UH-1 Iroquois - Definition and Overview

UH-1 Iroquois
Australian Army Iroquois
Description
Role	General Purpose Utility Helicopter
Crew	Varies, usually 2-4.
Passengers	7-14 (depending on model)
First flight
Entered Service	1971
Manufacturer	Bell Helicopter Textron

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois, commonly known as the "Huey," was a multipurpose military helicopter, famous for its use in the Vietnam war.

It was developed from 1955 US Army trials from the Bell Model 204, the initial designation of HU-1 (helicopter utility) led to its nickname. It was first used by the military in 1959 and went into triservice production in 1962 as the UH-1. The last were produced in 1976 with more than 10,000 made in total, of which the majority (7,000 or so) were deployed in Vietnam. In Vietnam 2,202 Huey pilots were killed and 5,086 helicopters lost.

In Vietnam primary missions included general support, air assault, cargo transport, aeromedical evacuation, search and rescue, and electronic warfare. During the conflict the craft was upgraded, notably to a larger version based on the Model 205 initially designated the UH-1D which flew operationally from 1967.

It was phased out by the introduction of the UH-60 Blackhawk. But the Army UH-1 Residual Fleet means that around 700 UH-1s were supposed to be retained until 2015. Army support for the craft ends in 2004.

General characteristics

• Length: 57.1 ft (17.4 m) with rotors
• Width: 8.6 ft (2.6 m)
• Height: 14.5 ft (4.4 m)
• Weight: 4.7 tons
• Payload: 1.5 tons internal, 2 tons external
• Engines: Pratt and Whitney T400-CP-400
• Speed: 127 mph (204 km/h)
• Range: 318 miles (512 km)
• Service ceiling 14,200 ft (4,300 m)
• Crew: Varies depending on role, usually 2 to 4
• Passengers: 11 to 14
• Armament: M240 7.62 mm machine gun, or GAU-17 7.62 mm machine gun, or GAU-16 .50 calibre (12.7 mm) machine gun (Bell UH-1F). 2 x 7 shot or 19 shot 2.75 in (70 mm) rocket pods

See also

• Bell UH-1F