The Bell HU-1 first flew in June, 1955 as the XH-40. The design was developed from the Bell H47, recognized from the television show “M*A*S*H.” The production model designation was changed from HU-1, which was the source of the nickname “Huey”, to UH-1A in 1962, under new Department of Defense Standards. The nickname was so universally used that the assigned name of the helicopter “Iroquois” is hardly known. Bell incorporated the name “Huey” into the die casting for the rudder pedals. The HU-1S went into service June 1959.
The HU-1A was equipped with an 800 shaft horsepower Lycoming T-53-L-1A turbo shaft engine. It carried seven people including pilot, co-pilot, crew chief and four passengers. With a gross weight of 7,200 lb, the maximum speed was 120 knots, with a range of 163 nautical miles.
Several versions later, the UH-1H uses a 1,400 shaft horse power Textron Lycoming T53-L-13 turbo shaft engine. The “H” model has a maximum cruise speed of 120 knots, with a range of 276 nautical miles. A total of over 16,000 Huey’s were built. 4,850 UH-1H model Huey’s were built between 1967 and 1982.
7,013 UH-1’s served in Vietnam, and of those, 3,350 were destroyed. In total, 1,074 Huey pilots were killed along with 1,103 crew members.
The Huey fuselage is the basis of the AH-1 Cobra Attack Helicopter. The rotor head and transmission were also used on the Cobra.
TYPE: Transport Helicopter
CREW: Three
ENGINE: Textron Lycoming T53-L-13 Turboshaft
RANGE: 276 MI
MAX SPEED: 120 KTS
CEILING: 19,400 FT
LENGTH: 41 FT 11 IN
HEIGHT: 14 FT 6 IN
ROTOR DIAMETER: 48 FT
TAIL ROTOR: 8 FT 6 IN
EMPTY WEIGHT: 5,215 LBS
MAX WEIGHT: 9,500 LBS