UH-1Bs, Cs, Fs, Ps and Ms, including those of the US Navy. XM50/M50 – A number of UH-1Bs, Cs and Ms were ﬁtted with both the M5 and M16 or M21 armament systems, designated M50 in combination. XM52/M52 – An oil tank and pump were mounted in the rear cabin under the seats which sprayed oil into a ring of nozzles in the engine exhaust.This produced a thick white smoke for up to three minutes to cover assault landings and was best delivered at less than 90kts (166kph) and 50ft (15.2m) in altitude.

One of the two XM26 equipped UH-1Bs seen during the early trials before a period in storage after which the aircraft were camouﬂaged and sent to Vietnam. US Army Aviation Museum

When the M16 or M21 machine gun system on the M156 mounts was ﬁtted along with the M5 grenade launcher in the nose turret, the combination was referred to as the M50 as seen here. US Army

The sling holding this M60 is typical of the early bungee cord door gun mounts. US Army Aviation Museum

US Air Force

XM93/XM93E1/M93 – Two M134 Miniguns were ﬁtted on door mounts in USAF UH-1Fs and Ps.The E1 version of the system included an M60 reﬂex sight for the pilot who could ﬁre the guns remotely when locked forwards. A separate mount and pylon was often ﬁtted along with the door guns to carry a pair of seven tube rocket launchers of varying types. XM94/M94 – As per the XM93, but one or both of the M134

Miniguns was replaced by an M129 40mm grenade launcher. This system was also ﬁtted to USAF UH-1Fs and Ps.

US MArine corpS

TK-2 – The US Marine Corps developed the Temporary Kit 2 weapons system for its UH-1E helicopters, designing and fabricating its own mounts to support two M60C 7.62mm machine guns on each side of the rear cabin. Outboard of these a single pylon was ﬁtted at the end of the mount and could take a variety of weapons, most frequently seven tube rocket launchers, but could also carry General Electric SM-14 pods housing Browning .50 cal machine guns.The ﬁrst of these kits was delivered to VMO-6 at Camp Pendleton in January 1965. TAT-101 – The Emerson Tactical Armament Turret 101 was only

ﬁtted to US Marine Corps UH-1Es and consisted of two M60 machine guns mounted under the centre of the nose with 1000 rounds of ammunition. Used from April 1967 until the end of 1972, the turret could rotate through 220º of arc, elevate 15º and depress 45º, giving the weapon a similar ability to the US Army’s M6 system. Maintenance and ammunition feed difﬁculties led to the turret being withdrawn at the end of the Vietnam War.

Two US Marine Corps UH-1Es ﬁtted with the Temporary Kit 2 (TK2) weapons system with two M60C 7.62mm machine guns and seven tube rocket launchers. Note both aircraft also have the Emerson Tactical Armament Turret 101 with two M60 machine guns. USMC

A UH-1C ﬁtted the M50 system comprising the M5 along with the M21 systems. US Army Aviation Museum

A close up of the Temporary Kit 2 (TK2) weapons system with two M60C 7.62mm machine guns and a seven tube rocket launcher on a USMC UH-1E. USMC The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 43

Loaded for bear. A UH-1B ﬁtted with the M3 rocket packs containing 48 2.75in Mk.40 FFARs and the M5 nose mounted 40mm grenade launcher turret. US Army Aviation Museum

A UH-1B showing the ‘bell mouth’ air intake to the engine, nose mounted antenna and pitot head and the base of the M156 common weapon mounts just aft of the cabin doors. US Army

The UH-1B was also used to conduct long range and ferry experiments with external tanks. Bell

A UH-1B ﬁtted with the M3 Aerial Rocket Artillery or ARA system, with the second 24 rocket pack in the cabin. US Army Aviation Museum

Between March 1961 and early 1965, 1030 UH-1Bs were to be built, forming the backbone of the US Army helicopter forces in Vietnam and achieving the Huey’s ﬁrst overseas sales, to Australia and Norway. By the end of 1964 there were 300 UH-1s in the South East Asia theatre, having replaced such types as the Piasecki H-21 that they had previously escorted. As a result the role of the UH-1 in Vietnam became that of the primary transport for troops, equipment and supplies alongside its escort and gunship missions. To better fulﬁl these roles, as production continued the engine was changed to the 1100hp Lycoming T53-L-9 or 9A and later still the -11 version of the turbine, the extra 140hp these offered increasing the payload capabilities of the Huey still further.

As the aircraft developed, so did the tactics governing their use. The UTTHCO took a page out of the US Marine Corps book in April 1963 with the introduction of the ‘Eagle Flights’, a technique the Marine helicopter units had begun using the previous year. The ﬂuid nature of the guerrilla war against the Viet Cong meant the reaction time of the forces combating them had to be reduced to a minimum, or the ﬂeeting enemy forces could disappear as quickly as they emerged from the countryside and were discovered by reconnaissance forces. To achieve this speed of response, self contained ﬂights of helicopters were organised, consisting of a command Huey, between six and eight transports or ‘Slicks’ as they were known, ﬁve or six gunships, referred to as

‘Frogs’, ‘Guns’ or ‘Cobras’ depending on the unit and the weaponry carried, and ﬁnally a single Medevac or ‘Dustoff’ Huey was included on many missions. These Eagle Flights were essentially troops and helicopters arranged in a quick reaction force, able to respond swiftly to reconnaissance and other intelligence data regarding enemy movements. Once the Eagle Flight had engaged the enemy force, then a decision could be made about the level of reinforcement required, another ﬂight could be despatched, or a larger response organised, depending on the size of the enemy force encountered. As the US helicopter forces in Vietnam were built up, the companies of the newly arrived Aviation Battalions each formed their

44 short body variants

A grainy but interesting shot of the USS Garret County, a Second World War Landing Ship Tank (LST) converted for use as a helicopter platform and patrol craft tender. Moored in the Mekong Delta, the ship has a UH-1B furthest from the camera, with either a UH-1C or M with its broader ﬁn closer to the camera. US Navy

The Bell D-255 Iroquois Warrior mock up presented to the US Army for the Advanced Aerial Fire Support System (AAFSS) programme. Bell

The increased lifting power of the UH-1B allowed combinations of armament such as t he M50 to be carried, here consisting of the M5 nose mounted 40mm grenade launcher turret and a pair of M156 mounts with the quad M60 ﬂex guns and two seven tube rocket pods. US Army

own ﬂight, a reorganisation that gathered pace as the UH-1 replaced the CH-21 completely. One problem began to emerge from these ‘Huey only’ escorted troop transport and assault missions. The Slicks were some 20 knots faster than the armed Hueys, hence their nickname, which meant they had to reduce their cruising speed to keep the formation together. It also meant that if the formation was broken up for any reason, the Hogs often had a difﬁcult time in regaining their escorting position. This problem was already being addressed by the US Army, Bell and several other helicopter manufacturers.

D-245 Warrior, followed by a reﬁned design known as the D-255 Iroquois Warrior in 1962. Interest from the US Army led to Bell funding a concept demonstrator, the Model 207 Sioux Scout, a much modiﬁed OH-13S with a tandem two seat cockpit, chin turret and stub wings for weapons carriage. This ﬂew on June 27, 1963, and was sent for evaluation by the 2nd Air Assault Division at Fort Benning in Georgia. The pilots who ﬂew the aircraft were impressed, but called for more power and a larger weapons capability. The Army launched its Advanced Aerial Fire Support System (AAFSS) programme for a dedicated attack helicopter in 1964 which was won by the Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne, but the development problems with this helicopter were to cause its cancellation in 1972. The complexity of the AH-56 and the apparent delays almost from the outset of the project prompted Bell to further develop its D262 AAFSS entry in March 1965, the intention being to offer an interim attack helicopter to the US Army. Known as the Model 209, the prototype of this two-seat attack helicopter ﬁrst ﬂew on September 7 of that year, its speed of

Other develOpments

In a related sideshoot to these developments of the Huey, its success in the armed roles had highlighted the need for a faster and more manoeuvrable helicopter to perform attack and ﬁre support missions, although this had been recognised by Bell very early in the development of the type. The company had proposed a two seat attack version based on the Huey powerplant, rotor and tail boom as early as 1958 with the

development being attributable to its extensive commonality with the UH-1 airframe and systems. A highly successful evaluation by the US Army that began in December, combined with the worsening situation in Vietnam, led to an order being placed for 110 production aircraft being placed in April 1966. These were designated the AH-1G and named HueyCobra, most often shortened to just Cobra, the ﬁrst of these fast gunships being deployed to Vietnam in 1967. The full story of this remarkable aircraft will be the subject of a future issue of Aviation Classics. As the attack concept was progressing, Bell began investigating the civil applications of the Huey at the same time. The performance and economical operating costs of the turbine powered helicopter made good ﬁnancial sense a variety of civil roles that had been previously limited by the capabilities of the earlier piston powered aircraft. As a consequence, Bell found a ready market for a civil variant, the ﬁrst Bell 204B, based on the UH-1B, being delivered in 1961. The civil Huey variants, roles and customers will be covered later in this issue. ➤ The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 45

Bell funded an AAFSS concept demonstrator, the Model 207 Sioux Scout, a much modiﬁed OH-13S with a tandem two-seat cockpit, chin turret and stub wings for weapons carriage. Bell

Charlie Changes

While the UH-1B was an marked improvement in performance over the A model, particularly in the later batches with the 1100hp versions of the T53 turbine, Bell considered that there was still a great deal more that could be done aerodynamically to improve the Huey still further in its rapidly developing roles. While the new AH-1 gunship was in development, a faster and more manoeuvrable Huey to ﬁll this role in the interim was obviously a desirable goal, but there were other issues that needed addressing too. One of the problems encountered by Huey pilots in Vietnam had been the phenomena of ‘retreating blade stall’, where the rotor blade moving in the opposite direction to the line of ﬂight would experience an aerodynamic

The developments led to a further Bell funded project, the Model 209.This is the second prototype of the Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter gunship, seen with the early retractable undercarriage. Its roots in the UH-1 design are unmistakeable. Bell

The UH-1C featured a broader chord ﬁn cambered 7º to port to help unload the tail rotor at high speeds. US Army Aviation Museum

ﬂutter or stall as it was moving in a much slower airﬂow relative to the direction the blade was turning. This was particularly found in high speed ﬂight, especially in diving attacks where the helicopter accelerated rapidly, or in tight turns or other manoeuvres that increased the loading on the aircraft. The vibration and other undesirable effects this had on the Huey caused strict limitations to be placed on the ‘velocity never exceed’ (VNE) or maximum permissible speed the early Hueys were allowed to ﬂy at, as well as restricting their manoeuvrability. Bell had a solution already in hand for this problem in the shape of its new Model 540 rotor system which had begun development in 1960. The new rotor featured a unique pitch change bearing called a ‘Door Hinge’, all of

the new hub bearings being Teﬂon coated which meant they did not require lubrication. The major difference was in the blades themselves, which were increased in chord from 21 to 27in (53.3 to 68.5cm) and had a larger 45lb (20.4kg) balance weight in the rotor tips. It was developed by Bell at its own expense and ﬁtted to a civil Model 204B for testing by the US Army. In a varied ﬂight programme the new rotor proved to have much reduced vibration characteristics at all airspeeds and at no time was retreating blade stall approached during any of the manoeuvres. The aircraft was ﬂown to 75º and 45º of angle of bank in tight turns and abrupt pull ups were made at maximum gross weight, all with positive control and no tendency to ‘mush out’ of a manoeuvre.

The US Army’s build up and reorganisation of helicopter forces in Vietnam included the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) which boasted a force of 428 helicopters on its own, arriving in theatre in August 1965. The sheer air power these forces could deploy was an impressive introduction of a whole new form of warfare. US Army Aviation Museum

The UH-1C solved many of the aerodynamic problems of the earlier Hueys through the addition of the Model 540 rotor with its broader 27in chord blades, simpliﬁed hub and pitch control mechanism. US Army Aviation Museum

Bruce Crandall was to win the Congressional Medal of Honour for his sustained bravery during the ﬁrst major 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) engagement, the battle of the Ia Drang Valley in November 1965. Here he is seen leading a formation of UH-1 helicopters from Alpha Company of the 229th Aviation Regiment just prior to takeoff in Vietnam later in 1966. US Army Aviation Museum

This serpent is painted on the door of Bruce Crandall’s UH-1D helicopter, a Huey variant covered in detail later in this issue. Such images enabled fellow pilots and ground commanders to identify pilots by their distinctive call signs and door markings. Crandall’s callsign was Ancient Serpent Six. US Army Aviation Museum

Throttle chops and autorotations were also ﬂown, the 70% increase in rotor inertia caused by the greater blade mass making this a far less critical manoeuvre over the earlier models as more energy was stored in the blades, allowing a straightforward engine out recovery to be made even at maximum gross weight. In short, the 540 rotor meant that the maximum speed restrictions on the Huey were no longer applicable, the rotor noise and vibration were much reduced, the Huey was much more manoeuvrable and very much easier to ﬂy and ﬁnally, due to the lubrication free hub and fewer parts in the new system, easier to maintain. The improved aerodynamics of the new rotor was complemented by improvements to the airframe, partly to assist in absorbing the greater power and partly to improve the manoeuvrability still further. A new tailboom was designed, 2ft 11.5in (0.9m) longer than the original including a wider chord ﬁn which was cambered 7º to reduce the loads on the tail rotor during manoeuvres. Added to this, new larger elevators were ﬁtted to improve pitch stability and a new dual hydraulic control system provided redundancy in the event of battle damage. Also speciﬁc to operations in Vietnam was the redesigned engine inlet, often known as a bell mouth, which could be ﬁtted with an improved air ﬁlter system to counter the extremely dusty conditions in theatre. The 1100 hp T53-L-9 was ﬁtted, and as production continued the -11 model of the

force of 428 helicopters on its own, mostly UH-1s. The unit had been formed by redesignating the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) on July 1, 1965, and sending it directly to Vietnam, the ﬁrst of the Division’s 15,787 men arriving at An Khe in late August. The lessons learned in the UTTHCO experiments and early operational experience of the Aviation Battalions and Helicopter Transport Companies in supporting ARVN forces prior to mid-1965 had been put to good use in the development of the ﬁrst US Army unit speciﬁcally trained and equipped for airmobile warfare. The ﬁrst major action for the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) was in the Ia Drang Valley during the Pleiku Campaign that November, countering a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) offensive in the Central Highlands. Between November 14 and 17, air assaults into Landing Zone (LZ) X-Ray in the valley brought the 1st Cavalry Division troopers into contact with the 32nd and 33rd Regiments of the NVA. The ﬁghting over the next three days and nights was unbelievably bloody and without pause, and has become the subject of a famous book, We Were Soldiers Once… And Young by the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, the ﬁrst unit into LZ X-Ray, Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore, and one of the greatest journalists of the period, Joseph L Galloway. Galloway was in LZ X-Ray for the entire battle and despite being a civilian, was awarded the Bronze Star for repeatedly ➤

same power was substituted. The internal fuel capacity was increased to 242 US Gallons (916 litres) and the gross weight was increased to 9500lb (4309kg), giving the new model a load capability of 4673lb (2120kg). Finally, the pitot static head and antenna that were mounted on the nose had proved vulnerable to damage, so were relocated , the pitot head ending up on top of the cockpit. In this guise the new version was designated UH-1C, production beginning in June 1965 with the ﬁrst deliveries to the US Army in September. A total of 755 C models were built, its arrival in Vietnam and its improved weapons payload capability and performance meant the gunship escorts could maintain their position in formation with the Slicks, and their increased manoeuvrability made them far more effective in bringing their weapons to bear on the ﬂeeting targets the opposing forces presented.

Cavalry (airmobile)

With the new capabilities bestowed by the UH-1B and C came the need for a new organisation to make the maximum use of the helicopters. The development of the Eagle Flight quick reaction forces has already been discussed, but other units had been transferred to Vietnam during 1965 as the US moved out of its advisory role and began committing ground forces to the ﬁghting. Most signiﬁcant of these was the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) which boasted a

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 47

Major Bruce Crandall’s UH-1D lifts off after discharging infantrymen on a search and destroy mission. US Army Aviation Museum

The US Marine Corps was the ﬁrst service after the US Army to develop its own versions of the Huey. Here Marine UH-1Es touch down with their loads at Fire Support Base Cunningham in 1969. USMC

A US Marine Corps UH-1E ﬁtted with the TK-2 weapons mounts with four M60 machine guns and a 500lb Fuel Air Explosive bomb.The door gunner also has an M60 machine gun. USMC

rescuing wounded soldiers during the battle. It is one of the most vivid accounts of modern warfare ever committed to paper and highly recommended for a full understanding of Airmobile operations. This ﬁrst major battle was to set the stamp on future US helicopter operations in Vietnam, as well as the use of artillery and air power to support them. Interestingly, it also developed the NVA’s response to such operations, which was to get in so close to the US troops that the defensive use of supporting ﬁrepower was impossible. The Division’s UH-1s were used in every possible role during this battle, including the new UH-1D which will be covered in the ‘long bodies’ article in this issue. Mention must be made of two pilots in particular, Captain Ed Freeman and Major Bruce Crandall, both of A Company of the 229th Helicopter Assault Battalion, the unit that had lifted Moore’s troopers into LZ X-Ray. On November 14, 1965, as the ﬁfth load of troops was being taken into LZ X-Ray, the enemy ﬁre was so heavy that the second ﬂight of eight UH-1s was told to abort their mission. Crandall immediately recognised that supply and medevac missions for the troops already on the ground would become critical, so he and Freeman volunteered to maintain supporting ﬂights into X-Ray with water, food and ammunition, as well as bringing wounded soldiers out. Freeman ﬂew 14 missions that day, Crandall 22, successfully evacuating some 75 wounded troopers and keeping vital supplies reaching those engaged in the ﬁghting. Other units, not unreasonably, had refused to land in the intensely ‘hot’ LZ, but Crandall and Freeman, in what can only be described as a

and operational requirements, rather than a central doctrine. As operations became larger and more complex, these differences in practices became critical as units found it difﬁcult to work together. Standardisation became vital, so on May 23, 1966, the 1st Aviation Brigade was formed as the command and training centre for all the independent helicopter units in theatre. Much to the US Army’s credit and clear thinking, despite this being an entirely new form of warfare, the brigade was responsible for standard procedures in training, supply, operational methods and maintenance, but combat command of the helicopters remained with the unit commander on the ground, achieving maximum interoperability, but costing none of the ﬂexibility and speed of response of the original arrangements.

48 short body variants

US Marine Corps UH-1Es were also ﬁtted with a personnel hoist on the cabin roof, seen here in the stowed position with hoist arm retracted and hook in its recess above the cabin door. USMC

display of sheer old fashioned guts, kept going back and forth. Their effect on the morale of the troopers so desperately engaged with the NVA is incalculable, as the soldiers knew supplies would be maintained and the wounded would be taken care of. Quite rightly, the sustained and repeated gallantry of both pilots was later recognised with the award of the Congressional Medal of Honour.

Brigade strength

The increasing number of helicopter units in Vietnam, some independent such as the UTTHCO, others a part of Infantry or other US Army Divisions, gave rise to an unusual problem. In this, the infancy of airmobile helicopter warfare, training, procedures and tactics were a matter of individual unit policy

Essentially, assault transport helicopters were attached to infantry units, to which reconnaissance, gunship, cargo, medevac and other assets were allocated as the need arose. By 1968, the Brigade included 95 units operating 4230 aircraft across the entire country, most of which were UH-1s.

THe HUey goeS To SeA

The success of the UH-1 with the US Army and the helicopter’s obvious high performance attracted the attention of the other US services. First was the US Marine Corps in 1962, which ordered a small number of UH1Bs to evaluate the type as part of its Assault Support Helicopter (ASH) competition. The winner was to replace two dissimilar aircraft in the Marine Corps inventory, the Cessna O-1B and C Birddog light observation aircraft and Kaman OH-43D Huskie, an unusual twin intermeshing rotor observation and utility helicopter. On March 2, 1962, the Marine Corps selected the UH-1 with certain changes to its equipment and construction. All of the magnesium components were removed from the airframe and replaced by aluminium, due to the nature of the Marine operational environment, salt water having a particularly deleterious effect on magnesium. As the new aircraft would be operating from the conﬁnes of ships’ decks, a rotor brake was added to slow and park the blades quickly as a safety precaution. Since one of the roles of the earlier Huskies had been combat search and rescue (CSAR) missions, a personnel hoist was added to the cabin roof and lastly, some of the avionics and radios were changed for

compatibility with existing Marine Corps systems. Based on the UH-1B airframe, the ﬁrst of the new UH-1Es, BuNo 151266, ﬂew on October 7, 1963, conducting carrier trials aboard the USS Guadalcanal during December before entering service with VMO1 at MCAS New River, North Carolina, on February 21, 1964. Altogether 209 UH-1Es were built, but after the ﬁrst 34 had been constructed, the Bell production line had geared up to build the UH-1C with its larger tailboom, increased fuel capacity and Model 540 main rotor. The remaining UH-1Es were therefore built to the C speciﬁcation, and although a quite different aircraft it retained the original designation. Marine Corps deployments to the Vietnam theatre saw its Hueys used in the troop transport, gunship and CSAR roles with VMO2 and VMO-6 from May and August 1965 respectively, followed by VMO-3 in December 1967. Before this in September 1964, two weapons systems had been developed for the UH-1E, the TK-2 and TAT-101, both of which are described in the adjoining table. Also during the conﬂict, many UH-1Es were upgraded with the introduction of the 1400hp version of the Lycoming turbine engine, the T53-L-13, giving them greater payload capabilities and improving their hot and high performance considerably. These helicopters were to be a reliable and popular addition to USMC inventory, 128 surviving the Vietnam War, many remaining in service until the mid 1980s. One other version of the UH-1E was designated; a pilot trainer known as the TH-1E, for which 20 BuNos, 154730 to 154749, were

The USAF UH-1Fs all featured the 1250hp General Electric T58-GE-3 turboshaft engine with a starboard facing exhaust.This is a Bell TH-1F pilot trainer version seen in 1975 when serving with the Instrument Flight Centre at Randolph Air Force Base. Ruth AS

allocated, but it is unclear if these were ever built as no constructor numbers are available. One UH-1E, 154778, was converted into a ground instructional airframe designated GUH-1E in 1986 and given the USAF serial of 84-0474, after which it was used at Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois before being transferred to the Dominican Republic Air Force.

USAF And nAvy HUeyS

The US Air Force interest in the Huey began with a requirement for a helicopter to support the many Intercontinental Ballistic Missile bases all across the United States. This would have to be able to carry 4000lb (1815 kg) of cargo or a missile site crew of up to 10 personnel. One further stipulation was the use of the 1250hp General Electric T58-GE-3 turboshaft to provide a parts and maintenance commonality with the Sikorsky HH-3 Jolly Green Giant ﬂeet then in service. Bell modiﬁed the short cabin UH-1B to take the new engine and added the longer 48ft (14.63m) span Model 540 rotor from the UH-1D. This was to absorb the additional power and provide the necessary performance to produce an aircraft initially designated the XH-48A. The longer rotor also meant the longer tailboom of the D also had to be ﬁtted; resulting in a short but powerful version of the Huey, later redesignated the UH-1F. In 1963, the upgraded design was selected as the competition winner, the ﬁrst of the 120 UH1Fs built ﬂying on February 20, 1964, before entering service with the 4486th Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base on September 23 later that year. ➤

A number of the USAF UH-1Fs were converted with weapons mounts as the UH-1P, including pintle machine gun door mounts as seen here.This is a preserved example in the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. USAF

A UH-1P ready for a covert mission, note the ﬂexible ladder that could be extended to pick up personnel when the helicopter could not land. USAF

Before the development of the UH-1L for the US Navy, a number of UH-1Bs, Cs and Ms were transferred from the US Army to HA(L)-3 to escort PBRs operating in the Mekong Delta, as seen here in 1968. US Navy

A Bell TH-1L Iroquois crew trainer of Helicopter Training Squadron 8 (HT-8) pictured in ﬂight over Northwest Florida. US Navy

An additional 26 airframes were built in 1967 to act as pilot and crew hoist trainers under the designation TH-1F, serving with a number of USAF ﬂying schools. During the Vietnam War a ﬁrst batch of 20 UH-1Fs were modiﬁed to take the M93 and M94 weapons systems as described in the separate table. These were used in the gunship role, often alongside the unarmed UH-1F transports and were known as UH-1Ps. The ﬁrst of these gunships were supplied to the 1st Special Operations Squadron (SOS) at Hurlburt Field in Florida for trials, the batch sent to Vietnam being operated by the 20th SOS, known as ‘The Green Hornets’. The UH-1Fs were to remain in service until replaced by the twin engined UH-1Ns during the 1980s.

The US Navy began using the UH-1 in 1965 with the formation of Task Force 116 in Vietnam. This force was established to keep the Mekong Delta free of enemy vessels and transport and was made up of Patrol Boats (PBRs) and SEAL special forces teams. Helicopters to support these forces were initially acquired from the US Army, which loaned eight UH-1Bs from the 197th Aviation Company to form four two ship ﬂights across the region, the ﬂights becoming known as the Seawolves, the ﬁrst to begin operations being Det 29 in October 1966. The ﬂights were ofﬁcially formed into Helicopter Attack (Light) -3 Squadron (HA(L)-3) in the spring of 1967, three more ﬂights being formed to cover the delta more effectively with 33 UH-1Bs being on

strength by 1969. The navy recognised two speciﬁc requirements for the UH-1 during this period which resulted in two more models being developed. The ﬁrst was on May 16, 1968, with Bell being awarded a contract to supply 45 TH-1L crew trainer helicopters based on the UH-1E but with the 1400hp T53-L-13 engine and improved avionics. The ﬁrst were delivered in November 1969 and eventually 90 of this version were built, alongside eight of a utility transport variant known as the UH-1L, ordered at the same time as the trainers. Four of the L variant were sent to the HA(L)-3 detachment at Binh Thuy and took part in Operation Sealords, which stood for Southeast Asia Lake, Ocean, River and Delta Strategy, the systematic cutting of North

50 short body variants

Above: On display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola Florida is this Bell HH-1K, the US Navy’s search and rescue version of the Huey.This aircraft is displayed in the markings of HA(L)-3, but actually saw service in Vietnam with HA(L)-5. Constance Redgrave Left: One USAF covert mission, known as Pony Express, supported secret missions and radar sites in Laos.This is a UH-1P of the 20th SOS at Duc Lap, South Vietnam, loaded with lumber and plywood sheets. USAF

Vietnamese supply lines from Cambodia via the rivers and Mekong Delta between 1968 and 1971. Here they were armoured and armed with a similar system to the US Marine’s TK-2 weapons and pylons, capable of carrying machine guns, rockets and 500lb (230 kg) bombs, both conventional and fuel-air explosive types. These two models were used as the basis for 27 HH-1Ks, an air sea rescue helicopter with additional mission equipment. The ﬁrst was delivered in May 1970, three being sent to serve a CSAR aircraft with HA(L)-3 in November that year.

The lasT shorT

The advent of the 1400hp version of the T53 engine gave rise to the several of the upgraded versions of the short bodied Huey as already discussed, the last of these being the US Army’s UH-1M. These were all conversions from UH-1Cs with the larger engine to allow better performance when fully loaded with weapons in the gunship role. As the T53-L-13 was also ﬁtted to the transport long body UH-1H

Hueys, it made sense from a spares and maintenance point of view to have a commonality of engines between the types. A number of additional sensor systems were ﬁtted to UH-1Ms due to their increased lifting power, including the Hughes Iroquois Night Fighter and Night Tracker (INFANT) low light TV, image intensiﬁer and Infra Red searchlight system to assist in aiming the M21 weapons system with its miniguns and rocket launchers. Five more UH-1Ms were ﬁtted with the AN/AAQ-5 Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR) turret in a similar position to the earlier M5 40mm grenade launcher, again used in conjunction with the M21 weapons system. At the same time as all these developments of the short bodied design had been going on, the cabin had been stretched to produce high capacity transport version of the helicopter. These have already been mentioned in this narrative as the stories of the long and short bodied Hueys intertwine. Known as the Bell Model 205 by the company, these variants will be described in full on page 56 of this issue. ■ Words: Tim Callaway

Two views of a UH-1M ﬁtted with the M21 weapons system and the Hughes Iroquois Night Fighter and Night Tracker (INFANT) low light TV, Infra Red and searchlight system to assist in aiming the weapons at night. US Army Aviation Museum The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 51

Proof of the longevity and reliability of Bell’s Huey. A pristine example of an early Bell 204B, OE-XBT, (c/n 2053) of Heli Austria, seen in the Austrian mountains on February 25, 2009. Christian Jilg

Civilising influence

The Model 204B and its developments. The high performance of the Bell UH-1, combined with its reliable and fuel efﬁcient engine soon attracted civil operator interest. Bell quickly realised the scope of this new market and developed the basic militar y utility helicopter in to one more suited to civil needs.

T

he primary requirements of both military and civil helicopters customers are mission performance and reliability. The latter are also looking for passenger comfort and most importantly cost effectiveness. In the Huey, Bell had produced a machine which amply met both markets’ needs, a rotary winged DC-3 equivalent if you will. The success of the Huey in military service, when combined with its high reliability, fuel efﬁciency and low maintenance and operating costs began attracting enquiries from civil customers as diverse as oil companies and law enforcement agencies as early as 1961. This prompted the development of a civil version of the UH-1B, known by its company model number, the Bell 204B. This differed from the military version in a number of important details, not least of which was the adoption of the longer 48ft (14.63m) span rotor and longer tail boom of the UH-1D, giving the 204B a maximum take off weight of 8500lb (3850kg). 52 Civilising influenCe

The door locks and catches were strengthened on the cabin doors, which were now jettisonable to act as emergency exits for the eight passengers that could be accommodated in the standard cabin. A range of custom cabin interiors with different seating layouts were also available and passenger steps were ﬁtted beneath each of the cabin doors to ease entry and exit. The cockpit remained a full dual control side by side two seat design, but was ﬁtted with civil avionics, such as radios and navigation systems. The ﬁre detection and extinguishing system was changed for a civil version and the external lights were improved to civil standards. Lastly, a 35cu ft (0.99cu m) baggage compartment that could accommodate 400lb (182kg) was added to the tail boom. The prototype Bell 204B, constructor’s number 1501, ﬁrst ﬂew on March 8, 1962, powered by the 1100hp Lycoming T53-L-9A which was changed to the -11 model of the engine on later production airframes. The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) granted type approval and certiﬁcation on

April 4, 1963, with 74 being built by Bell for a vast range of civil operators, as well as an additional 375 by Agusta in Italy and Fuji in Japan over the course of the next decade. The two licence builders also supplied Bell 204Bs with a range of engines to military customers, as will be described later in this issue. The advent of the UH-1D long bodied version of the military Huey in August 1961 also spawned a civil version, again known by the company model number, the Bell 205A. This ﬁrst ﬂew on March 22, 1967, powered by the 1100hp T53-L-11 engine and its cabin, stretched by 3ft 5in (1.04m), could now accommodate up to 15 passenger seats, operating at the same maximum weight as the Model 204B. After the ﬁrst 39 205As had been built based on the UH-1D, the UH-1H with the 1400hp T53-L-13A version of the Lycoming turboshaft became the basis of the Bell 205A1, with the maximum weight increased by an additional 1000lb (453.6kg). Like the 204, the 205 also had a baggage compartment in the tail boom, giving the A-1 model a total internal

A Bell 204B, C-GJLV, of Delta Helicopters of Alberta Canada, being ﬁtted with an underslung load of fuel drums. Delta Helicopters

A Bell 205A-1 of HeliQuest seen with an underslung load in New Mexico in June 2004. Note the pilot is using the extended cockpit door window for a clear view of the load and the area beneath the aircraft, a feature ﬁtted to many civil Hueys. Charlie Mauzé

One of the Bell 205A-1s that was upgraded to become a Bell 205B, N205VC, c/n 30066. Originally built in 1969, the aircraft was acquired by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department in December 1998. Brian Lockett

load capacity of 248cu ft (7cu m) in this and the enlarged cabin, the increased engine power allowing a 5000lb (2268kg) underslung load to be carried as an alternative. With the cabin ﬁtted to operate as an air ambulance, the 205 could carry up to six stretchers and two medical staff in addition to the two pilots. These capabilities made the 205 extremely adaptable as well as cost effective and attracted an even greater market than the earlier 204. After FAA certiﬁcation was granted on October 25, 1968, 332 Model 205A-1s were built at Fort Worth between 1968 and 1980. Like the Model 204B, these were supplied to both military and civil customers as well as being produced under licence in Italy, Japan and Taiwan. There was one additional version of the helicopter produced by Bell, the Model 205A-1A, identical to the 205A-1, but with the inclusion of fuselage strengthening for weapons mounts and a military avionics suite. Ten of these, constructor’s numbers 30068 to 30077, were produced speciﬁcally for the Israeli Defence Force Air Force for use as both troop transports and gunships, several later being sold to the Brazilian Air Force. The Model 205 was developed still further during the late 1980s to produce the Bell 205B, ﬁtted with the Lycoming T53-L-17A of

1500hp and achieving FAA certiﬁcation on December 6, 1989. A number of features from the twin engined Bell Model 212 were used, including the more tapered nose of the later model, the improved drive shaft and main and tail rotor blades. These changes improved the maximum weight performance to 10,500lb (4763kg) but in the end only ﬁve were built, four of these upgraded from 205A-1s, as at the time the market was ﬁlled with ex-military Hueys of practically every version built in the wake of the downsizing of the US military. A kit was offered to existing customers that allowed the engine and rotors of the Model 205B to be ﬁtted to 205A-1s as an upgrade, after which the helicopters were known as the Model 205A+. Both the civil and military versions of the Huey proved extremely reliable, giving long service in roles as diverse as police operations and ﬁghting forest ﬁres. Their continuing popularity meant that the concept of the Bell 205B was resurrected in the early 2000s with the Model 210. This was aimed at providing the US Army with a solution to its Light Utility Helicopter requirements and replacing the ageing ﬂeets of Hueys around the world with an extremely cost effective alternative to an all new type of

Bell 205A-1s were also supplied as a military utility helicopter to a wide variety of customers such as the Pakistan Air Force. PAF

The cockpit of the vastly upgraded Bell Model 210. Bell Helicopters

helicopter. The Model 210 programme took existing stocks of UH-1H fuselages, refurbishing them to as new condition and rewiring them completely. Like the 205B, these fuselages were then modiﬁed with the more tapered nose of the Bell 212, along with that model’s main and tail rotor blades. In addition, the 212’s main rotor hub, main and tail rotor support structures, transmission, control systems and entire tail boom were added to the refurbished fuselage. Powering the 210 was the 1800hp T-53517B version of the original engine, now produced by Honeywell which had acquired the turbine engine division of Lycoming from Allied Signal in 1999. The prototype Bell 210 made its ﬁrst ﬂight on December 18, 2004, achieving its FAA certiﬁcation in July the following year. Like the original Model 205B, this was only to be built in small numbers, as the market for the aircraft was still glutted with ex-military Hueys, as well as with newer and more fuel efﬁcient types of helicopters. Helicopter technology was developing and the advances were beginning to leave the original Huey single engined concept behind, but this was to be far from the end for the design. ■ Words: Tim Callaway The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 53

Oddities

and one offs

Testing the limits of the UH-1 The essential utility of the UH-1 design gave rise to a number of one off experimental machines, some exploring the boundaries of rotar y winged ﬂight, some testing unusual weapons carriage for a helicopter.

E

xperimentation with the Huey began almost as soon as the design was ﬁnalised. In 1959 the Transport Research Command of the US Army were investigating how the performance of helicopters could be best improved. To facilitate this programme, Bell took the ﬁrst YH-40, 56-6723, and extensively modiﬁed it as a research testbed to become the sole Bell Model 533. The emphasis of the ﬁrst phase of the project was streamlining, to which end a large fairing was added around the main rotor shaft and the engine intakes were redesigned ﬂush with this fairing. The simple cross tube mounts for the landing skids became faired airfoil section legs and the ﬁn was cambered to unload the tail rotor in forward ﬂight. This last modiﬁcation was to be adopted on production UH-1s as it proved to have signiﬁcant performance and manoeuvrability beneﬁts. Even the door hinges were redesigned to eliminate as much drag as possible to produce a really ‘slick’ airframe. Powered by a 1400hp Lycoming T53-L-13 turboshaft, the 533 lacked the Bell trademark 54 oddities and one offs

Top left: The Bell Model 533 was ﬂown in a variety of forms during its many trials, seen here in compound form with the podded Continental J69 turbojets and wings. US Army Aviation Museum Top: The Model 533 with the wings but minus the turbojets. US Army Aviation Museum Above: The two bladed main rotor was replaced with a four bladed unit, and the J69 turbojets with Pratt and Whitney JT12A-3s on stub wings. Note the additional elevators mounted on the ﬁn. US Army Aviation Museum

stabiliser bar on the main rotor; instead it was ﬁtted with a variable tilt main rotor mast that maintained the fuselage in the lowest drag attitude regardless of the position of the rotor disk in ﬂight. The 533 made its ﬁrst ﬂight on August 10, 1962, achieving 188mph (302.56kph) in a shallow dive in March the following year. The second phase focused on power, which was increased with the addition of two podded 920lb (417.3kg) thrust Continental J69-T-9 turbojets on either side of rear of the cabin, with which the 533 eventually achieved 214mph (344kph) in March 1964. The engine pods caused turbulence over the elevator, so an additional elevator was mounted on the ﬁn opposite the tail rotor. The engines were later upgraded to the J69-T-29 version of the turbojet which produced 1700lb (771kg) thrust. During the trials, the original two bladed rotor was ﬁtted with broader chord blades, before being changed for a three bladed then a four bladed rigid design, providing valuable test data for later developments of the Huey. The 533 was also ﬁtted with two small swept wings to produce a compound helicopter, becoming the ﬁrst helicopter to ﬂy faster than

200 kts in October 1964 and achieving 250mph (402.34kph) in level ﬂight on April 6, 1965. The wings bestowed tremendous manoeuvrability as well as speed, allowing the 533 to sustain 2G turns and 60º of bank. The ﬁnal phase of the programme began in 1968. The wings were removed and new stub wings were ﬁtted higher up on the cabin sides, each with a 3300lb thrust Pratt and Whitney JT12A3 turbojet mounted on the end. In this conﬁguration, the 533 reached 316mph (508.5kph) in May 1969. Bell also developed a new ﬂight simulator and used a single UH-1A for the Joint Army Navy Aircraft Instrumentation Research Programme (JANAIR). Known as the Research Helicopter 2 or RH-2, the airframe was used between May 1, 1964, and February 28, 1966, as a ﬂying testbed for a wide variety of systems. During testing it was ﬁtted with computer based electronic ﬂight controls in place of the usual hydraulic and mechanical system, as well as a wide variety of new digital instruments and avionics including a head up display. One trial saw a large fairing containing a high-resolution radar mounted

UnUsUal armed HUeys The most common armed versions of the Huey have been covered earlier in this issue, but there were many experimental systems aimed at increasing the ﬁrepower of the helicopter in both attack and defence. Some of these included some surprisingly heavy weapons for a helicopter and required extensive modiﬁcations. The XM30 was an experimental system featuring fully ﬂexible faired in mounts for two XM140 30mm cannons, seen here in forward ﬁring and fully deﬂected positions. Each gun had 600 rounds stored in the cabin. US Army Aviation Museum

The Bell Model 211 Huey Tug with an underslung load of a 105mm M101A1 artillery howitzer and ammunition. US Army Aviation Museum

Other armament experiments included several different mounts for 20mm cannon, two of which are seen here on UH-1Bs in 1965. US Army Aviation Museum The sole Model 211, N6256N, seen carrying a test load during trials. Note the much larger engine cowling on this version, housing the 2650hp Lycoming T55-L-7 turboshaft. US Army Aviation Museum

above the cabin, intended to give the pilots proximity warning of obstacles in their path at night or in bad visibility. The hot and high conditions found in South East Asia had driven a great deal of the development of the early Huey, largely to improve the payload capability of the helicopter in those conditions. The US Army was using a number of heavy lift helicopters in theatre, such as the Sikorsky CH-37 Mojave, CH-54 Tarhe and Boeing Vertol CH-47 Chinook, particularly to move artillery and ammunition. Bell considered that a heavy lift version of the Huey would reduce the necessary diversity of the US Army’s ﬂeet and offer a cost, training and maintenance saving, so in 1966 began work on what was known as the Bell Model 211 Huey Tug. Based on a UH-1C, the Model 211 featured a new 50ft (15.24m) span main rotor with blades of 27in chord, and a 9ft 8in (2.94m) tail rotor, both driven by a 2650hp Lycoming T55L-7 turboshaft. A larger, stronger tail boom was ﬁtted, as was a strengthened main rotor mount, shaft and transmission, along with a new stability augmentation and control system which replaced the familiar rotor stabiliser bar.

A strengthened ﬂoor was ﬁtted to the pre-production YUH-1B to test mounts for heavy weapons.Two examples are shown here, a drum fed 20mm Oerlikon cannon, and the six barrelled 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon, capable of 2400 rounds per minute. US Army Aviation Museum

After extensive ﬂight testing, the Model 211 was ﬁrst revealed on September 3, 1968, and proved capable of operating at a maximum weight of 14,000lb. It was also capable of carrying a three ton external load, such as a 105mm M101A1 artillery howitzer and ammunition, to fulﬁl this important heavy lift role in Vietnam. Bell proposed that existing UH-1Bs and Cs could be modiﬁed to this standard as they were repaired or overhauled after tours in Vietnam. The Huey Tug, N6256N, was evaluated by the US Army at Bell’s test facility at Arlington, Texas, and at Edwards Air Force

Base and Bishop in California to test its hot and high performance capabilities between October 19 and November 7, 1968. The 211 proved to have a number of deﬁciencies, not least was insufﬁcient directional control at low speeds and high weights despite the larger tail rotor and augmented control system. All of the problems were capable of correction, but the US Army decided to continue with its existing heavy lift helicopters, so with no interest from the US Air Force, US Navy or commercial operators, N6256N remained the only Model 211 built. ■ Words: Tim Callaway The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 55

The long bodies The UH-1D and H

The limited internal cabin space of the early UH-1s caused Bell and the US Army to discuss a larger version of the helicopter that could carr y more troops in 1960. This was to lead to the two most produced variants of the Huey which would be exported worldwide.

A

s already explained, the original Hueys had been a tremendous success in every role the aircraft was asked to ﬁll, the turbine powered helicopter being a quantum leap in capability over earlier types. The higher powered B and C models ﬁtted with the broader chord rotors had the lifting capability to manage heavy weapon loads in the gunship role while dedicated attack helicopters were being developed. Indeed, the only criticism levelled at the Huey was regarding its limited internal cabin space in the troop transport role, especially when carrying door gunners for defence and covering ﬁre of the troops they were delivering to landing zones.

ENTER THE DELTA

In July 1960, the US Army ordered seven service test examples of a stretched version of the helicopter known as the YHU-1D, later to become the YUH-1D after the US Forces designation standardisation of 1962. Referred to by Bell as the Model 205, the most obvious change was the longer cabin, stretched by 3ft 5in (1.05m) to increase the capacity to 220cu ft (6.23cu m).

One of the seven YUH-1Ds ordered in 1960, still ﬁtted with the short tail boom and 44ft span rotor. US Army

This allowed an extra four seats to be ﬁtted, facing outboard on either side of the transmission housing that now extended into the centre of the cabin, bringing the total number of seats to 15. This typically allowed a crew of four, two pilots, a crew chief and a gunner, to be carried along with an infantry section of 10 troops and their equipment. The cabin stretch was greatly facilitated by the original construction of the Huey, the two main beams under the cabin ﬂoor being extended forward and the sides of the centre section being moved aft to leave the transmission housing box in the middle of the cabin instead of forming the rear wall as had previously been the case. Externally, the most obvious differences, aside from the longer transmission and engine housing with its revised cooling louvres, were the stretched main cabin sliding doors which now featured two windows instead of the original one, forward of which was a short hinged door with its own window. Both of these doors could be quickly removed in the ﬁeld and the Huey ﬂown without them, greatly speeding entry and exit from the cabin in the troop or cargo transport roles.

The longer cabin also allowed a total of six stretchers to be carried along with medical attendants in the medevac role, or up to 4000lb (1814kg) of cargo internally. The ﬁrst YUH-1D built, 60-6028, constructor’s number 701, made its maiden ﬂight on August 16, 1961, the test aircraft being ﬁtted with the 44ft (13.41m) span rotor and the T53-L-9 version of the turboshaft engine. However, ﬂight tests quickly proved the rotor and engine combination were insufﬁcient to enable the helicopter to achieve its full load potential. Bell addressed the deﬁciencies the test ﬂights revealed by changing the main rotor for one with blades of 21in (53.34cm) chord and 48ft (14.63m) span, which also required a redesign of the tail boom, lengthening it to accommodate the new longer rotor. This was driven by the 1100hp T53-L-11 version of the turboshaft and solved the performance shortfalls, the new rotor and engine increasing the maximum operating weight of the Delta model Huey to 9500lb (4309kg). US Army trials began at Edwards Air Force Base in California in March 1962 with the second YUH-1D, 60-6029, breaking

The production UH-1D featured a 48ft span rotor and therefore needed a longer tail boom to accommodate it. US Army

three world records for differing aspects of performance in April that year. These included two time-to-height climb records and a speed record over a closed circuit of 134.96mph (217.197kph). These successes led to the ﬁrst of several large production orders being issued, with the ﬁrst production UH-1D, 62-2106, being delivered to the US Army’s Aviation Test Board on May 31, 1963. Between September and December 1964, the UH-1D was to capture no fewer than 17 world performance records for helicopters, including a speed record of 180.17mph (289.95kph) over a two mile (3.2km) course and an altitude record of 35,147ft (10,712.8 m). The ﬁrst operational unit to receive the UH1D was the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) at Fort Benning in Georgia on August 9, 1963, which, as already related, was sent to Vietnam in July 1965 and redesignated as the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). These two helicopters were to be the ﬁrst of 2008 UH1Ds built for the US Army between 1962 and 1966, by far the majority of the total production run of 2561 of this version of the Huey, which includes 352 built under licence in Germany which will be covered later in this issue.

The UH-1D quickly became the standard troop transport for the US Army in Vietnam. Here a platoon from Troop B, 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) unload from a UH-1D helicopter hovering above the ridge line. US Army

Night fighters

As already mentioned, the UH-1D was to excel in the troop transport and medevac roles in the South East Asia theatre, becoming immortalised as a symbol of that conﬂict in television news programmes at the time and in movies and documentaries since the war’s end. However, there were a number of other remarkably specialist roles for the UH-1D, some of which are little known. One of these was the use of the UH-1D in the night interdictor and counter insurgency roles, a necessary and growing role as the North

Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong shifted more of their attacks, as well as their transport and resupply activities, to the hours of darkness to avoid the overwhelming US air power now deployed in country. The development of the night attack Hueys had begun with UH-1Bs and Cs in 1964, the Army gunships initially working with US Air Force illuminator platforms known as ﬂareships, often cargo aircraft such as C-47s or C-119s. However, ﬂareships were not always available, so the Hueys were modiﬁed to carry their own ﬂares and other ➤

UH-1D Iroquois helicopters airlift members of the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment from the Filhol Rubber Plantation during Operation Wahiawa, a search and destroy mission conducted by the 25th Infantry Division, northeast of Cu Chi,Vietnam. US Army The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 57

The UH-1D also began equipping medevac units from its introduction into the Vietnam theatre. The vertical stanchions and hook mounts for three stretchers can be seen in the cabin. US Army Aviation Museum

The temporary ﬂare systems were replaced by the XM19 which stored 24 Mk.45 ﬂares and deployed them through the cabin door. US Army Aviation Museum The ﬂareships began to be supplemented by the Fireﬂy or Lightning Bug illuminators, initially equipped with seven landing lights on a manually steerable mount in the cabin door. US Army Aviation Museum

illumination and sensor systems to detect and track enemy movements at night. These initially consisted of mounts for the same Mk.24 parachute ﬂares dropped by the ﬂareships, which produced two million candlepower and burned for about three minutes. These mounts, built and ﬁtted in the ﬁeld by individual units, attached differing racks with six ﬂares on the M156 universal weapons mounts or loaded them in containers in the cabin doorways of the Huey where they could be dropped manually. Eventually, the ofﬁcial XM19 system was introduced, which stored 24 Mk.45 parachute ﬂares in the cabin and ejected them sideways through the doors. The Huey ﬂareships began working in teams with accompanying gunships, but the ﬂare system proved limited so alternative illumination systems were developed. 58 the long bodies

One of the ﬁrst was again locally produced, using seven spare landing lights from USAF transport aircraft arranged in a cluster on a manually steerable mount in the cabin door of a Huey, creating a ﬂexible and powerful searchlight and area illumination device. These locally produced light clusters were eventually replaced by purpose built searchlights and other illumination devices. The advent of the UH-1D with its larger cabin allowed these lights to be mounted next to a door gun, such as a Browning .50 cal or M60 machine gun, the gunner engaging illuminated targets directly. Using this system, the lightships ﬂew in cooperation with a command aircraft or helicopter which ﬂew at high level and directed the illuminator on to targets. Once illuminated, the target would be engaged by the door gunner in the lightship,

The UH-1D and H night illuminators, known as ﬂareships, initially used a variety of systems to deploy the Mk.45 ﬂares, such as ejector racks mounted on the side, or simple bins where the ﬂares could be dropped manually. US Army Aviation Museum

distracting the enemy from the approach of the gunships ﬂying at low level which would then engage the illuminated area with their heavy weapons. These missions were known as Fireﬂy or Lightning Bug operations, the command platform usually being a low light TV or infrared sensor equipped helicopter or other aircraft type to provide initial target information and direction. While the Fireﬂy/Lightning Bug system was an improvement over the ﬂareships alone, the night and low light sensor technology was developing to allow the lightship Hueys to detect their own targets, speeding the process from detection to attack. A number of UH-1Ds were equipped with the powerful AN/VSS-3 Xenon 50 million candlepower searchlight from the M551 Sheridan light tank pintle mounted in the cabin door and steered by a crew member. This searchlight could operate in both white light and infrared modes, in a focussed or defocused beam. Alongside this was a new development, the AN/TVS-4 Night Observation Device (NOD), a medium range light intensiﬁcation device resembling a large zoom lens mounted on a tripod. The NOD had an 8in (20.32cm) aperture and a 40mm three stage ﬁrst generation light intensiﬁer tube with 6x magniﬁcation which gave it a range of 6560ft (2000m) in moonlight and 4000ft (1200m) in starlight. The range of the NOD was increased when used in conjunction with the Xenon searchlight in infrared mode as it increased the radiation levels the NOD had available to intensify. Alongside the NOD and Xenon was an M134 Minigun on a pintle mounting with a pair or single M60 on a similar mount on the opposite side of the cabin.

If the Nighthawk Huey did not wish to reveal its location to enemy forces by using the Xenon searchlight in white light mode, it could mark targets for the gunships with just the tracers from the M134 minigun. US Army

In the South East Asia theatre a number of UH-1Ds and Hs were ﬁtted with drum and pump or ram air systems in the cabin with spray bars extending from the sides to deliver a range of chemical defoliants and insecticides. US Army Aviation Museum

Two views of the AN/VSS-3 Xenon searchlight and the AN/TVS-4 Night Observation Device (NOD) mounted next to an M134 minigun on a Nighthawk UH-1H. Note the ﬂash suppressor muzzles on the miniguns. US Army Aviation Museum

In this guise the UH-1Ds became known as Nighthawks, operated by two pilots, a NOD and Xenon operator and two or three gunners to man the weapons. Nighthawk missions usually saw a single lightship ﬂying at low level, steered into known target areas by ground radar operators. Accompanying it were two gunships, ﬂying at a distance to evade detection by the enemy forces. Once the target was detected by the NOD and Xenon operator, either the Xenon was switched to white light mode to illuminate it, or the lightship’s minigun was used with tracer to pinpoint the position on the ground for the gunships to attack. Occasionally, a ﬂareship also accompanied the Nighthawk team to provide area illumination from altitude. As mentioned in the short bodied article, the Nighthawks were supplemented by the INFANT and FLIR equipped UH-1Ms in the latter stages of the Vietnam conﬂict. Like other models of the Huey, the UH-1D was also to be used for special forces and psyops missions, as well as a version ﬁtted with an aerial spray bar and cabin mounted drum to act as defoliant delivery aircraft, spraying Agent Orange and other chemicals to reduce the cover available to the North Vietnamese forces. Only one other variant of the UH-1D was produced, the HH-1D, specially equipped as a rescue and ﬁre ﬁghting helicopter for use at US Army and USAF bases. The cabin contained a 50 gallon (190 litre) tank that could deliver either water or foam via a spray system which included a 16ft (4.9m) retractable boom to allow the helicopter to remain clear of the hot air above a ﬁre. This would later be produced as a more powerful variant based on the next model of the Huey.

Mass produced Hotel

Even given the more powerful rotor of the UH-1D, there were still limitations on performance imposed by the hot and high altitude conditions found in South East Asia. Hovering, particularly out of ground effect at high loaded weights was simply not an option on many days, and it became obvious that more power was required. This came in the form of the new 1400hp T53-L-13 version of the Lycoming turboshaft, which was added to the UH-1D airframe to produce the Huey variant produced in greater numbers than any other, the UH-1H. Aside from the new engine, there were few changes between the UH-1D and H, the most obvious being the moving of the pitot head from the nose to the cabin roof. As with the short bodied variants, this was to avoid damage while the aircraft was on the ground, the nose mounted probe being prone to this. The production H also had a fully instrument ﬂight equipped cockpit to allow operations at night and in bad weather. The ﬁrst H was in fact modiﬁed from D, designated the YUH-1H and making its ﬁrst ﬂight in July 1966. The ﬁrst production UH1H, 67-17145, was delivered the following year and still exists today, as a gate guardian at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5202 at Waynesville in North Carolina.

The ﬁrst unit to be deployed to Vietnam equipped with the UH-1H was the 45th Medical Company who arrived at Long Binh in July 1967, the new type quickly replacing the UH-1D in the medevac role due to its greater performance. Like other Huey models, the UH-1H was to be produced under licence, in this case in Italy, Japan and Taiwan, with an astounding 5435 of this model being produced by Bell, Agusta, Fuji and AIDC. Bell’s production of 4845 UH-1Hs ended in December 1980, only to be restarted to fulﬁl an order for 55 helicopters from Turkey, the last one of which was delivered in 1987. With the end of the Vietnam War, mixed ﬂeets of UH-1Ds and Hs formed the backbone of the US Army’s transport and airborne assault units, as well as equipping the majority of the National Guard units in these roles. The H model Huey was also used in training roles at Fort Rucker and to equip the multinational observer unit in Sinai that monitored the military presence in the area. The introduction of the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk in 1979 saw the steady replacement of the UH-1 in US Army service from then onwards, with the last being retired from front line units in the US in 2005, the last leaving the US Army’s Joint Multinational Readiness Centre in Germany in April 2011. ➤ The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 59

The UH-1H was the powerful medevac and troop transport helicopter the US Army needed, quickly ﬁlling both roles.This UH1H is ﬁtted with an infrared jammer under the tail boom, air intake blanking plates and an exhaust that distributed the heat of the exhaust into the rotor, all of which were measures aimed at helping to defeat heat seeking missiles. Note the HF radio antenna zig-zagging down the tail boom. US Army 60 the long bodies

The National Guard units began to retire their UH-1Hs in 2009 as they were replaced by the Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota. However, UH-1Hs were to go into battle again in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm, being used by the 101 Airborne Division, the 1st and 24th Infantry Divisions, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Armoured Divisions and the 1st Cavalry Division in that conﬂict. The type also equipped 3 Squadron of the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force and 12 Squadron of the Royal Saudi Air Force during operations to end the occupation of Kuwait by Iraq. By 2014, 55 UH-1Hs were still listed as active with the US Army, mostly in training, test and reserve roles.

Other variants

While the majority of the UH-1Hs produced were used as troop and utility transports with all of the US forces, like the earlier short

bodied Hueys, the power and ﬂexibility of the UH-1H led to a number of specialist sub types being produced. The HH-1H was based on the ﬁre ﬁghting and rescue HH-1D variant, with 30 of these being delivered to the US Air Force between 1970 and 1973. These equipped the 37th and 304th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadrons as well as the 6512th Test Squadron and were ﬁtted with an electric rescue hoist above the cabin door, similar to that ﬁtted to the US Marine Corps UH-1Es. The tail rotor was also moved to the starboard side of the ﬁn. The US Air Force also acquired the UH-1H in the early 1970s for use by its Special Operations units, the last one of these being retired and transferred from the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field in Florida to the New York State Police in June 2013. In 1976, the US Army began to modify UH1Hs under Project Quick Fix IA and IB to

Aside from being reliable, the UH-1H was also long lived in front line US Army service. Here, a UH-1H of Battery B, 1st Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, 18th Aviation Brigade, ﬂies over an abandoned town in SaudiArabia during Operation Desert Shield on December 9, 1990. US Army

The M23 weapons system comprised pintle mounted M60 machine guns at both main cabin doors of the UH-1D, H and N. US Army Aviation Museum

Weapons systems of the long bodied Uh-1s It is worth noting that many of the weapons systems described in the short bodied article could be ﬁtted to the long bodied Hueys but rarely were.The D, H and N model had both a forward and rear hard point, which meant pylons such as the M156 universal mounts could be ﬁtted at the front or rear edges of the cabin door. XM23/M23 – The M23 consisted of a pintle mount at both main cabin doors for an M60D 7.62mm machine gun for self defence on airborne assaults.This was ﬁtted to the UH-1D, H and the later N. M56 – The M56 has two SUU-13D/A mine dispensers on reinforced M156 universal mounts and was ﬁtted to the UH-1H. XM59/M59 – A variation of the M23 where the pintle mounts could support either a Browning .50 cal machine gun or an M175 40mm grenade launcher as alternatives to the M60D. XM93/XM93E1/M93 – Two M134 Miniguns could be ﬁtted on door mounts in UH-1Ds, Hs and Ns.The E1 version of the system included an M60 reﬂex sight for the pilot who could ﬁre the guns remotely when locked forwards. A separate mount and pylon was often ﬁtted along with the door guns to carry a pair of seven tube rocket launchers of varying types.

develop an electronic warfare version of the Huey to locate and jam enemy radio communications among other tasks. Aside from the AN/ARQ-33 radio interception, location and jamming equipment, a suite of defensive aids was ﬁtted to these aircraft, including chaff and ﬂare dispensers, an infrared jammer and a radar warning receiver. A total of 22 helicopters were modiﬁed to become EH-1Hs, ﬁrst issued to the 82nd Airborne and 2nd Armoured Divisions. The 82nd were to deploy their EH-1Hs in combat during the invasion of Grenada in 1983. The lessons learned from the EH-1Hs led to a more advanced AN/ALQ-151 locating and jamming suite being ﬁtted to at least 10 more UH-1Hs, which were designated as EH-1Xs under Project Quick Fix IIA. Another system that was tested on a UH1H airframe in 1977 was the Multi Target Electronic Warfare System (MULTEWS), ➤

XM94/M94 – As per the XM93, but one or both of the M134 Miniguns was replaced by an M129 40mm grenade launcher. The M93 comprised of two M134 Miniguns on door mounts and often a separate mount for a pair of seven tube rocket launchers, as seen here on a Vietnamese Air Force UH-1H. US Army

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 61

Thirty HH-1Hs, a ﬁre ﬁghting and rescue variant, were delivered to the US Air Force between 1970 and 1973. Note the tail rotor is on the starboard side of the ﬁn. Ruth AS

The AN/ALQ-144 infrared jammer was ﬁtted both above and below the UH-1H during its career, this one seen at Fort Rucker during cold weather trials in 1978.This UH-1H is also ﬁtted with the air intake blanking plates and angled exhaust to help reduce the helicopters heat signature to a minimum. US Army

The JUH-1H(SOTAS) on the ground showing the longer undercarriage and the SLAR in the stowed position. US Army

aimed at providing counter mortar and counter battery radar jamming. This was known as the EH-1U, but the weight and vibration of the large externally mounted elements of this complex electronic warfare suite severely reduced the performance of the helicopter, which crashed during testing at Edwards Air Force Base. Two of the odder versions of the UH-1H went under the same designation, JUH-1H. The ﬁrst of these were ﬁve UH-1Hs modiﬁed as part of the Stand Off Target Acquisition System (SOTAS) programme. These were ﬁtted with longer undercarriage legs which could be retracted sideways to clear the AN/APS 94 Sideways Looking Radar (SLAR) mounted in a canoe shaped pod under the Huey’s cabin.

The radar head was mounted where the cargo hook had previously been and could rotate in ﬂight, the variant being equipped with improved navigation systems and a datalink to download the radar images to a ground station. Known as JUH-1H (SOTAS) helicopters, they were deployed to Germany and Korea in 1975 as part of an evaluation of the system, but were not replaced until 1986 with the introduction of the EH-60 Black Hawk variant. The second version known by the JUH-1H designation is a small number of UH-1Hs modiﬁed in the late 1980s and early 1990s with a false gunner’s cockpit in the centre of the nose to simulate the Mil Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter at the National Training Centre and other US Army training units.

62 the long bodies

The JUH-1H(SOTAS) version of the Huey in ﬂight with the undercarriage legs in the retracted position and the AN/APS 94 Sideways Looking Radar (SLAR) rotated sideways. US Army Aviation Museum

The helicopters were all painted with Soviet style camouﬂage and markings and essentially ﬁlled the aggressor role by simulating the air threat these helicopters represent to ground and other helicopter forces. Aside from these two sub types, there were a number of other JUH-1Hs used for trials and testing of a wide variety of modiﬁcations and equipment.

Modifications and upgrades The longevity and reliability of the UH-1H convinced the US Army to begin looking at a mid life upgrade programme for the helicopter in the early 1980s. This was to upgrade the avionics with new radios, navigation aids and a radar altimeter as well as adding new defensive systems such as

The sole UH-1H ﬁtted with the Multi Target Electronic Warfare System (MULTEWS), aimed at providing counter mortar and counter battery radar jamming. Known as the EH-1U, this helicopter crashed during testing at Edwards Air Force Base. US Army

A total of 220 UH-1H airframes were given a mid-life upgrade with improved avionics to become the UH-1V medevac and rescue version of the Huey. Bruce Leibowitz

an infrared jammer, modiﬁed exhaust and a chaff and ﬂare dispenser. The fuel system was upgraded as were the main and tail rotor control systems and an improved stabiliser bar was added to the main rotor hub. In November 1981, the US Army issued a request for proposals to provide composite main rotor blades for the UH-1H, Bell and Boeing responding with a joint programme to develop the blades. Test ﬂying began in 1985 and proved the new blades improved the hover performance and reduced the fuel consumption in forward ﬂight, so they were ordered into production with deliveries beginning in January 1988. Aside from the UH-1H utility helicopter ﬂeet, the navigation upgrades, which

Another type known as the JUH-1H was ﬁtted with a false gunner’s cockpit in the centre of the nose to simulate the Mil Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter for US Army training units. US Army

The latest upgrade to the long bodied single engined Huey is the TH-1H, an advanced pilot trainer for the US Air Force with the T53-L-703 engine and an all glass cockpit. USAF

included the radar altimeter, distance measuring equipment and an instrument landing system, were all added to the 220 UH-1H airframes during this period along with a cabin roof mounted rescue hoist. The modiﬁcations were carried out by the US Army Electronics Command in order to produce an upgraded medevac and rescue variant of the Huey which was known as the UH-1V. These equipped both Army and National Guard units until the mid 1990s when they began to be replaced by the UH-60A and later the UH-60Q variants of the Black Hawk, the last three UH-1Vs retiring on August 8, 2012. The most recent modiﬁed variant of the UH-1H is the thoroughly upgraded TH-1H pilot training version for the US Air Force.

This has all the features of the Huey II upgrade kit offered by Bell, including a new all glass digital cockpit, completely rewired airframe, an upgraded 1800hp T53-L-703 engine, transmission and rotor and the more streamlined nose shape of the Bell 212. The TH-1H is intended to allow trainee pilots to easily transition to such advanced rotary winged aircraft as the Bell CV-22 Osprey. The ﬁrst TH-1H was rolled out in November 2005, and an initial contract for nine helicopters was issued on January 25, 2006. Testing the aircraft and developing the training programme had the system ready for the ﬁrst class of trainees in the summer of 2007 and by 2014 40 TH-1Hs were in service. ■ Words: Tim Callaway The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 63

Big Toads, Scorpions and Armageddon The Huey in the armed forces of Latin America The Bell UH-1 has ser ved all across Latin America, from Mexico all the way down to Argentina, for almost 50 years. Most of the countries that have used or still use the Huey have operated them in a wide variety of roles, from humanitarian relief and Antarctic research support to the whole range of militar y operations as well as many other civil and industrial activities.

A rare picture of one of the 10 HU-1As sent by the US Army to take part in the relief operations in Chile in 1960. It was the ﬁrst operational overseas deployment of the Huey in its history.They operated alongside Argentine and Chilean Sikorsky S-55s. Ray Wilhite Archive

One of the Argentine Army UH-1Hs deployed to the Malvinas or Falkland Islands during 1982.The Huey proved extremely reliable and none of them were shot down during the war. All nine deployed to the islands were captured, but one was damaged beyond repair by artillery ﬁre. Eduardo Rotondo

An Argentine Army UH-1H on combat operations in Tucumán province in 1974 against communist guerrillas in the area. Two Hueys were lost in the operations, one to enemy ﬁre and the other in an accident. They performed air assault, close air support, medical evacuation and transport missions. Santiago Rivas Archive

One of the ﬁrst Argentine Air Force UH-1H ﬁtted with ﬂoats.These were brieﬂy used in the early 1970s. Santiago Rivas Archive

AE-405 was one of the ﬁrst Argentine Army UH1Hs used on air attack missions. Here it’s seen armed with two locally developed Martin Pescador air-to-ground missiles, tested on the aircraft but not used operationally. Also shown are two CITEFA launchers for Pampero 105mm rockets and the Gallo and Harry launchers for 70mm Albatros rockets. Santiago Rivas Archive

Left: First ﬂight of an Argentine Army Huey II with rocket launchers in 2010, ﬁtted with two Harry launchers for Albatros rockets. Santiago Rivas

T

he Bell Huey is one of the most widely used helicopters acquired by the armed forces of Latin America. The type has seen active service in many national antiguerrilla and counter insurgency operations, not to mention the Falklands War of 1982 between Argentina and the UK, where it was used in many military roles. Both Argentina and Chile have used Hueys on support missions in Antarctica, while every country’s aircraft have also seen use on humanitarian missions in the aftermath of disasters such as ﬂoods and earthquakes. The ﬁrst time the helicopter was deployed operationally outside the US was to Latin America. A massive earthquake struck southern Chile on May 21 and 22, 1960, killing or injuring many people and cutting them off from medical assistance. The US Government reacted by sending 10 Bell HU-1As of the 57th Medical Detachment to help, along with transport aircraft to support the helicopters and move vital supplies into the affected area. These 10 HU-1As ﬂew the ﬁrst active evacuation and support missions for what was then a brand new type of helicopter, working

alongside Sikorsky S.55s from Argentina and Chile. Only three years later, the forces of Columbia and Venezuela were to become the ﬁrst Latin American operators of the Huey when they received their ﬁrst UH-1Bs, followed after two more years by the Peruvian Air Force which acquired the larger UH-1D. Today, several Huey operators are replacing them with other types, but many are upgrading their aircraft to the current Huey II model, so the helicopter will be in service in Latin America for many more years.

ARGENTINA

Fuerza Aérea Argentina

The Argentine Air Force purchased six UH-1Ds in 1966 with the serial numbers H-10 to H-15. The ﬁrst arrived one year later and started to serve with the Grupo 1 de Contrainsurgencia (COIN) of the I Brigada Aérea at El Palomar Air Base, later named Grupo 1 de Ataque and from 1969 based in the VII Brigada Aérea at Morón, Buenos Aires (until the unit moved to Moreno Air Base in the late Eighties). Ultimately, only one of the order for UH1Ds was delivered, the others were UH-1H

models, the ﬁrst later being upgraded to H standard. They were usually armed with Browning 1919A1 7.62mm machine guns as well as either the six tube Mamboretá ARM 675A 57mm rocket launcher or the seven tube M-157C 70mm rocket launcher. Four of them were lost in accidents, leaving only H-10 and 14, so seven new helicopters were purchased and started to arrive from May 1998 onwards, receiving serials H-9, H-11 and H-15 to 19. They were used for the next eight years, until they were retired in 2006 and four of the airframes were transferred to the Argentine Army for use as spare part donors. Dirección de Aviación de Ejército

The ﬁrst UH-1Hs for the Argentine Army arrived in 1969, were given the serial numbers AE-400 and 401 then delivered to the Sección Helicópteros del Batallón de Aviación de Ejército 601 at Campo de Mayo Airﬁeld in Buenos Aires in January 1970. They were joined by another two in 1971 and by 10 more in 1973, the new aircraft being given sequential serial numbers up to AE-413. Also in that year a single Bell 205A-1 civilian ➤ The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 65

An Argentine Navy UH-1H during an exercise at Baterías Firing Range, near Puerto Belgrano Naval Base, in November 2004. Santiago Rivas

An Argentine Army UH-1H armed with MAG machine gun pods and two Microbio rocket launchers for Pampero rockets. Santiago Rivas

The Bell 205A-1 used for relief operations during a ﬂood in Chaco province in Argentina in the 1970s, where it operated from water and mud. Exequiel Martínez

model of the helicopter was purchased, to be operated by the Army but on behalf of the Dirección Nacional de Emergencias Sociales (DINES) of the Social Well-Being Ministry. This aircraft was initially given the serial AE-450 but was later changed to the civil registration LQ-LGT when the helicopter was handed over to DINES and ceased any Army operations, ﬁnally being re-registered LV-LGT. The capabilities of the new helicopters led to a new unit, the Batallón de Aviación Aeromóvil 601, being created, this being renamed the Batallón de Aviación de Combate 601 in 1975. The Hueys were equipped with the locally built Pato 70mm rocket launcher and MAG machine guns. Also during 1975, another ﬁve new helicopters arrived, given the serials AE-414 to 418. From 1974 the Hueys had been widely used in combat in the Tucuman province, ﬁghting against the communist guerrillas of the Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo (ERP), the ﬁrst missions taking place in August of that year.

Two Hueys were to be lost in this region, the ﬁrst on October 10, 1975, when AE-412 was shot down by the guerrillas during the ﬁghting at Acheral. The second was on May 5, 1976, when AE-411 was lost in an accident in the area when it crashed into a mountain. The army ﬂeet expanded still further with the arrival of another four UH-1Hs on December 6, 1976, followed by another two in 1978 which were given the serials AE-423 and 424. Also in 1978, six more of the civilian transport Bell 205A-1 versions of the helicopter were purchased and given the serials AE-425 to 430. One of these, AE-430, was lost in an accident on May 6, 1979, as was AE-425 in December of that year. The new aircraft allowed an expansion in the army’s aviation units, with the ﬁrst Aviation Section being created at Comodoro Rivadavia in Chubut in 1980, its ﬁrst aircraft being AE-403. When the war with the UK for the Falkland Islands began in April 1982, the army’s UH1Hs were deployed to both Patagonia and the

islands, including the DINES Bell 205, LQLGT. Nine helicopters were actually sent to the islands, despite the fact the plan was to send 16. The nine were widely used on transport, medical evacuation and air assault missions during the war. Another 11 UH-1Hs, along with LQ-LGT, were deployed but remained in Patagonia. During a reconnaissance mission on April 30, one of the deployed aircraft, AE-419, was lost near the town of Caleta Olivia with the loss of all 14 personnel aboard. On May 28, AE-412, 413, 417, 418, 422 and 424, together with an air force Chinook, a Puma and two Agusta A-109s, carried out an air assault during the battle for Goose Green, delivering an entire army company to support the forces defending the settlement. On the following day, two of the Hueys also deployed 17 members of the elite Commando Company 602 to Top Malo House. Having dropped off the troops, the helicopters came under ﬁre from British forward observation units but managed to escape undamaged.

The UH-1Hs of the Argentine Army used by the Posadas Aviation Section received a special camouﬂage pattern as seen here. Santiago Rivas

Night shot of an Argentine Army UH-1H with weapons. Santiago Rivas.

LV-LGT as it appears today, being offered for sale after some time out of service. Santiago Rivas

Eight of the UH-1Hs, AE-406, 409, 410, 412, 413, 417, 422 and 424, were captured, while AE-418 was damaged beyond repair by the artillery. Five of them were taken to the UK while AE-410 was preserved on the islands. The long-lived AE-424, after changing hands many times, is currently with the Papua New Guinea Defense Force. The helicopters deployed to Patagonia returned to their base on June 22, 1982. After the conﬂict, the army began a reorganization of its helicopter forces. In 1983, two Hueys were sent to Rio Gallegos to open an aviation section there, followed, in 1985, by four being supplied to the Escuadrón de Aviación de Exploración y Ataque 602 for use on attack missions. In 1988, AE-423 was lost and in 1993 AE416, but in that year six extra helicopters were ordered to make good the losses, these being second-hand airframes serialled AE-431 to 436. In 1996 two Hueys were sent to Posadas Misiones to open the Sección de Aviación de Monte 12. These were followed by two which were sent to the Sección de Aviación 3 at Curuzú Cuatiá and one to the Sección de Aviación de Ejército 2 at Paraná. The aircraft was proving extremely useful, so 10 extra helicopters arrived in 1998, serialled AE-437 to 446, followed by ﬁve more in 2000, two of which were sent to the Sección de Aviación de Montaña 6 at Neuquén. Also in 2000, the Grupo de Helicópteros de Asalto 601 was transformed into the Batallón de Helicópteros de Asalto 601, the Army’s Huey ﬂeet being expanded by another four

aircraft in 2001, AE-454 to 458. Accidental losses continued, with AE-435 being lost in 2002. Since 2004, the ﬂeet has been upgraded to the Huey II standard, with the ﬁrst being delivered in 2005. The modernized helicopters started to receive serial numbers from AE-460 onwards and, interestingly, AE-464 is actually the original company Huey II demonstrator, delivered to the army by Bell. Meanwhile, the remaining civilian Bell 205 models in the ﬂeet were replaced in 2007 with four UH-1Hs, AE459 and 490 to 492. The Bell 205 LV-LGT was operated by DINES from the late 1970s until the early 2000s, but is currently grounded. One of the Huey IIs, AE-462, formerly AE455 before the upgrade, was lost in an accident in 2007 and AE-404 was lost in 2009. In 2008, four UH-1Hs were transferred from the navy, three of these being pressed into service as AE-493 to 495 to make good the losses and bring the army Huey ﬂeet back to full strength. Comando de Aviación Naval

The Argentine Naval Aviation received eight UH-1Hs beginning in 1999, equipping the 3º Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Helicópteros of the 3º Escuadra Aeronaval. One of the aircraft was destroyed while being unloaded from the ship, the batch having been given the serial numbers 0873 to 0880. Two of the aircraft were lost in accidents, 0874 in 2003 and 0880 in 2007, the remaining ﬁve being retired in 2008, and as already mentioned, four of these being transferred to the army.

Argentine Bell 205A-1, LV-LGT, of the Dirección Nacional de Emergencias Sociales (DINES) in 1997. Santiago Rivas

Argentine Air Force UH-1H in 2000 with the current paint scheme used by this model with the force. Santiago Rivas

A Bolivian Air Force UH-1H, used by the Diablos Rojos Task Force on antidrug operations from Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Santiago Rivas

Gendarmería Nacional

The Argentine National Gendarmerie received four UH-1Hs in 2014, the plan being to upgrade these aircraft to Huey II standard with a view to beginning police support operations during 2015.

BOLIVIA

Fuerza Aérea Boliviana

In 1975 the Bolivian Air Force received its ﬁrst six UH-1Hs, serialled 720 to 725, followed in 1986 by a further six, 700 to 705. These were delivered by the United States for operations with the ‘Diablos Rojos’ Air Task Force of Grupo 51 of the III Brigade based at Cochabamba Air Base. The unit later moved to Santa Cruz de la Sierra Air Base and was a specialized force for operations against drug trafﬁckers. Between 1988 and 1991 another 14 were delivered by the US Department of State Air Wing and ➤ The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 67

A Brazilian Air Force UH-1H, FAB 8671, of the 4º EMRA unit at Cumbica Air Base, Sao Paulo, in 1978.The helicopter is armed with a MAG pod on the forward mounting and a rocket launcher on a pylon that also supports another MAG machine gun.This second gun can be ﬁxed ﬁring forward or used by the door gunner. Both systems were locally developed by Avibrás. Aparecido Camazano Alamino

Two of the four UH-1Hs donated by the Brazilian Air Force to the Bolivian Air Force in 2013. Brazilian Air Force

given the serials 706 to 719. In 1996 742 and 743 arrived from the US and were followed during the 2000s by another seven, 744, 745, 748, 749, 750, 756 and 757, two of which were outﬁtted for VIP transport operations. So far, eight of the ﬂeet have been fully upgraded to the Huey II standard, and the plan is to modify a total of 15 to this level of 20 actually still in service. The other 15 airframes delivered have either been lost in accidents, used for spares or preserved. At least one was severely damaged by ground ﬁre on an operation against drug trafﬁckers. In March 2009 Brazil announced it would donate four of its helicopters to the Bolivian force, these being received in 2012.

BRAZIL

Força Aérea Brasileira

The Força Aérea Brasileira received six UH1Ds in 1967, speciﬁcally equipped for Search And Rescue (SAR) missions. In service they were designated SH-1Ds and named ‘Sapao’ (big toad, a play on frontal appearance of the Huey), these ﬁrst six being followed by eight UH-1Ds, most of which were later modiﬁed to SH-1H standard. From 1972 onwards a total of 26 UH-1Hs were acquired, the ﬂeet being further expanded in 1982 with the arrival of ﬁve AB-205A-1s and three Bell 205A-1s purchased from Israel. Initially they equipped the 2º/10º Grupo de Aviação (GAv) at Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, the 5º/8º GAv at Santa María, Río Grande do Sul and the 7º/8º GAv at Manaus. Later they were to also be used by the 1º/8º GAv at Manaus, the 2º/8º GAv of Recife, the 3º/8º GAv of Campo dos Afonsos and the 1º/11º GAv at São Paulo. Those last four units were used to provide air support to the army, until army aviation was reformed in 1997. In this support role the helicopters were armed with machine guns and rockets. Between 1996 and 1997, another 19 UH1Hs were acquired second-hand from the 68 BIG TOADS, SCORPIONS AND ARMAGEDDON

United States. Today, there are believed to be about 36 Hueys of all variants in service, but they are steadily being replaced by the new Eurocopter Super Cougar. In 2012, four surplus aircraft were donated to Bolivia and others were delivered to several of Brazil’s police forces.

Brazilian Air Force UH-1H seen in the mid1980s at the Amazon Region carrying large boats in its cabin. Santiago Rivas Archive

Police forces

The Coordenadoria de Recursos Especiais (The Special Resources Coordinator or CORE) of the Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro received one Huey II in December 2008, registered PR-FEC, to carry out operations in support of police forces combating the drug trafﬁckers in the slums of the city. For this role it was equipped with armoured plates on the sides of the cabin to provide protection for the crew when they ﬂy with the doors opened. The aircraft is often ﬂown this way, particularly on harassment missions with snipers in the cabin. This aircraft has seen a lot of action since it entered service, its success leading to another ﬁve Huey IIs being supplied to other Brazilian police forces for the same mission.

A Brazilian Air Force SH-1D locally named Pelicano, used for SAR missions in the early Seventies, seen here at Natal Air Base in September 1976. Aparecido Camazano Alamino

CHILE

Fuerza Aérea de Chile

The Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aérea de Chile or FACh) received 12 UH-1Hs from 1967, given the serials H-80 to H-91, initially to equip the Grupo de Aviación Nº 10, but in 1971 they were transferred to Grupo de Aviación Nº 3. In 1978 they received the two remaining examples from the Chilean Army, H-80, to replace the original aircraft with that serial which had been lost, and H-92. Between 1991 and 1992, six FACh UH-1Hs were sent to Kuwait after a request for assistance from the United Nations. In March 1993 they were all transferred to Grupo Nº 9, along with 10 more helicopters received from the US Army, given serials H-74 to 79 and H-93 to 96. Grupo Nº 9 had one very

A Huey II of the Rio de Janeiro State Military Police, used to carry snipers to protect ground forces when they operate in the dangerous slums of Rio de Janeiro.The helicopter was equipped with armour plates in the rear cabin to protect the gunners. Bell Helicopters

On February 1, 1974, a huge ﬁre erupted in a building named Joelma located in São Paulo. One air force Huey attended the emergency and rescued many survivors from the roof before other civil helicopters arrived, as the ﬁremen’s ladders were not long enough to reach the higher ﬂoors.The air force Huey, thanks to its power, was the only helicopter able to hover over the hot air of the ﬁre, while others, a Bell 206 and Hiller FH-1100, could not.They rescued many people trapped on the roof, but tragically 191 people died in the ﬁre.Two years before, another building was consumed by ﬂames in Sao Paulo, the Andraus building, causing 16 deaths. A civil Bell 204, PP-ENC, commanded by Olendino Souza, rescued 307 people on 32 trips to the top of the building, from a total of about 400 rescued by all the helicopters. Santiago Rivas Archive A Chilean Air Force UH-1H of the Grupo 9, based at Santiago de Chile. Santiago Rivas

The Chilean Air Force uses its Hueys on transport missions. In the past they were used with rocket launchers and machine guns in support of army operations, but since the army now has its own armed helicopters, the use of weapons on the Hueys was discontinued. Santiago Rivas

A rare picture of a Chilean Army UH-1H.The force used them for a short period, before transferring them to the air force. Germán Lüer

distinctive aircraft painted red for Antarctic operations. In August 1996, ﬁve FACh UH-1Hs were again sent to the border between Iraq and Kuwait to ﬂy missions for the United Nations. However, because of the growing tensions with Iraq in November 1998, the Chilean Air Force personnel had to withdraw in a hurry, leaving behind the ﬁve helicopters which were captured by the Iraqis. In 2000, the UH1H ﬂeet was the subject of a gradual replacement programme. Two Bell 412s were purchased, H-41 and 42, followed by two more, H-43 and 44, the following year. A ﬁfth, H-45, was acquired some time later, all of which went to equip Grupos 6 and 8. Despite the arrival of the newer aircraft, the remaining UH-1Hs continued in service, in fact ﬁve more were received in 2003, most of these being used for spares.

The Chilean Air Force deployed its Hueys on behalf of the UN, currently in Haiti, but previously in Iraq. Chilean Air Force

In 2004, four FACh UH-1Hs were sent to Haiti to participate in the UN peacekeeping force on the island. In 2007, two more UH-1Hs were received, meaning that today there are still 15 UH-1Hs in service. The FAC UH-1Hs are able to carry a wide variety of rockets and machine guns and some have been ﬁtted and tested with Forward Looking Infra Red sensors and other specialist mission equipment. Ejército de Chile

In 1969, the Chilean Army received ﬁve UH1Hs with the serials 181 to 185. These were donated by the United States for use by the recently created Army Aviation Command (Comando de Aviación de Ejército). Three were lost in accidents and the remaining two were transferred to the air force in 1978. ➤

A Chilean Air Force UH-1H. Santiago Rivas The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 69

FAC 277, one of the early Colombian Air Force UH-1Bs.The country, together with Venezuela, were the ﬁrst two operators of the Huey in Latin America, Colombia receiving 10 UH-1B in 1963 and Venezuela four. Javier Franco Archive

A Colombian Air Force Huey II armed with an M60 machine gun and equipped with a LRAD 1000 very long range acoustic device.This sends what are known as demobilization messages as the high frequency noise has the capacity to stress enemy troops after long periods hearing them. It can be used from up to 5000ft (1500m) altitude. Santiago Rivas Archive

Colombian Police Huey II over the north of Bogotá during a test ﬂight. Santiago Rivas

COLOMBIA

Fuerza Aérea Colombiana

In 1963, the Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Colombiana or FAC) received 10 Bell UH-1Bs, serialled FAC270 to 279, which was later changed to 4272 to 4279. These were to equip the Grupo Aéreo de Helicópteros, which would later be known as the Grupo Aéreo de Combate 41 de Alas Rotativas, stationed at Base Aérea Capitán Luis F. Pinto at Melgar. One of these aircraft, FAC279, was to be used as the ofﬁcial presidential transport until 1972. Three of the ﬁrst batch of UH-1Bs were lost in accidents, two are preserved and two remain in storage, the last ﬂight of the type in FAC service being made in 1994. The B model helicopters were followed in 1969 by 20 UH-1Hs, serialled 281 to 299, which were joined in 1972 by 20 Bell 205As, FAC220 to 239. While these were the civilian model of the helicopter, they were armed to fulﬁl attack missions and were so successful that in 1982 another 20 examples, serialled FAC401 to 420, were acquired. In 1984 the 70 BIG TOADS, SCORPIONS AND ARMAGEDDON

The Colombian Police Aviation Division is the biggest and most powerful police aviation force in the world.Their Hueys, CH-135s, Bell 212s and Blackhawks are armed with M60s, GAU-17 and 19 Miniguns to ﬁght against drug trafﬁckers and guerrillas. Santiago Rivas

serial number system was revised, the preﬁx 4 being added to all aircraft, some of which received completely new numbers. For example, FAC 281 became FAC4281, but FAC225 became FAC4282. From their ﬁrst arrival in Columbia, the Hueys were engaged in combat operations against the communist guerrilla forces which were very active in the country, especially the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) and the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), the latter created in 1964. In the early 1970s, these guerrilla forces were joined by a new and more sinister enemy, the drug cartels, and antidrug trafﬁcking operations were added to the missions of the helicopter units. The Huey was extremely successful in Columbian service, so much so that in 1997 a plan was started to convert eight examples to Huey II standard, the initial aim being to convert 42 helicopters to the new equipment level. However, as it turned out, only the initial batch was modiﬁed with a few more being upgraded later. Instead of the upgraded aircraft, the ﬂeet continued to expand, 17 UH-

Colombian Army Huey IIs at Tolemaida Army Aviation Base.They are mainly used to support the Blackhawks on assault missions.The Huey IIs and the Bell CH-135 are ﬁtted with GAU-19 Miniguns and other weapons for use against the guerrillas. Santiago Rivas

1Hs, FAC4501 to 4517, and a single UH-1V, FAC4500, being acquired in 2002. To date, the last batch of helicopters acquired arrived in 2008, comprising 12 of the upgraded Huey IIs, serialled FAC4520 to 4531. A total of 27 UH-1Hs were lost in accidents or shot down by enemy action on operations, two are preserved as monuments at Melgar, one at Río Negro and another at Cali. Most of the UH-1Hs that were not upgraded to Huey II standard are now in storage, waiting for the decision to convert them to Huey IIs, so only six remain in service, together with a total of 21 Huey IIs. Today, the UH-1H and Huey II are in service with Escuadrones de Combate 411, 412 and 415 and the Escuadrón de Entrenamiento 413, all part of Grupo Aéreo de Combate 41. They are also used by Escuadrón de Combate 612 of Grupo Aéreo de Combate 61; the Escuadrón de Combate Aerotáctico 113 of Grupo Aéreo de Combate 11; and ﬁnally the Escuadrón de Combate Aerotáctico 313 of Grupo Aéreo de Combate 31. Ejército de Colombia

The Columbian Army’s use of the Huey began in 2000 when the US Department of State delivered 33 Bell UH-1Hs, EJC400 to 432, all of which had been upgraded to Huey II standard, for use against drug trafﬁckers and communist guerrillas. Three of these aircraft were lost in accidents leaving the current ﬂeet of 30, all of which equip the Batallón de Aviación Nº 5 at Tolemaida in Cundinamarca state. These aircraft are still regularly used in their intended combat role.

A Dominican Air Force UH-1H in the static park during an air display. Santiago Rivas Archive

A rare image of one of the two UH-1Bs used brieﬂy by the Costa Rican National Guard. Santiago Rivas Archive

A Salvadoran Air Force UH-1H during humanitarian relief operations to the east of San Salvador after the earthquakes of January and February 2001. Santiago Rivas

Policía Nacional de Colombia.

From 1989, 12 UH-1Hs were supplied to the National Police, a ﬂeet that would grow to a total of 58 Hueys over the following years, given the sequential serials of PNC126 to 179 as they entered service. Often employed in counter-insurgency and anti-drug trafﬁcking missions, 12 of these helicopters were lost in accidents or to enemy action. One of the early aircraft received, PNC128, is preserved at the Police Museum in Bogotá. In 1997, a contract was signed to modernize four UH-1Hs to the Huey II standard, as with the air force, the idea being to upgrade the whole ﬂeet over the next few years. Eventually, ﬁve UH-1Hs were upgraded to Huey IIs at the PNC workshops at Guaymaral in Cundinamarca state, as were seven more by US Helicopters in the United States, and the remaining ﬂeet was retired. Alongside this upgrade programme, from 1999 a total of 24 Huey IIs were received, donated by the United States as part of the Plan Colombia to assist in the police action against drug trafﬁckers. The 12 upgraded examples received new serials and, together with the 24 new airframes, became PNC 0700 to 0735. Such was the pace and ferocity of the operations these aircraft were engaged in that 11 of them were to be lost. To replace these losses, another ﬁve Huey IIs arrived from the US, leaving the current ﬂeet with 30 helicopters. Almost all of the Hueys operate from Guaymaral Airport near Bogotá, but they are regularly deployed across the whole country.

El Salvador was one of the biggest Huey operators in Latin America, with a huge quantity of UH-1Hs and Ms in service from 1981 onwards.The Huey has been partially replaced by the Bell 412. Santiago Rivas

One of the last UH-1Ms in service with the Salvadoran Air Force.They are the last military operator of the ‘short’ Hueys, still using a few UH-1Ms on gunship missions. Santiago Rivas

COSTA RICA

EL SALVADOR

At the end of the 1980s, two UH-1Bs were supplied to the Costa Rican National Guard by the government of Panamá. These were both former US Army aircraft, the ﬁrst being FAP103 in Panamanian service, formerly 60-3567, the second being FAP-111, formerly 62-1906. They were both given civilian registrations, TI-SPO and TI-SPP respectively, serving only brieﬂy in Costa Rica before retiring prior to 1992. The ﬁrst aircraft was sold to a private owner in the US and re-registered as N846MC but was lost in an accident in 1996. The other had an interesting career, being operated by civil owners in the United States and Argentina, where it was registered LVWED before being sold to the Fuerza Aérea Paraguaya as H-005.

The Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña began to receive the UH-1H when the USA donated 20 examples in 1981, serialled FAS 240 to 259. These were intended to support the army on operations against the guerrillas of the Frente Martí de Liberación Nacional. They were followed by another eight in 1982, FAS 260 to 267, six in 1983, 268 to 272, 19 in 1984, 273 to 291, 13 in 1985, 292 to 299 and 201 to 205, seven in 1987, 206 to 212, and ﬁnally eight in 1988, given the serials 213 to 221. All 82 of these Hueys were to equip the Grupo de Helicópteros. Of these, seven were destroyed during a guerrilla attack at Ilopango Air Base on January 27, 1982, and another 37 were to be lost in combat or accidents. Two of the UH-1Hs have been preserved and most of the others have since been retired from service. Many were armed with machine guns and rockets, several being equipped to carry either 125 or 250kg bombs for strikes against the guerrillas. Meanwhile, in 1985, the ﬁrst UH-1Ms began to arrive, armed with M-19 grenade launchers, 7.62mm miniguns and 70mm rocket launchers. Initially 12 were received, serialled FAS 228 to 239, followed by two in 1986, FAS 226 and 227, three in 1988, FAS 222 to 224, another in 1989, FAS 225, and six in 1991, FAS 320 to 325. Six were lost in accidents or were shot down on operations and today only FAS 225, 228, 324 and 325 remain with the force, but they only ﬂy occasionally with the Grupo de Helicópteros. The Hueys have been partly replaced by the ultimate development of the type, the Bell 412.

Guardia Nacional de Costa Rica

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Fuerza Aérea Dominicana

In 1976 the Dominican Air Force received the ﬁrst of eight Bell 205A-1s, FAD 3018, 3019 and 3023 to 3028, to equip the Escuadrón de Rescate ‘Águilas’. They were followed by six UH-1Hs, FAD 3030 to 3035, which were donated by the US government in 1998. The surviving seven Bell 205As were sold in 1999, while the two remaining UH-1Hs were joined in 2004 by eight Huey IIs, also donated by the US government. These were given the serials FAD 3062 to 3069, and are still in service with the same unit today.

Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 71

One of the ﬁve remaining UH-1Hs of the Honduran Air Force. Santiago Rivas Archive

A Guatemalan Air Force UH-1H, the last example received by the force in 2010. Mario Overall

Two of the ﬁve Bell 205A-1s received in 1973, which served until 2000 at the Escuadrón Aéreo de Búsqueda, Rescate y Evacuación 209 in Mexico. Santiago Rivas Archive

The sole UH-1H used by the Haitian Coast Guard, seen at Port-au-Prince on April 4, 2010. Wim Sonneveld

The two Bell 205As of the Mexican Navy, used in the 1980s with serials HMR-140 and HMR-141. Santiago Rivas Archive

GUATEMALA

HAITI

MEXICO

Between 1970 and 1976 the Fuerza Aérea Guatemalteca purchased 10 UH-1Hs, but shortly after that the United States imposed an arms embargo and only six were delivered, given the serials FAG 110, 111, 116, 130, 140 and 150. They were widely used by the Escuadrón de Helicópteros from Base Aérea La Aurora against the communist guerrillas from the time they entered service, two being lost during a mortar attack at Los Cipresales. The lack of spares led to only two remaining serviceable by 1980, at which time the embargo was lifted and six more UH-1Hs were received with serials FAG 113, 160, 170, 180 and 190. FAG 160 was lost in 1981 and replaced by another with the same serial. They were equipped with US LAU-61 and 68 and the Argentine Mamboretá 70mm rocket launchers. Four UH-1Hs were upgraded to Huey II standard in 2008. By 1999 there were three of the original UH-1Hs in service, which were supplemented in 2010 by one more; captured from drug trafﬁckers which was pressed into service with the serial FAG 120.

In 2003 the Haitian government purchased a single Bell UH-1H with the registration N126PT. This was formerly 65-10096, c/n 5140, for use by the Police Nationale d’Haiti on coast guard missions. The helicopter was still on charge but appeared non operational by early 2010. The police also have an unidentiﬁed helicopter, a Bell 204 or UH-1B or C model, on strength.

In March 1967 the Mexican Presidency received a sole Bell UH-1D, serialled HP-01, for use as a VIP transport. In 1971 it was replaced by two of the twin engined Bell 212. Later, in March 1973, the ﬁrst of ﬁve Bell 205A1s were purchased to equipped the Escuadrón Aéreo 209 BRE (Búsqueda, Rescate y Evacuación) based at Base Aérea Militar 1 (BAM 1) at Santa Lucia, México State. These rescue and evacuation helicopters were given the serials HBR-1151 to 1155. Three were lost in accidents so by 1993 only one remained in service, based at the Centro de Entrenamiento de Helicópteros at BAM 5 in Zapopan, Jalisco. This was ﬂown until 2000, when it was retired from service. Later, in 1996, the USA donated 73 UH-1Hs which were given the serials 1501 to 1573. These were to serve with the Escuela de Aviación Militar and the Escuadrones Aéreos 105, 106, 108, 109 and 110. One helicopter was lost in an accident in 1997, the others being returned to the US in 1999 because they were stored airframes that had been delivered in very poor condition.

Fuerza Aérea Guatemalteca

National Police

The US Department of State delivered ﬁve Huey IIs to the Guatemalan Police for operations against drug trafﬁckers, these being given the serials 21746, 21753, 22387, 22392 and 22534. 72 BIG TOADS, SCORPIONS AND ARMAGEDDON

Police Nationale d’Haiti

HONDURAS

Fuerza Aérea Hondureña

The Escuadrón de Helicópteros at Base Aérea Coronel Hermán Acosta Mejia at Toncontín, Tegucigalpa, received three UH-1Bs in 1976, given the serials FAH901 to 903. These were followed by another two in 1978, 904 and 905, and then another 15, 920 to 934, which were in service until 2001. From 1982 onwards, 10 UH-1Hs, FAH940 to 949, were also received, of which ﬁve have been lost in accidents.

JAMAICA

Jamaican Defence Force

Named ‘Scorpion’, the No 2 Flight of the Jamaican Defence Force received four UH1Hs, H-19 to 22, in January 1989. These aircraft were leased from the US government, only one being lost during their 12 years of service, with the three survivors ﬂying until 1998 before being ofﬁcially retired in 2001.

Fuerza Aérea Mexicana

Armada de México

During the 1980s, the Mexican Navy operated two Bell 205A-1s, serialled HMR-140 and 141, but these were to remain in service for only a short time.

The sole UH-1B, called Lady Ellen, used by the Contras in Nicaragua during their operations against the government.The Fuerza Aérea Sandinista also brieﬂy used a single AB-205. Santiago Rivas Archive

Rare picture of the sole AB-205 used by the Fuerza Aérea Sandinista of Nicaragua. Santiago Rivas Archive

The ﬁrst UH-1H received by the Fuerza Aérea Panameña in 1970. Santiago Rivas Archive

A line of eight of the 10 Bell UH-1Bs received by the Fuerza Aérea Panameña in 1976. Santiago Rivas Archive

NICARAGUA

Fuerza Aérea Sandinista and La Contra

The Fuerza Aérea Sandinista received a single AB-205 from Libya in 1982, serialled 260, which was in service until shortly after the arrival of Soviet-made helicopters around 1986. The only other use of the Huey in the country took place during the civil war between 1981 and 1990. The Contras guerrilla group, controversially backed by the US, acquired one UH-1B, purchased through a civil operator, given the US civil registration N80WF and used for medical evacuation missions.

PANAMA

Servicio Aéreo Nacional

In 1970 the Fuerza Aérea Panameña (FAP, later renamed the Servicio Aéreo Nacional or SAN) received three UH-1Hs, given the serials FAP-104, 110 and 115, and six Bell 205A-1s, serialled 102, 103 and 107 to 109. In

One of the AIDC-built UH-1Hs donated by Taiwan to the Fuerza Aérea Paraguaya. Santiago Rivas Archive

1976 these were supplemented by the arrival of 10 Bell UH-1Bs with the serials 102, 103, 111 to 114, 116 and 117. These were used by the Escuadrón de Ala Rotatoria at Tocumen, the last two of them being given civil registrations. In 1997 they received ﬁve AIDC-built UH-1Hs, donated by Taiwan and given the serials SAN-123 to 127. Later still, ﬁve UH-1Hs and one UH-1V were acquired from the US with the serials SAN-129 to 134, but ﬁve of these were later returned. Today there are four UH-1Hs and six Bell 205s in service. The UH-1Bs were retired in 1997, two of which, 103 and 111, were delivered to Costa Rica.

PARAGUAY

Fuerza Aérea Paraguaya

In 1982 the Fuerza Aérea Paraguaya received two UH-1Bs, H-023 and 024, which were the original equipment of the Grupo Aéreo de Helicópteros at Base Aérea Militar Nhu

Guazú in Campo Grande, when this unit was created in 1988. Both of these helicopters were sold in 1992 to civil operators in Chile. Paraguay also received two AIDC-built UH1Hs, H-29 and 30, donated by Taiwan in 1996, followed by the United States government which donated three Bell UH-1Bs purchased from the Argentine company Servicios Especiales S.A. These ﬁve helicopters were supplied for operations against drug trafﬁckers, with the Dirección de Narcóticos (DINAR), all of which are now retired. Two extra UH-1Hs were donated by Taiwan in 2000, two more in 2001 and another pair in 2002. UH-1H H-30 was lost in 1998, at which time the remaining aircraft was re-serialled, H29 becoming H-429, the new machines being given serials H-431 to 436. Two more UH-1Hs were to be supplied by Taiwan, 437 arriving in 2006 and 438 in 2007. H-437 was to be lost in October 2010, the remainder of the ﬂeet are still in service and operate equipped with machine guns and rockets. ➤ The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 73

The Peruvian National Police received a total of 44 Hueys in the form of UH-1Hs and Huey IIs, all supplied by the US Department of State to assist in the ﬁght against drug trafﬁckers.They were the only government-operated UH-1s in Peru by this time, as the navy and air force had retired their examples. Lewis Mejía

PERU

Marina del Perú

In 1972 the Marina del Perú received six UH1Hs, followed by a single Bell 205A-1 serialled HC-410. These did not remain in service long and all were sold shortly after acquisition. Fuerza Aérea del Perú

In 1965 the Fuerza Aérea del Perú received 12 Bell UH-1Ds, FAP623, 625 to 632 and 644 to 646, these being followed by a single UH-1H, FAP 685. These formed the equipment of Escuadrón de Helicópteros 332, all of which were retired from service some years later. Policía Nacional del Perú

The Policía Nacional del Perú started to receive 12 UH-1Hs from the US Department 74 BIG TOADS, SCORPIONS AND ARMAGEDDON

of State in 1989. These were to equip Squadrons 21 and 22 and were to provide air support for the Police and DEA forces involved in the war against drug trafﬁckers. The serials were scrambled from PNP-303 to 327 which effectively disguised their numbers. One more aircraft was given the serial PNP-110, but this was lost in an accident on June 20, 1992. These ﬁrst 12 UH-1Hs were followed by four more in 1996 and another two in 2002. The force was augmented with the arrival of eight of the upgraded Huey IIs in 2004, seven more in 2005, four in 2006 and a ﬁnal batch of eight in 2007. At least three of these have been lost in accidents while four more were withdrawn from service for unknown causes. ➤

An early paint scheme used by a Peruvian Air Force UH-1D.The force was the ﬁrst user of the model in Latin America, receiving them in 1965. Santiago Rivas Archive

One of the Peruvian Air Force UH-1Ds recovering its predecessor, a Bell 47 helicopter.They were retired in the Eighties. Lewis Mejía Archive

LATIN AMERICAN DEVELOPED WEAPONS ARGENTINE ARMY

FN MAG machine gun The FN MAG 7.62mm machine gun is widely used on the Huey, especially in Argentina, Brazil and Chile. In Argentina they use the CITEFA SOPAM and other pylons. CITEFA MAG gun pod The Argentine Armed Forces research institute CITEFA developed a gun pod to carry one MAG machine gun on each side of the Huey, the pods being used on the Argentine Army attack UH-1Hs. CITEFA ARM-657-A Mamboretá This 57mm rocket launcher was brieﬂy used by Argentine Air Force on its UH-1Ds and Hs ﬁtted with Aspid rockets, all locally built. EDESA rocket launcher The Argentine company EDESA developed a version of the US built M-3 launcher but for the locally built Albatros rocket, which was different to the FFAR. Later they were modiﬁed by Argentine Army petty ofﬁcer Ernesto ‘Harry’ Lencina and called Harry Rocket Launchers.They are still in service with Argentine Army UH-1Hs. CITEFA IIAE-238 An Argentine version of the LAU-61/A rocket pod, used by Argentine Air Force UH-1Hs and Bell 212 and Argentine Army UH-1Hs. CITEFA Gallo I, II and Pato In Argentina, CITEFA modiﬁed the LAU-32/A rocket pod to ﬁre the Albatros rockets and called it the Gallo I, later replaced by the six tube Gallo II, which was lighter. Later, the Pato launcher was built, with nine unshrouded tubes.

CITEFA launchers for Pampero rockets The Argentine CITEFA developed the Pampero 105mm rocket and a number of launchers for use on Argentine Army Hueys.The ﬁrst launcher was the cylindrical Yaguareté for six rockets, made of aluminium. It was followed by the lighter rectangular Microbio, also for six rockets. Lastly, a seven tube version of the Yaguareté was also tested. CITEFA Martín Pescador This air-to-surface short range missile was developed in Argentina during the 1970s and tested on an Argentine Army UH-1H Huey, serial AE-405, during the 1980s, but it was never launched. CITEFA mount for 12.7mm machine gun CITEFA built a mount for a door-operated 12.7mm Browning M-3 machine gun, used by the Argentine Army Hueys, as well as one for rocket launchers with a mount for a Browning M-2HB machine gun.

BRAZILIAN AIR FORCE

Avibrás MTR 762 gun pod During the 1970s, the Brazilian company Avibrás tested a gun pod for a single MAG machine gun, installed on the forward pylon of the Huey, with the ammunition inside the cabin.

Avibrás Armament Subsystem A weapons pylon was developed by this company for use on Brazilian Air Force Hueys, consisting of an Avibrás-built seven tube 70mm rocket launcher and a MAG machine gun that could be ﬁtted to ﬁre forward or to be operated by the door gunner.The system is still operational today. A CITEFA built MAG machine gun pylon developed for the Argentine Army Hueys. Santiago Rivas Archive

An Avibrás MTR 762 gun pod on the forward mount of a Brazilian Air Force Huey. Aparecido Camazano Alamino

A CITEFA mount for a 12.7mm Browning M2 machine gun on an Argentine Army UH-1H. Santiago Rivas Archive The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 75

Above: The Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya uses a small ﬂeet of UH-1Hs on transport and air assault duties.The last received were four former Spanish Army examples, of which one is already in service and the others are being overhauled. Here, the FAU-053, received in 1998, ﬂies over the Río de la Plata. Santiago Rivas

URUGUAY

Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya

The Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya received three Bell UH-1Hs in 1971 to equip the Grupo Aéreo No 5 de Búsqueda y Rescate, based at Carrasco, Montevideo, these aircraft being given the serials 050 to 052. Five years later, on August 25, 1976, six Bell UH-1Bs were acquired, equipped for use as gunships and given the serials 060 to 065. These were to be long-lived aircraft, the last not being retired until November 22, 1990. Five more UH-1Hs were donated by the US Government on June 29, 1998, three of which entered service as 053 to 055, the remaining two being used as spares donors. The most recent additions to the ﬂeet occurred in 2009, when four more UH-1Hs, 057 to 059, were donated by Spain.

A factory photo of four UH-1Ds built for the Venezuelan Air Force and delivered in 1969. Bell Helicopters

One of the four Bell UH-1Bs used by the Venezuelan Air Force.The Bs ﬁrst entered service in 1963 and continued until 2005. Freddy Pedrique Archive

Operaciones Especiales Nº 10. In 1974, nine ex-US Army UH-1Hs were acquired, including serial numbers 1678, 1686, 1860, 1930, 2117, 2230 and 9479. From these additional aircraft, 1686 and 1860 were lost in accidents in 1998 and 1971 respectively. The ﬁnal UH-1B was retired in 2005, while the last UH-1D/Hs remained in service until 2008. They were replaced by Eurocopter Super Pumas and Cougars.

Aviación del Ejército Venezolano (Venezuelan Army Aviation) received six UH-1Hs, serialled EV-77094 to 7709, followed by three Bell 205A1s, EV-8016 to 8018, all during 1977. These were to equip the Batallón de Helicópteros at Campo Aéreo del Ejército at San Felipe and were to remain in service until 1999, after which they were replaced by 10 of the advanced twin-engined Bell 412EPs. ■ Words: Santiago Rivas

VENEZUELA

Fuerza Aérea Venezolana

In 1963 the Fuerza Aérea Venezolana received four Bell UH-1Bs, serials 0927, 8519, 0937 and 0947, making the air force the ﬁrst Latin American operator of the Huey. In 1969, 15 UH-1Ds were added to the ﬂeet, including 0614, 0626, 0628, 0640, 0897, 1567, 1681 and 4134. Three of these aircraft were lost in accidents, while the others were upgraded to UH-1H standard. From 1972 they served with Escuadrón 101 of the Grupo Aéreo de 76 BIG TOADS, SCORPIONS AND ARMAGEDDON

Aviación del Ejército Venezolano

ANTARCTIC OPERATIONS After the US, the second country to operate UH-1s in Antarctica was Argentina, whose air force UH-1Hs began operations during the summer of 1968 to support Matienzo base, which was in a critical situation because bad weather had made its re-supply impossible for two years. Two helicopters were deployed on the ARA San Martin icebreaker and carried supplies to the base. In 1972 the air force Hueys were joined by Army Aviation UH-1Hs. On December 22, 1974, air force helicopter H-10 was lost during a heavy storm when the helicopter fell overboard from the ARA San Martin while sailing close to South Shetland Islands. Later, on December 6, 1976, H-16 was lost with its crew when

An Argentine Air Force UH-1H on board the ARA General San Martín icebreaker during one of the ﬁrst Antarctic operations of the type. Santiago Rivas Archive

carrying a load of underslung supplies to the Vicecomodoro Marambio base in whiteout conditions.The cargo sling hit a cliff close to the base. From 1978, the air force helicopters were replaced by the twin engined Bell 212 which is still in use today, while the army UH-1Hs were also joined by two Bell 212s in 1976. From 1980 they were replaced in Antarctic operations by the new SA-330L Puma. Another air force to operate in Antarctica was Chile, which started operations in the late Seventies with UH-1H H-81 and H-89. The operations in Antarctica were performed for a number of years with UH-1Hs until they were replaced by the MBB Bo-105 and later by a single S-70A Blackhawk.

A Chilean Air Force UH-1H operating in Antarctica.The helicopter wore a special paint scheme tested on this aircraft. Santiago Rivas Archive

A Chilean Air Force UH-1H and the sole Bell 212 operated by the force, photographed in Antarctica in the early 1980s. Santiago Rivas Archive

The FAU 059 was the last UH-1H to enter service with the Uruguayan Air Force, being a former Spanish Army example. Santiago Rivas

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 77

A close up of the pair of Continental T72-T-2 turboshafts ﬁtted to the modiﬁed UH-1D, the ﬁrst twin engined Huey. Bell Helicopters

78 the first twin hueys

first twin Hueys The

The UH-1N, 212 and 214ST

The development of the twin-engined versions of the Huey stemmed from two very different factors. Firstly, from the very earliest ﬂights of the military UH-1, the problem of providing more power without signiﬁcantly increasing the weight had taxed the Bell design staff. Secondly, civil safety regulations imposed limitations on single engined helicopter operations at night and over built up areas. Both issues were to ﬁnd a solution in the Model 208.

E

ven as early as 1960, the engineering team at Bell Helicopters was considering ways to ﬁt more power into the UH-1 design, prompted initially by the US Army who needed the aircraft to lift greater payloads in hot and high atmospheric conditions, such as those found in South East Asia. One obvious solution was to ﬁt two lighter and smaller engines instead of the single T53 turboshaft to increase the power but without increasing the weight of the airframe. Bell funded the modiﬁcation of a UH-1D in late 1964 to take a pair of Continental T72-T-2 turboshafts driving a single shaft through a combination gearbox. The engines were mounted side by side and in this form the engine and gearbox combination was given a new powerplant designation of XT67-T-1, capable of producing 1240hp. The modiﬁed aircraft was known as the Model 208 Twin Delta and made its ﬁrst ﬂight on April 29, 1965, immediately attracting the attention of both military and civil customers. The interest was not just prompted by the increase in power, but also the increased safety factor the second engine offered. The Model 208 could maintain height on one engine in the event of a failure, its twin engined system making the Huey suitable for offshore work in oil and gas ﬁelds, as well as operation at night and in bad weather, as it could now be properly certiﬁed for such tasks. In previous Huey models, engine failure meant the helicopter would force land immediately, in the case of an over water failure this would inevitably lead to the loss of the

aircraft. This obviously restricted the appeal of the Huey to a number of operators, a restriction the twin engined variant removed.

Canadian first

The ﬁrst customer for the new twin was announced on May 1, 1968, the Canadian Government being interested in acquiring a version of the twin powered by Pratt and Whitney Canada built engines. A pair of PT6 turboprops with a common gearbox produced 1290hp and was known as the PT6T-3 Twin

Pac powerplant, the output being increased to 1800hp in the PT6T-3B variant introduced in June 1980. The airframe was based on the UH-1D with a total of 15 seats, but the rotor was changed to an all metal semi-rigid design. The safety factor of this version was impressive; the cruise performance of the Model 212 could be maintained with one engine out even at maximum loaded weight. Hard points to carry gun or rocket pods were also included, as were door mounts for .30 or .50 Cal machine guns. The prototype ﬁrst ﬂew in April 1969, the 50 ordered for the Canadian Armed Forces were initially known as the CUH-1N Twin Huey when deliveries began on May 3, 1971, later redesignated as the CH-135. These helicopters, given the serial numbers 135101 to 135150, were to have long and interesting careers. They were to be used by the Canadian Armed Forces for 28 years, the last being retired in 1999. While in Canadian service, a number of these helicopters were ﬁtted with a modiﬁed

In 1964 Bell modiﬁed this UH-1D, 60-06030, to be powered by twin Continental turbines.This aircraft is preserved at the US Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker. Bell Helicopters The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 79

The Royal Canadian Air Force initially designated the Twin Huey the CUH-1N, later renaming it the CH-135. It was used in troop transport and support roles as well as in search and rescue missions. RCAF

version of the Emerson TAT turret under the nose, but with the twin M60 machine guns being replaced by an M134 Minigun, the turret being known as the Mini-TAT. Interestingly, a number of these systems were loaned to the US Army and Air Force in 1978 and 79 to take part in the Joint Countering Attack Helicopter (J-CATCH) programme to develop helicopter tactics against ﬁghters and other armed helicopters. After this, the remaining 41, a remarkable percentage of survivors considering how long they had been in service, were purchased by the US Government in December 1999. One was retained by the State Department and one by the National Test Pilot School at Mojave, California, the other 39 being supplied to the Columbian Army, Navy and the National Police. Here, they were used to combat the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) rebels and drug trafﬁckers, at least one being lost in combat but a number remaining in service today.

The Canadian CH-135 Twin Hueys were used in many support missions for the United Nations, seen here deployed to Sinai as part of the Multinational Force and Observers monitoring the border between Israel and Egypt in 1989. RCAF

US military variantS

Even as the development with the Canadian engines was being ﬁnalised and tested, other customers were coming forwards for the new version. The military version of the PT6 turboshaft, the T400, was produced in the US by Pratt and Whitney and ﬁtted to the Model 212 to produce the UH-1N. The US Air Force quickly ordered 79 of these helicopters to replace their UH-1Fs and Ps then in service with the 20th Special Operations Squadron (SOS) ‘The Green Hornets’ at Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam. So rapid was the introduction of the UH-1N that the ﬁrst USAF deliveries actually took place before those to the Canadian Armed Forces, the ﬁrst aircraft being delivered for trials to Eglin Air Force base in Florida on October 2, 1970. Like the earlier armed variants they were replacing, the USAF UH-1Ns could be ﬁtted with an M134 minigun, a .50 Cal machine gun or an M129 40mm grenade launcher on a mount in each cabin door, along with mounts

The prime role for the USAF UH-1Ns at home was the support and security of ICBM bases, including the transport and support of security forces as seen here. USAF

for forward ﬁring 2.75in rocket launchers alongside the rear of the cabin. Known as the A49E or Defensive Armament System, this combination of weapons was also to be ﬁtted to the UH-1Ns later acquired by the US Marine Corps, which was to order 205 of the twin engined variant, the ﬁrst of which were delivered in mid 1971. The USAF used the UH-1N in three versions. Of the 79 aircraft acquired, 22 were converted with winches and other equipment to fulﬁl the search and rescue role as the HH1N, while 10 more were conﬁgured as VIP transports as the VH-1N for use by the 89th Military Airlift Group based at Andrews Air Force Base (AFB), now the 1st Helicopter Squadron. The remainder were utility transports, initially used as already mentioned supporting special forces operations in South East Asia with the 20th SOS, the majority being assigned to air base ﬂights and units providing security and support to Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) sites.

Among the many roles for the UH-1N in USAF service is that of search and rescue, for which a winch is ﬁtted in the cabin roof. USAF

The ﬁrst unit to deploy to Vietnam with the UH-1N was the 20th Special Operations Squadron (SOS) ‘The Green Hornets’ at Cam Ranh Bay. Here, the M134 Miniguns on door mounts are evident, as is the rocket pod on its lower fuselage mount and the personal weapons carried by the crew. USAF

Right: An UH-1N Huey assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 266 (Reinforced), 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), takes off from the ﬂight deck of the USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), on September 30, 2013. US Marine Corps UH-1Ns were used in a wide variety of roles and in many conﬂicts prior to their retirement in 2014. USMC

The helicopters have received a number of upgrades throughout their service life, including improved avionics and the addition of a forward looking infra red (FLIR) turret under the nose of some of the ﬂeet. Currently, the 90th, 91st and 341st Missile Wing in Wyoming, North Dakota and Montana respectively all use the UH-1N in the security and support role and the 6th SOS in Florida still operate the type, not only supporting special forces but acting in a security advisory and training role to other armed forces worldwide. Two more recent roles for the aircraft are in support of the USAF survival school and as a test support platform with the 40th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin AFB in Florida. An update

programme to add terrain warning and collision avoidance systems as well as new seats and lighting compatible with night vision goggles are to be added beginning in 2014 to keep the aircraft in service for anything up to the next 10 years depending on the availability of a replacement. The intended replacement, the Common Vertical Lift Support Platform (CVLSP) programme, was cancelled in the budget reductions of 2013. As of 2014, there are 64 UH-1Ns in the USAF inventory, but this will increase during the remaining service life with the acquisition of retired aircraft from the US Marine Corps. On August 1, 2014, the USAF stood up the 20th Air Force Helicopter

US Marine Corps UH-1Ns took part in both the 1991 and 2003 conﬂicts in Iraq. Here, two helicopters are seen taking off from a ﬁeld outside Baghdad on April 10, 2003. USMC

Operations Group which absorbed all of the Huey ICBM support squadrons, the 37th, 40th and 54th, and will take over control of all the ICBM security and support operations over the course of the next year. By any standards this is a remarkable record of service considering the aircraft entered service 44 years ago.

Marine Twin Hueys

From mid-1971, the ﬁrst of 205 UH-1N Twin Hueys began to enter service with the USMC and were quickly deployed to Vietnam, where they were used in a variety of transport and escort operations in the closing months of the conﬂict. Six UH-1Ns were delivered as VH-1N

The VIP transport version of the Twin Huey, the VH-1N, was used by HMX-1 as a Presidential transport aircraft, six of the type being operated by the unit.This one was used by President Reagan at the G7 summit in Venice in June 1987. USMC

VIP transport helicopters for use by the Presidential transport unit, HMX-1, operators of the famous Marine One callsign and based at Marine Base Quantico in Virginia. These six helicopters were replaced by the Sikorsky VH-60 in 1989, before being reconﬁgured to become HH-1N search and rescue platforms for the USMC, along with 38 standard UH-1Ns. The USMC’s armed transport versions of the UH-1N were deployed during Operation Urgent Fury, the invasion of Grenada in 1983, and again in 1991 in Iraq. Operation Desert Storm saw 60 UH-1Ns deployed in ﬁve Helicopter Light Attack Units, HMLA-167, -267, -269, -367 and -369, where they operated alongside 24 UH-1Ns of the Royal Saudi Air Force. The Marine Twin Hueys began receiving an infrared and low light TV sensor turret mounted under the nose as part of a wider avionics upgrade at this time to increase their capabilities at night and in bad weather as well as their utility as reconnaissance platforms. They were also ﬁtted with a Stability Control Augmentation System (SCAS), in which computer controlled servomotors supplemented the stability of the main rotor, removing the need for the familiar Bell ‘stabiliser bar’ for the ﬁrst time. USMC UH-1Ns were also sent to Afghanistan to provide transport and support to Marine units deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001, the type returning

One of the ﬁrst production Bell 214A helicopters built for Imperial Iranian Army Aviation. Note the much larger engine, new rotor and rotor head of this type. Bell Helicopters

to Iraq in 2003 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In these last two conﬂicts, the Twin Hueys were used as communications platforms as well as in the reconnaissance, medevac, transport and attack roles. In Iraq, close air support missions were ﬂown, particularly in the assault on Nasiriyah and the operations around Al Hay and Kut. The last US Marine Corps UH-1N operational mission was ﬂown in Afghanistan in 2010, however, their last ever deployment was not until 2013. In August, two helicopters and 90 Marines deployed aboard the Royal Netherlands Navy landing platform HNLMS Rotterdam to take part in the multinational African Partnership Station of that year, which visited Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Benin to conduct security exercises and training with the forces of each country. The last Marine UH-1Ns were retired from HMLA-773 on August 28, 2014, when a sundown ceremony was held at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, New Orleans in Louisiana. These were not the last Marine Hueys however, as will be covered later in this issue.

Civil Twins

The twin-engined safety factor that the Model 212 provided for a wide range of applications meant that demand for the new Twin Huey was high from the start. Bell immediately began a civilian certiﬁcation programme which

Bell also produced a commercial version of the large engined Huey variant, the Model 214B BigLifter, 70 of which were built before production ended in 1981. Bell Helicopters

achieved Federal Aviation Administration Type Certiﬁcation in October 1970 and Transport Type Category A Certiﬁcation on June 30, 1971. Bell 212s were purchased by Government organisations and a plethora of businesses and civil air operators as far aﬁeld as Malaysia and Norway, as well as in almost every state of the US and province of Canada. Most famously, the purchase of eight Bell 212s by the Civil Air Authority marked the ﬁrst time a helicopter of US design and manufacture had been purchased by China, the order being placed in 1979. In 1988, the production line was transferred from Bell’s Fort Worth factory to their Canadian facility at Mirabel in Quebec along with the other commercial Bell models, to allow Fort Worth to concentrate on military production. Production of the Model 212 was to continue for another decade at Mirabel, the last of the type being delivered in 1998.

The 214

In 1970, the US Army’s Advanced Aerial Fire Support System programme was beginning to falter as increasing problems were encountered with the Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne and its development. Bell offered the Model 309

The last ever deployment of Marine Corps UH-1Ns was on Africa Partnership Station 13. Here, one of the two helicopters deployed lifts off from Rota in Spain to conduct fast rope drills prior to embarking for the tour of African nations. USMC

The single-engined Model 214A was followed by the Bell 214ST Stretched Twin.The two types are seen side by side here, the stretched fuselage of the twin-engined aircraft being immediately apparent. Bell Helicopters

KingCobra, essentially a larger and more powerful version of the AH-1G Cobra with advanced avionics and sensors. This was rejected in August 1972, but much of the work was to be used in later models of the Cobra, and in two interesting developments of the Huey. The ﬁrst of these was the Bell 214 Huey Plus of 1970, a strengthened Bell 205 airframe powered by a 1900hp Lycoming T53-L-702 turbine and ﬁtted with the larger 50ft (15.24m) span main rotor of the Model 309 with its broader chord blades and swept tips. The prototype 214 Huey Plus ﬁrst ﬂew in October 1970 and proved to be faster and quieter than the original Huey, with a better payload and high altitude performance. Three more were built, powered by the 2050hp Lycoming T55-L7C turbine, one of which was sent to Iran for testing by its army in 1972. The success of the new engine in trials prompted Bell to build the even more powerful Model 214A powered by the 2930hp Lycoming LTC4B-8D turbine, the ﬁrst of three prototypes ﬂying on March 13, 1974. This ﬁrst aircraft was delivered to Iran Imperial Army Aviation on April 26, 1975 and three days later set ﬁve new world climb and altitude records, including attaining a height of 29,760ft (9070.8m). Iran ordered 287 Model 214As from Bell, 50 more were to be built in Iran under licence along with 350 of the stretched 214ST version. Iran also requested a version of the 214A equipped for search and rescue missions for the Imperial Iranian Air Force, which became known as the 214C. Eventually, 296 214As and 39 214Cs were delivered to Iran before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, which effectively ended the plans for licence production at a new factory that was to have been built at Ishafan. The Bell 214A was also purchased by the Army of Ecuador and the Air Forces of Oman and the United Arab Emirates, the latter still using three of the type in 2014, while 10 or 12 are estimated to be still ﬂying with the Iranian Army. As with other versions of the Huey, Bell also produced a civil version of the helicopter, the Model 214B BigLifter with a new rotor hub, stability augmentation and an automatic ﬂight control

system. This version gained its certiﬁcation on January 27, 1976 but was not to meet with anything like the success of the 212, only 70 being built for civil customers around the globe before production ended in 1981. The last of the twin bladed derivatives of the Huey family was the Bell Model 214ST, a designation that initially stood for Stretched Twin, but was later marketed as the Super Transporter. While it shared a designation number with the single engined 214, the ST was in reality a very different helicopter in every regard. The 214ST retained the internal structural layout of the 214A, but stretched the fuselage by a further 16in (40cm) to 49ft 4in (15.03m), an amazing 7ft 4in (2.23m) longer than the original Model 205. The nose was redesigned to a much more streamlined shape and drop down steps were added in fairings below the cabin doors to ease passenger entry and exit, the longer cabin being able to seat up to 17 passengers depending on layout. Interestingly, for the ﬁrst time on a Huey derivative, a wheeled undercarriage was an

option to the traditional skids. A new rotor of 52ft (15.85m) span was designed, featuring composite rotor blades and a new head with elastomeric bearings. The rotor was driven through a single transmission by a pair of 1625hp General Electric CT7-2A turbines mounted in a streamlined fairing above the rear fuselage. A 214A had been modiﬁed with the twin-engined layout and tested in February 1977, the success of which caused Iran to offer to fund part of the development, as it was their intention to build 350 of the new type under licence. Work on three prototypes commenced, the ﬁrst of which ﬂew for the ﬁrst time on July 21, 1979, by which time the revolution in Iran had ended the plans for production there. However, a number of civil customers had come forward by this time, sufﬁcient for Bell to begin production of the 214ST in 1981, a total of 94 production helicopters being built for civil and military customers around the globe before production ended in 1993. ■ Words: Tim Callaway

The 94 production Bell 214STs built were primarily for civil customers as seen here. However, the type was also purchased by the Air Forces of Iraq and Venezuela, and is still in use with those of Brunei and Peru and the Royal Thai Navy. Bell Helicopters The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 83

four blade The Bell 412

first

The Bell 412 was the ﬁrst version of the Huey to replace the traditional two bladed main rotor with a four bladed one. Although Bell had produced experimental variants with more than two blades, this was the company’s ﬁrst production helicopter with this feature.

O

ne of the design elements that has made the earlier Huey models so useful to land and ship based armed forces was the two bladed main rotor. This allowed the helicopter to be carried in transport aircraft without removing the blades and minimised the deck and hangar space on carriers and other ships that the Huey required without the need to include a blade folding mechanism, common on larger helicopters. This meant that Hueys on deployment arrived almost ready to go, speeding their entry into service in any overseas theatre. The Huey’s two-bladed main rotor had steadily grown in chord and in length, from 44ft (13.41m) span on the XH40 to 52ft (15.85m) on the 214ST. This had been for two main reasons, to absorb the increasing power of the developing turbine engines ﬁtted to the helicopter, and in pursuit of the holy grail of aircraft design, to increase the performance to meet customer demands. The development of the two bladed rotor 84 four blade first

had reached its limits, particularly in terms of reducing noise and vibration, problems long associated with it, which meant that on September 8, 1978, Bell announced the development of a new four bladed design based on the Bell 212.

First Fours

Two Bell 212 airframes were taken from the production line and modiﬁed to become the prototypes of the 412, retaining the 1800hp Pratt and Whitney PT6T-3B Turbo Twin Pac powerplant driving the new lightweight composite rotor. The rotor head had elastomeric bearings like those of the late model two bladed rotors, these removing the need for mechanical hinges and dampers, so greatly simplifying the system as well as reducing the weight. The fact that this was a relatively straightforward modiﬁcation of the existing design meant that the ﬁrst ﬂights of the two prototypes occurred less than a year later, in August and December of 1979, immediately showing tremendous

improvements in the noise and vibration levels experienced in the cabin. Basing the design on an existing helicopter also meant that Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certiﬁcation was swift, Type Certiﬁcation being approved on January 9, 1981, the ﬁrst deliveries of production helicopters occurring only nine days later to Alaska based ERA Helicopter Inc. Aside from the noise and vibration improvements, the Bell 412 proved to have a better climb performance and a higher service ceiling than the two bladed 212, as well as a much improved maximum cruising speed of 143mph (230kph) over the original model’s 115mph (186kph). The sheer utility of the Huey design remained in the 220cu ft cabin with its large two piece doors enabling easy access, this still being a massive internal space for a helicopter of this class which could be conﬁgured with up to 13 passenger seats or any combination of seats and equipment depending on the customers needs. During the early 1980s, Bell responded to customer feedback by introducing the Model 412SP or Special Performance. This was ﬁtted with the PT6T-3BF powerplant with its improved single engined performance and was modiﬁed to provide an increased maximum take off weight and featured new internal layouts and seating options. The biggest change was the increase in internal

Above: Eighteen Bell 412SPs were purchased by the Royal Norwegian Air Force, all of which are still in service in 2014. Here a ﬂight inserts a team of US Marines at the port of Orkanger during NATO exercise Strong Resolve 2002. USMC Left: The ﬁrst customer for the Bell 412 was Era Helicopter Inc, operating in Alaska among other states. Era Helicopter

fuel capacity to extend the range and loiter time, which increased military interest in the new version, attracting orders from Honduras and Norway among many others. In 1984, airframe vibration was reduced still further with the introduction of a pendulum damper system on the rotor head of aircraft on the production line, which was also offered as an upgrade kit to existing helicopters. In June 1986, an armed version of the 412SP was proposed, a single example, N412AH, being produced as a demonstrator. Known as the 412AH for Attack Helicopter, it could carry a 19 round rocket pod on either side of the cabin and was ﬁtted with a Lucas Aerospace turret under the nose. This housed a .50 cal machine gun with 875 rounds and was slaved to a helmet mounted Sperry Head Tracker sight from the AH-1S Cobra which enabled the pilot to ‘look and shoot’. Despite some interest in the concept, no orders for the 412AH were forthcoming. As with other Bell types, production of the 412 was transferred to the Canadian factories in January 1989 to free up space at Fort Worth. The development of the PT6T engines and their improved transmission led to the 412SP being replaced on the production lines by the 412HP (High Performance) in 1991, the new version being ﬁtted with the -3BG or 1920hp -3D versions of the Pratt and Whitney powerplant. Currently, there are two versions of the Bell 412 in production, the ﬁrst being the 412EP (Enhanced Performance), introduced in 1993 and ﬁtted with the -3DF version of the engines. The new model was also ﬁtted with a dual digital automatic ﬂight control system which included both an automated approach to hover and automated hover facilities. This model was the basis of a customised development for the Royal Canadian Air Force known as the 412CF, designated the CH-146 Griffon in service. Ordered in 1992, 100 of this version were delivered to the RCAF between 1995 and 1997, used in the search and rescue, combat support and tactical transport roles with 10 RCAF Squadrons and not expected to be retired until at least 2021. The Bell 412EP

The Bell 412EP sold worldwide, this being a Nigerian registered example equipped with the emergency ﬂotation devices on the landing skids. Bell Helicopters

The expanded performance of the Bell 412EP made it popular with ﬁre and rescue departments throughout the US and Canada, such as the San Diego Fire Department as seen in action here. Bell Helicopters

The Royal Canadian Air Force CH-146 Griffon was based on the Bell 412SP and is used in the combat support, transport and search and rescue roles. RCAF

An interesting comparison between the early instrumentation, in this case as ﬁtted to an RAF Grifﬁn HT.1 of the Search and Rescue Training Unit, a type based on the 412EP, and the latest advanced glass cockpit of the Bell 412EPI. Editor/Bell Helicopters

has also been the basis of two versions acquired by the Royal Air Force and various versions of the aircraft have been produced under licence in Indonesia and Italy, all of which will be covered later in this issue. The other version still in production is the 412EPI, ﬁtted with the 2143hp PT6T-9 powerplant which features a Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system. The other avionics and electronics have been similarly upgraded, the 412EPI featuring the Bell BasiX Pro Integrated Avionics System in a completely modernised glass cockpit. The airframe has also been modiﬁed in association with BLR Aerospace, the ﬁn changing shape to a much narrower chord

with a curved trailing edge known as the ‘Fast Fin’, which, when coupled with the dual strakes ﬁtted along the lower faces of the tailboom offer improved fuel efﬁciency, handling, tail rotor effectiveness and crosswind tolerance by altering the airﬂow around the rear of the helicopter. This aerodynamic improvement has also been introduced on to the 412EP and is available as an upgrade to earlier versions as it signiﬁcantly improves the hot and high performance of the helicopter and increases the useful load in these conditions. The latest versions of the design are incredibly advanced aircraft and are a ﬁtting continuance of the Huey family line. ■ Words: Tim Callaway The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 85

Licensedand unlicensed The other Huey producers

The high performance of the Huey series made it an instant success for Bell in the export market. Demand for the type worldwide was such that a number of partner companies began producing the aircraft under licence to meet local needs.

T

he Huey in its many forms was produced under licence in Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan and Taiwan meeting customer needs with a whole new set of variants with modiﬁcations to suit local requirements. It is also produced in Iran in an unlicensed version for use by the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation, a reverse engineering project derived from helicopters sold to Iran prior to the 1979 revolution.

Germany

The Luftwaffe and Heer, German Army Aviation, received a total of 352 UH-1Ds between August 1967 and 1981, 13 of which were allocated to the Bundesgrenshutz, the Federal Border Guard in 1976 (now part of the Bundespolizei, the Federal Police). The ﬁrst two UH-1Ds, 70+01 and 70+02, were built by Bell and were followed by four more assembled from kits by Dornier in Germany. This established the licence production line in Germany and 140 more were built for the Luftwaffe, followed by 204 for Army Aviation. Aside from extensive use

the utility and transport roles, a number of the German Hueys were also conﬁgured as Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopters. Interestingly, despite the designation Dornier UH-1D, the entire German ﬂeet are in fact UH-1Hs, ﬁtted with the 1400hp Lycoming T53-L-13 turbine and with the pitot head on top of the cabin. The ﬂeet was subject to a Structural Life Extension Programme (SLEP) as well as an avionics and systems upgrade by RUAG Aviation at their facility in Oberpfaffenhoffen near Munich, the company being authorised to maintain and modify both the military and civil models of the Huey. RUAG still provides deep maintenance and overhaul support to the ﬂeet today. In 2012, as part of a rationalisation of the armed forces, the Luftwaffe began the transfer of its remaining UH-1Ds to the Army, the ﬂeet reducing to 127 examples by 2014. Currently, Transporthubschrauberregiment (Transport Helicopter Regiment) THR 30 at Niederstetten is the last German Army unit to operate the type. Aside from their transport role, THR 30 also maintains a detachment at three other airﬁelds to provide SAR cover

to the whole country. The UH-1D is expected to be retired in 2016 and replaced with the NH-90 TTH.

IndonesIa

The Indonesian Army had purchased 16 Bell 205A-1 helicopters in 1977 as utility transports, medevac and armed ﬁre support platforms. Twelve of these are still listed as in service as of 2014, the success of the type leading to a licence agreement between Bell and Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara (IPTN) in Bandung in November 1982 for manufacture and assembly of the Bell 412. Designated NBell 412s, the ﬁrst Indonesian built aircraft ﬂew in April 1986, the helicopter being produced for the Indonesian armed forces and civil customers. In 1988, four NBell 412s were delivered to the Indonesian Army as attack helicopters, while six more were delivered to the Navy in the anti-submarine and shipping roles and eleven more to civil customers over the next ﬁve years. Today, 37 NBell 412s are listed as in service with the Army and three more with the Navy.

An Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) NBell 412, seen over the site of Indonesia’s successful world record attempt for most divers diving in the one place at the same time off the coast of Manado, Indonesia. Royal Australian Navy

One of the 352 Dornier UH-1Ds built for the German Army and Luftwaffe. Despite their designation, these were actually UH-1Hs. Constance Redgrave

ITALY

The production of Bell helicopters in Italy began in 1952 when a licence to build the Bell Model 47 was agreed with Agusta at Cascina Costa. Several versions of the helicopter were produced for all three Italian armed forces, the police and ﬁre services and several government departments, as well as a range of civilian customers. Agusta also built the ﬁrst 50 of a British military order for 200 Bell 47s while concluding a licence agreement with Westland Helicopters in Yeovilton. The success of this early venture and the obvious quantum leap in helicopter performance that the brand new Huey represented meant that Agusta were keen to licence production of the Bell 204 as soon as possible. Taking advantage of the development programme Bell had been conducting on the Model 204 and 205 for the US Army, the Italian manufacturer decided to produce the AgustaBell AB 204B with a range of engines and rotor sizes to fulﬁl the widest possible range of customer needs. Aside from the standard 1100hp Lycoming T53-L-11A turbine, the AB

Aside from as a utility transport, the Dornier UH-1Ds also ﬁlled the search and rescue role with the German forces, a task they maintain today. Keith Draycott

204B could be ﬁtted with the 1050hp H.1000 or 1250hp H.1200 versions of the Rolls-Royce Bristol Gnome or the 1325hp General Electric T58-GE-3, driving either the 44ft (13.41m) or 48ft (14.63m) diameter main rotor. The Gnome engine was in fact a licence built version of the T58 with various British components and systems and was included for the ease of access to spares and support for European customers. Agusta’s policy of offering the widest range of options possible to customers also extended to the ancillary equipment ﬁtted to the helicopter, and was to make the company the largest producer of the Huey after Bell itself. The ﬁrst AB 204B ﬁrst ﬂew on May 10, 1961, and was to remain in production for the next 12 years, with 238 being built for military and civil customers, including the armed forces of Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. In 1965, a specialised antisubmarine and anti-shipping version was developed, the AB 204AS. Powered by the T58-GE-3, this was supplied to the Italian, Spanish and Turkish navies and included a dipping sonar and a search radar in its suite of

detection equipment. The AB 204AS could also carry a range of anti-ship and submarine weapons, including a pair of Mk 44 torpedoes. The introduction of the Model 205 long bodied Hueys saw Italian production shift to the Agusta Bell AB 205 in 1966 and AB 205A-1 in 1969, roughly the equivalents of the UH-1D and UH-1H but produced in both military and civil versions. Also built were ﬁve examples of the AB 205B with its larger engine for the Italian Army and Corpo Carabinieri, the military police. By the time production ended in early 1988, 490 AB 205s of all variants had been built and supplied to the armed forces of Australia, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe among others. Agusta also pre-empted the next development of the Huey family by designing and building two prototypes of twin engined versions of the helicopter. The AB 205BG of 1968 was powered by a pair of 1250hp Gnome H.1200 turbines, while the AB 205TA had a pair of 700hp Turboméca Astazou XIIs. Agusta also planned a ﬁt a pair ➤

The licence agreement with Agusta of Italy to produce Bell helicopters began with the Bell 47 in several models, two of which are seen here in Corpo Carabinieri service. SCDBob

Left: The upgraded cockpit of a Dornier built UH-1D, the upgrade and maintenance of the ﬂeet being managed by Swiss manufacturer Ruag Aviation. RUAG Aviation The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 87

One of the ﬁrst units to operate the Agusta Bell AB 204B was 15 Stormo of the Italian Air Force.The performance of the new aircraft gave the Alpine units the performance they needed, as seen here on September 7, 1966, as one of their aircraft lands on Mont Blanc. AMI

of Continental 217 or Pratt and Whitney PT6 turbines to offer customers a range of twin engined options, but the plans never developed beyond the two prototypes. In 1971, the Bell-designed twin engined variant of the Huey did enter production in Italy as the Agusta Bell AB 212 with some 255 being built in ﬁve versions. Aside from 88 AB 212s for civil and military customers in various countries, three AB 212GE electronic countermeasures and electronic intelligence helicopters were built for the Italian Navy, 40 AB 212AM utility transports were built for the Italian Police and Air Force, ﬁve AB 212EW electronic warfare platforms were built for the air forces of Greece and Turkey, three AB 212ICO Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) helicopters were upgraded for 21 Gruppo of the Italian Air Force for deployment to Afghanistan in that role, but the most numerous variant by far was the AB 212ASW, 119 of which were built for the navies of Greece, Iran, Italy, Peru, Spain, Turkey, and Venezuela. This last version is an anti-shipping and anti-submarine warfare platform intended to replace the earlier AB 204AS. Powered by the 1875hp Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6T-6 Turbo Twin Pac, like the earlier aircraft it was developed and marketed solely by Agusta. The winch mounted over the starboard cabin door can deploy a dipping sonar,

An Agusta Bell AB 212 of the Spanish Navy delivers Tunisian naval personnel on to the Spanish ship SPS Contramaestre Casado (A01) as part of Exercise Phoenix Express 2007.The exercise included the forces of Algeria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Spain,Tunisia,Turkey and the United States. US Navy 88 licensed and unlicensed

The Agusta Bell AB 204B was supplied to a number of armed forces, including the Austrian Air Force as seen here. Austrian Air Force

originally a Bendix AN/AQS-13B/F low frequency model, later upgraded to the AQS18. A search radar is also ﬁtted in a distinctive radome above the cockpit. This was a ARI5955 radar in a thimble shaped radome in the ﬁrst batch of 212ASWs, but was soon replaced by such radars as the Seaspray and APS-705A with their more drum shaped radomes. The helicopter can be armed with a pair of the Mk 44, Mk 46 or A244/S homing torpedoes, or two Marte Mk 2 or Sea Skua anti-shipping missiles. Since its introduction in 1973, the 212ASW ﬂeet worldwide had undergone a series of sensor and avionics upgrades as well as airframe life extension programmes, the Spanish aircraft as recently as 2011, which should see the type remain in service well into the 2020s. The last Agusta-built Huey variant was the Model 412, which entered production in 1981 as the Agusta Bell AB 412. Production of the AB 412 would include the Bell developed 412SP, HP and EP variants with the more powerful versions of the PT6T powerplant as these were introduced over the next 13 years. The military versions of the AB 412s are often referred to by the name Grifone or Griffon. Like the 204AS and 212ASW, the Grifone was developed by Agusta independently, the airframe being ﬁtted with an energy absorbing undercarriage and crash worthy seats along with self sealing fuel tanks, all

A pair of Agusta Bell AB 212ASWs of the Italian navy showing the position of the APS-705A radar with its drum shaped radome. Italian Navy

aimed at improving the type’s survivability in military operations. A wide variety of weapons can also be carried, including door and pod mounted versions of the .50 cal machine gun or 25 mm Oerlikon cannon. Pylons can support 19 tube 81mm SNORA rocket pods, eight TOW anti-tank missiles, Stinger air-to-air missiles for self defence or up to four Sea Skua anti-ship missiles giving the Grifone a wide range of mission applications beyond its basic medevac and transport roles. The prototype Grifone ﬁrst ﬂew in August 1982 and was widely exported, a total of 260 of the military and civil versions of the AB 412 being built for countries as diverse as Sweden and New Zealand. The Grifone was also used as the basis for an attempt to provide NATO with an airborne moving target indicator (AMTI) radar system, known as the AB 412 CRESO. This stood for Complesso Radar Eliportato per la Sorveglianza, or heliborne battleﬁeld surveillance radar, the large, ﬂattened drum shaped radar being ﬁtted under the nose of the helicopter. Only one was built, the trials aircraft, MM81196, and it is preserved today at Viterbo Air Base. Agusta is now AgustaWestland, part of the Finmeccanica group, and was the largest manufacturer of Hueys of all models after Bell, increasing both the range of models and the range of customers for the helicopter.

One of the most instantly recognisable customers for the Agusta Bell 412SP was the brightly coloured search and rescue units of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. RNAF

As with many forces that operate the Agusta Bell AB 205, the Greek Air Force uses the type in the search and rescue role. Hellenic Air Force

JAPAN

Bell signed a production licence for the Huey in Japan with Mitsui & Co Ltd on January 20, 1962, which in turn engaged Fuji Heavy Industries to manufacture the Bell 204B and UH-1B at its factory at Utsonomiya. Lycoming supplied the engines as kits to Kawasaki, which assembled them as the KT-53 turbine. The only difference between US and Japanese manufactured helicopters was that the tail rotor was mounted on the starboard side of the ﬁn instead of the port, a detail that would later feature on several other Huey models. Over the next 11 years, Fuji was to built 138 of both the civil and military versions for the Japan Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF) and several Japanese airlines, 90 of both types being delivered to the Army Aviation Groups throughout the country. In 1968, one of the Fuji Bell 204Bs was converted as an experimental compound helicopter with a 22ft (6.7m) span ﬁxed wing and enlarged tail surfaces, ﬂying for the ﬁrst time on February 11, 1970. Known as the XMH, it conducted a series of experimental ﬂights up to 1973. Also that year, Fuji developed the Model 204B-2, ﬁtted with the 1400hp KT-53-13B turbine as a high performance version of the helicopter, 20 being built for the JGSDF. In 1974, six UH-1Bs were used in weapons

The all-glass cockpit upgrade for the Agusta Bell AB 412. Agusta

Soldiers from the 4th Alpine Parachute Regiment of the Italian Army rappel down from an 4th Army Aviation Regiment AB205 helicopter during the Falzarego exercise on August 23, 2011. Italian Army

trials with rocket pods and guns, the success of which led to the conversion of 20 airframes to serve as gunships. Several Japanese built 204Bs were for US civil customers as Bell’s production line was working at maximum capacity for the US Army. Also powered by the KT-53-13B turbine was the ﬁrst of the long bodied Hueys built in Japan, based on the Model 205B civil version and designated the UH-1H, it was in fact identical to the US UH-1H, even down to the tail rotor being on the port side of the ﬁn. The ﬁrst Fuji built UH-1H ﬂew on July 17, 1973, 133 being built for the JGSDF to replace the earlier UH-1Bs in the transport and gunship roles. A number of UH-1Hs were also converted to carry and dispense mines as area denial munitions platforms. As with the earlier 204, Fuji also developed what was known as the 205B-2, an upgraded military transport version unofﬁcially known as the UH-1J. This featured the more streamlined nose of the Model 212 and the uprated 1800hp T53-L-703 engine, along with infrared jammers, a night vision goggle compatible cockpit and a vibration reduction system. Fuji built 126 of this version for the JGSDF, the ﬁrst being delivered in 1993. As of 2014, 153 UH-1Hs and Js were listed as in service, but plans were announced to begin to replace these with a new Kawasaki-developed helicopter in 2017.

The 126 upgraded Fuji Bell AH-1Js of the Japan Ground Self Defence Force feature the more streamlined nose of the Model 212 and the uprated 1800hp T53-L-703 engine. US Army

TAIWAN

The Aero Industry Development Centre (AIDC) in Taiwan built 118 UH-1Hs for the Republic of China Army between 1969 and 1976. These helicopters were to undergo a series of upgrades during their service lives and impressively 91 remained listed as in service in 2014. Five UH-1Hs were donated to Panama in 1997 to operate as anti-narcotics aircraft and four more went to Paraguay in 2002. Aside from Army Aviation, UH-1Hs are also operated in Taiwan by the National Fire Administration as aerial ﬁre ﬁghters.

IRAN

As already covered earlier in this issue, large numbers of Hueys had been purchased by the Shah of Iran prior to the Islamic Revolution of 1979. These 205s, 212s and 214s had been both successful and reliable in Iranian service, so the Iranian Helicopter Support and Renewal Company began a study to explore the feasibility of reverse engineering the helicopter. The company was already responsible for the repair and maintenance of the entire Iranian Huey ﬂeet, so were well versed in the technology and structure. The result was the Panha Shabaviz 2-75, the ﬁrst of which ﬂew in 1998, entering series production in 2002. Little is known about this Huey version, but it appears to be based on the 205 and 214C airframe, while the number built remains unclear. ■ Words: Tim Callaway

A total of 118 UH-1H Iroquois were built by AIDC for the Republic of China Army. They have proven to be long lived airframes, entering service in 1980, this one photographed in 2012. Toshiro Aoki The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 89

british hueys Bell helicopters in the Army Air Corps and Royal Air Force The extent to which the Huey is used by the British armed forces is not widely appreciated, the Royal Air Force operating the type as a search and rescue platform and multi-engined trainer, the Army Air Corps as a utility support and training helicopter.

A

ll of the Bell 212s and 412s currently operated by the British armed forces were procured under what are known as Civil Owned Military Registered (COMAR) contracts. The Army 212 based helicopters were initially owned by Bristow Helicopters Limited which leased them to the Ministry of Defence beginning in 1994. The helicopters were transferred to FB Leasing, a separate part of the Bristow Group, in 2004, which in turn was purchased by FR Aviation, part of the Cobham Group PLC in July 2013. The RAF 412 based aircraft were acquired under a separate contract with FBS in 1996, a co-operative company between FR Aviation, Bristows and SERCo. This contract not only supplied the aircraft, but also the engineering, support and many of

90 british hueys

the instructing staff required to operate the type in the training role. Again, in 2012, this contract was won by the Cobham Group, speciﬁcally FB Heliservices Limited, the new name for FR Aviation. Thus, all of the British military Hueys are currently supplied, maintained and administered by a single company under separate contracts.

Army 212s

The Army Air Corps (AAC) was the ﬁrst element of the British armed forces to operate the Huey, the ﬁrst three being delivered in 1994 to replace the Westland Scout with 7 Flight at Scout Base in Brunei in early 1995. These were based on the Bell 212HP, modiﬁed with military communications and other mission speciﬁc equipment, powered by the 1800hp Pratt and Whitney PT6T-3B

Twin Pac powerplant with two of the PT-6 turbines driving the rotors through a common transmission. The reason the aircraft was acquired was the need for a high performance twin engined helicopter capable of operating in the hot and high conditions found in Brunei and the fact they offered the safety factor of two engines for operations over the jungle regions of the country. The prime role of the Bell 212HP AH Mk.1 as it was designated was to support the British Military Garrison Brunei (BGB) which consists of an Infantry Battalion and Training Team Brunei, the Army’s jungle warfare school, along with a support garrison. The 7 Flight aircraft are equipped with an electric winch above the starboard cabin door to enable them to ﬂy medevac and rescue missions in the dense jungle terrain of Brunei. In December 2007, 7 Flight moved from Scout Base to its current home at Medicina Lines near Seria in the Belait district. In 2003, the Army acquired four more aircraft, an additional AH Mk.1 and three later build AH Mk.2s with different avionics.

When Bell 212HP AH Mk.1 ZJ969 was ﬁrst acquired by the Army Air Corps in 2003 it was in the bright green scheme that earned it the nickname ‘Kermit’. Editor

The ﬁrst of these, ZJ969, was delivered to the AAC Headquarters and training centre at Middle Wallop where it was used initially to train crews in operating the 212 and in jungle ﬂying techniques. Delivered in a lurid all over green paint scheme, ZJ969 was quickly dubbed Kermit due to its colour. The three additional AH Mk.2s replaced the Gazelle and two Lynx helicopters operated by 25 Flight AAC in Belize. Like the aircraft of 7 Flight in Brunei, the helicopters were based in the country to support the exercises and courses run by the British Army Training Support Unit Belize (BATSUB), as well as ﬂying medevac missions for the civilian population. With the loss of ZJ965 in a training accident in September 2007, ZJ969, ‘Kermit’ was sent out from the UK. The replacement could not ﬁll all the roles of 25 Flight as it was not equipped with a door winch or a night vision goggle compatible cockpit but it could assist in carrying the loads necessary for the larger exercises. In August 2011 the Flight was withdrawn from Belize and returned to Middle Wallop where it came under 7

Bell 212HP AH Mk.1 ZJ969 as it appears today, seen here at Middle Wallop prior to 25 Fight’s deployment to Kenya in March 2013. Rick Ingham

(Training) Regiment, providing security support for the 2012 Olympics in London. In March 2013, 25 Flight relocated to become part of Joint Helicopter Force (Kenya) to support the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK). Army units train in Kenya prior to deployment to such theatres as Afghanistan, the Flight providing medevac and range clearance support.

RAF 412s

The MoD contract of October 1996 with FBS was the basis for the formation of the Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS) at RAF Shawbury. The school was to provide basic ﬂying training to all three British services on the Squirrel HT Mk.1 single-engined helicopter, followed by multi-engined, advanced and instructor training for the RAF on the Bell Grifﬁn HT Mk.1 based on the Model 412 EP. The RAF students gain experience in carrying underslung loads and operating in conﬁned areas, as well as night vision goggle, instrument, formation and low ﬂying. Eleven trainers were procured, nine in 1997 and an additional pair in 2002, equipping two units.

The ﬁrst was 60 (Reserve) Squadron at RAF Shawbury as part of DHFS, the other was the Search and Rescue Training Unit (SARTU) at RAF Valley. The latter is responsible for the initial training of RAF crews who go on to operate the Sea King in the Search and Rescue (SAR) role. As well as the two additional training helicopters, the RAF also acquired four of a specialised search and rescue version of the 412 EP in 2002 to replace the last remaining Westland Wessex helicopters in RAF service. Designated as the Bell Grifﬁn HAR Mk.2, three of these are operated in Cyprus by 84 Squadron at RAF Akrotiri; the ﬁnal aircraft is based at SARTU as a trainer and maintenance reserve. The HAR Mk.2 is ﬁtted with a winch for the rescue role and can carry two stretchers in the cabin, which is equipped with full life support equipment. Since the RAF winchmen are trained paramedics, injured persons rescued by the helicopter begin to ➤

A side view of Bell 212HP AH Mk.1 ZJ969 as it appeared in 2003 at Middle Wallop.The aircraft is currently operating with 25 Flt AAC in Kenya in a standard camouﬂage scheme. Keith Draycott

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 91

If you are in desperate need of help, there can be no more beautiful a sight than this. Based at RAF Valley in Anglesey, SARTU trains the RAF crews that will go on to operate the Sea King with the UK based search and rescue units and the Grifﬁn HAR Mk.2 with 84 Squadron in Cyprus. Keith Draycott

84 Squadron operates three Bell Grifﬁn HAR Mk.2s at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, the blue band signifying their supporting role for the UN forces on the island. Keith Draycott

Bell 212s of the BRitish aRmy type Bell 212HP AH Mk.1 Bell 212HP AH Mk.1 Bell 212HP AH Mk.1 Bell 212HP AH Mk.1 Bell 212HP AH Mk.2 Bell 212HP AH Mk.2 Bell 212HP AH Mk.3 Bell 212HP AH Mk.2

Delivered 1994 1994 1994 2003 2003 2003 2008 2010

serial Constructors No. ZH814 30512 ZH815 30668 ZH816 30549 ZJ969/K 30548 ZJ964/D 31171 ZJ966/C 32134 ZK067/B 30835 ZK206/A 30918

Current unit 7 Flt AAC Brunei 7 Flt AAC Brunei 7 Flt AAC Brunei 25 Flt AAC Kenya 25 Flt AAC Kenya 25 Flt AAC Kenya 25 Flt AAC Kenya 7 Regt 671 Sqn AAC Middle Wallop

Notes: Bell 212HP AH Mk.2, ZJ965/B 31170 was lost in a landing accident on a training ﬂight at Nova Farms Compound in Belize when part of 25 Flt AAC on September 5, 2007. Bell 212HP AH Mk.3, ZK067/B 30835 was damaged in a forced landing at Mount Kenya on January 8, 2015. Bell 212HP AH Mk.2, ZK206/A 30918 was added to the MoD contract to replace ZJ965.

Another of the important secondary roles for 84 Squadron is that of aerial ﬁreﬁghters; one of the unit’s Bell Grifﬁn HAR Mk.2s seen here practising with a ‘Bambi Bucket’. Keith Draycott

Bell 412s ofthe Royal aiR foRce type Bell Grifﬁn HT Mk.1

Delivered 1997

serial Constructors No. ZJ234/S 36144

Bell Grifﬁn HT Mk.1

1997

ZJ235/I 36151

Bell Grifﬁn HT Mk.1

1997

ZJ236/X 36145

Bell Grifﬁn HT Mk.1

1997

ZJ237/T 36156

Bell Grifﬁn HT Mk.1

1997

ZJ238/Y 36162

Bell Grifﬁn HT Mk.1

1997

ZJ239/R 36125

Bell Grifﬁn HT Mk.1 Bell Grifﬁn HT Mk.1 Bell Grifﬁn HT Mk.1

1997 1997 1997

ZJ240/U 36163 ZJ241/L 36164 ZJ242/E 36095

Bell Grifﬁn HAR Mk.2 Bell Grifﬁn HAR Mk.2

2002 2002

ZJ703/3 36296 ZJ704/4 36304

Bell Grifﬁn HAR Mk.2

2002

ZJ705/5 36306

Bell Grifﬁn HAR Mk.2

2002

ZJ706/6 36308

Bell Grifﬁn HT Mk.1

2002

ZJ707/O 36297

Bell Grifﬁn HT Mk.1

2002

ZJ708/K 36301

92 british hueys

Current unit 60 (Reserve) Sqn DHFS, RAF Shawbury 60 (Reserve) Sqn DHFS, RAF Shawbury 60 (Reserve) Sqn DHFS, RAF Shawbury 60 (Reserve) Sqn DHFS, RAF Shawbury 60 (Reserve) Sqn DHFS, RAF Shawbury 60 (Reserve) Sqn DHFS, RAF Shawbury SARTU, RAF Valley SARTU, RAF Valley 60 (Reserve) Sqn DHFS, RAF Shawbury SARTU, RAF Valley 84 Squadron, RAF Akrotiri 84 Squadron, RAF Akrotiri 84 Squadron, RAF Akrotiri 60 (Reserve) Sqn DHFS, RAF Shawbury 60 (Reserve) Sqn DHFS, RAF Shawbury

Bell 212 HP AH Mk.3, ZK067/B is the latest British Army acquisition and is operating in Kenya with 25 Flight AAC where it was damaged in a forced landing at Mount Kenya on January 8 2015. Rick Ingham

receive a high level of care before they even reach hospital. The helicopter can also be ﬁtted with a nose turret containing a forward looking infrared and low light television to assist in operations at night and in bad weather. Also enhancing the night and bad weather capabilities of the type are the advanced avionics in the fully night vision goggle compatible cockpit. To assist in maritime rescues, the nose mounted weather radar can also be used in sea search mode. Aside from the SAR role, 84 Squadron has a number of other duties in Cyprus, not least of which is operating as aerial ﬁreﬁghters equipped with ‘Bambi Buckets’. These are lowered into the nearest body of water to ﬁll them, before being ﬂown to the ﬁre site and

The complex nose avionics bay of an 84 Squadron Grifﬁn HAR Mk.2.The weather radar can be used in sea search mode to assist in maritime rescues, and an additional sensor turret can be ﬁtted just below and aft of this. Keith Draycott

the water released. The light blue band around the tail booms signiﬁes another of the unit’s roles, as it supports the UN forces maintaining the buffer zone between Cypriot and Turkish forces on the island. The blue is the same colour as the UN troops’ berets and denotes that the helicopters are never armed. The RAF training role may change or come to an end as a new organisation, the Rotary Wing Training Programme of the UK Military Flying Training System, is due to be contracted in 2016 to begin operations in 2018. Quite how this will affect the current aircraft is unclear, but the Army’s utility support and RAF’s search and rescue operations with the Huey are likely to continue far beyond the introduction of the new training system. ■ Words: Tim Callaway

The RAF’s ﬂeet of Bell Grifﬁn HT Mk.1 is operated by the DHFS and SARTU, and can be changed between the two units. Here, ZJ239/R, currently a 60 (Reserve) Squadron aircraft from DHFS, is seen conducting SAR training at RAF Valley. Keith Draycott

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 93

Three Austrian Air Force Agusta Bell AB 212s. Bundesheer

A helicopter for the world The operators of the ubiquitous Huey The Huey was to sell around the world almost from the moment it ﬁrst ﬂew, the light but powerful design proving to be the solution to operators’ needs in climates and conditions that had severely limited helicopter performance in the past. When this performance was added to the sheer reliability built into the Huey, it was not only a popular choice but a ver y long lived one. 94 A HELICOPTER FOR THE WORLD

T

he use of the single engined variants of the Huey in Latin America has been thoroughly covered by Santiago Rivas in his article on page 64 of this issue, but that is only part of the helicopter’s international success. The US and UK’s use of the type has been similarly covered in detail, but here we list the forces that have used, and indeed still use, the Huey in its many other forms, including the multiengined variants.

AfghAnistAn

In 2008, 10 ex-US Army UH-1Hs were supplied to the Afghan Air Force to operate as pilot trainers and utility transports alongside the larger ﬂeet of Mil Mi-17s. These remain on strength as of 2014.

AlbAniA

The Albanian Air Force acquired three Agusta Bell AB 205A-1s as utility transports from Italy in 2004, four more being ordered for delivery by 2006. Three remain in service as of 2014.

AlgeriA

The Algerian Air Force has three Bell 412s supplied by the US during the late 1980s.

AngolA

The Angolan National Air Force has nine Bell 212s currently on strength, the ﬁrst four being delivered during 2005 followed by ﬁve more in 2013.

ArgentinA

Aside from the air force, army and navy use of the UH-1D and H as already discussed, the

A Bell UH-1H during the Exhibition of the Argentine Army in May 2008. Joaquín Alvarez Riera

Army took delivery of two Model 212s, AE450 and 451, in 1976. AE-451 was lost in the Antarctic on January 11, 1977, while 450 is still used as a VIP transport. The Fuerza Aerea Argentina took delivery of 12 Model 212s (H81 to H-88) between 1978 and 1982, two being transferred from the Israeli Air Force, followed by one more in 2000. These were used as utility transports and search and rescue aircraft, one being transferred to Canada in 2003 and one to Brazil in 2006. The ﬂeet has been expanded with the acquisition of three Bell 412s in 2014 to supplement the remaining seven 212s.

AustrAliA

The ﬁrst overseas customer for the UH-1 was Australia, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) taking delivery of 24 UH-1Bs between September 1962 and early 1964. They were followed by two UH-1Ds and 54 UH-1Hs beginning in 1966, 25 of the later being ex-US Army aircraft. These all served with 5 and 9 Squadrons, the latter being deployed to Vietnam in 1966 in the medevac and troop transport roles. To escort these missions, several of the 9 Squadron UH-1Hs were converted to gunships, known as Bushrangers. These were ﬁtted with twin M134 miniguns and seven tube rocket pods, some with both on the rear mounts, some with the guns on the forward mounts and rocket pods

Two of the Argentine Army UH-1Hs seen on the Falkland Islands after the end of the ﬁghting in 1982. Editor’s collection

on the rear. The rear mounts also supported pintles, which unusually mounted a pair of M60 machine guns for the door gunners. Tremendously effective for a relatively small unit, the 9 Squadron UH-1s ﬂew nearly 223,500 sorties during the conﬂict for the loss of only ﬁve helicopters. The UH-1Bs began to be replaced in 1984, a number being transferred to the RAAF School of Radio at Laverton before being disposed of during the early 1990s, several to the civil market. The RAAF UH-1Hs were also deployed as part of the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai region of Egypt between 1982 and 1986. In 1989 the responsibility for battleﬁeld helicopters was transferred to Army Aviation, the UH-1Hs being taken over by the 171st Aviation Squadron and the 5th Aviation Regiment which ﬂew them until the last was retired in September 2007. The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) also operated the UH-1 in an interesting mix of models. All of the eight helicopters were basically UH-1Bs with the T53-L-11 turbines and narrow chord rotors. However, at least two were ﬁtted with the larger internal fuel tanks of the UH-1C and all of them had the roof mounted cabin winches of the UH-1E. All of these aircraft were operated by 723 Squadron from 1964, several helicopters from the unit being deployed to Vietnam with the Australian Experimental Military Unit. The last of the RAN Hueys were retired in 1989.

AustriA

The Austrian Air Force (Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte) was the ﬁrst export customer for the Agusta Bell AB 204, the ﬁrst of 26 AB 204Bs being delivered in May 1963. These were to serve with the 2nd Hubschrauberstaffel of the 3rd Fliegerregiment based at Linz/Hörsching and were given the codes 4D-BA to BZ. By 1981, these began to be withdrawn, ﬁve being transferred to the Swedish Air Force and one to the civil register in Italy as I-HUEY. The AB 204Bs were gradually replaced by 26 AB 212s, the ﬁrst 18 of which were ordered in 1977 and entered service in 1980. These were given the codes 5D-HA to HZ and served with the 1st and 3rd Fliegerregiment, currently equipping the 3rd Fliegerregiment and the Leichte Transporthubschrauberstaffel. In 2013 the Air Support Command undertook an avionics upgrade and life extension programme to the airframes which should see the AB 212s remain in service for at least another 10 years.

BAhrAin

The Bahrain Public Security Service ordered a single Bell 205A-1 in 1975 which entered service in 1977 with the serial BPS-7. It was retired in 1979, becoming 9V-BML registered in Singapore. In 1982, the Bahrain State Police acquired its ﬁrst two Bell 412s, BPS-03 and 04, followed by a 412SP, BPS-05, in 1989. These were joined by ﬁve more 412EPs between 2008 and 2009 which remain in service today. The Royal Bahraini Air Force began purchasing Agusta Bell AB 212s with the acquisition of a pair of helicopters in 1980, initially operated by 3 Squadron at Rifa’a. In 2014, the ﬂeet had grown to 18 airframes.

BAnglAdesh

The Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini) ordered its ﬁrst Bell 212 in 1976, and over the next 10 years it was to acquire 14 more. The original aircraft, BH806, c/n 30806, was sold to a Canadian civil operator in 2008, the rest remain in service today.

BoliviA

One of the three Agusta Bell AB 205A-1s of the Albanian Air Force. Chris Lofting

The use of the UH-1H by Bolivia has already been covered, but it is worth noting that two The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 95

Bell 212s were also acquired by the Bolivian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana) in 1972, given the serial numbers FAB-101 and 102. FAB-101 was later transferred to the Royal Brunei Air Force, while 102 was written off in an accident in March 1980.

Bosnia Herzegovina

The Air Force Brigade of Bosnia Herzegovina was given 15 ex-US Army Bell UH-1H helicopters as part of the ‘Equip and Train’ programme following the civil war in the country. Five of these aircraft are in regular use today in transport, medevac and training roles, the remainder are kept as a reserve.

Botswana

Beginning in 1988, the Botswana Defence Force Air Wing received ﬁve Bell 412SPs followed by two more of the 412EP model in 1990. These helicopters remain in service today.

Brunei

The Sultanate of Brunei Air Wing, now the Royal Brunei Air Force, began its Huey operations in 1971. The ﬁrst acquisitions were three Bell 212s (AMDB-101, 105 and 106) and a single 205A-1 (AMDB-102), which were followed by 11 more Bell 212s (AMDB-108, 114 to 120 and 131 to 134). Nine of the helicopters remain in service today.

Cameroon

Two Bell 412EPs were delivered to the Cameroon Air Force’s Rapid Intervention Battalion in February 2010, one being lost in an accident in November that year, the other remaining in service today.

Canada

The ﬁrst Hueys for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) were 10 CUH-1Hs purchased in 1968 and given the serials RCAF 101 to 110. These were UH-1Hs modiﬁed for use in the extreme climates to be found in Canada. Later redesignated CH-118 Iroquois, they served as light transports and search and rescue aircraft until being replaced in the mid 1990s. One of the aircraft, RCAF 109, had the tail boom of a Bell 212 installed with the tail rotor on the starboard side after its tail boom was used to repair RCAF 105, 109 sometimes being referred to as a CH-119. The success of the ﬁrst Hueys in service ensured that Canada was the ﬁrst customer to order the twin engined version of the Huey, the Model 212 or UH-1N. The twin engined layout offered greater safety in the rugged Canadian operating environment. Initially known as CUH-1Ns but later designated CH135s, 50 of the new type were ordered, the ﬁrst being delivered on May 3, 1971. Given the serials 135101 to 135150, all 50 aircraft were delivered in under a year. Aside from their domestic duties in support of the Canadian Forces, the helicopters were to see widespread use in support of UN operations across the globe. Canadian CH-135s were to perform peacekeeping and monitoring duties in Sinai, Somalia, Haiti and Central America among others, until the last were retired in July 1997. The surviving 41 airframes were purchased by the US Government in December 1999. Two were retained in the US, the other 39 being supplied to the Columbian Army, Navy and the National Police.

An Air Force Brigade of Bosnia Herzegovina Bell UH-1H at Sarajevo Airbase in June 2007. Bosanska Krupa

Both the CH-118 and CH-135 were replaced in service by the CH-146 Griffon, a development of the Bell 412EP with a larger cabin heater for the cold conditions in Canada and an avionics suite tailored for the Canadian armed forces. Produced at the Bell factory in Mirabel, Canada, 100 CH-146s were delivered between 1995 and 1997 and given the serials 146400 to 146499. They have been used in the search and rescue, combat support and tactical transport roles with 10 RCAF Squadrons and are not expected to be retired until at least 2021. Nine of the CH-146s were given civil registrations and transferred to Allied Wings in 2007, who operate the pilot and crew training facility for the Royal Canadian Air Force. In 2008, ﬁve CH-146s were deployed to Kandahar in Afghanistan to operate as part of the Joint Task Force Air Wing based there.

A Bell CH-146 Griffon utility transport of the Canadian Armed Forces. CAF

A Bahrain Air Force Agusta Bell AB 212 Twin Huey in ﬂight over the Persian Gulf during a training mission in 1991. USAF

A Fuerza Aérea Boliviana Bell UH-1H in ﬂight during the joint Bolivia/U.S. Exercise ‘Fuerzas Unidas’ on May 1, 1987. USAF

Chile

The Chilean use of the UH-1H has been covered in detail earlier in this issue, the gradual replacement of these helicopters by the Bell 412 beginning in 2000. Currently, 15 412s, mostly 412EPs, are in service alongside the remaining UH-1Hs. The Chilean Navy purchased a Bell 412 in 2001 which it operated for ﬁve years until 2006, when it was transferred to a civil operator in the US.

Colombia

The UH-1B and H use by the Columbian Air Force, Army and Police has already been covered, but these forces and the Navy have also been equipped with the 212 and 412 versions of the helicopter. The Columbian Air Force acquired a single Bell 212 in 1972 as a VIP transport, this helicopter being followed in 1984 by two more transferred from the Columbian Police and ﬁve from the US. In 1995, the 212 ﬂeet was further expanded with nine more helicopters, all of which were formerly Canadian civil registered aircraft. Also to be used in the VIP transport role, two Bell 412s were purchased in 1984, one being lost in 1991 and replaced by a Bell 412HP in 1993. This aircraft was also lost in an accident in early 2012, and was replaced by a Bell 412EP in October that year. Ten Bell 212s and two 412s remain in service with the Air Force today. As already mentioned, the entire ﬂeet of Canadian armed forces version of the Bell 212, the CH-135, were purchased by the US State Department, 33 of which were transferred to the Columbian Army in 1999. Sixteen of these helicopters remain in service today, some having been transferred again to the Columbian Navy and Police. Six of the CH-135s were moved to the Columbian Navy in April 2009, ﬁve of which are still in service supplemented by four Bell 412SPs refurbished by Israeli Aircraft

One of the RAAF 9 Squadron UH-1Hs converted to a gunship, known as Bushrangers. RAAF

Industries and purchased in 1998. Since then, two more Bell 412EPs were delivered in January 2014, the twin engined Hueys being used by the Navy to support their Naval Infantry forces. The Columbian Police ﬁrst acquired three Bell 212s in 1980, two of which were transferred to the Columbian Air Force in 1984. These were replaced by three ex-US Air Force UH-1Ns, one of which was lost in an accident in December 2005. As with the Columbian Army and Navy, the Police also received CH-135s, in their case 10 helicopters transferred in 1999. Since then, one aircraft, PNC-5005, has been scrapped and one other, PNC-5008, was lost in an accident in January 2002.

el Salvador

As covered earlier, the Fuerza Aerea Salvadoreña operates the UH-1H and M, but in 2001 also acquired ﬁve Bell 412EPs. One of these, FAS 254, was converted into a VIP transport for the President in 2006.

eritrea

The Eritrean Air Force operates the Agusta Bell AB 412 Grifone with 7 Squadron. Four were purchased in 1996 and three remain in service today.

ethiopia

A confusing set of data regarding the supply of Hueys to Ethiopia leads me to believe that there were two separate acquisitions. The ﬁrst was that the Ethiopian Air Force received six ex-US Army Bell UH-1Hs, sometimes wrongly identiﬁed as Bell 205s, in the late 1960s or early 1970s, helicopters that were later transferred to the Army in the transport role. These were supplemented in the early 1980s by the purchase of six Agusta Bell AB 205s for the Air Force and six Agusta Bell AB 204Bs for the Ethiopian Army. The latter have

sometimes been misidentiﬁed as UH-1Ms and operate in the gunship role with the Army. Today, it is believed all Ethiopian Hueys are operated by the Army, and 12 remain in service. If anyone has clear information regarding the origin and current status of these helicopters we would be pleased to publish it on our website.

GeorGia

The aftermath of the break up of the former Soviet Union saw independent air forces formed in many former states. The Georgian Air Force was formed in 1992, seeing action that year against separatists in Abkhazia, and again in August 2008 in the short war with Russia. Beginning in 2002, 12 ex-US Army UH-1Hs and six UH-1Ns were supplied to act as transport and liaison aircraft. At the NATO Wales summit in September 2014, it was announced that these helicopters would be supplemented with a force of UH-60 Blackhawks as part of a programme to retire the former Soviet types from the Georgian inventory.

Germany

The 352 Dornier licence built UH-1Ds for the German Luftwaffe and Heer has already been covered in detail on page 86. As well as these single engined versions, the Bundesgrenzschutz (BGS) began to receive the ﬁrst of 10 Bell 212 twin engined helicopters in 1974, the last being delivered in 1978. The BGS was merged into the Bundespolizei in 2005, the helicopters being transferred to the new service. In May 2012, after 38 years of continuous service, the last two Bell 212s were retired, going to civil operators in Germany and South Africa.

Ghana

The Ghana Air Force originally acquired two Agusta Bell AB 212s toward the end of the The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 97

1980s with the serials G650 and 651 for use as VIP transports in a ﬂight based at Accra. These were later supplemented with a pair of Bell 412SPs which were operated by 3 Squadron also at Accra. One 212 was lost in an accident in 2002, while a 412 was lost in a landing accident in 2007.

Greece

The Hellenic Air Force, Navy and Army Aviation have been, and indeed still are, operators of several versions of the Huey. The ﬁrst were supplied to the Hellenic Army Aviation under the US Military Assistance Programme (MAP) in 1969. A total of 18 Bell UH-1Ds and 68 UH-1Hs were delivered in batches over the next four years to perform utility transport duties and a single Bell 212, E∑801, was acquired in 1972 to act as a VIP transport and communications aircraft. This reliable helicopter remains in service in this role today. The transport helicopters were supplemented by three Agusta Bell AB 204Bs and 40 AB 205As delivered between 1974 and 1979. Eight of the AB 205As were later transferred to the Hellenic Air Force in exchange for their CH-47D Chinooks in a rationalisation of the transport force. A total of 69 UH-1s and 27 AB 205As remain in service today. As well as the eight AB 205As transferred from Army Aviation, the Hellenic Air Force received two batches of their own Hueys, six AB 205As in 1972 followed by a further six AB 205A-1s. These 20 helicopters were all operated by 358 Squadron at Elefsis in the medevac and search and rescue roles, 12 of which remain in service today. This unit also received four Bell 212s in two batches of two beginning in 1972, using the aircraft in the VIP transport role. The Hellenic Navy began to receive its ﬁrst batch of 11 Agusta Bell AB 212ASW antisubmarine warfare helicopters in 1979, eight of which remain in service today. These were supplemented by two AB 212EW electronic warfare helicopters in 1981.

Guyana

The Guyana Defence Force Air Command ﬂew three Bell 212s, SR-GEO, GEQ and GEZ,

The search and rescue version of the Bell CH-146 Griffon in the striking markings of the Canadian Armed Forces. CAF

between 1976 and 1994. A single Bell 412 was purchased in 1984, and is now the only Huey operated by the force.

Honduras

The use of the UH-1B and H by the Fuerza Aérea Hondureña has already been covered, but in 1986 the force began to take delivery of the ﬁrst of 10 Bell 412SPs in the utility transport, medevac and ﬁre ﬁghting roles. In 2014 a single 412EP was purchased for use as the Presidential VIP transport.

IndonesIa

The Indonesian Army acquired 16 Bell 205A-1 helicopters in 1977, 12 of which are still listed as in service as of 2014. In 1988, four locally produced NBell 412s were delivered to the Indonesian Army as attack helicopters, while six more were delivered to the Navy in the anti-submarine and shipping roles. Today, 37 NBell 412s are listed as in service with the Army and three more with the Navy.

Iran

The Imperial Iranian Air Force, Army and Navy had all been supplied with the Bell 205, 205A and 212 prior to the Islamic Revolution of 1979. An order for 12 additional Bell 212s for the navy had been placed as late as 1990 to

supplement the 14 already in service. However, the most numerous version of the Huey acquired by Iran was the 214A, a more powerful Huey with the 2930hp Lycoming LTC4B-8D turbine which had been developed speciﬁcally from Iranian Army interest in a high performance version. The ﬁrst aircraft was delivered to Iran Imperial Army Aviation on April 26, 1975, Iran ordering 287 Model 214As from Bell along with 50 more to be built in Iran under licence. Iran also requested a version of the 214A equipped for search and rescue missions for the Imperial Iranian Air Force, which became known as the 214C. Eventually, 296 214As and 39 214Cs were delivered before the 1979 Revolution, which ended the plans for licence production. Information on the current ﬂeet is conﬂicting and difﬁcult to conﬁrm but it is estimated that the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force still operates two Bell 212s, while the Islamic Republic of Iran Army has around 15 Bell 212s and 214s in service and the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy four Bell 212s. Along with these aircraft, an unknown number of the reverse engineered Panha Shabaviz 2-75 which entered production in 2002 have been built, based on the 205 and 214C airframe.

Iraq

In 2005, the US supplied 16 ex-Royal Jordanian Air Force UH-1Hs upgraded to Huey II standard to the Iraqi Army Aviation Command to support security operations in the country. The Iraqi Air Force has also placed an order for 12 Bell 412s to fulﬁl the utility transport role.

Israel

A Bell 205A-1 of the Hellenic Air Force in search and rescue markings. Jerry Gunner 98 A helicopter for the world

The Israeli Defence Force Air Force operated a number of UH-1Ds and 10 Agusta Bell AB 205A-1As between 1969 and 1975. The latter model included fuselage strengthening for weapons mounts and a military avionics suite and was produced speciﬁcally for the Israeli Defence Force Air Force for use as both troop transports and gunships. These were followed by seven Bell 212s and two UH-1Ns which were used between 1975 and 2002.

A Bell 212 of the Columbian Air Force. FAC

itaLy

The successful and long running production of various models of the Huey by Agusta in Italy has been covered earlier on page 86. Beginning in 1961, the Agusta Bell AB 204B was produced for the Italian military, 43 being operated by the Italian Air Force until 1984 and 48 by the Italian Army up to 1995. Further examples were produced for the Corpo Carabinieri as well as the Vigili del Fuoco, the Italian ﬁre ﬁghting organisation. The development of the ﬁrst antisubmarine Huey, the AB 204AS of 1964, saw 35 built for the Italian Navy who used them up to the early 1980s. The introduction of the AB 205A in 1966 and the AB 205A-1 three years later saw 115 of these models produced for the Italian Army, 60 of which are still in service today. Four more were built for the Vigili del Fuoco in 1971 and eight for the Corpo Carabinieri in 1974, along with a single AB 205B, the latter using them until 1998. The twin engined AB 212 entered production in 1973, 65 of the 212ASW antisubmarine helicopter and three of the 212GE electronic warfare variant being built for the Italian Navy, 38 of which remain in service today. A further 33 examples of the AB 212AM were built for the Italian Air Force along with three of the AB 212ICO Combat Search and Rescue helicopters. These began to enter service in 1975 and 33 remain in service today. The Italian Army received 19 AB 212s for use as utility transports beginning in 1983, six of which are still in use.

The most recent production version, the AB 412, began production in 1983 with 37 being built for the Corpo Carabinieri, 10 of which were AB 412SPs and 15 more AB 412HPs. In 1987, 24 of the AB 412 Grifone were built in three batches for the Italian Army, all of which are still in service today. These were followed by 23 AB 412s for the Vigili del Fuoco delivered in three batches beginning in 1984 and 10 more for the Italian Coast Guard delivered in 1993. Two other state services in Italy operate the AB 412, the State Forestry Department received 18 and the Guardia di Finanza a further 22 examples.

infrared jammers, a night vision goggle compatible cockpit and a vibration reduction system. Fuji built 126 of this version for the JGSDF, the ﬁrst being delivered in 1993. The Japanese Coast Guard used a single Bell 212 between 1981 and 2009, and still uses a single Bell 412EP today.

Jordan

Aside from the four UH-1Hs already covered, the Jamaica Defence Force Air Wing operated three Bell 212s with the 2nd Flight, JDF6, 7 and 8, between 1973 and 1999. In 1998, the 2nd Flight acquired a single Bell 412EP which is still ﬂown today.

Jamaica

The Royal Jordanian Air Force acquired 36 exUS Army UH-1Hs and 10 ex-USAF UH-1Ns beginning in 1994 under a Mutual Defence Acquisition Programme with the US. Sixteen of the UH-1Hs were supplied to the Iraqi Army Aviation Command to assist in security operations in 2005. The remainder equip 8 Squadron at Amman and are used in the utility transport, special forces support and border security roles. Many of the Jordanian Hueys have been upgraded with the BLR under fuselage strakes to improve their performance in high temperatures.

Japan

Kuwait

Licence production of the UH-1B and Bell 204B by Fuji in Japan began in 1962. A total of 86 UH-1Bs and four 204Bs were built for the Japan Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF) which used them in the utility transport and gunship roles up to 1975. These were followed into production by 133 UH-1Hs, again for the JGSDF to replace the UH-1Bs. The ﬁrst entered service in 1970, 28 of which remain in service today. Fuji also developed the 205B-2, an upgraded military transport version known as the UH-1J. This featured the more streamlined nose of the Model 212 and the uprated 1800hp T53-L-703 engine, along with

The Kuwait Air Force operated eight Agusta Bell AB 205As, the ﬁrst of which was delivered in November 1969. These were given the serials 909 to 916 and served into the late 1980s, after which they were replaced by the Aérospatiale SA 330F Puma.

Laos

The Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force acquired approximately 12 UH-1Ds and Hs supplied by the US and then left in country in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Four of these helicopters are reported to still be in service. The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 99

One of the UH-1Ds built by Dornier for the German Army. Constance Redgrave

lebaNoN

Four variants of the Huey are in service with the Lebanese Air Force, the ﬁrst six Bell 212s having entered service in 1980. These were followed by an additional six Agusta Bell 212s, but by 2000 these helicopters had all been withdrawn to storage. Six of the airframes may yet be refurbished. Alongside the 212s, 24 UH-1Hs had begun to be delivered in 1995. Several of these were locally modiﬁed with three pylons, one under the centreline and one on either side of the rear cabin to carry either 250kg or 400kg bombs, an unusual role for a helicopter. These saw action against militant forces in Lebanon in 2007, but it was decided to upgrade the helicopters after this experience, 11 of the UH-1Hs being placed in storage from 2010 onwards. Six more UH1Hs, converted to the Huey II standard by Bell, were delivered in December 2012 and it is intended that 18 more Huey IIs will be ordered to fully replace the original UH-1H ﬂeet.

lesotho

Two Agusta Bell AB 412s were purchased for the Lesotho Defence Force Air Wing in April 1986, followed by a Bell 412SP in October. One of the AB 412s, LDF24, was destroyed in an accident in 1993, while one of the Bell 412SPs, LDF26, was sold in 2001. These were replaced by LDF49, a Bell 412SP purchased in May 1998, and LDF47, a Bell 412EP purchased in May 2007.

operate two ex-Hellenic Army UH-1Hs which were transferred to Macedonia in 2001.

Mexico

The use of the single engined Huey variants was covered earlier in this issue, but the Fuerza Aerea Mexicana received its ﬁrst two Bell 212s in 1971, followed by a second pair in 1975. Between 1988 and 1990, 25 more were purchased, seven of the ﬂeet being lost in accidents and one sold over the next 25 years leaving 21 in service today. The 212s were partially replaced by 12 Bell 412EPs delivered in three batches, four in 2002, ﬁve in 2009 and three in 2010. One additional 412EP, FAM 1213, was purchased in December 2012 to replace 1208, which had been shot down near Culiacan on June 19, 2010. The Mexican Government has also purchased 25 Bell 212s for ofﬁcial use between 1972 and 1990. Eight of these were sold and four were lost in accidents, but the surviving 13 airframes were transferred to Servicios Aereos Especiales Mexicanos SA (SAESMA), eight of which are still operated by the company today.

Morocco

The Libyan Army purchased two Agusta Bell AB 212s in the late 1980s. Their use and whereabouts are unknown.

In 1969, the Royal Moroccan Air Force purchased 48 Agusta Bell AB 205As, given the registrations CN-AJA-01 to CN-AKV-48. Five of these helicopters, CN-AJM-13 to CN-AJQ17, were ex-Italian Army AB 205A-1s. Remarkably, 47 of these airframes are still listed as in service today. In the early 1980s, ﬁve Agusta Bell AB 212s were purchased and given the registrations CN-APA-01 to CN-APE05. These too are still operating with the air force today.

MacedoNia

MyaNMar

libya

The Macedonian Air Force’s Transporten Helikoperski Skvadron based at Petrovec 100 A HELICOPTER FOR THE WORLD

In 1975 the Myanmar Air Force received 18 Bell 205A helicopters from the US as part of

the International Narcotic Control Programme (INCP) to assist its forces in combating drug trafﬁckers. These were given the serials UB-6201 to 6218, 14 of which remain in service today.

NetherlaNds

The Royal Netherlands Navy purchased nine Agusta Bell AB 204Bs in 1961 and was to operate these until they were retired in 1978. Between 1994 and January 2015, the Royal Netherlands Air Force operated three bright yellow Agusta Bell AB 412SPs in the search and rescue role. These three airframes were retired and were transferred to the Peruvian Navy along with the resupply ship BAP Tacna.

New ZealaNd

The Royal New Zealand Air Force received 16 Hueys beginning in 1966. The ﬁrst ﬁve, NZ3801 to NZ3805 were built as UH-1Ds and converted to UH-1Hs prior to delivery. These were followed by 10 UH-1Hs, NZ3806 to NZ3816, of which three were lost in accidents in 1972, 1995 and 2010. The remaining 13 airframes are still in service today with 3 Squadron based at Hobsonville.

Norway

The Royal Norwegian Air Force purchased 37 UH-1Bs in 1963, equipping 339, 719 and 720 Squadrons. Interestingly, four of the UH-1Bs, 853 to 856, were in fact UH-1Cs modiﬁed to Norwegian B standard and delivered in the mid-1970s. The last of these helicopters were not to retire until 1990, a remarkable service history. In 1986 the replacement for the early Hueys was ordered in the form of 19 Bell 412SPs. These were delivered between 1987 and 1990 and replaced the UH-1B in 339 and 720 Squadrons. The entire ﬂeet has been upgraded to 412HP standard, 18 of the helicopters remain in service today and have

One of the UH-1Hs operated by the Georgian Air Force. Marcus Fülber

been deployed to both Kosovo and Afghanistan. Norway’s civil operators were also customers for the Bell 214B, seven being ﬂown by Lufttransport AS from 1981 to 1998 and two being operated by Helitrans As from 2001 through to today.

Oman

The Sultanate of Oman Air Force purchased 20 Agusta Bell 205As in 1971, equipping 3 and 14 Squadrons with the type at Salalah and Seeb air bases. Two more of the helicopters were purchased from Zimbabwe in 1978 to replace losses and ﬁve remain in service today. Between 1975 and 1980, 14 Squadron also operated a pair of Bell 212s as the Royal Flight VIP transports, replaced by a pair of Agusta Bell AB 212s between 1978 and 2002. The Royal Oman Police also operated six of the stretched Bell 214ST transports from 1983 until 2006. Two of the airframes are still in storage in Oman.

Pakistan

The ﬂoods in Southern Pakistan in 1973 saw six UH-1Hs and their crews transferred from the US to serve as a relief ﬂight. At the end of this operation, the aircraft were left at Dhamial to allow them to take part in further relief ﬂights if required and the crews returned to the US. It was then decided to transfer the aircraft directly to Pakistan Army Aviation, and a mobile training team was despatched from the US to train the Pakistan pilots and ground crews in 1974. Major Hamid Choudhry became the Pakistan instructor pilot on the type, becoming the ﬁrst CO of 6 Squadron when it was formed on June 29 and moved to Quetta. Earlier in May 1973, Pakistan Army Aviation helicopters had taken part in counter insurgency operations in Balochistan. They had been assisted in these operations by helicopters and crews from the Imperial Iranian Army. In 1974, instead of detaching helicopters and crews, the Shah of Iran gifted 10 Agusta Bell AB 205As to supplement the US UH-1Hs. In October 1974 Pakistan Army pilots went to Iran for conversion training, ferrying the AB 205As to Quetta on November 5. These aircraft and the UH-1Hs were almost immediately in action against insurgents and were to have a long and successful career in Army Aviation, the reliability of the type being illustrated by the fact that one of the aircraft is still in service today.

A Bell 412SP of the Ghana Air Force. GAF

The utility transport helicopters of Pakistan Army Aviation have to cope with a wide range of conditions, from high altitude operations in the mountains to the north to the high temperatures of summer in the south. To deal with these conditions, the Bell 412EP was chosen and a total of 26 were ordered. Between 2004 and 2005, these were delivered in three batches along with training support and other resources from the US. Since then an additional six helicopters have been purchased and 40 more are on order. The majority of the ﬂeet operates in support of the Ministry of the Interior supporting counter insurgency and transport operations within the country.

Panama

The single engined Hueys used by Panama have been covered earlier in this issue. To supplement the UH-1Hs and replace the UH-1Bs in service, the Fuerza Aerea Panamena purchased four UH-1Ns in 1975 serialled FAP-001 to 004. Three of these were transferred to the Servicio Nacional Aeronaval in 1990 with the reorganisation of the Panamanian forces, becoming 120 to 122. Two more UH-1Ns were purchased that year, 100 and 101, the former being lost in an accident in May 2008. Four more UH-1Ns were purchased in 2003 and 2004 and one remains in service today. The ﬁrst Bell 412 was leased for testing by the Fuerza Aerea Panamena in 1982 as FAP-1011. Two more 412EPs were purchased for the Servicio Nacional

Aeronaval, AN-135 in 2009 and AN-137 in 2012, the former remaining in service today.

Peru

As already related, the Peruvian Air Force and Navy operated the UH-1D and H, but they also operated the 214ST, the 212 and 412. The Fuerza Aerea del Peru received its ﬁrst Bell 212, FAP-600, in 1973 and were to receive 30 more in batches up until 1982. One more, FAP-685, was added in 1986 to replace a helicopter that had been lost in an accident. These were used in the utility transport and search and rescue roles, but could also be armed with rocket pods and guns for air support operations, some of which are still in service today. In 1983, the FAP also acquired six Bell 214ST stretched transports for transport and VIP use. These were initially based alongside many of the 212s at Jorge Chavez Airport with Escuadrón de Helicópteros 332 and are now based at Lima Callao. Three of the 214STs were sold off in 2003 and 2004, one was lost in an accident and the remaining two are believed to be in storage. The FAP also acquired a pair of Bell 412EPs, one of which was lost, the other is operated by Escuadrón de Helicópteros 332 today. The Marina de Guerra de Peru purchased six Agusta Bell AB 212ASWs, HE-470 to 475, deliveries beginning in 1978. These are used in the antisubmarine, maritime patrol, search and rescue and transport roles based aboard the Navy’s frigates and destroyers.

A Bell 412EP of the Chilean Air Force. Hippocamelus The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 101

Two remain in service today upgraded with the RDR-1700B ISAR radar and a further airframe is in storage. The resupply ship BAP Tacna was transferred to the Peruvian Navy from the Netherlands in December 2014, along with three Bell 412SPs formerly of the Royal Netherlands Air Force.

PhiliPPineS

The Philippine Air Force has been a major operator of the Huey since it received its ﬁrst batch of six UH-1Ds beginning in 1968. This was followed by six more batches of UH-1Hs, 28 in 1971, 17 in 1977, 18 in 1980, 27 in 1983, eight in 1985 and 10 in 1987. Most were ex-US Army helicopters, some of which were refurbished Model 205 and 205A-1 airframes. The harsh operating conditions in the heat of the mountainous islands with their dense jungles meant an additional 10 UH-1Hs were delivered in 1992 to replace losses and a modernisation programme began to upgrade the ﬂeet. In 2004 12 more modernised UH-1Hs were purchased along with an integrated logistics support package. At the same time, a contract was issued to refurbish six Philippine UH-1Hs in the US. These were all delivered by 2007 along with 10 additional UH-1Hs. As well as these helicopters, 46 more UH-1Hs were delivered between 2000 and 2010, 20 of them via Singapore Aerospace Technologies with night vision goggle compatible cockpits and other upgrades, including fully refurbished zero timed airframes. Several upgraded medevac UH-1Vs were also received as part of the later batches. In December 2013, a contract was issued in the US to Rice Aircraft Services and Eagle Copter to supply 21 refurbished UH-1Hs, all of which were delivered during 2014. Beginning in 2005, kits were delivered to the Philippines to upgrade two UH-1Hs to Huey II standard with the more streamlined 212 nose, glass cockpit, more powerful engine and modiﬁed main and tail rotors. Eight more upgrades to Huey II are on order. The complex and overlapping nature of these various acquisitions mean that the ﬂeet today consists of 40 UH-1Hs of differing standards and equipment levels, along with eight Bell 205As a search and rescue aircraft with the 505th Search and Rescue Group. The UH-1Hs

One of the 11 Agusta Bell AB 212ASW antisubmarine warfare helicopters acquired by the Hellenic Navy. Hellenic Navy

are used as utility transports and in response to natural disasters, as well as in counter insurgency operations against various rebel groups. As well as the UH-1Hs, the Philippine Air Force also operates the Bell 412, the ﬁrst two of which, a pair of 412HPs, were received in 1994 followed by ﬁve more 412EPs in 1996. The ﬂeet is operated by the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing and ﬁve remain in service today. Eight more 412EPs were ordered from Bell in March 2014, three are to be conﬁgured as VIP transports, the other ﬁve as military utility transports.

Poland

The Polish Air Force acquired a single Bell 412HP in 2004 coded 02. This aircraft remains in service.

Saudi arabia

The ﬁrst Hueys to enter service with the Royal Saudi Air Force were 24 Agusta Bell AB 204B ordered in 1964. These were to serve into the early 1970s, 23 were still in service in 1972 but they were to be replaced soon after with the AB 205A-1, four of which were ordered in 1967. The ﬁrst entered service in 1971 and all 24 delivered were to serve with 12 and 14 Squadrons at At’Taif. They were used as utility transports and search and

rescue aircraft, and at least one of the ﬂeet was conﬁgured as a VIP transport. By 1996, 20 remained in regular use, but they were retired the following year as they were replaced by Agusta Bell AB 212s. Altogether 34 AB 212s were delivered to the country, again serving with 12 and 14 Squadrons in the utility transport, search and rescue and VIP transport roles. Of the original 212 ﬂeet, 25 remained in service in 1998, but they were already beginning to be replaced by the Bell 412EP. The 412s were used in the search and rescue role initially as they had greater range and capabilities for such missions, 40 being delivered by 1998. In 2001 it was decided to upgrade the ﬂeet’s SAR capabilities with the latest 412EP version with its all glass cockpit, SAR tactical navigation system, advanced sensors and autopilot, which allows an automated search pattern to be ﬂown until a survivor is located, at which time the aircraft can ﬂy an automated approach to hover to complete the rescue. Sixteen of the new versions were ordered with a training and support package, deliveries beginning in 2002. Today, 37 Bell 412s from both orders remain in service.

Senegal

Senegal operates a single UH-1H but little is known of its history.

US Army soldiers board UH-1J helicopters of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force during Exercise Orient Shield 2011 at Kita-Fuji Training Area, Japan. ILARNG 102 A HELICOPTER FOR THE WORLD

Iranian journalists jump from an Iran Army Aviation Bell 214A during the IranIraq War in the 1980s. Sajed

Singapore

In 1977, 18 UH-1Hs, two 205As and a single UH-1D were delivered to the Republic of Singapore Air Force to serve with 120 Squadron based at Sembawang, Changi and Seletar. To supplement this force, six ex-US Army UH-1Bs were delivered in 1980 to serve with 123 Squadron. The earlier type was retired in 1988 and the remaining aircraft were sold off in 1996, but the UH-1Hs were to continue in service until 2004. Also in 1977, three new Bell 212s were also delivered to 120 Squadron equipped as search and rescue aircraft. These were to be used until 1985 when all three were sold to private concerns in the UK.

SLovenia

In 1992 two Bell 412HPs, one 412SP and ﬁve 412EPs were delivered to the Slovenian Armed Forces, all eight remaining in service today. The Slovenia Police have also operated a single Agusta Bell AB 212 since 2000, registered S5-HPB.

SomaLia

The Somali Air Force purchased four Agusta Bell AB 212s in the late 1970s and used them until the beginning of the civil war in 1991.

South korea

The ﬁrst Hueys used by the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF ) were 25 ex-US Army UH-1Bs delivered in 1968. These were to be used in the utility transport role until retirement in 1994. In 1971, the RoKAF started operating their ﬁrst twin engined Hueys with the delivery of three UH-1Ns which were used for Presidential and VIP

transport duties. Two more airframes were delivered in 1977 for the same purpose, the helicopters being used until they were retired in 2005. Today, the RoKAF has three Bell 412s in service with the 233 Combat Search and Rescue Squadron in the CSAR role. The Republic of Korea Army was to receive its ﬁrst UH-1Ds in 1972, followed by over 100 UH-1Hs and around 20 UH-1Ns during the late 1970s and 1980s. The prime use of this ﬂeet was in utility transport support to army operations, particularly troop transport. Today, 91 UH-1Hs remain in service. The Republic of Korea Navy also received 14 UH-1Hs at the same time as the army to operate as utility transports, seven of which remain in service today. The Korean National Police Agency also use two Bell 412SPs and two 412EPs, one of the SPs having been transferred to the Coast Guard.

Spain

The Spanish Air Force ﬁrst acquired Hueys in 1966 with the purchase of 14 Agusta Bell AB 205As which served as trainers and search and rescue aircraft with 801, 802 and 803 Squadrons before they were retired in 1991. In 1974, three UH-1Hs were purchased for the Army Flying School to act as trainers for the AB 205As, three more being purchased to join the SAR ﬂeet in 1975, along with a single example as a VIP transport. The last of these UH-1Hs was retired in 1993. Between 1966 and 1984, the Spanish Army used six UH-1Cs as trainers and support aircraft to the newly created Army Aviation Legion. The main element of this force was 60 UH-1Hs which began to enter service in 1970, 16 of which remain in service today. In 1981,

six Agusta Bell AB 212s were delivered to the Army, being assigned to BHELMA VI in 1986, a unit they still equip today. The Spanish Navy Purchased four Agusta Bell AB 204ASs as antisubmarine warfare aircraft in 1964, and were to use them with Escuadrilla 003 until they were retired in 1979. The AB 240ASs had begun to be replaced in 1974 with the arrival of the ﬁrst of 14 Agusta Bell AB 212ASWs. These were all to be operated by the same unit in the antisubmarine role, eight of which are still in service.

Sri Lanka

The ﬁrst two of 18 Bell 212s were acquired by the Sri Lanka Air Force in 1984 to equip 7 Squadron based at Katunayake. These helicopters were modiﬁed to carry pintle mounted door guns and 2.75in rocket pods to operate in the counter insurgency and assault roles. In 1988, the air force received its ﬁrst pair of Bell 412s, four more being acquired over the next few years. The original pair of 412s were sold in 2012, having been replaced by a pair of the latest 412EP model delivered in 2011.

Sudan

Two Bell 205As and three Agusta Bell AB 212s are reportedly in service with the Sudanese Air Force today, the 212s being the surviving airframes from 12 initially acquired in 1986.

Sweden

The Flygvapnet or Swedish Air Force purchased seven Agusta Bell AB 204Bs in 1962, where they were known as Hkp-3Bs. Five more ex-Austrian Air Force AB 204Bs The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 103

A US Army AH-64D Apache attack helicopter escorts an Iraqi Army Aviation Command Huey II during a joint mission. US Army

were received in 1994, the aircraft being used as utility transports and communications aircraft until they were retired in 1998. Similarly the Swedish Army used 14 AB 204Bs between 1962 and 1997, three of which were transferred to the Försvarsmakten in 1998 where they were used until 2001. The Swedish Army also operated the Bell 412, known as the Hkp-11, the ﬁrst pair of which were leased from Agusta for a year along with a 412SP in 1993. These were followed by ﬁve 412HPs in 1994 which were used until 1997 then transferred to the Försvarsmakten who used them up until 2004.

Taiwan

The Aero Industry Development Centre (AIDC) in Taiwan built 118 UH-1Hs for the Republic of China Army between 1969 and 1976, 91 remaining in service in 2014. Aside from Army Aviation, UH-1Hs are also operated by the National Fire Administration as aerial ﬁre ﬁghters.

Tanzania

The Tanzanian People’s Defence Force Air Wing acquired four Agusta Bell AB 205As in 1977, using them up until 1998. They had

been replaced by three AB 412s, one of which was written off in an accident in April 2014, the other two remaining in service today.

Thailand

During the Vietnam War, a number of UH-1As and Bs were transferred to the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) as they were replaced by later models with the US Army. Just how many airframes were involved and when they were transferred is unclear, but in 1968, the ﬁrst of the UH-1Hs arrived. These helicopters were to be long lived in Thai service, the RTAF still operating 18 of the type and the Royal Thai Army still having 84 in the utility transport role. In 1976, the army transport ﬂeet was bolstered with the arrival of the ﬁrst of the Bell 212s, these being taken on charge in batches and disposed of as they aged, ﬁve being transferred to the Sri Lanka Air Force in 1990, the year an order for 25 new 212s had been placed to modernise the ﬂeet. In 2012, a refurbishment programme began with the ﬁrst batch of eight 212s undergoing an upgrade and 52 of the type remain in service today. The RTAF also operated a pair of 212s as part of its Royal Flight, these being replaced in 1982 by two Bell 412s, then in

One of the 22 Bell AB 412s of the Italian Guardia di Finanza. Keith Draycott 104 A HELICOPTER FOR THE WORLD

1991 two 412SPs and ﬁnally by 412EPs in 2003. Altogether the RTAF has operated 13 Bell 412s of all versions, mostly as VIP transports, eight remaining in service today. The Royal Thai Navy also operates the Bell 212, ﬁtted with antisubmarine warfare equipment and capable of operating from the navy’s frigates, although these have begun to be replaced by the 412 with ﬁve 212s and four 412s being listed as in service today. The Royal Thai Navy was also one of the operators of the Bell 214ST, six being purchased beginning in 1985 as VIP transports. The Royal Thai Police also operate the Bell 412 and have done since the ﬁrst were delivered in 1999, with nine aircraft, two 412HPs and seven 412EPs in service today.

Tunisia

The ﬁrst Hueys in service with the Tunisian Air Force were two UH-1Hs and two UH-1Ns received in 1975. These were followed by 18 Agusta Bell AB 205As in 1980, given the serials L81701 to L81718. All of the Hueys were operated by 31 and 32 Squadrons, the ﬂeet being bolstered with further batches of aircraft so that today 11 UH-1Hs and 20 AB 205As and Bell 205As are in service. The air

One of the Lebanese Army’s UH-1Hs modiﬁed with three pylons to carry bombs, a rare role for a Huey. Zaher1988

One of the three Royal Netherlands Air Force search and rescue Agusta Bell AB 412SPs. RNLAF

force has also begun to acquire the Bell 412, three of which are in service today.

tUrkeY

The Turkish armed forces have one of the largest ﬂeets of Hueys in the world today, the ﬁrst UH-1Hs being delivered to the Turkish Air Force in 1968. The ﬂeet expanded with various batches of UH-1Hs and Agusta Bell AB 205As until most recently the entire ﬂeet was refurbished and upgraded to a common standard by Turkish Aircraft Industries (TAI), 63 UH-1Hs serving as utility transports today. The Turkish Army’s ﬁrst Hueys were 18 Agusta Bell AB 204Bs which entered service in 1966 as utility transports and gunships. The force was expanded with the transfer of 22 exUS Army UH-1Bs in 1971 and 1977. The ﬁrst long bodied Hueys for the Turkish Army were a pair of Agusta Bell AB 205s delivered in March 1968. In 1970 the Turkish Army began to order large numbers of UH-1Hs, 58 being delivered between 1970 and 1974 with 15 more arriving in 1982. A further 60 UH-1Hs were assembled in Turkey in four batches of 15 between 1984 and 1992. As well as these, 24 AB 205As were delivered between 1975 and 1978, with a further 42 between 1983 and 1985. Today, 69 205As and 86 UH-1Hs form the majority of the Turkish Army helicopter ﬂeet, 52 of the UH-1Hs and 23 of the AB 205s having undergone the TAI upgrade programme beginning in 2003. A well as the army, the Turkish forces also include the Jandarma, similar to the Gendarmerie, an armed military police force. The Jandarma also operates the AB 205A, 20 having been received in 1975 and four more in 1983. The Turkish Army also received two Agusta Bell 212s delivered in 1984 as VIP transports, but in 2002 they were transferred to the Turkish Navy. The navy also operates its own Hueys, the ﬁrst being three Agusta Bell AB 204AS antisubmarine platforms delivered in 1972. The success of the ﬁrst ASW Hueys meant that in 1977 the advanced AB 212ASW began to enter service, 17 being supplied and 13 remaining in service today.

Uganda

The Ugandan Air Force received two Bell 212s in 1971 and three Agusta Bell AB 2105A-

A Royal Norwegian Air Force Bell 412HP. RNoAF

1s in 1973, the latter being used as transports until 1997. In 1985, three Bell 412SPs were purchased, followed by six AB 412 Grifones in 1988. These helicopters were used until 1998, after which they were refurbished and sold.

United arab emirates

The United Arab Emirates Air Force has operated a range of Huey variants, beginning with a single Bell 205A-1 and two Agusta Bell AB 205A-1s during the 1970s, along with the rare Bell 214B utility transport, four of which were purchased in the 1980s. In 1989, six AB 412HPs were purchased, followed by two 412EPs leased for two years in 2006, three of the 412HPs remaining in service today in the search and rescue role.

UrUgUaY

The use of the single engined Hueys was covered earlier, the ﬁrst twin engined types being received by the Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya were two Bell 212s received in 1980, followed by two more in 2005. These helicopters have been deployed abroad, two taking part in the UN mission to Ethiopia between 2003 and 2008.

VeneZUela

Again, the single engined Huey variants used by Venezuela have been covered earlier. The Fuerza Aérea Venezolana also operated the Bell 214ST stretched transport, three being used between 1982 and 2005. The twin engined variants ﬁrst arrived in 1972 with the delivery of two Bell 212s, followed by a third in 1998. Two Bell 412s were also acquired in 1981 and served with the air force until 2001, one of which is preserved at the Libertador Airbase. Two of the 212s were transferred to the Navy in 2001 to be used for spares. The spares were to support the Navy’s Agusta Bell AB 212ASWs, nine of which had been purchased in 1990 and three remain in service today. In 1999 the Venezuelan Navy purchased its ﬁrst batch of four Bell 412EPs. These were followed by three more in 2003 and one in 2008. One was lost in an accident in March 2003, the other seven still ﬂying with the Navy today. The Aviación del Ejército Venezolano purchased two Bell 412SPs in 1988, these being followed by 10 412EPs between 1997

and 1999, 11 of these helicopters remain in service today.

Vietnam

A large number of UH-1Ds and Hs had been supplied to the South Vietnamese Air Force and Army during the Vietnam War. The closing stages of the war saw many of these airframes captured by the advancing North Vietnamese forces. The establishment of the Vietnam People’s Air Force (VPAF) after the war collected these captured helicopters into the new organisation and the sufﬁciency of intact airframes and spares means that some 15 UH-1Hs are still in service today.

Yemen

The Yemeni Air Force has received two Agusta Bell AB 204Bs and AB 205s, as well as ﬁve AB 212s and six of the heavy lift AB 214 variant, two of which were conﬁgured as VIP transports. These were delivered between 1969 and 1980, ﬁve of the AB 212s still being listed as in service, the status of the others is difﬁcult to ascertain. In December 2010 a contract was announced by Bell to provide four Huey IIs, the greatly modernised and upgraded version of the UH-1H, which were delivered in 2011.

Zambia

The Zambian Air Force ﬁrst operated ﬁve Agusta Bell 205s delivered in 1969, which were followed by two AB 212s in 1972. Eight AB 205As were acquired in 1980 along with three AB 205A-1s, a total of 14 of these helicopters remaining in service today.

Zimbabwe

In 1978, 11 AB 205As were purchased covertly for what was then the Rhodesian Air Force, the aircraft being locally armed and armoured for the troop transport role with 7 and 8 Squadrons. Five of these aircraft were lost, one in combat and four in accidents, and a further two were transferred to the Royal Air Force of Oman, the rest being retired and sold in 1990. In 1983, the ﬁrst of 12 AB 412SPs arrived to equip 8 Squadron. Of the 12 helicopters, 10 were troop and assault transports, the remaining two being conﬁgured for VIPs. Six are still in service today. ■ Words: Tim Callaway The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 105

super

huey

Bell Helicopter and the UH-1Y Venom In a new feature for Aviation Classics, we had the opportunity to put a series of questions to the team at Bell Helicopter regarding the latest addition to the Huey family, the extremely advanced and potent UH-1Y Venom, often referred to as the ‘Yankee’ in service. We would particularly like to thank Dana Schenk, communications manager at Bell Helicopter Military Programs for her work in acquiring answers to all our questions.

A

recurring theme throughout the development of the Huey family recorded in this issue has been the quest for greater performance, greater payload and more power to meet the expanding needs of military and civil customers. The parallel technological development of sensors, weapons, avionics and ﬂight safety systems added weight and complexity to the airframe, all of which had to be accommodated to keep the design able to best fulﬁll its various roles. This quest has seen the military Huey in particular grow in size and capability far beyond the original design as Bell engineers have sought and developed solutions in response to the problems that emerged from actual combat and operational experience with the helicopter.

The range of missions the military UH-1 variants have been used in and adapted for fell far outside the design intentions set out at the very beginning, the original utility transport becoming an armed gunship from its ﬁrst deployments to Vietnam. That the Bell team has successfully risen to these challenges has been a crucial factor in the success and longevity of the type in service. The latest variant, the UH-1Y Venom, is intended to fulﬁll the needs of the US Marine Corps for the next 40 years, so will complete an utterly remarkable 100 years of UH-1 operations with the US armed forces. Aviation Classics was given the opportunity to put some questions to Bell Helicopter regarding this success, to get the manufacturer’s viewpoint on this remarkable machine and to get a feel for the thinking behind the UH-1 and its future. We would like to thank everyone at the company for their time and trouble in providing answers.

Above: US Marine Corps UH-1Ys from several units took part in the 100th anniversary celebrations of Naval Aviation at San Diego in 2011. Here, two are seen with an AH-1W on the right, and the aircraft that is replacing it at the moment, the AH-1Z in the centre of the image. Note the common tailbooms, rotors, engines and transmissions between the AH-1Z and UH-1Y. Keith Draycott Left: The early form of the UH-1Y included sharply angled exhausts and a dorsal ﬁn. Bell Helicopter 106 super huey

A UH-1Y of HMLAT-303 with the BMG GAU-16/A .50 cal machine gun mounted on the door pintle above a seven tube rocket pod. Keith Draycott

A UH-Y and AH-1Z on display at the Paris Air Show in 2013. External fuel tanks can also be carried on the weapons pylons to extend the range as seen here. Note the multi sensor FLIR Systems BRITE Star thermal imaging and laser designation turret under the nose. BRITE Star consists of a triple ﬁeld-of-view thermal imager, a high-resolution CCD TV camera and an eyesafe laser rangeﬁnder and designator. Constance Redgrave

Background

In 1996 the US Government approved an upgrade programme for the US Marine Corps H-1 helicopters, the AH-1W Super Cobra and UH-1N Twin Huey, the aim being to develop a modern attack and utility helicopter that would offer signiﬁcant cost effectiveness and remain in service for the next four decades. The original concept was to convert 100 UH-1Ns and 180 AH-1Ws, ﬁtting a new glass cockpit with its attendant avionics, engines and rotors. The two designs had a remarkable 84% commonality, the same tail booms, main and tail rotors, engines, drive trains and transmissions being used on both types, as well as a great deal of the avionics, software, displays and controls, making the four cockpit positions similar across both aircraft. This has many advantages, not just in terms of training and familiarity for air and ground crew across the ﬂeet, but also in terms of the cost of spares and the simpliﬁcation of the attendant supply chain for the Marine Corps. Combined with these upgrades are a state of the art sensor and defensive aid suite, including helmet mounted targeting and ﬂight displays. The main rotor is an entirely new design, featuring composite broad chord blades and a head that has no hinges or bearings, being both simpler and lighter than the original. Likewise, the tail rotor is a new four bladed unit, mounted on top of the ﬁn. The elevators have moved further aft to the base of the ﬁn and are tapered toward the tip, both modiﬁcations offering improved control effectiveness across the speed range. The new engines were a turboprop already familiar to Bell, as it had been used on the

214ST and AH-1W Super Cobra, but in an upgraded form. The General Electric T700GE-401C produces 1546hp, but can boost this to 1828hp for up to two and half minutes. Not only does the pair of T700s offer nearly three times the power of the original Huey design, but at greatly reduced fuel consumption, increasing the speed and lifting capability at the same time as providing much greater range from the 352 US Gall (1333 litre) internal fuel capacity. The weapons pylons on either side of the rear of the cabin doors can carry the LAU-68 seven tube or the LAU-61 19 tube rocket pods, capable of carrying any of the versions of the Hydra 70 (Mk.66) 2.75in (70mm) unguided rockets. They can also carry the new Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) II laser guided rocket based on the Hydra 70 in the same tube launchers, able to designate targets themselves or use those marked by other platforms. In a trial in April 2013, 10 rockets ﬁred by a UH-1Y all struck both stationary and moving targets at ranges of between two and four kilometres, a remarkable success. The door mounts can also each carry a M240D 7.62mm or a BMG GAU-16/A .50 cal, both single barrelled machine guns. Alternatively, the six barrelled GAU-17/A electrically driven ‘minigun’ can be mounted and ﬁred by the pilots when it is in the ﬁxed forward position, or used by the rear crew as a door gun to provide close air support to ground forces. The ﬁrst UH-1Y was converted from a UH1N and ﬂew as an aerodynamic testbed for the ﬁrst time in December 2001. This had a dorsal

ﬁn under the main ﬁn and large engine exhausts angled at 45º, close mounted on either side of the transmission. Both of these were changed in the production versions, the dorsal ﬁn being deleted and the exhausts now lying ﬂat and spread out, angled outboard. This arrangement was far more effective at dissipating the heat from the engines and reducing the heat signature of the UH-1Y considerably. The ﬁrst fully conﬁgured UH-1Y ﬂew in October 2003, and a low rate initial production (LRIP) order was placed for six more in December, with four more being ordered in April 2005. Experience with these ﬁrst two batches found that it was cheaper and more efﬁcient to build the aircraft from new, as opposed to the original plan to upgrade existing UH-1Ns. The plan to acquire 100 helicopters was also changed to 160, all except the ﬁrst 10 being new build aircraft. Developmental testing of the UH-1Y by the USMC began after the ﬁrst test example was delivered in October 2005, operational evaluation occurring during 2006. The ﬁrst full production version UH-1Y was delivered in January 2007, the type achieving initial operating capability in June the following year and being sent on its ﬁrst deployment with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) on board USS Boxer in January 2009. The high performance of the new helicopter was such that the ﬁrst combat deployment to Afghanistan also occurred and full rate production was approved in the same year. The 100th UH-1Y was delivered to the US Marine Corps on January 16, 2013, the last of the 160 being intended for delivery in 2016. The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 107

The four bladed main and tail rotors, aft mounted elevators and under nose sensor turret are all features of the UH-1Y, seen here during early trials with an air data probe mounted on the nose. Bell Helicopter

Questions and answers 1.The uh-1 ﬁrst ﬂew in 1956 and is still in production today, the longest continuous production run of any helicopter in aviation history and a family that includes the most produced single engined helicopter of all time, incredible achievements for an aircraft design. What would you say are the major factors in this remarkable longevity and success? The Bell UH-1 is a remarkably rugged aircraft that was designed to provide aerial delivery of supplies and personnel, operated in direct support of infantry forces. Since its inception, it has been continually developed and improved upon working jointly with the US Marines and Army who were ﬂying the aircraft aggressively during Vietnam and every combat environment since then. With each new variant, Bell Helicopter has redesigned the aircraft to improve performance, speed, range, maintainability and all-weather reliability for maximum readiness. The UH-1Y is the world’s most versatile and capable utility helicopter based on decades of combat experience and will serve the US Marine Corps for the next 40 years. 2.The uh-1 is designated and termed a ‘utility’ helicopter, inasmuch as it can fulﬁl a wide range of missions for an operator. Could you describe the kind of roles the yankee is intended for and used in? The UH-1Y has evolved in its mission capabilities far beyond its ‘utility’ designation, and enables the US Marine Corps the most efﬁcient means of accomplishing an array of missions, anywhere in the world, including: Combat assault transport Air delivery 108 super huey

Airborne command and control Insertion and extraction (fastrope) Active air defence Strike coordination and reconnaissance Armed reconnaissance Close and deep air support Recovery of aircraft and personnel Aerial escort Operations from sea and shore Emergency resupply Fireﬁghting 3. since 2009, the uh-1y has been operational with the us Marine Corps. have you had much in the way of feedback from the front line as regards the reliability and utility of the uh-1y? how is it performing in the ﬁeld? The limited payload, engine power, and high altitude performance of the UH-1N aircraft restricted Marine Corps operations in Afghanistan.Therefore, the Marine Corps chose to accelerate the introduction of the UH-1Y into Afghanistan in 2009.The introduction of the UH-1Y into these environments with its vastly increased speed, range, and payload returned the utility mission to the Marine combat forces. The Bell UH-1Ys have been continuously deployed in Afghanistan since 2009 and have been engaged in sustained, hightempo combat operations since their arrival. The UH-1Y’s increased payload and weapons capabilities have afforded ground commanders more options and the US Marine Corps is currently reﬁning its tactics, techniques and procedures to exploit the enhanced capabilities.The USMC has now fully transitioned to the new UH-1Y with the last of UH-1N aircraft retired in August 2014. Marinization, which includes corrosion resistant treatments, blade fold, enhanced rotor brakes, and minimised electromagnetic environment effects, have

The high performance of the UH-1Y makes it ideally suited to deploy to hot and high altitude theatres, meaning it was sent to Afghanistan from its acceptance into service. Here a UH-1Y delivers water to a security detachment during Operation Centrum. US Marines

A UH-1Y lifts off from Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, an operational deployment for the type almost as soon as it entered service. Note the ﬂat, widespread exhausts evident in this view, which excel at dissipating the heat from the T700 turbines. US Marines

beneﬁted maintenance and reliability in allweather environments.The commonality of maintenance-signiﬁcant components to the AH-1Z reduces the US Marine Corps total cost of ownership, with less maintenance training and logistical footprint required for both aircraft. 4.The uh-1y is obviously far removed from the original design in terms of construction, equipment and technology. What are the major changes in the development of the yankee? The new Bell UH-1Y has incorporated a new drivetrain and two upgraded GE engines which offer signiﬁcantly better lift and operational reach than the Bell UH-1N. Upgrades in ISR, targeting, and precision ﬁre controls represent a giant leap in the capability to support the utility and light attack mission spectrum.

One of the alternative door guns is the six barrelled GAU-17/A electrically driven ‘minigun’.This can be ﬁred by the pilots when it is in the ﬁxed forward position as seen here on a UH-1Y of VMM-263, or used by the rear crew as a door gun to provide close air support to ground forces. US Navy

The commonality of the design between the AH-1Z (nearest the camera) and UH-1Y are evident in this shot of the two on the deck lift of a helicopter carrier.The ‘marinization’ process of the designs included the blade fold system demonstrated here. Bell Helicopter

The ﬁrst ship the UH-1Y was deployed aboard was USS Boxer (LHD 4). Here, in an exercise in November 2008 prior to that deployment, a UH-1Y of HMM-163 takes off after refuelling aboard the ship, a taste of things to come. US Navy

5. Regarding these engineering changes, what effects have they had on the performance of the UH-1Y over its predecessors? The UH-1Y was designed and built for the modern day battleﬁeld and has a 125% payload improvement and a 50% increase in range and maximum cruise speed as compared to the UH-1N. Speciﬁcations include: Max speed: 170 knots Cruise speed: 147 knots Combat Radius: 119 nautical miles Max Gross Weight: 18,500lb 6.The integrated glass cockpit is a new feature on the UH-1Y. How easy has it been for aircrew to transition onto the new system and what advantages are there in this type of information display for pilots? The integrated avionics system improves the aircrew’s situational awareness by providing multiple data streams through the multifunction displays and the helmet mounted ‘heads up’ display.These multifunction displays are common to the AH-1Z and deliver navigation, weapons

systems, ﬂight management, aircraft systems, communications, and sensor management. The incorporation of ‘Hands On Collective and Stick’ allows the aircrew the ability to engage the aircraft systems without taking their hands off the controls.The weapons systems on the AH-1Z and the sensor systems on the UH-1Y are controlled via dedicated mission grips similar to a game controller popular with video games in use today. The layout and functionality of the crewmember stations, side by side in the UH1Y or fore and aft in the AH-1Z, are virtually identical, minimising training and allowing a pilot to ﬂy and ﬁght from either station. 7.The advanced helmet mounted sighting and information system is another new feature of the UH-1Y. What are the beneﬁts of this system and how has it been working in practice on operations? The Optimized TopOwl Helmet Mounted Sight and Display is combat-proven and offers day and night avionics to present a ‘heads-up display’ of visual aids to the pilot, reducing pilot workload.The helmet display provides aircraft status information analogous to a systems page on the multifunction display.

The presentation to the pilot in his day or night helmet display frees up a multifunction display for sensors, navigation, etc. without a loss of situational awareness with regard to the aircraft. Additionally, the helmet allows for sensor cue information, line of sight of the other pilot, and weapons reticules.The helmet superimposes information in front of the pilots’ right eye either in a day form or over the night vision goggles for night operations. Supplemental hover symbols aid the pilot in reduced visibility approach and landings. Coupled with a high precision head tracking system, the helmet affords aircrew ease of target identiﬁcation, engagement and hand off to the other crew member. 8. Much is spoken of ‘survivability’ in military manned aircraft today. What systems does the UH-1Y feature to aid its battleﬁeld survivability? Both the AH-1Z and the UH-1Y were designed with survivability in mind.The rotor hubs, fuel tanks, and gear boxes are ballistically tolerant, while the rotor blades are capable of withstanding 23mm munitions. The landing gear is rated for 12 feet per The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 109

The UH-1Y is also ﬁtted with a comprehensive and sophisticated defensive aids suite. Here, a UH-1Y releases infrared decoy ﬂares during an air power demonstration for Tiger Cruise participants aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) in June 2012. US Navy

Captain Karla Cumbie, left, and Lance Corporal Timothy Miller perform a preﬂight check on a UH-1Y of HMM-364. Reinforced, before ﬂight operations aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20) in January 2013. Note the new tail rotor design, four bladed and a much simpler rotor head than previously. US Navy

The fully integrated Northrop Grumman glass cockpit is night vision goggle compatible and includes the Thales ‘Top Owl’ helmet mounted sight and display. Northrop Grumman

second descent and is designed to reduce the impact during a hard landing and should the landing exceed 12 feet per second, the failure modes of the landing gear are designed to spread, break, and depart the aircraft in such a manner as they will continue to dissipate the impact forces.The aircrew are protected by crash attenuating seats. Engine infrared suppressors and infrared reﬂective paint make the aircraft harder to detect, plus the aircraft is outﬁtted with a robust, combat-tested suite of threat detection and countermeasure equipment, including radar, missile and laser warning systems and countermeasure dispensing systems. The ability to ﬂy at a higher altitude above and a faster speed away from the threat also greatly improves survivability. However, combat often requires ﬂight operations in close proximity to enemy forces for the H-1 aircraft mission set.The USMC UH-1Ys in Afghanistan have sustained multiple hits on several occasions, but completed their missions and returned safely to base.

normal conditions allows for excess power for manoeuvrability.

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9. What are the future plans for the uh-1 in terms of development and additional capabilities? Bell Helicopter continues to work with the US Marine Corps to advance the aircraft capabilities to include potential options for extending the range of the H-1 ﬂeet, incorporating more advanced avionics, digital connectivity, and advanced weapons capability.

The following answers were provided by Tony Randall, head of ﬂight safety at Bell Helicopter and former US Marine Corps Lt Colonel. 10. From a pilots’ perspective, what is the aircraft like to ﬂy? What would you say are its chief characteristics as a handling machine? In comparison to the aircraft it’s replacing (the UH-1N), it is a sports car. Due mostly to the new rotor system, the helicopter is extremely responsive and agile. In addition, the power available under

11. From your long experience of the uh-1, do you have a favourite story about it, or an illustration of a particular capability peculiar to the aircraft? During certain combat operations we were able to decrease the total number of aircraft required to complete the mission. With the weight carrying capability of the UH-1Y combined with the onboard ordnance and the sensor package, we would not only transport and insert the troops into the LZ, we would then remain on station to provide surveillance and reconnaissance of the route and the objective during ingress and close air support during actions on the objective. This capability resulted in two UH-1Y aircraft doing a mission that would traditionally require four or ﬁve aircraft of differing capabilities.This is something we did many times with small or special operations units.

■ Words: Tim Callaway & Bell Helicopter

The Hughes OH-6A and Bell UH-1H at home in their purpose built hangar.

inside

the huey

A visit to a legend In a rather beautiful part of the UK near Blackpool is a village with a farm on one edge of it. Nothing unusual at ﬁrst glance – in the buildings there are sports car specialists and other companies – but in the hangar is a rare delight, the only ﬂying Bell UH-1H Huey in the UK that ser ved during the Vietnam war, along with many other surprises.

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he Huey Helicopter Team is based in its own purpose built hangar with every amenity imaginable built in to maintain and support the aircraft and crews. The place, like the aircraft, is immaculate, the ﬂoor spotless like all really good aircraft hangars are. If you wonder why that’s important, imagine an aircraft had an oil or a hydraulic leak. If the ﬂoor were dirty, how would you see it? There is no such danger here. Inside the pristine hangar are two very historic aircraft, both veterans of the Vietnam War. Sitting on its purpose built towing and launching platform is a Hughes OH-6A Cayuse, better known as a Loach, next to which is the 112 inside the huey

only Vietnam veteran UH-1H ﬂying in the UK. Alongside the aircraft is a crew support vehicle and a small tractor to tow the aircraft to the helipad outside. Owned by pilot and businessman Phil Connolly, the helicopters are popular performers at air shows all over the UK and Europe, particularly the Huey with its unmistakeable sound. This UH-1H, 72-21509, was deployed to Vietnam with the 129th Assault Helicopter Company in July 1972, where it took part in 108 sorties with that unit until it was returned to the US in February 1973. A varied career with the Army and National Guard followed, after which the

The MD of the Huey Helicopter team, Phil Connolly, on the left, with Sue Holden (team marketing administrator) and Stuart Oldham (site maintenance) to all of whom many thanks for the welcome, the access and the nonstop coffee!

Above the Huey showing the upper surface of the rotor blades. The blades were painted in different patterns by different units to make their landing areas easier to see in a mass unit assault.

Bell UH-1H 72-21509 alongside the Huey Helicopter Team’s display support vehicle.

The Tailboom, elevaTors and Tail roTor

The hangar also boasts a fully equipped team brieﬁng facility. Unusually this is equipped with 40mm grenade rounds, a very relevant weapon to the period the team are commemorating.

The starboard side of the ﬁn showing the tail boom skid, often referred to as the stinger.

The 90° gearbox at the top of the ﬁn showing the oil level window on the starboard side.

aircraft was sent for storage in the Arizona desert in August 2000. Like many other Hueys, 509 was purchased and used as a parts donor airframe, being found in a largely dismantled condition at NW Helicopters in Seattle by Phil and his team. A long and painstaking restoration began after the airframe was purchased in 2003, resulting in the gleaming helicopter that forms the centrepiece of the display team today as a ﬁtting tribute to the UH-1 and its crews. If you would like to contact the team to arrange their participation in your event, ﬁnd out more about the team’s people and aircraft or arrange a visit to the hangar, their contact details can all be found on their website at www.huey.co.uk or you can telephone +44 (0)1772 687775. Aviation Classics was allowed to visit the team in their hangar and photograph this superb example of the helicopter from nose to tail, inside and out, for which opportunity we are indebted to Phil and his team. ■ Words: Tim Callaway

The ﬁn base with the navigation and tail-lights and tail boom skid or stinger.

The rear tailboom and starboard side of the ﬁn with the rotor steady rope running through the VHF navigation antenna loop and out to the protective rear skid.

The shroud over the 43° gearbox at the base of the ﬁn with its oil level window clearly visible.

The tail rotor showing the pitch control linkages on the outside of the hub and the reinforcement layers at the root of the blades. The port side of the rear tailboom and ﬁn. Like the main rotor the tail rotor blades have honeycomb cores with glass ﬁbre skins and an extruded metal leading edge.The 90° gearbox, hub and pitch control rods are all clearly visible in this view.

The port side of the tailboom and base of the ﬁn showing the cooling louvres in the shroud covering the 43° gearbox.

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 113

The 43° gearbox at the base of the ﬁn with the shroud removed.

Looking straight up the ﬁn at the tail rotor hub assembly.

The entire ﬁn leading edge shroud in the open position exposing the tail rotor drive that runs up its length.

The ﬁn mounted navigation and warning lights. The original tail rotor chain was a specially made toothed chain which ran over a cog. This proved weak in practice and was replaced by the bicycle chain and sprocket design. However, whenever an early Huey was shot down or crashed in Vietnam, the crew tried to recover the original toothed chain, which was made into crew bracelets usually engraved with the tail number of the Huey on the clasp.

114 inside the huey

Three views of the tail rotor drive shaft from the 43° gearbox at the base of the ﬁn to the 90° gearbox at the top. Note the bicycle chain alongside the shaft which runs over a sprocket behind the gearbox and controls the pitch of the rotor blades, the cables attached to the chain are controlled by the pilot’s rudder pedals.

The underside of the tail boom looking forward showing the VHF navigation antenna nearest the camera, followed by a close up of the air vent in the underside of the boom, then the starboard and port sides and markings and ﬁnally the boom attachment point at the rear of the centre section, where the whole boom is held on by only four bolts.

Looking inside the starboard side inspection hatch under the engine exhaust at the back of the centre section, the point where the tail rotor drive shaft emerges from under the engine.

Views of the port and starboard synchronised elevators showing the unit number painted on the upper surfaces, again to assist in keeping the unit’s helicopters together on an assault. Note the inverted airfoil section of the synchronised elevators which move with the pilot’s cyclic control. The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 115

Looking aft in the inside of the tail boom showing at the bottom the push rod control to the elevators and the air vent in the underside, then on the starboard side the push rod to the tail rotor pitch control and the pulleys where the push rod converts to the cable controls that eventually attach to the bicycle chain.

The tail rotor drive shaft with the entire protective shroud folded back in its maintenance position, showing the shaft exiting under the engine exhaust, then the bearing points along the tail boom and the two gearboxes on the ﬁn.

Undercarriage and fUselage Underside

Six views around the main undercarriage of the Huey at ﬂoor level, showing the mounting tubes in their connecting slots in the lower cabin body and the large circular opening directly under the main rotor where the external cargo hook was ﬁtted. Note the protective bolt-on steel shoes to protect the skids from damage, the various attachment lugs and antenna under the fuselage, and the cable cutter blade mounted in the centre under the nose.

116 inside the huey

EnginE bay and main rotor shaft

Two views of the cargo hook out of its under fuselage recess, alongside its control springs.

Inside the front of the starboard engine bay is the main engine oil tank and the connector for the hydraulic system ground test equipment.

The top engine cowling hinges straight up.The wire running round the inside of the upper cowling door is the connecting line to the ﬁre sensors.

The lower side engine panels have their own swing out support framework and a latching arm that locates in a slot in the fuselage to tail boom joint.

The port side engine bay ﬁrst with the lower door open then with both doors fully open.

Looking down on the starboard engine bay lower door showing its location when fully opened. The starboard side engine bay seen from above.

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 117

The port side engine bay seen from above. Note the support structure to the engine and the electrical, fuel, hydraulic and oil connectors as well as the engine control linkages.

The base of the main rotor transmission and mast is just ahead of the engine bay. Note the particulate ﬁlter on the air intake on this aircraft to the rear of the mast.The vertical slot at the rear of the ﬁlter box is the ejection point for any collected debris.

Port and starboard views of the main rotor mast and transmission with the forward cowling open. Note the swash plate and blade pitch controls on the mast and the stabiliser bar mounted above the main rotor.

Port and starboard views of the transmission and base of the main rotor mast with the forward cowling open. Note the main generator, the black electric motor shaped object and the yellow transmission ﬂuid tank mounted ahead of the transmission.

The hub end of a used blade on display in the hangar reveals the two mounting points and the layers of reinforcement at the hub mounting end.

Both sides of the main rotor mast and head with the stabiliser bar above.The control system for the rotors is a masterpiece of simple and strong engineering. 118 inside the huey

A section through a Huey main rotor blade with the honeycomb rear section ﬁller, extruded aluminium D-box forward spar and trailing edge, glass ﬁbre skin and stainless steel anti-erosion strip protecting the leading edge.

Two views of the engine exhaust pipe. Note the red anti-collision beacon mounted above it.

The rear port side electrics bay.

Three views across the cabin and cockpit roof showing the variety of air intakes, antenna, pitot heads, navigation light, hand rails, walkways and windscreen wipers mounted there.The large blade like device in the centre is exactly that, a blade to deﬂect, trap and cut wires or cables before they become entangled in the main rotor.

Looking into the bottom of the rear starboard bay reveals the heater trunking.

The starboard side of the centre section with the main cabin and all hatches and access doors closed.The main fuel ﬁller in red ﬁlls the two tanks mounted at the bottom of the centre section immediately below the engine bay. The nose compartment houses the battery and avionics systems for the instruments and lies between the two main longerons which form the basis of the entire structure of the cabin and centre section. Since 509 no longer carries all the military systems, a number of lead plates have had to be added to the nose bay to keep the aircraft in balance.

The rear starboard side bay contains the cabin heater unit.

The forward starboard bay did contain weapons avionics and other systems, but is now mostly empty. The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 119

The main cabin and door guns

The reason for the Huey Helicopter Team’s existence is the commemoration and preservation of a unique time in history. On the main cabin doors are recorded the names of all those who died while serving with the 129th Assault Helicopter Company during the Vietnam War.

The port and starboard door gun mounts and how they attach to the lower cabin superstructure .

The port main cabin door in the fully open position showing the two rear catches.

The starboard door gunners position with its M60 machine gun on its mount.

The starboard side of the main cabin with the two rear sideways facing seats, four rear row and two forward seats.

120 inside the huey

The roof of the main cabin showing the sound suppression lining and various openings for air vents and removable stanchions to support additional seats or stretchers.

The ﬂoor in the centre of 509’s cabin has a number of patched bullet holes marked by yellow dots at their corners. Several of the rounds exited through the roof of the cabin.

A close up of one of the air vents in the roof of the main cabin.

The port cabin door has the centre of gravity percentage plate in the sill.

The port door gunner’s position with its M60 machine gun and 7.62mm ammunition feed.

The port side of the main cabin with the three rows of seats.

The forward cabin door opens forwards and outwards or can be removed completely. The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 121

THE COCKPIT

The pilot’s and co-pilot’s doors showing the hinge and window details.

The inside of the pilot’s cockpit door.

The forward ends of the two main structural longerons are visible through the lower nose glazing.

The pilot’s collective lever.

The inside of the co-pilot’s door.

The pilot’s seat with the armour plate side protection in the retracted position.

The co-pilot’s seat with the armour plate side protection in the retracted position.

The pilot’s cyclic control.

The pilot’s side of the cockpit with his extensive instrument panel. The co-pilot’s cyclic control.

The pilot’s yaw pedals, note the name Bell Huey embossed into them. 122 inside the huey

The co-pilot’s collective lever.

The co-pilot’s yaw pedals.

The co-pilot’s side of the cockpit with his reduced instrument panel.The co-pilot had a better view out of the aircraft to warn against enemy hazards, or a mission commander could use the position to better see the movement of his troop or company of helicopters.The modern screen is a GPS to assist in navigation.

Looking over the copilot’s seat at his view forwards and downwards and his instrument panel.

Looking across the cockpit at the upper windows and centre electrical panel.

The whole of the instrument panel with its complete collection of ﬂight and system instruments which can be easily read from either seat.

The centre roof electrical panel with lighting, windscreen wiper, trim, heater and engine start controls.

Looking over the pilot’s seat at the view forwards and downwards over his extended instrument panel.

Above both pilots’ seats on the door stanchion is a ﬁrst aid pack, easily reached by anyone in the cabin or cockpit.

The centre console between the pilot’s seats with the fuel selectors and the original radios on the left and modern radios and transponders ﬁtted to the right.

Bell UH-1H 72-21509 also has a name, Miss Jo, named for the MD’s wife.

A totally gratuitous Llama picture that I promised Sue Holden I would get into the feature as they live in the ﬁeld next door to the hangar!

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 123

survivors The Huey family on display

N832M, formerly 62-2084 is a Bell UH-1B Iroquois kept in ﬂying condition by the Wings and Rotors Air Museum and based at French Valley Airport, Murrieta, California. Keith Draycott

The success of the Bell Huey family has been global, so likewise the list of aircraft on display spans the entire world. Like many other types we have featured in these pages, some of the places the helicopter has ended up are surprising.

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hat the Huey is a popular icon there can be no doubt. As the list below attests there are many museums on every continent of the world with one of these extraordinary aircraft in their collection. Most of the countries are Bell customers, purchasers or users of the helicopter, but there are a few, such as Vietnam, where the Huey ended up because of a conﬂict which left it there when the ﬁghting ended. Regardless, the Huey is absolutely deserving of a place in a museum in any of its many forms for three major reasons. Firstly, it

is a ground breaking piece of engineering, its strength and simplicity setting the trends in helicopter design for decades. Secondly, it is the most successful military and commercial family of helicopters in terms of numbers built and numbers of customers. Lastly, its record of service in a huge variety of roles speaks for itself. Reliable and rugged, the Huey has endeared itself to operators in an amazing range of industries in some of the most extreme climates to be found on the planet. The fact that the descendents of the original design are still in production today, 58 years after its ﬁrst ﬂight,

is proof of its fundamental soundness and market appeal. It is among the select group of aircraft that we have featured in the pages of Aviation Classics, where the only suitable replacement for it is another one. As usual in compiling this list, we are aware that the aircraft move to new homes or new owners, and sometimes it takes a while for the information to disseminate. If you know of any that have moved, or even better, new aircraft that do not yet appear here, then please let us know and we will publish the information in the updates section of our website.

Above: A special forces Bell UH-1P Iroquois, 64-15476, used by the US Air Force in Vietnam is on display at the National Museum of the US Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Keith Draycott Left: In the Arizona desert heat of the Pima Air and Space Museum is Bell UH-1H Iroquois 64-13895. Constance Redgrave 124 survivors

AsiA

69-15690 Bell UH-1H Iroquois China Aviation Museum Datangshan China 41524 Bell UH-1B Huey Waku Waku Grandy Science Land Japan 41583/VII Bell UH-1B Iroquois Bihoro Aviation Park Japan 41581 Fuji Bell HU-1B Iroquois Old Car Center Japan 41669 Fuji Bell HU-1H Iroquois Mitsu Keiki Collection (Plaza of Wing) Japan 41547 Fuji-Bell HU-1B Iroquois Tokorozawa Aviation Museum Japan 41560 Fuji-Bell HU-1B Iroquois Tokorozawa Aviation Museum Japan 9171 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Air Force City Park Philippines 22570 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Philippine Air Force Museum Philippines 14003 Bell UH-1B Iroquois KAI Aerospace Museum Republic of Korea 38734 Bell UH-1B Iroquois Boramae Park Republic of Korea 40905 Bell UH-1B Iroquois Republic of Korea Air Force Museum Republic of Korea 62-12542 Bell UH-1B Iroquois War Memorial Museum Republic of Korea H6k-1/19 Bell 212 Royal Thai Air Force Museum Thailand 8626 Bell UH-1B Iroquois Royal Thai Army Aviation Museum Thailand 3412 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Royal Thai Army Aviation Museum Thailand 3415 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Royal Thai Army Aviation Museum Thailand 6048 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Royal Thai Army Aviation Museum Thailand 15632 Bell UH-1 Iroquois Bao Tang Phong Khong – Khong Quan (Air Force Museum) Vietnam 15736 Bell UH-1 Iroquois Bao Tang Phong Khong – Khong Quan (Air Force Museum) Vietnam 69-15445 Bell UH-1H Reuniﬁcation Palace (Hoi Truong Thong Nhat) Vietnam 27 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Bao Tang Phong Khong – Khong Quan (Air Force Museum) Vietnam 372 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Tan Son Nhut Air Force Museum Vietnam 541 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Ho Chi Minh City Museum Vietnam 15753 Bell UH-1H Iroquois War Remnants Museum (Nha Trung Bay Toi Ac Chien Tranh) Vietnam 67-17651 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Vietnam Military History Museum Vietnam

CAnAdA

135102 Bell CH-135 Twin Huey National Air Force Museum of Canada Ontario CF-ATN Bell CH-135 Twin Huey Canada Aviation Museum Ontario

The Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr or Luftwaffen Museum at Gatow in Berlin includes D-HATE, a Bell UH-1D Iroquois. Constance Redgrave

The Flygvapenmuseum in Malmen is one of the great aviation museums in Europe and includes 03306/46, an Agusta-Bell 204B or Hpk3C as it was known by the Swedish armed forces. Constance Redgrave.

63-8504 Bell UH-1B Iroquois Swords And Ploughshares Museum Ontario 118106 Bell CH-118 Iroquois Musee de la Defence Aerienne/ Air Defence Museum Quebec

EuropE

71+42 Bell UH-1D Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr (Luftwaffe Museum) Germany D-HAQI Bell UH-1D Grenzmuseum »Schifﬂersgrund« Germany D-HATU Bell UH-1D Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleissheim Germany D-HATE Bell UH-1D Huey Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr (Luftwaffe Museum) Germany 73+11 Bell UH-1D Iroquois Militaerhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr (Luftwaffe Museum) Germany 70+45 Bell UH-1D Iroquois Dornier Museum Friedrichshafen Germany 70+51 Bell UH-1D Iroquois Hubschrauber Museum Germany 70+68 Bell UH-1D Iroquois Traditionsgemeinschaft Lufttransport Wunstorf Germany 71+07 Bell UH-1D Iroquois Aeronauticum – Deutsche Luftschiff und Marineﬂieger Museum Germany 71+09 Bell UH-1D Iroquois Fliegerhorst Museum Germany 71+14 Bell UH-1D Iroquois Museum Spijöök Germany 72+68 Bell UH-1D Iroquois Rolls-Royce Museum Germany 72+97 Bell UH-1D Iroquois Auto & Technik Museum Sinsheim Germany 73+01 Bell UH-1D Iroquois Museum für Luftfahrt und Technik Germany 73+14 Bell UH-1D Iroquois Technik Museum Germany

D-HBZV Bell UH-1D Iroquois Flugausstellung L.+ P. Junior Germany ES634 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Crete War Museum Greece EI-408 Agusta Bell AB204 Museuo delle Forze Armate, Armi ed Equipaggiamenti Italy I-VFMC/MM80369/ VF-31 Agusta Bell AB204AS VOLANDIA – Parco e Museo del volo Italy MM80279 Agusta Bell AB204B Museo della Comunicazione Italy MM80281 Agusta Bell AB204B Museo dell’ aria e dello Spazia Italy MM80382/EI-228 Agusta-Bell AB204B Parco Velivolo Storici / Deltaland Collection Closed Italy MM80390/EI-236 Agusta-Bell AB204B Museo storico della Motorizzazione Militare Italy MM80938/7-06 Agusta-Bell AB212ASW Museo della Piazzaforte Italy 66-0749 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Malta Aviation Museum Malta 221/K Agusta Bell AB204B Aviodrome (Nationaal Luchtvaart-Themapark Aviodrome) Netherlands 225 Agusta Bell AB204B Nationaal Militair Museum Netherlands 580 Bell UH-1B Iroquois Flyhistorisk Museum Sola Norway 937 Bell UH-1B Iroquois Forsvarsmuseet Norwegian Armed Forces Museum Norway 585 Bell UH-1B Iroquois (stored) Forsvarets Flysamling, Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection (reopens Jan 2015) Norway 79 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Norsk Luftfartsmuseum Norway 66-15084 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Muzeum Letectva Slovakia HU.10-43/ ET-266 Agusta Bell UH-1H Iroquois Museo Militar de Almeyda – Santa Cruz de Tenerife Spain

Mounted outside the Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, Alabama, is Bell UH-1H Iroquois 66-16161. Constance Redgrave

HE.10B-39/78-52 Bell 205 Iroquois Museo del Aire Spain HE.10B-52/78-54 Bell 205 Iroquois Museo del Aire Spain 03139/91 Agusta Bell 204B (Hkp3) Svedinos Bil- och Flygmuseum Sweden 03424/94 Agusta Bell 204 (Hkp3B) Ängelholms Flyg Museum Sweden 03189/92 Agusta Bell 204B (Hkp3C) Svedinos Bil- och Flygmuseum Sweden 226 Agusta Bell AB204B Aeroseum Sweden 03423/93 Agusta Bell Hkp3B Söderhamn F15 Flygmuseum Sweden 03427/87 Agusta Bell Hkp3B Teknikland Sweden 03425/95Agusta Bell Hkp3B (AB204B) eroseum Sweden 03156/93 Agusta Bell Hkp3C RFN Vidsel Museum Sweden 03311/51 Agusta Bell Hkp3C Västerås Flygmuseum Sweden 03310/50 Agusta Bell Hkp3C (AB204B) Aeroseum Sweden 03421/21 Agusta-Bell Hkp3B Gotlands Försvarsmuseum Sweden 03426/96 Agusta-Bell Hkp3B Flygmuseet F21 Sweden 03315/55 Agusta-Bell Hpk3C Försvarsmuseum Boden Sweden 03306/46 Agusta-Bell Hpk3C Flygvapenmuseum Sweden TCB-33 Bell AB204AS Deniz Müzesi Turkey 69-15720 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Hava Kuvvetleri Muzesi Komutanligi Turkish Air Force Museum Turkey 69-15724 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Hava Kuvvetleri Muzesi Komutanligi Turkish Air Force Museum Turkey 66-16579 Bell UH-1H Iroquois The Helicopter Museum United Kingdom AE-409/656 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Museum of Army Flying United Kingdom AE422 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Fleet Air Arm Museum United Kingdom

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 125

In one of the Pima Air and Space Museum’s many hangars is 6509430 a Bell UH-1M Iroquois. Constance Redgrave

Above: 002 is an Agusta-Bell AB205A on display at the Israeli Air Force Museum at Haterzim. Constance Redgrave Right: The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum at Miramar, California has a Bell 214ST captured from the Iraqi Armed Forces by US Marines. Constance Redgrave

Middle east

2 Agusta-Bell AB205A Israeli Air Force Museum Israel 26 Bell 212 Israeli Air Force Museum Israel L-557 Agusta Bell AB212 Lebanon Air Force Museum Lebanon 701 Agusta-Bell 205A Sultan’s Armed Forces Museum Oman

Oceania

A2-1020 Bell UH-1B Iroquois RAAF Museum Australia A2-384 Bell UH-1B Iroquois RAAF Museum Australia N9-882 Bell UH-1B Iroquois Fleet Air Arm Museum Australia 66-16290 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Fleet Air Arm Museum Australia A2-149 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Museum of Australian Army Flying Australia A2-377 Bell UH-1H Iroquois RAAF Museum Australia A2-382 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Townsville Royal Australian Air Force Museum Australia A2-485 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Merredin Military Museum Australia A2-649 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Museum of Australian Army Flying Australia A2-771 Bell UH-1H Iroquois RAAF Amberley Heritage Centre Australia A2-110 Bell UH-1H Iroquois National Vietnam Veterans Museum Australia ZK-HSF Bell UH-1B Iroquois (tail boom) Classic Flyers Museum New Zealand NZ3800 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Air Force Museum of New Zealand New Zealand

sOuth aMerica

H-19 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Museo Nacional de Aerónautica Argentina N-7001 Bell UH-1 Museu da Aviação Naval Brazil 126 survivors

H-95 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Museo Aeronáutico y del Espacio Chile FAC4272 Bell UH-1B Iroquois Museo Aeroespacial Colombiano Colombia FAC287 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Museo Aereo Fenix Colombia FAS260 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Museo Nacional de Aviacion El Salvador FAS320 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Museo Nacional de Aviacion El Salvador 1500 Bell 205A-1 Museo del Ejércition Y Fuerza Aérea Guadalajara Mexico 61 Bell UH-1B Iroquois Museo Aeronáutico Uruguay 3137 Bell 412 Museo Aeronautico de Maracay Venezuela 8519 Bell UH-1B Iroquois Museo Aeronautico de Maracay Venezuela

united states Of aMerica

158551/7H-03 Bell HH-1N Iroquois USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park Alabama 60-3554 Bell UH-1B Iroquois United States Army Aviation Museum Alabama 64-13954 Bell UH-1B Iroquois United States Space and Rocket Center Alabama 63-12973 Bell UH-1H Iroquois United States Army Aviation Museum Alabama 63-8781 Bell UH-1H Iroquois United States Army Aviation Museum Alabama 66-16873 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Southern Museum of Flight Alabama 70-16441 Bell UH-1H Iroquois United States Space and Rocket Center Alabama 60-6030 Bell YUH-1D Iroquois United States Army Aviation Museum Alabama 66-0934 Bell UH-1H Huey Alaskaland Pioneer Air Museum Alaska

66-17044 Bell UH-1H Huey Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry Alaska 65-12849 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum Alaska 64-13895/95D Bell UH-1H Iroquois Pima Air and Space Museum Arizona 70-2474 Bell HH-1H Iroquois Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) Arizona 63-13141 Bell UH-1F Iroquois Titan Missile Museum Arizona 63-13141 Bell UH-1F Iroquois Pima Air and Space Museum Arizona 64-14156/50 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Arizona Military Museum Arizona 65-09430 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Pima Air and Space Museum Arizona 70-16050 Bell UH-1H Huey Arkansas Air Museum Arkansas 28166 Bell 412ST Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum California 69-15312/04 Bell JUH-1H Iroquois National Training Center & 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Museum California 60-3607 Bell UH-1B Iroqouis Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum California 60-03614 Bell UH-1B Iroquois USS Midway Museum California 60-3614 Bell UH-1B Iroquois San Diego Aerospace Museum Restoration Facility California N832M/62-2084/321 Bell UH-1B Iroquois Wings and Rotors Air Museum California 64-13656 Bell UH-1D Iroquois Central California Historical Military Museum California 66-16779 Bell UH-1D Iroquois Paciﬁc Coast Air Museum California 63-13143 Bell UH-1F Iroquois March Field Air Museum California 66-16997 Bell UH-1H Huey Estrella Warbirds Museum California 66-0765/65A Bell UH-1H Iroquois Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum California

69-15472 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Museum of the Forgotten Warriors California 70-15839 Bell UH-1H Iroquois National Training Center & 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Museum California N81114 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Aerospace Museum of California California Unknown Bell UH-1H Iroquois Oakland Museum of California California 157824 Bell TH/UH-1L Iroquois Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum California 65-9548 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Central California Historical Military Museum California 60-0630 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Santa Maria Museum of Flight California 65-9423 Bell UH-1M Iroquois American Society of Military History Museum California 159198/08 Bell UH-1N Iroquois Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum California 72-21508 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum/ International B-24 Museum Colorado 65-09484 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum/ International B-24 Museum Colorado 62-12550 Bell UH-1B Iroquois New England Air Museum Connecticut Unknown Bell UH-1B Iroquois (cockpit) National Helicopter Museum Connecticut 69-15475 Bell UH-1N Iroquois Air Mobility Command Museum Delaware 157188 Bell HH-1K Iroquois National Naval Aviation Museum Florida 312 Bell UH-1B Iroquois National Navy UDT – SEAL Museum Florida 66-15186/ET Bell UH-1B Iroquois USAF Armament Museum Florida 157188/301 Bell UH-1E Iroquois National Naval Aviation Museum Florida

Bell UH-1B Iroquois 62-12550 is on display in the New England Air Museum in Connecticut. Keith Draycott

66-16056 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Camp Blanding Museum and Memorial Park Florida 68-15562 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Hillsborough County Veterans Memorial Park and Museum Florida 68-16114 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Camp Blanding Museum and Memorial Park Florida 71-20139 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Brevard Veterans Memorial Center Florida 64-15493 Bell UH-1P Iroquois Memorial Air Park/Air Command Museum Florida 66-16138 Bell UH-1V Iroquois Valiant Air Command Warbirds Museum Florida 66-16896 Bell UH-1V Iroquois Larry E. Smedley National Vietnam War Museum Florida 65-12741 Bell UH-1C Iroquois 24th Infantry Division and Fort Stewart Museum Georgia Unknown Bell UH-1C Iroquois Aviation Wing of the Marietta Museum of History Georgia 65-7959 Bell UH-1F Iroquois Museum of Aviation Georgia 64-13643 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park Georgia Unknown Bell UH-1H Iroquois National Infantry Museum Georgia 65-9497 Bell UH-1M Iroquois 24th Infantry Division and Fort Stewart Museum Georgia 65-7925 Bell UH-1P Iroquois Museum of Aviation Georgia 69-15708 Bell UH-1H Huey Naval Air Museum Barbers Point Hawaii N381RD Bell 212 Bird Aviation Museum Idaho 66-15069 Bell UH-1C Iroquois Warhawk Air Museum Idaho 59-1641 Bell UH-1A Iroquois Illinois State Military Museum Illinois 60686 Bell UH-1B Iroquois Chanute Air Museum Illinois 65-10005 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Russell Military Museum Illinois 65-10030 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Heritage in Flight Museum Illinois 65-10074 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Russell Military Museum Illinois

65-1169 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Russell Military Museum Illinois 65-9931 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Russell Military Museum Illinois 66-16968/68L Bell UH-1H Iroquois Russell Military Museum Illinois 67-17599 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Classics Museum of Aviation Illinois 67-17832 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Prairie Aviation Museum Illinois 68-16215 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Classics Museum of Aviation Illinois 68-16265 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Classics Museum of Aviation Illinois 66-15183 Bell UH-1M Iroquois First Division Museum at Cantigny Illinois 66-15236 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Midway Village and Museum Center Illinois 65-9628 Bell HU-1H Iroquois Indiana Military Museum Indiana N2956F Bell UH-1B Iroquois Ropkey Armor Museum Indiana 65-9547 Bell UH-1C Iroquois McClain’s Historical Military Armor Museum Indiana 63-8801 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Lawrence D. Bell Aviation Museum Indiana 64-13494 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Ropkey Armor Museum Indiana 66-10584 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Camp Atterbury Museum Indiana 68-16256 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Grissom Air Museum Indiana 68-16301 Bell UH-1H Iroquois McClain’s Historical Military Armor Museum Indiana 63-8825 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Iowa Gold Star Military Museum Camp Dodge Iowa 66-15187 Bell UH-1M Huey Mid America Museum of Aviation & Transportation Iowa 66-1204 Bell UH-1D Iroquois Mid-America Air Museum Kansas 65-9700 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Kansas Museum of Military History Kansas 64-13569 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Museum of the Kansas National Guard Kansas 65-10011 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Museum of the Kansas National Guard Kansas

159198/08, a Bell UH-1N Iroquois is also at the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum at Miramar. Constance Redgrave

65-9617 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Combat Air Museum Kansas 66-0683 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Combat Air Museum Kansas 64-14005 Bell UH-1B Iroquois General George Patton Museum Kentucky 62-2010 Bell UH-1H Huey Don F. Pratt Memorial Museum Kentucky 65-12873 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Louisiana Military Museum Louisiana 65-9911 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Jackson Barracks Military Museum Louisiana 71-20326 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Fort Polk Military Museum Louisiana 73-21804 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Fort Polk Military Museum Louisiana 65-9915 Bell UH-1D Huey Cole Land Transportation Museum Maine 63-8809 Bell UH-1D Iroquois Maine Military Historical Society Museum Maine 71-20317 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Maine Air Museum Maine 157842 Bell TH-1L Iroquois Patuxent River Naval Air Museum Maryland N911KK Bell UH-1E Huey The Collings Foundation Massachusetts 66-0609 Bell UH-1M Battleship Cove Massachusetts 66-16006 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Yankee Air Museum Michigan 67-17153 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Gerald R. Ford Museum Michigan 67-17368 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Selfridge Military Air Museum Michigan 59-0097 Bell UH-1A Iroquois Minnesota Military Museum Minnesota 64-13882 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Minnesota Air Guard Museum Minnesota 65-10077 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Minnesota Air Guard Museum Minnesota 65-9792 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Minnesota Military Museum Minnesota

68-16608 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Mississippi Armed Forces Museum Mississippi 69-15937 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Mississippi Armed Forces Museum Mississippi 62-2113 Bell UH-1D Iroquois National Military Heritage Museum Missouri 74-22453 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Stars and Stripes Museum Missouri 66-00551 Bell UH-1M Iroquois National Military Heritage Museum Missouri 70-2467 Bell HH-1H Iroquois Museum of Mountain Flying Montana 64-13914 Bell UH-1B Iroquois Miracle of America Museum Montana N388M Bell UH-1B Iroquois Miracle of America Museum Montana 13157/MM Bell UH-1F Iroquois Malmstrom Air Force Base Museum Montana 66-16019/19A Bell UH-1H Iroquois Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History Montana 66-1168 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles Nebraska 68-16329 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles Nebraska Unknown Bell UH-1H Iroquois Freedom Park United States Naval Museum Nebraska 66-0513 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles Nebraska 66-15211 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles Nebraska 60-03593 Bell UH-1B Huey Naval Air Station Fallon Air Park Nevada 64-13732 Bell UH-1D Iroquois Vietnam Era Museum & Educational Center New Jersey 68-16132 Bell UH-1H Iroquois National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey New Jersey 69-15905 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Forgotten Warriors Vietnam Museum New Jersey 61182 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum New Jersey

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois – The immor tal Huey 127

65-9462 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum New Jersey 66-0616 Bell UH-1C Iroquois White Sands Missile Range Museum New Mexico 59-1621 Bell UH-1A Iroquois Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum New York 69-16723 Bell UH-1H Huey Wings of Eagles Discovery Center New York 63-12982 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park New York 64-13513 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Empire State Aeroscience Museum New York 65-09435 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Empire State Aeroscience Museum New York 59-01711 Bell UH-1B Iroquois 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum North Carolina 68-16289 Bell UH-1H Iroquois North Carolina Military History Museum North Carolina 72-21524/Co E Bell UH-1H Iroquois Airborne and Special Operations Museum North Carolina 65-7946 Bell UH-1F Iroquois Grand Forks AFB Air Park North Dakota 64-13879 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Bonanzaville – Eagles Air Museum North Dakota 67-17406 Bell UH-1H Iroquois (fuselage) Fargo Air Museum North Dakota 66-17048 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Motts Military Museum Ohio 64-15476 Bell UH-1P Iroquois National Museum of the US Air Force Ohio 62-04588 Bell UH-1B Iroquois 45th Infantry Division Museum Oklahoma 64-13502 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum Oregon 157817 Bell TH-1L Iroquois American Helicopter Museum & Education Center Pennsylvania 66-1071 Bell UH-1H Iroquois US Army Heritage Museum and Education Center Pennsylvania 70-16469 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Pennsylvania National Guard Military Museum Pennsylvania 68-16614 Bell UH-1V Iroquois Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum Pennsylvania 64-13492 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Quonset Air Museum Rhode Island 65-9996 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Quonset Air Museum Rhode Island 66-15083 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Quonset Air Museum Rhode Island 64-13972 Bell UH-1B Iroquois Fort Jackson Museum South Carolina 65-10132 Bell UH-1D Iroquois Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum South Carolina 66-0764 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Cherokee County Veterans Museum South Carolina 66-15005 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum South Carolina 128 survivors

The superb Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum in Virginia features 65-10126, a Bell UH-1H Iroquois. Keith Draycott

Bell UH-1H Iroquois 69-15500/00A is on display at the Commemorative Air Force’s American Airpower Heritage Museum at Midland in Texas. Constance Redgrave

65-7951 Bell UH-1F Iroquois South Dakota Air and Space Museum South Dakota 67-17859 Bell GUH-1H Iroquois Freedom Museum Texas N7UW/38362 Bell TH-1L Iroquois Frontiers of Flight Museum Texas 59-1625 Bell UH-1A Iroquois 1st Cavalry Division Museum Texas 60-3601 Bell UH-1B Iroquois USAF Airman Heritage Museum Texas 62-4567 Bell UH-1B Iroquois Cavanaugh Flight Museum Texas N133WN/62-1890 Bell UH-1B Iroquois Cold War Museum Texas 64-13624/24A Bell UH-1H Iroquois Texas Air Museum (Caprock Chapter) Texas 64-13675 Bell UH-1H Iroquois United States Army Medical Department Museum Texas 65-10068 Bell UH-1H Iroquois National Vietnam War Museum Texas 65-9668 Bell UH-1H Iroquois United States Army Medical Department Museum Texas 65-9779 Bell UH-1H Iroquois National United States Armed Forces Museum Texas 66-16189 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Texas Military Forces Museum Texas

This Bell UH-1H, 0-21676 is mounted outside the Commemorative Air Force’s American Airpower Heritage Museum at Midland in Texas. Constance Redgrave

73-21839 Bell UH-1H Iroquois 1st Cavalry Division Museum Texas Unknown Bell UH-1H Iroquois Fort Bliss Museum & Old Ironsides Museum Texas 66-16189 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Texas Military Forces Museum Texas N22490/74-22490 Bell UH-1V Iroquois Lone Star Flight Museum Texas 69-15500/00A Bell UH-1H Iroquois CAF – American Airpower Heritage Museum Texas 0-21676 Bell UH-1H Iroquois CAF – American Airpower Heritage Museum Texas 70-2470 Bell HH-1H Iroquois Hill Aerospace Museum Utah 67-19527 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Fort Douglas Military Museum Utah 65-9613 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Vermont Veterans Militia Museum Vermont 64-13644/44D Bell GUH-1H Iroquois US Army Transportation Museum Virginia 67-17852 Bell GUH-1H Iroquois US Army Transportation Museum Virginia 61-0788 Bell UH-1B Iroquois US Army Transportation Museum Virginia 64-13644 Bell UH-1D Iroquois US Army Transportation Museum Virginia

65-10126 Bell UH-1H Huey National Air and Space Museum – Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Virginia 74-22376 Bell UH-1H Iroquois US Army Transportation Museum Virginia 66-0648 Bell UH-1M Iroquois Virginia Air & Space Center Virginia 68-15623 Bell UH-1V Iroquois Virginia Aviation Museum Virginia N6165X/157183/2 Bell HH-1K Iroquois Olympic Flight Museum Washington 65-09657 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Lewis Army Museum Washington 69-15140 Bell UH-1H Iroquois The Museum of Flight Restoration Center Washington 69-15140 Bell UH-1H Iroquois The Museum of Flight Washington N78NW/66-17072 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Olympic Flight Museum Washington 69-15931 Bell UH-1V Iroquois Olympic Flight Museum Washington 64-14157 Bell UH-1C Iroquois Wisconsin Veterans Museum Wisconsin 66-16171 Bell UH-1H Iroquois Wisconsin National Guard Museum Wisconsin 65-7953 Bell UH-1F Iroquois Warren ICBM & Heritage Museum Wyoming

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A US Marine Corps UH-1Y Super Huey takes off from Forward Operating Base Cafferata in Now Zad, Afghanistan, on December 28, 2009. The helicopter is moving Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment to another location. US Marine Corps

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The Aero L-39 Albatros and family

W

A trainer for the world

e are delighted to have the opportunity to tell the full story of a remarkable aircraft, the world’s ﬁrst turbofan powered training aircraft and the most successful military jet trainer of all time in terms of numbers of customers. Designed by the Aero Vodochody team under chief designer Jan Vicek, the prototype Aero L-39, actually the second aircraft built, ﬁrst ﬂew on November 4, 1969. Full scale production began in 1971 to equip the air forces of the Warsaw Pact and their allies as the standard basic and advanced jet trainer with a secondary role as a light ground-attack aircraft. The L-39 was introduced to replace another successful Aero type, the L-29 Delﬁn of 1959, which had been built in large numbers to ﬁll the same role; some 3600 L-29s being built

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28

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130 aviationclassics.co.uk

between 1963 and 1974, serving with 26 air forces worldwide. These were followed by 2869 L-39s between 1971 and 1999, which were to equip the air forces of a remarkable 43 nations, 39 of which still use the type. The longevity of the L-39 in service is down to two factors. The ﬁrst is the typically rugged and reliable Aero design, the tough airframe being able to absorb the rough handling of student pilots and being ﬂown to a stress limit of +8 and –4G. Secondly, the L-39 is one of the most cost effective jet trainers ever built, its basic and operating costs being both attractive and affordable to air forces with a limited budget. At the same time as being affordable, the L-39 is a very high performance aircraft and is still fully supported by Aero with a range of modiﬁcations and upgrades. The trainer was to be used in combat by six of its customer

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nations, and we tell the full story of the operational career of this lithe and agile aircraft. With the end of the Cold War, the relatively low cost of the Aero trainers made them very attractive on the civil market for private owners in a variety of roles, such as air racing, formation display teams, experience ﬂying and as private aircraft. Currently, ﬁve countries have private L-39s on their registers, the largest customer being the US with over 255 ﬂying today. The L-39 was developed into the L-59 and L-159 and most recently the L-39NG was announced in 2014, an extensive redesign of the original trainer concept with greater internal fuel, modern avionics and a Williams FJ44 turbojet. This issue will tell the complete story of this elegant jet, from the engineering behind it to pilot stories from the cockpit. ■ Words: Tim Callaway

An Aero L-39ZA of the Czech Air Force alongside the aircraft it replaced, the previous generation’s Aero L-29 Delﬁn. Aero Vodochody

© 2014 BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON INC.

21ST CENTURY MULTI-ROLE CAPABILITY

A new generation aircraft, the Bell UH-1Y, offers state-of-the-art sensors, weapon configurations, and integrated avionics for the modern battlefield. The increased maneuverability, payload, range, and speed of the UH-1Y is now available to militaries desiring multi-role capability at significantly reduced support costs.

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