The History of the Huey
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois is a notorious, multipurpose, utility helicopter. It is most famous for its work during the Vietnam War. Their primary purpose is to transport troops, medical evacuations, aerial attacks, and cargo transport. The Huey is known for being the most widely used helicopter in the world.
The most produced variant of the UH-1 is the UH-1H. There are nearly 4,850 of these aircraft in just the U.S. alone. They have served in every branch of the American military as well as 34 other nations. The Huey has the legacy of being the longest used and manufactured helicopter for the U.S. military.
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- Huey
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- UH-1H
Today’s UH-1H
The Huey is still in use today with civilian and military capabilities. They are perfect for firefighting operations, humanitarian aid, research, and search and rescue missions. The aircraft is equipped with a two-bladed, semi-rigid, seesaw bonded all-metal main rotor. The tail rotor is two-bladed with a rigid delta hinged, all-metal bond.
The UH-1H is generally powered by a single Lycoming T53-L-13B 1400 SHP turboshaft engine. However, there is a variety of engines that are used depending on the variant and subvariant status. Depending on the operation, the Huey can be modified to suit the job. That’s how versatile these aircraft are!
Additional Specifications:
- Max Range: 274 nm
- Service Ceiling: 19390 ft
- Crew: 1-4
- Passengers: 14
- Empty weight: 19233 lbs
- Max T/O Weight: 9500 Lb
- Max Speed: 117 kts
- Normal Cruise: 109 kts
- Rate of climb: 1,755 ft/min (8.9 m/s)
- Main rotor diameter: 48 ft 0 in (14.63 m)