U.S. Army from the Filhol Rubber Plantation area to a staging area in 1966. The HU-1A (later redesignated UH-1A) first entered service with the
101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the
82nd Airborne Division, and the
57th Medical Detachment. Although intended for evaluation only, the Army quickly pressed the new helicopter into operational service, and Hueys with the 57th Medical Detachment arrived in
South Vietnam in March 1962. These
gunship UH-1s were commonly referred to as "Frogs" or "Hogs" if they carried rockets, and "Cobras" or simply "Guns" if they had guns. UH-1s tasked and configured for troop transport were often called "Slicks" due to an absence of weapons pods. Slicks did have
door gunners, but were generally employed in the troop transport and medevac roles.
USAF Lieutenant
James P. Fleming piloted a UH-1F on a 26 November 1968 mission that earned him the
Medal of Honor. During the course of the conflict, the UH-1 went through several upgrades. The UH-1A, B, and C models (short fuselage, Bell 204) and the UH-1D and H models (stretched-fuselage,
Bell 205) each had improved performance and load-carrying capabilities. The UH-1B and C performed the gunship, and some of the transport, duties in the early years of the Vietnam War. The first batch of 77 UH-1Ds arrived in South Vietnam in April 1965. UH-1B/C gunships were replaced by the new
AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter from 1967 to late 1968. The increasing intensity and sophistication of
North Vietnamese anti-aircraft defenses made continued use of UH-1 gunships impractical, and after Vietnam the Cobra was adopted as the Army's main attack helicopter. Devotees of the UH-1 in the gunship role cite its ability to act as an impromptu
Dustoff if the need arose, as well as the superior observational capabilities of the larger Huey cockpit, which allowed return fire from door gunners to the rear and sides of the aircraft. During the Easter Offensive of 1972 by North Vietnam, experimental models of the TOW-firing XM26 were taken out of storage and sent to South Vietnam in response to the onslaught. The pilots had never fired a TOW missile before, and were given brief crash courses. Despite having little training with the units, the pilots managed to hit targets with 151 of the 162 missiles fired in combat, including a pair of tanks. The airborne TOW launchers were known as "Hawks Claws" and were based at
Camp Holloway. During 2009, Army National Guard retirements of the UH-1 accelerated with the introduction of the Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota. In 2009 the Army National Guard marked 50 years of service of the Huey in the Army, and 40 with the National Guard and had a ceremonial end to its service at that time; in the coming years many final flights of the Huey in State National Guard took place. The Washington, D.C. Army National Guard had its last flight in 2011, and Pennsylvania in 2010. The final U.S. Army UH-1 was retired in late 2016, and transferred to a State police department. USAF UH-1s were often equipped with automatic grenade launchers in place of the door guns. The XM-94 grenade launcher had been tested on Army rotorcraft prior to its use by the USAF. The unit was capable of firing 400 grenades per minute, up to 1,500 yards effective range. Into the twenty-first century, the USAF operates the
UH-1N for support of
intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) sites, including transport of security personnel and distinguished visitors. On 24 September 2018, the USAF announced that the Boeing/Leonardo MH-139 (an
AW-139 variant) had won a competition to replace the UH-1N fleet. The UH-1N fleet is in service as of 2025, as production of the new type is ramped up.
U.S. Navy The
U.S. Navy acquired a number of surplus UH-1B helicopters from the U.S. Army, these rotorcraft were modified into gunships, outfitted with special gun mounts and radar altimeters. They were known as
Seawolves in service with Navy Helicopter Attack (Light) (HA(L)-3). UH-1C helicopters were also acquired during the 1970s. The Seawolves worked as a team with Navy river patrol operations. Four years after the disestablishment of
HA(L)-3, the Navy determined that it still had a need for gunships, establishing two new Naval Reserve Helicopter Attack (Light) Squadrons as part of the newly formed Commander, Helicopter Wing Reserve (COMHELWINGRES) in 1976.
Helicopter Attack Squadron (Light) Five (HA(L)-5), nicknamed the "Blue Hawks", was established at
Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California on 11 June 1977 and its sister squadron, Helicopter Attack Squadron (Light) Four (HA(L)-4), known as the
Red Wolves, was formed at
Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia on 1 July 1976. The last regular Navy Huey's, HH-1's for search and rescue were retired in 2009 and replaced by H-60 Seahawks, and the last Marine Corps UH-1N were retired in 2014.
Drug Enforcement Administration The UH-1H has been used on multiple occasions by the American
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); initially, these were usually borrowed from the U.S. Army to support planned missions, such for
Operation Snowcap, a large multi-year counter-
narcotics action covering nine countries across Latin America. During the
War in Afghanistan, the DEA made use of a number of UH-1s stationed in the country for the purpose of conducting counter-narcotics raids. Operated by contractors, these Hueys provide transportation, surveillance, and air support for DEA FAST teams. During July 2009, four UH-1Hs and two
Mi-17s were used in a raid that led to the arrest of an
Afghan Border Police commander on corruption charges.
Argentina Nine
Argentine Army Aviation UH-1Hs and two
Argentine Air Force Bell 212 were included with the
aircraft deployed during the
Falklands War. They performed general transport and SAR missions and were based at
Port Stanley (BAM Puerto Argentino). Two of the Hueys were destroyed and, after the hostilities had ended, the remainder were captured by the British military. Three captured aircraft survive as museum pieces in England and Falklands.
Australia The
Royal Australian Air Force employed the UH-1H until 1989. Iroquois helicopters of
No. 9 Squadron RAAF were deployed to South Vietnam in mid 1966 in support of the
1st Australian Task Force. In this role they were armed with single
M60 doorguns. In 1969 four of No. 9 Squadron's helicopters were converted to gunships (known as 'Bushrangers'), armed with two fixed forward firing M134 7.62 mm minigun (one each side) and a 7-round rocket pod on each side. Aircrew were armed with twin M60 flexible mounts in each door. UH-1 helicopters were used in many roles including troop transport, medevac and Bushranger gunships for armed support.
No. 35 Squadron and
No. 5 Squadron also operated the Iroquois in various roles through the 1970s and 1980s. Between 1982 and 1986, the squadron contributed aircraft and aircrew to the Australian helicopter detachment which formed part of the
Multinational Force and Observers peacekeeping force in the
Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. On 21 September 2007, the Australian Army retired the last of their Bell UH-1s. The last flight occurred in Brisbane on that day with the aircraft replaced by
MRH-90 medium helicopters and
Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters. The Royal Australian Navy's
723 Squadron also operated seven UH-1B from 1964 to 1989, with three of these aircraft lost in accidents during that time. 723 Squadron deployed Iroquois aircraft and personnel as part of the
Experimental Military Unit during the Vietnam War.
El Salvador Numerous UH-1s were operated by the
Salvadoran Air Force; during the 1980s, it became the biggest and most experienced combat helicopter force in Central and South America, fighting for over a decade during the
Salvadoran Civil War and having been trained by US Army in tactics developed during the Vietnam War. By the start of 1985, El Salvador had 33 UH-1s in its inventory, some configured as gunships and others as transports; furthermore, in the following years, the country expanded its UH-1 fleet further with assistance from the US government. Several Salvadoran UH-1M and UH-1H helicopters used were modified to carry bombs instead of rocket pods. The UH-1s enabled the military to avoid ground routes vulnerable to guerrilla ambushes; the gunships were typically used to suppress hostile forces ahead of troops being inserted by UH-1 transports.
Germany The German aerospace company
Dornier constructed 352 UH-1Ds
under license between 1967 and 1981 for the West German
Bundeswehr.
Israel Israel withdrew its UH-1s from service in 2002, after 33 years of operation. They were replaced by Sikorsky
UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters with an initial batch of 10 delivered during 1994. While some were passed on to pro-Israeli militias in Lebanon, eleven other UH-1Ds were reportedly sold to a Singapore-based logging company but were, instead, delivered in October 1978 to the
Rhodesian Air Force to skirt a United Nations-endorsed
embargo imposed on the country during the
Rhodesian Bush War.
Japan Bell-Fuji UH-1H conducting
Kashmir earthquake relief activities (2005) In 1960, Subaru made an agreement to produce the HU-1B for Japan, which was renamed the UH-1B in 1962, along with the HU-1H, renamed UH-1H. Bell and Subaru developed the UH-1J. Entering service starting in 1993, 130 UH-1J were produced by Fuji for the Japanese Self-Defense Force. In 2005, a pair of
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) UH-1 helicopters were deployed to Pakistan for earthquake disaster relief. During 2010, after floods in Pakistan, UH-1s were again deployed to the country to aid in disaster relief. Japanese UH-1s have also been periodically used to conduct
water bombing against fires. In the aftermath of the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Japan's UH-1 fleet was extensively deployed across the country for disaster relief purposes; they also conducted reconnaissance flights over the stricken
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant while carrying radiation detection equipment to help inform planners of the plant's condition. By the early 2020s, Japan's
Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency was in the process of recapitalizing much of the JGSDF's rotarywing capability; it is planned for a locally-built model of the twin-engined multirole
Bell 412 helicopter to replace the remaining older UH-1s in Japanese service; the new helicopter will be called the H-2 in JSDF service. The first flight of the Subaru UH-2 took place in 2022.
Lebanon During the early 1990s, the
Lebanese Air Force (LAF) inducted their first UH-1 helicopters. In the aftermath of the
2020 Beirut explosion, UH-1s participated in the disaster response, and were used to extinguish fires. During February 2021, an additional three Bell UH-1H-IIs were delivered to the LAF by Bell to augment their existing fleet.
New Zealand The
Royal New Zealand Air Force had an active fleet of 13 Iroquois serving with
No. 3 Squadron RNZAF. The first delivery was five UH-1D in 1966 followed in 1970 by nine UH-1H and one more UH-1H in 1976. All of the UH-1D aircraft were upgraded to 1H specification during the 1970s. Two ex-U.S. Army UH-1H attrition airframes were purchased in 1996. Three aircraft have been lost in accidents. The RNZAF has retired the Iroquois, with the
NHIndustries NH90 as its replacement. Eight active NH90 helicopters plus one spare have been procured. This process was initially expected to be completed by the end of 2013, but was delayed until 2016. Individual aircraft were retired as they reach their next major group servicing intervals; the UH-1H was retired as the NH90 fleet stood up. On 21 May 2015, the remaining UH-1H fleet of six helicopters conducted a final tour of the country ahead of its planned retirement on 1 July. During 49 years of service the type had seen service in areas including the UK, Southeast Asia, Timor, the
Solomon Islands, various South Pacific nations, and the Antarctic. One was preserved in the New Zealand National museum after its retirement from service in 2013, delivered to the museum in 2015; it had been in service many decades entering RNZAF service in 1966.
Pakistan During the
1973 floods in Pakistan, the U.S. was the first to send a relief team with six UH-1H helicopters, which operated mainly in the south of Pakistan. After completing their mission, the helicopters were left at
Dhamial. Initially idle for a few months, they were later gifted to Pakistan by the U.S. government, following a proposal made to Prime Minister Bhutto before his state visit to the U.S. in 1974.
Philippines Airmen with the
6th SOS unit of the USAF during a bilateral exercise The
Philippine Air Force (PAF) has a long history of acquiring United States Air Force assets, including the Bell UH-1. On 29 March 1969, the PAF received the first UH-1 Hueys and a unit was reorganized into the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing. The Huey platforms were brand-new equipped with the latest avionics and pilots were provided ballistics helmets. The first four helicopters with tail numbers 290, 291, 292 and 293 came straight out of the factory, the US Army having started commissioning initials productions only two years before. In PAF service, the type was regularly used to combat local insurgents as well as to conduct disaster relief operations after several earthquakes and typhoons hit the nation. In 2004, the PAF procured 20 refurbished UH-1H helicopters from Singapore Technologies Aerospace (ST Aero) in a deal worth US$12 million. In 2013, due to urgent operational requirements the PAF procured new
Bell 412 units delivered in 2015. It procured another batch of 21 units of refurbished Bell
UH-1D now with Nigh Vision Compatible Cockpit with a budget of PHP1.26bn ($28m) contract with Rice Aircraft Services and Eagle Copters joint venture (JV) delivered in 2015. Furthermore, during October 2019, the Philippines made a deal with Japan to acquire some of its spare parts inventory; this reportedly was to facilitate the restoration of seven units stored UH-1s to flightworthy condition. By January 2021, the PAF had 13 UH-1H and 10 UH-1D helicopters in an operational condition. In 2021, a plan to retire all of the PAF's remaining UH-1 helicopters was raised, following a series of crashes involving the type. On 14 October 2021, the PAF officially decommissioned the remainder of its UH-1D fleet, the retired rotorcraft were stored at Clark Air Base. However, airworthy airframes were returned to service due to lack of aircraft. The role of the UH-1 is to be performed by recently delivered
Poland Built PZL Mielec (
Sikorsky S-70i) helicopters which were acquired through Multi-Year Contractual Authority (MYCA); in January 2022. In 2022, the Philippines said that some of the retired Huey's will be reactivated with the help of Turkish company ASFAT. Also, in 2022, Japan planned to donate UH-1s leaving its service to the Philippine Army. Japan is introducing new Hueys as replacement. As of December 2024, twenty-three units are in active service.
Rhodesia Very late in the
Rhodesian Bush War, the
Rhodesian Air Force obtained 11 former Israeli Agusta-Bell 205As in violation of
sanctions on the state, allegedly having used a series of intermediaries to evade them. Locally known as
Cheetahs, these helicopters were returned to a flightworthy condition and then assigned to No. 8 Squadron, after which they usually functioned as armed gunships as well as troop transports. During September 1979, one Cheetah was lost in combat after being hit by an RPG while flying over
Mozambique. At least another three other UH-1s were also lost. The surviving helicopters were put up for sale in 1990.
Yemen In July 2009, Yemen received four UH-1Hs. These remained grounded for almost all the time they were in Yemen; at least one helicopter was heavily damaged during Saudi-led airstrikes on Al Daylami and
Al Anad Air Bases. ==Variant overview==