UH-1 Iroquois
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| UH-1 Iroquois | ||
|---|---|---|
 Australian Army Iroquois | ||
| Description | ||
| Role | General Purpose Utility Helicopter | |
| Passengers | 7-14 (depending on model) | |
| Entered Service | 1971 | |
| Manufacturer | Bell Helicopter Textron | |
| Contents |
Overview
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.
Vietnam era nicknames
In Vietnam, the Huey was used for various purposes and had different designations for each task. Hueys tasked with an attack role were outfitted with rocket lauchers, grenade lauchers, and/or machine guns were called "Hogs" or "Frogs". Hueys used for troop transports where called "Slicks" due to the back deck being empty. Slicks did have door gunners, but for the most part they were defenseless. The Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) was also referred to as a "loach". Although designed to be very nimble, the loaches were just short of defenseless. Examples of the loach are the Bell OH-58 Kiowa (Jet Ranger) and the Hughes OH-6 Cayuse (369).
The three basic missions of the helicopter in Vietnam were troop transport, reconnoissance, and attack. The troop transports were designated by "Blue" teams, hence the nickname for troops carried in by these Hueys as "Blues". The reconnoissance or observation teams were "White" teams. The attack ships were called "Red" teams. Over the duration of the conflict the tactics used by the military evolved and teams were mixed for more effective results. "Purple" teams with one or two "Blue" slicks dropping off the troops, while a "Red" attack team provided protection until the troops could defend themselves. Another hightly effective team was the "Pink" Recon/Attack team.
Over time the attack role of the Huey was diminished by the introduction of the AH-1 Cobra.
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
| Modern USAF Series | Miscellaneous |
| Attack--OA/A-10,AC-130H/U | RC-135V/RC-135W Rivet Joint |
| Bomber--B-52,-2,-1B,F-117A | OC-135B Open Skies |
| Fighter--F-15/E ,F-16 | KC-10 Extender |
| Electronic--E-3,-4B,-8C EC-130E/J,H | KC-135 Stratotanker |
| Transport--C-5,-17,-141B, -20,-21 | MC-130E/H HC-130P/N |
| C-22B, -32, -130, -37A, -40B/C | MC-130P Combat Shadow |
| Trainers--T-1, -37, -38, -43, -6 | MH-53J/M Pave Low |
| Weather--WC-130, -135 | HH-60G Pave Hawk |
| UAV--RQ-1/MQ-1 UAV, Global Hawk | UH-1N Huey |
| U-2S/TU-2S | |
| VC-25 - Air Force One |
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