In 1953, the US Army issued a requirement for a general purpose helicopter that would be relatively simple to operate and maintain. Bell responded with its Model 204, which used a turboshaft powerplant rather than a piston engine, making it faster and more efficient. The Army liked the design and ordered it into production as the HU-1A in 1960, though this was quickly superseded by the HU-1B, with an extended fuselage that allowed for seven troops to be carried. The HU-1A designation was often read as "Huey," and the name stuck far more than its official one, even after the official designation switched to UH-1 after 1962.
The Huey would first see combat in Vietnam, and it became the symbol of that war: just the sound of the UH-1, which is distinctive, echoes that war. The UH-1 was central to the US Army's airmobile concept, which involved moving troops rapidly from point to point in Vietnam, in an attempt to catch North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops. It was somewhat successful, in that American forces could concentrate quickly, move fast, and avoid ambushes along the way. The Huey was vulnerable as it approached the landing zone, and hundreds were shot down: the most dangerous job in the Vietnam War was arguably that of a Huey crewman. Weapons limited only by the crews' imagination were soon added to UH-1s. Vietnam-era slang reflected the Huey's job: a "slick" was a troop-carrying UH-1 with only door guns, while a "hog" was a gunship carrying rockets and heavier guns. Though vulnerable to ground fire and loud, the Huey turned in a superlative performance in Vietnam.
Over 16,000 UH-1s would be produced, and many are still in service, having seen action in every war since Vietnam, worldwide. It is only rivaled by the Russian Mi-8/17 Hip in use.
This is 65-7925, delivered to the USAF as a UH-1F for search and rescue duties, and was assigned to the 43rd Bomb Wing at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas. With the mounting need for Hueys in Vietnam, it was transferred to first the 606th Air Commando Squadron and then the 20th Special Operations Squadron at Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. With the 20th, it served as a "Green Hornet," flying clandestine missions into Laos and both Vietnams, usually with US Army Special Forces teams aboard, and was converted to a UH-1P gunship. In 1970, with American involvement winding down, 65-7925 returned to the US and served as a search and rescue trainer with the 605th Tactical Training Wing at Luke AFB, Arizona. A long career finally ended in 1987, and it was donated to the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB, Georgia in 1992.
Today, 65-7925 is on display at the museum's Vietnam Wing, as a diorama depicting the crew doing some quick maintenance at a forward firebase. At the front of the helicopter, two US Army Special Forces--Green Berets--talk to the pilot about an upcoming mission. It's a nice display, and unlike most of the Vietnam Wing, well lit.
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