The Bell UH-1 Iroquois, known as the Huey, is a single-rotor utility helicopter built by Bell for the U.S. Army and the first turbine-powered helicopter in U.S. military service. More than 16,000 have been built since 1960, and about 7,000 served in Vietnam. Developed by Bell Helicopter.
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois, known as the Huey, is a single-rotor utility helicopter built by Bell for the U.S. Developed by Bell Helicopter.
Photo: Airwolfhound from Hertfordshire, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsSee Specifications for full detail.
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois, known as the Huey, is a single-rotor utility helicopter built by Bell Helicopter for the U.S. Army. It was the first turbine-powered helicopter in U.S. military service, and more than 16,000 have been built since 1960. [1]
About 7,013 UH-1s served in Vietnam, where they flew troop transport, medevac, search and rescue and gunship missions. The U.S. Army retired its last UH-1 in late 2016, but the Air Force UH-1N and Marine Corps UH-1Y are still flying. [1]
The Army set a requirement in 1952 for a medevac, instrument trainer and general utility helicopter. Bell's Model 204 was one of about twenty designs submitted, and on 23 February 1955 the Army selected it, ordering three examples as the XH-40. The first flight was on 20 October 1956 at Fort Worth, Texas. [1]
The Army awarded the production contract for the HU-1A in 1959 and gave it the name Iroquois. The designation became UH-1 in September 1962 under the unified Defense Department system, but the Huey nickname from the HU-1 stuck. [1]
The early Model 204 Hueys had a Lycoming T53 turboshaft that grew from 700 shp in the prototype to 1,100 shp in the UH-1C and UH-1E. The longer Model 205 first flew on 16 August 1961 and led to the UH-1D and the UH-1H, which used the 1,400 shp T53-L-13. The transmission limits that engine to 1,100 shp. [1]
The UH-1H has a 48 ft (14.63 m) two-blade main rotor and a maximum takeoff weight of 9,500 lb. It carries 11 to 14 troops, six stretchers and an attendant, or 3,880 lb of cargo. Later twin-engine versions, the UH-1N and UH-1Y, use two engines and in the case of the UH-1Y a four-blade rotor. [1]
Hueys with the 57th Medical Detachment reached South Vietnam in March 1962. In all, 7,013 UH-1s served in the war, flying air assault, cargo, medevac, search and rescue, electronic warfare and later ground attack missions. Troop transports were known as Slicks and armed versions as Hogs or Guns. [1]
The war destroyed 3,305 UH-1s and killed 1,151 pilots and 1,231 other crew members, not counting South Vietnamese losses. In the 1972 Easter Offensive, TOW-armed Hueys hit 151 of the 162 missiles they fired, even though their crews had little TOW training. Hueys later served in the Rhodesian Bush War, the Falklands, Grenada, Panama and the Gulf War, where more than 400 flew about 31,000 hours. [1]
The Army flew its last UH-1 in late 2016 and transferred it to a state police department. The Air Force still uses the UH-1N to support ICBM sites and to carry security personnel and distinguished visitors, and Boeing and Leonardo's MH-139 won the replacement contract in September 2018. The Marines flew their last UH-1N in 2014. [1]
Germany withdrew the last Dornier-built UH-1Ds on 12 April 2021, Israel withdrew its Hueys in 2002 and New Zealand retired its UH-1Hs in 2015. The Marine Corps UH-1Y entered service in 2008. [1]
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois has a top speed of 110 kn (127 mph / 204 km/h).
A total of 16,000 were built.
Yes, the Bell UH-1 Iroquois is still in service.
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois first flew on October 20th 1956.
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois has a range of 318 mi (511 km, 276 nmi) at sea level with maximum fuel and no reserves.
Hueys are preserved in museums worldwide; one individually documented airframe is listed here.
Most military Hueys fly without broadcasting a position, so sightings on Flightradar24 are patchy. Filter for type UH1 and look for civil-registered or foreign-operated aircraft.
| Performance | |
| Max Speed | 110 kn (127 mph / 204 km/h) |
|---|---|
| RangeRange — How far an aircraft can fly without refuelling. Quoted figures vary with payload, speed and reserves - see also ferry range and combat radius. Glossary → | 318 mi at sea level with maximum fuel and no reserves |
| Service CeilingService Ceiling — The highest altitude at which an aircraft can still climb at a useful rate (typically 100 ft/min). Above it, the air is too thin to keep climbing meaningfully. Glossary → | 12,600 ft |
| Rate of Climb | 1,600 ft/min (8.1 m/s) at sea level |
| Airframe & Weight | |
| Main Rotor Diameter | 48 ft |
| Length | 57 ft 9.6 in, rotors turning |
| Height | 14 ft 5.5 in, tail rotor turning |
| WeightMTOW — Maximum Take-Off Weight - the heaviest an aircraft is certified to be at the start of its take-off run, including fuel, crew, payload and the aircraft itself. Glossary → | empty: 5,210 lb; MTOW: 9,500 lb |
| Rotor Blades | 2 main, 2 tail |
| Power & Payload | |
| Engines | 1 x Lycoming T53-L-13 turboshaft, 1,400 shp (1,044 kW), limited by the transmission to 1,100 shp (820 kW) |
| ArmamentArmament — The weapons an aircraft can carry: guns, missiles, bombs and rockets, whether mounted internally, on wing hardpoints, or in bomb bays. Glossary → | None in the base utility role. Gunship versions carried rockets and machine guns, and TOW missiles were fitted in 1972. |
| Crew | 1 to 4 |
| CapacityPayload — Everything an aircraft is carrying that isn't the aircraft or its fuel: passengers, cargo, or weapons. Payload and fuel usually trade off against each other. Glossary → | 3,880 lb, equal to 11 to 14 troops, or six stretchers and an attendant, or the equivalent in cargo |
| Program & Service | |
| Manufacturer | Bell Helicopter |
| Origin | United States |
| First Flight | October 20th 1956 |
| Service Entry | 1959 |
| Number Built | 16,000 |
| Unit Cost | Not publicly disclosed - no per-aircraft price was found in the sources checked |
| Combat Losses | Of about 7,013 UH-1s that served in Vietnam, 3,305 were destroyed. 1,151 pilots and 1,231 other crew members were killed, not counting South Vietnamese losses. |
3 notable events involving the UH-1 Iroquois, 1956 to 1982. 3 deaths are recorded across the 1 of these with a figure listed. Curated rather than exhaustive.
The first XH-40 prototype flew at Fort Worth, Texas, starting the Huey line.
USAF Lt. James P. Fleming earned the Medal of Honor for a mission flown in a UH-1F in Vietnam.
A UH-1 crashed at Indian Dunes, Valencia, California, during filming, killing actor Vic Morrow and two child actors.
| HU-1A / UH-1A / UH-1B / UH-1C (Model 204) | The original short-cabin Hueys. The HU-1A entered service in 1959 with 182 built, the UH-1B followed with a larger cabin and 1,014 built, and the UH-1C became a gunship with a 1,100 shp T53-L-11 engine and a new rotor. 767 UH-1Cs were built. |
| UH-1D / UH-1H (Model 205) | The stretched troop carrier, first flown on 16 August 1961. 2,008 UH-1Ds were built, then 5,435 UH-1Hs with the 1,400 shp T53-L-13. The UH-1H became the most-produced Huey, and Dornier in Germany built 352 UH-1Ds between 1967 and 1981. |
| UH-1E / UH-1F | Two service-specific versions. The UH-1E was the U.S. Marine Corps model, with all-aluminium construction and 192 built. The UH-1F was the U.S. Air Force version with a 1,325 shp General Electric T58 engine, 120 built, and was flown on the 26 November 1968 mission that earned Lt. James Fleming the Medal of Honor. |
| UH-1N Twin Huey | A twin-engine Model 212 version with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T engines. The U.S. Air Force uses it to support ICBM sites and move security personnel, and the Marine Corps retired its last UH-1N in 2014. Boeing and Leonardo's MH-139 won the replacement competition on 24 September 2018. |
| UH-1Y Venom | The Marine Corps H-1 upgrade, begun with a 1996 contract. It has a lengthened cabin, a four-blade rotor and two General Electric T700 engines, first flew in 2001 and entered service in 2008. |
| Licence-built Hueys | Dornier built 352 UH-1Ds in Germany, and Agusta in Italy built AB 204 and 205 versions. Fuji and Subaru in Japan built HU-1Bs and UH-1Hs and 130 UH-1Js from 1993, and AIDC in Taiwan built UH-1Hs. |
Hueys are preserved in museums worldwide; one individually documented airframe is listed here.
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