, Florida, 1982 relief efforts Starting in late 1970, mere months after receiving its first deliveries of the type, the USAF begun to re-equip the
20th Special Operations Squadron in
Vietnam with UH-1Ns, supplementing and eventually replacing the single-engined UH-1F and UH-1P. Armed with
miniguns (or 40 mm grenade launchers) and rocket pods, and painted camouflage with no US markings and only a Green Hornet insignia, the UH-1N supported
Special Forces reconnaissance missions from
Cam Ranh Bay. The first deliveries of the UH-1N to the U.S. Navy and USMC took place in 1971. In total, 205 UH-1Ns would be received, not including six VH-1N executive transports that were used to carry the US president and other high-ranking officials, operated by
Marine Helicopter Squadron One. In Canadian service, the CH-135 Twin Huey was regularly used as a tactical transport, moving troops and equipment around the forward areas of a combat zone;
medevac flights were also conducted. USMC UH-1Ns were deployed during the
2003 invasion of Iraq; they were typically used to provide reconnaissance and communications support to ground troops. Multiple UH-1Ns were called upon to provide close air support during heavy fighting in the
Battle of Nasiriyah. In comparison with the
Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter, the UH-1N had a wider field of fire with its weapons and thus played a useful role in close combat situations, commonly working in conjunction with Cobras. The USAF employs the aging UH-1Ns to fulfill its
ICBM mission, providing a utility helicopter for transport between bases such as
Minot AFB,
Francis E. Warren AFB and
Malmstrom AFB to missile launch sites in North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado. as well as the
459th Airlift Squadron based at
Yokota Air Base in Japan. In August 2013, the USAF said they were close to finalizing a plan to sustain and modernize their UH-1Ns for the next six to ten years. It was intended to address flight and safety mandates, investigate modest improvements in capabilities, and reduce capability gaps. While the UH-1N had become one of the oldest platforms operated by the service, retaining it was viewed as having "minimal risk". Fleet-wide upgrades included night vision-compatible cockpit lighting, crash-worthy seats for flight engineers, and installation of a terrain-awareness warning system and traffic collision-avoidance device. The USAF was also in the process of acquiring ex-USMC UH-1Ns, possibly involving as many as 26 helicopters to either add them to USAF's active fleet or keep them in reserve. The UH-1N saw combat service in the
Colombian armed conflict. On 16 October 2013, a UH-1N crashed in the northern
La Guajira department in a
FARC-dominated area. The USMC planned to retire the UH-1N by September 2014 after 43 years of service.
Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773 was the last Marine squadron operating the type, their last deployment occurring in 2013, when two helicopters sailed on a
Royal Netherlands Navy ship for an African Partnership Station deployment. The UH-1N was replaced by the upgraded UH-1Y Venom; ten are remanufactured UH-1N airframes, after which the USMC decided to procure newly built airframes instead. By 2014, five unarmed HH-1Ns remained in use by the USMC until these were also replaced by UH-1Ys and retired in 2015, the only HH-1Ns remaining from 44 that were converted from 38 UH-1Ns and the six VH-1Ns. The final combat deployment of USMC UH-1Ns was to Afghanistan in 2010. The service retired the UH-1N during a "sundown ceremony" at
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans on 28 August 2014. By March 2013, the USAF operated 62 UH-1N Twin Hueys, with 25 providing security at
ICBM sites, 19 stationed at
Joint Base Andrews to evacuate Washington-based government officials in emergencies, and 18 used for testing and training. Since most were purchased in 1969, the USAF had sought a replacement. The first requirements were issued in 2007, but the process was repeatedly delayed. On 24 September 2018, the USAF declared a
Boeing/
Leonardo submission of their MH-139 variant of the
AgustaWestland AW139 the winner, beating out the
Sikorsky/
Lockheed Martin HH-60U Black Hawk and the
Sierra Nevada Corporation upgraded UH-60L Force Hawk. Boeing was awarded an initial $375 million contract for four MH-139s, with 84 helicopters planned at a total $2.38 billion program cost. Initial deliveries were planned for 2021. ==Variants==