#Huey helicopter cost upgrade

The goal of the USMC H-1 Upgrades Program was to achieve a platform that met the growing needs of the Marine Corps.

#Huey helicopter cost upgrade

The H-1 Upgrade (UH-1Y/AH-1Z) program would, among other improvements, replace the current two-bladed rotor system on the UH-1N and AH-1W aircraft with a new four-bladed, all-composite rotor system, and add a sophisticated, fully integrated, state-of the-art cockpit. This program encompassed the remanufacture of all light/attack helicopters in order to extend their service-life to the year 2020. Some of them came back with so many holes, you just wouldnвЂ™t believe theyвЂ™d ever fly againвЂќ.UH-1 Iroquois (Huey) H-1 Upgrades ProgramДЄs the United States Marine Corps (USMC) prepared to enter the 21st century, one of its top priorities was the H-1 Upgrade Program. вЂњI t was easy to fix and could take any amount of punishment. Of his first experience taking off in the Huey, he said: вЂњThe machine left the ground like it was falling up.вЂќДЄnother Huey pilot, Richard Jellerson, likened the helicopter to a truck: In his memoir Chickenhawk, pilot Robert Mason described the Huey as вЂњthe ship everybody lusted to flyвЂќ. Known as the workhorse of the Vietnam War, the Huey was a favourite among pilots who valued its adaptability and ruggedness. The speed of evacuation had a significant effect onВ mortalityВ rates.В TheВ mortality rate among injured soldiers in Vietnam was less than 1 in 100 casualties compared with 2.5 in 100 during the Korean War. Medevac missions, known as вЂњdustoffsвЂќ, were by far the most dangerous job for a Huey crew.В DespiteВ this, a wounded US soldier in Vietnam could expect to be evacuated within an hour of sustaining their injuries. Watch NowДЄmong the HueyвЂ™s greatest strengths was itsВ versatility.В ItВ was used as a troop transporter, for close air support and for medical evacuation. Journalist Donald Macintyre recalls the anti-Vietnam protests in London in 1968 and reflects on how they compare to protests today. HueysВ carried out a variety of rolesВ in Vietnam However the hot air of Vietnam meant it rarely flew full. The UH-1D was intended primarily for medevac and transport duties and could carry up to 12 troops. TheВ UH-1D, meanwhile, was the first of a new, larger model of Huey with longer rotors and another additional 100-horsepower.

The UH-1C, another variant designed for the gunship role,В sought to solve this problem by adding an extra 150-horsepower to the engine.

Though their turboshaft engines were more powerful than anything previously available, they still struggled in the heat of VietnamвЂ™s mountainous regions.

The UH-1A and B variants were both hampered by a lack of power. New Huey variants tackled performance issues Later gunships, or вЂњhogsвЂќ as they became known, were also equipped with M134 Gatling miniguns.В This armament was augmented by two door gunners, secured in place by what was known as the вЂњmonkey strapвЂќ.Д¬rews were provided with chestВ armour, which they called вЂњchicken plateвЂќ but many opted to sit on theirВ armourВ (or their helmet) to protect themselves from enemy fire penetrating theВ relatively thinВ aluminiumВ shell of the helicopter from below. Hueys were top targets for the Viet Cong. Troops jump from a вЂњslickвЂќ as it hovers over the landing zone.