'America's Huey' Visits America's Newest Huey
"America's Huey" spent
a little time with its offspring, America's newest Huey, March 13,
during a stop Patuxent River (MD) on its "Final Journey Home" to
the Smithsonian Institution. The nearly 40-year old Bell UH-1H
Iroquois, more popularly known as America's Huey, is slated to
become the central part of the Vietnam War section of the National
Museum of American History's new exhibit, "The Price of Freedom,"
which opens on Veterans Day.
Stopping by Pax River's Rotary Wing Test Squadron gave the elder
Huey an opportunity to share ramp space with the UH-1Y, currently
nearing the end of its developmental flight testing and soon to hit
the Fleet with the Marine Corps. To complete the historic and rare
occasion, members of the H-1 Integrated Test Team here also parked
the Corps' current utility workhorse,the UH-1N, with its sisters to
represent more than 40 years of H-1 aviation.
"It was neat seeing all three generations sides by side, and how
far we've come," said Robert Lee, the Bell quality assurance
manager for the H-1 team. "All the way from Vietnam to Iraq, the
Huey has been chugging along serving the Corps and actually seeing
that helo here, knowing I'll be able to go up to the Smithsonian
and see it, means a lot."
Greg Shaw, the H-1 ITT Airframes noncommissioned officer in
charge. "Bell Helicopter, the Marines and the Army - they all have
a lot to be proud of and seeing it here makes me hope we can
someday see this UH-1Y sitting next to it with its own great
history."
Slated to be displayed intact, the Huey will be the largest
single artifact among historical treasures at the National Museum
of American History. This particular helicopter, aircraft 091, is
one of more than 16,000 Hueys manufactured by Bell Helicopter since
the granddaddy of all Hueys, the XH-40, first flew in 1956. It
served with the 173rd Assault Helicopter Company until down in
1967. It was repaired and continued serving until 1995, when it was
acquired by the Texas Air Command Museum.
After spending some
quality time with its famous "Grandpa," the Marine Corps' newest
Huey was eager to get back to its busy flight test schedule. The
program recently passed a major milestone by gaining approval from
the Defense Acquisition Board to begin low-rate initial production
and signed a contract with Bell worth $183.8 Million to build six
UH-1Y's and
three AH-1Z's.
With the resumption of flight testing after engineering an
infrared signature reduction modification that also reduces exhaust
heat on the tail booms of the upgraded helicopters, the program
expects to enter its next operational assessment, OT-IIB, in mid
April.
After remanufacture, the H-1 Upgrades aircraft will feature the
latest technology in rotor and drive train design, avionics,
sensors and weapons. They also share approximately 84 percent of
their parts, making them far more maintainable, supportable,
survivable and deployable than
today's H-1 aircraft.
The H-1 Upgrades Integrated Test Team here currently has
achieved approximately 1,800 flight test hours with five aircraft
(three AH-1Z and two UH-1Y test aircraft, of which all but one
AH-1Z are production representative). The test aircraft have flown
222 knots, maneuvered from -0.4 to +3.5 g's and been well above the
10,000-foot altitude mark.
By 2014, the Marine Corps will have procured 100 UH-1Y Hueys and
180 AH-1Z Super Cobras.