United States By June 1967, the first AH-1G HueyCobras had been delivered. Originally designated as UH-1H, the "A" for attack designation was soon adopted and when the improved UH-1D became the UH-1H, the HueyCobra became the AH-1G. The AH-1 was initially considered a variant of the H-1 line, resulting in the G series letter. The first six AH-1s arrived at
Bien Hoa Air Base,
South Vietnam on 30 August 1967 for combat testing by the U.S. Army Cobra New Equipment Training Team. On 4 September, the type scored its first combat kill by sinking a
sampan boat, killing four
Viet Cong. On 12 September 1968, Capt.
Ronald Fogleman was flying an
F-100 Super Sabre when the aircraft was shot down and he ejected north of Bien Hoa. Fogleman became the only pilot to be rescued by holding on to an Army AH-1G's deployed gun-panel door. Bell built 1,116 AH-1Gs for the U.S. Army between 1967 and 1973, and the Cobras chalked up over a million operational hours in Vietnam; Out of nearly 1,110 AH-1s that were delivered between 1967 and 1973, approximately 300 were lost to a combination of combat and accidents during the conflict. During
Operation Lam Son 719 in Southeastern
Laos, 26 U.S Army AH-1Gs were destroyed while a further 158 sustained some level of damage. The U.S. Marine Corps also operated the AH-1G Cobra in Vietnam for a short time before acquiring the twin-engine
AH-1J Cobras. During Operation Urgent Fury, the
invasion of Grenada in 1983, several Marine AH-1T SeaCobras and Army AH-1S Cobras were deployed to fly close air support and helicopter escort missions. On the first day of the invasion, two of the four AH-1Ts involved were lost to anti-aircraft fire in the attack on Fort Frederick. training film reel. During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the
Gulf War (1990–91), both the Cobras and SuperCobras deployed in a support role. The USMC deployed 91 AH-1W SuperCobras while the US Army operated 140 AH-1 Cobras of various models in the theatre; these were typically operated from dispersed forward operating bases in close proximity to Saudi Arabia's border with Iraq. Three AH-1s were lost in accidents during fighting and afterward. Cobras successfully destroyed large numbers of Iraqi armored vehicles and various other targets during the intense fighting of the conflict. US Cobras were deployed in further operations across the 1990s. Army Cobras provided support for the US humanitarian intervention during
Operation Restore Hope in Somalia in 1993. They were also employed during the
US invasion of Haiti in 1994. The withdrawn AH-1s were typically offered to other potential operators, usually NATO allies. The Army retired the AH-1 from its reserves in September 2001. The retired AH-1s were then disposed of, often through sales to overseas customers; the final portion of the fleet was liquidated in 2010. Some were also given to the USDA's
Forest Service. The service named the type as the "Tzefa" (, for
Viper). On 9 May 1979, the IAF's Cobras performed their first attack, firing four Orev missiles at a house near
Tyre, Lebanon, that was occupied by militants. having acquired a fleet of 42 by 2000. At the time of the Apache's procurement, there was considerable political controversy over the IAF's decision to overlook upgrades to its existing Cobra fleet in favour of acquiring an entirely separate model of attack helicopter. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Cobras continued to play a role in major operations against groups such as
Hezbollah, including operations "
Accountability" and "
Grapes of Wrath", in southern Lebanon. Around the same time frame, the IAF also pursued upgrades to its AH-64 fleet. In late 2014, Israel transferred 16 of the recently withdrawn Cobras to the
Royal Jordanian Air Force to bolster the numbers of their existing fleet.
Japan AH-1S Cobra, April 2014 Japan manufactured 89 AH-1S Cobras under license by
Fuji Heavy Industries from 1984 to 2000. They are used by the
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and are Step 3 models, which are roughly the equivalent to the U.S. Army's AH-1Fs. The engine is the T53-K-703 turboshaft, which
Kawasaki Heavy Industries produced under license. In December 2022, the Japanese government decided to replace 47 AH-1S, 12
AH-64D, 33
OH-1, and 26
U-125A with unmanned aerial vehicles. Japan plans to increase its defense budget from 1.24% of GDP in fiscal 2021 to around 2.0% within 10 years and has decided to retire these helicopters and aircraft as part of an effort to spend its defense budget efficiently.
Jordan Jordan obtained an initial batch of 24 AH-1Fs during the late 1980s. In 2001, nine additional ex-US Army Cobras were acquired to supplement the fleet. During 2010, Jordan transferred 16 AH-1F helicopters to Pakistan under a US-sponsored support program that provided Islamabad with 40 AH-1 refurbished helicopters. In late 2014, Israel and Jordan came to an agreement under which the former transferred 16 ex-IAF Cobras to the
Royal Jordanian Air Force. The deal was publicly stated to be for the purpose of increasing border security, which was viewed as a pressing concern of both nations due to the threats posed by
Islamic State (IS) militants, as well as by other insurgent groups, at that time.
Turkey Turkey bought ten AH-1Ws in the early 1990s, and supplemented them with 32 ex-US Army Cobras. These additional units included several TAH-1P trainers while the majority were brought up to the AH-1F standard. Amid the
2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, Turkish Cobras were alleged to have fired upon several police vehicles.
Pakistan Between 1985 and 1986,
Pakistan was supplied with an initial batch of 20 AH-1S gunships by the US (on 9 January 1985, the first batch of 10 AH-1F Cobra helicopters were delivered and in October 1986 the second batch of 10 AH-1F Cobra helicopters were delivered to Pakistan); these were later upgraded with the C-NITE thermal imaging package. Operated by
Pakistan Army Aviation, the service first used Cobra overseas in Somalia during the
United Nations Operation in Somalia II, where a single squadron was deployed in 1994. Pakistani Cobras subsequently saw action in Sierra Leone. By 2013, Pakistan reportedly operated a fleet of 35 AH-1F helicopters. However, controversy over how much of this funding has actually been spent on Pakistan's Cobras has also been present throughout the 2010s. Turkey has also become a key supplier of spare parts for the Cobra, often free of cost, to Pakistan. During the 2010s, Pakistan lost a total of three aircraft in separate incidents. Pakistan repeatedly sought the
Bell AH-1W SuperCobra from the US to supplement and replace its current AH-1 Cobras. In November 2014, Russia approved the sale of Mi-35M helicopters to Pakistan. In April 2015, China delivered three Z-10s to Pakistan. During the same month, the US Department of State approved the sale of 15 AH-1Zs and associated equipment to Pakistan. During October 2017, the T129 was also reported to be a contender for further orders.
Philippines Bell AH-1S The Jordanian government offered to provide up to four surplus AH-1F/S Cobras to the Philippines for counter terrorism operations. The offer was later reduced to two units, which the Philippine government accepted. On 26 November 2019, an Antonov An-124 airlifter carried the two Bell AH-1S Cobras from Jordan to Clark International Airport/Clark Air Base. The helicopters are reportedly painted in a light grey livery similar to the paint scheme of the PAF's
AgustaWestland AW109E armed helicopters. as well as other airstrikes against terrorist forces. The AH-1S Cobras were retired from service on 28 December 2024 after a few years in service, as parts have become difficult to obtain.
Civilian operators In 2003, the US Forest Service acquired 25 retired AH-1Fs from the US Army. The last two Firewatch Cobras were retired in October 2021. The Florida Division of Forestry also acquired three AH-1Ps from the US Army. These are called Bell 209 "Firesnakes" and are equipped to carry a water/fire retardant system. ==Variants==