Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Two-seat military utility helicopter gunship

Power Plant:

(AH-1F)

One 1,344 kw (1,800 shp) Lycoming T-53-L-703 turboshaft

Specifications:

Armament:

One M197 three-barrel 20 mm cannon in General Electric nose turret; two nose mounted
Hughes BGM-81A missiles; four pylons for 6.9 cm (2.75 in) rockets and missiles

History:

The Bell Model 209, or AH-1, was a re-designed Bell UH-1 Iroquois with a gunner and pilot in tandem, a chin turret fitted with a 7.62 mm (0.30 in) Minigun, or 40 mm grenade launchers, and with stub wings carrying four weapons pylons. The prototype (N209J) was first flown on 7 September 1965, deliveries to the United States military services beginning in 1967. The type saw extensive service in Vietnam.

Development led to the AH-1J SeaCobra for the US Marines, and the AH-1P for the US Army. Later developments were the Model 309 KingCobra, the AH-1W SuperCobra, and the AH-1Z. The type was evaluated by Britain, Australia and New Zealand, but the only actual export orders were for the Spanish Navy and the Israeli Army.

The Bell AH-1 series emanated from a need in the southeast Asia conflict for an armed escort for troop transport helicopters. The first helicopter used in this role was a conversion of the UH-1, known as the 5UH-1A which had provision for rockets and machine guns and was the first US Army armed helicopter, being succeeded by the more powerful and more heavily armed UH-1B. However, as time went by this machine had trouble keeping up with the faster troop carriers being introduced and in the UH-1C the armed machine combined more engine power, a semi-rigid rotor system, and a more lethal weapons package.

As a private venture Bell commenced the development of a gunship with chin turret and a T53-L-11 turbine engine, the prototype setting a world record in its weight class of 322 km/h (200 mph). After a competition against the Kaman UH-2 and the Sikorsky S-61 Pelican, a contract was awarded in April 1966 for two prototypes and 100 production machines.

The Bell AH-1G was introduced to combat in Vietnam in 1967 and soon proved its worth in a variety of roles, including anti-tank operations, retaining the main rotor and dynamic components of the UH-1C but having a new fuselage. Stub wings were used as attachment points for weapons pylons. In Vietnam it operated at night in conjunction with searchlight-equipped UH-1s. In that conflict 157 were lost to small arms fire, four to surface to air missiles, and 12 to attacks on airfields. A further 109 were lost to non-combat related accidents. At the end of that war the US had a fleet of about 1,000 Cobras.

During its production life development continued, early AH-1Gs being fitted with an Emerson Electric TAT-102A turret with a six-barrel Minigun, but this was later replaced by the Fluidic XM28 turret that could mount two weapons, a Minigun and a grenade launcher. At one stage a number were fitted with the Vulcan M35 20 mm cannon. The AH-1Q had a crew with Sperry Univac helmet-mounted sights and provision for up to eight TOW missiles, which were converted from earlier models, 92 being converted, the first being delivered on 10 January 1975. The AH-1S was a development of the earlier models to a new standard and the 92 AH-1Qs and 198 AH-1Gs were converted to this configuration. 100 new-build AH-1Ss were delivered from March 1977. Up-grading of the fleet continued and examples were supplied to the Royal Jordanian Air Force.

In the mid 1980s the US Army had a range of Cobra airframes all known as the AH-1S but differing in a number of ways. A decision was made in 1988 to give the machines new designations and the 100 new-production aircraft became known as the AH-1P, modified aircraft becoming known as the AH-1E, and fully modified machines becoming the AH-1F, the latter being the base export model.

As the larger and more powerful Boeing AH-64 Apache became available to US Army units, the HughyCobra was passed on to National Guard units but development of the series continued, including twin-engine models, which became known by the manufacturer as the Bell Model 249. Further export orders were obtained, including Japan, Thailand, Turkey, Iran, and Korea, and at least one has been operated by the North American Space Administration (NASA).

In 1970 the type was selected for RAAF service to improve firepower and battlefield surveillance. Eleven being ordered, and the Australian RAAF serial A16-1 to A16-11 was allotted. It was expected this batch would come from the US serial range 71-20983 to 71-21052 and they were to be employed by the newly formed No 8 Squadron. In the event the order was cancelled in October 1971.

The question of obtaining the type for the Australian Army was raised when, in 1992, the US Government offered refurbished HueyCobras as a replacement for the Bell Kiowa, 40 examples being offered, but this offer was not taken up.

One example of the HueyCobra was brought to Australia in the early seventies, assembled at Mascot, NSW and demonstrated to the Australian armed services but no orders were forthcoming.

A full-size replica was built and displayed for some years at a Gold Coast, Queensland museum but this was later sold to another museum.

In 1996 the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) in Sydney, NSW obtained two examples of the AH-1P (serials 76-22598 and 76-22592) from US storage. These machines had been shipped from Fort Drum in New York State to perform service during the Gulf conflict and returned to the United States via Wheeler Air Force Base in Hawaii, being placed in storage at Grey Army Field, Fort Lewis in Seattle. Imported in early 1997, one (76-22592) was assembled and placed on display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum at ‘HMAS Albatross’, Nowra for a period. In more recent times one (76-22598) underwent restoration to airworthiness using parts from both machines, the second to be restored for display. However, it would seem that neither aircraft will be flown in the future and one has been placed on display at the HARS Museum.

Another HueyCobra (serial 24026) was imported for HARS and underwent restoration to airworthiness, being allotted the registration VH-SHC on 15 Aporil 2003 to be operated by Sterling Aviation Pty Ltd of Georges Hall, NSW.

An AH-1S (serial 71-21018) was obtained by the Darwin Aviation Museum in the 1990s and has been placed on display.

Another (68-15092) was shipped to Melbourne, VIC in 2006 and placed on display at Phillip Island, VIC by the National Vietnam Veterans Museum, this being an ex-Vietnam machine used in the close air support role, which was damaged by small arms fire on at least two occasions.

In 1999 the Australian Government was expected to order an attack type helicopter for the Australian Army and a number of types were demonstrated to the selection team, particularly during the period of the 1999 Australian International Air Show at Avalon, VIC where an AH-64 Apache, a Denal Rooivalk, a Eurocopter Tiger, and a Bell AH-1W were demonstrated. In the event the French-built Tiger was chosen.

On 7 September 2015 Bell celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the first flight of the AH-1, at that stage some 7,000 examples of the series having been delivered and it still being in production as the AH-1Z Zulu for the US Marine Corps.