Battle Stations II
Bell
UH-1 Iroquois (Huey)
Model
205
Engine Avco Lycoming T53-13B flat-rated at 1,100shp
Dimensions Diameter of main rotor 48ft
(14.63m), overall length (rotors turning)
57ft 3in (17.46m), height 14ft 5in (4.39m)
Weight (empty) 4,667lb (2,116kg)
Performance Maximum speed 127mph (204kmh), range (with
useful payload) 248 miles (400km)
Armament See below
The 'Huey' family of multi-role helicopters – which developed from a single mid-1950s prototype for the US Army, the XH-40 – has been used by more air forces and been built in greater numbers than any other military aircraft since World War II. Since the Huey's entry into service at the end of the 1950s, its gross weight has increased by three times, although its overall size has changed only marginally.
Before 1962, the helicopter's Army/Navy designation was HU-1, giving rise to 'Huey' – the name of one of Donald Duck's nephews. The official name of Iroquois is rarely used. After 1962, the basic designation was UH-1 (Utility Helicopter Type 1), which remained in production until 1980. The Model 205, with its longer fuselage, was first flown in August 1961. It had room for up to 14 passengers or troops, or six medical litters and an attendant, or up to 3,880lb (1,759kg) of cargo.
During the United States' increasing involvement in the Vietnam War in the 1960s, the helicopter became a key element in the pursuit of the guerrilla armies of the Viet Cong. The war vindicated the US Army's doctrine of air mobility and introduced the UH-1 as the prime small transport helicopter in the region.
UH-1s also saw action, armed as gunships as well as for self-protection, operating with scouts to flush out the enemy. Typical fitments to the Huey included the XM23 door-mounted M60 machine-gun or the XM16 system, comprising four M60 machine-guns mounted in a nose turret plus two XM157 or XM158 rocket launchers. Alternative fitments included grenade launchers and the GAU-2 six-barrel 7.62mm minigun. A heavy firepower variant was the XM3 system of two 24-round rocket launchers.
In Vietnam, the need for greater fire support for the infantry led to the introduction in 1967 of the AH-1 Huey-Cobra, in which pilot and weapons operator sat in tandem in a slim cabin presenting a smaller target for ground fire. The Huey-Cobra carried combinations of miniguns and 40mm grenade launchers in the nose turret, plus rockets and gun pods on the four pylons attached to the stub-wings. In both the UH-1 and the AH-1, the turrets were slaved to cockpit weapons sights to enable the helicopter to engage targets away from its flight path.
Serving with Nato forces in the 1970s, the Huey-Cobra was modified to accommodate an all-weather combat and anti-tank capability, enabling it to pack a punch out of all proportion to its size. Today, the US Army retains over 2,000 upgraded UH-1Hs for a wide range of duties.
