Editing Bell UH-1 Iroquois (section)

===U.S. Army===
[[File:UH-1D helicopters in Vietnam 1966.jpg|thumb|UH-1Ds airlift members of the 2nd Battalion, [[14th Infantry Regiment (United States)|14th Infantry Regiment]] 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 (United States)|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.<ref name="Mutza">Mutza 1986, {{page needed|date=June 2022}}.</ref><ref name= "remarkheuy 2016"/> The UH-1 has long been a symbol of US involvement in [[Southeast Asia]] in general and Vietnam in particular, and as a result of that conflict, has become one of the world's most recognized helicopters. In Vietnam primary missions included general support, [[air assault]], cargo transport, [[medevac|aeromedical evacuation]], [[search and rescue]], electronic warfare, and later, ground attack. During the conflict, the craft was upgraded, notably to a larger version based on the Model 205. This version was initially designated the UH-1D and flew operationally from 1963.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}}

During its Vietnam War service, the UH-1 was used for various purposes and various terms for each task abounded. UH-1s tasked with ground attack or armed escort were outfitted with rocket launchers, grenade launchers, and machine guns. As early as 1962, UH-1s were modified locally by the companies themselves, who fabricated their own mounting systems.<ref>{{cite web |last= Price |first= Major David H. |url= http://www-rucker.army.mil/pdf/Library/Army_Aviation_Story_Pt_XI.pdf |title= The Army Aviation Story Part XI: The Mid-1960s |publisher= rucker.army.mil |access-date= 3 March 2012 |archive-date= 22 July 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110722185115/http://www-rucker.army.mil/pdf/Library/Army_Aviation_Story_Pt_XI.pdf |url-status= dead }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Huey_Cobras">{{cite book |last= Bishop |first= Chris |title= Huey Cobra Gunships |location= London |publisher= Osprey Publishing |date= 2006 |isbn= 1-84176-984-3}}</ref><ref>Drendel 1974, p. 9.</ref>{{#tag:ref|Quote: "The UH-1B was the first helicopter gunship to achieve widespread combat use. It was also the first to carry the name "Cobra"|group=N}}<ref name="Chickenhawk">{{cite book |last= Mason |first= Robert |title= Chickenhawk |location= New York |publisher= Viking Penguin Books |date= 1984 |isbn= 0-14-303571-1}}</ref> UH-1s tasked and configured for troop transport were often called "Slicks" due to an absence of weapons pods. Slicks did have [[door gunner]]s, but were generally employed in the troop transport and [[Medical evacuation|medevac]] roles.<ref name="Drendel"/><ref name="Mutza"/>

[[File:Infantry 1-9 US Cavalry exiting UH-1D.jpg|left|thumb|A rifle squad from the [[9th Cavalry Regiment (United States)|1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry]] exiting from a UH-1D.]]
UH-1s also flew hunter-killer teams with observation helicopters, namely the Bell [[OH-58 Kiowa|OH-58A Kiowa]] and the [[Hughes Helicopters|Hughes]] [[Hughes H-6|OH-6 Cayuse]] (''Loach'').<ref name="Drendel"/><ref name="Mutza"/> Towards the end of the conflict, the UH-1 was tested with [[TOW missile]]s, and two UH-1B helicopters equipped with the [[US Helicopter Armament Subsystems#UH-1 Iroquois|XM26 Armament Subsystem]] were deployed to help counter the [[Easter Offensive|1972 Easter Invasion]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://tri.army.mil/LC/CS/csa/xm26tow.htm |title= U.S. Army Helicopter Weapon Systems: Operations with XM26 TOW missile system in Kontum (1972) |publisher= army.mil |access-date= 25 August 2010 |archive-date= 5 June 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080605010555/http://tri.army.mil/LC/CS/csa/xm26tow.htm |url-status= dead }}</ref> [[USAF]] [[Lieutenant]] [[James Phillip Fleming|James P. Fleming]] piloted a UH-1F on a 26 November 1968 mission that earned him the [[Medal of Honor]].<ref name="usafbio">{{cite web |url= http://www.af.mil/information/heritage/person.asp?dec=&pid=123006514 |title= Col. James P. Fleming |publisher= United States Air Force |date= 29 May 2012 |access-date= 29 May 2012 |archive-date= 21 October 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121021072144/http://www.af.mil/information/heritage/person.asp?dec=&pid=123006514 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

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 204/205|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. UH-1B/C gunships were replaced by the new [[Bell AH-1 Cobra|AH-1 Cobra]] attack helicopter from 1967 to late 1968. The increasing intensity and sophistication of [[North Vietnam]]ese 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.<ref name="Drendel"/><ref name="Mutza"/> In air cavalry [[troop]]s (i.e., [[Company (military unit)|companies]]) UH-1s were combined with [[Infantry Branch (United States)|infantry]] [[Reconnaissance|scouts]], OH-6 and OH-58 aero-scout helicopters, and AH-1 attack helicopters to form [[Cavalry tactics#Cavalry in modern warfare|several color-coded teams]] (viz., blue, white, red, purple, and pink) to perform various [[reconnaissance]], security, and [[economy of force]] missions in fulfilling the traditional cavalry battlefield role.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}}

[[File:USS Garrett County (AGP-786) at anchor in the Mekong Delta ca late 1960s.jpg|thumb|Two UH-1B gunships from [[HA(L)-3|HAL-3 "Seawolf"]] sit on the deck of {{USS|Garrett County|LST-786|6}} in [[Mekong Delta]], South Vietnam.]]
The Army tested a great variety of experimental weapons on the UH-1; nearly anything that could be carried. The Army desired weapons with large calibers and high rates of fire, which led to the testing of a 20&nbsp;mm cannon on a large mount bolted to the cabin floor. The size of the weapon allowed very little room for movement. The Army further tested a full-size Vulcan cannon firing out the door of a UH-1. It was capable of firing 2400 rounds per minute, or about 40 rounds per second. Despite this being a significant reduction from the nearly 100 rounds per second fired by a standard Vulcan cannon, the installation proved too kinetic for the UH-1. Podded versions of the M24 20&nbsp;mm cannon were tested in combat over Vietnam. There was a wide variety of 7.62&nbsp;mm automatic weapons tested, including different installations of the M60 machine gun. AS-10 and SS-11 missiles were tested in several different configurations. High-capacity rocket launchers were also tested, such as the XM3 launcher, which had 24 launching tubes. Press photos were taken with the XM5 and XM3 installed on the same aircraft, but this arrangement could not be used because it was more than the gross take-off weight of the aircraft.<ref name="MutzaP39">Mutza 2013, p. 39.</ref>

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]].<ref name="MutzaP39"/> During the conflict, 7,013 UH-1s served in Vietnam and of these 3,305 were destroyed. In total, 1,151 pilots were killed, along with 1,231 other crew members (these figures are not including [[Army of the Republic of Vietnam]] losses).<ref name="vhpa">{{cite web |url= https://www.vhpa.org/heliloss.pdf |title= Helicopter Losses During the Vietnam War |publisher= Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association |access-date= 5 September 2019 |archive-date= 29 October 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081029002005/http://www.vhpa.org/heliloss.pdf |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref name= "remarkheuy 2016"/>

Post Vietnam, the US Army continued to operate large numbers of Iroquois; they would see further combat during the [[United States invasion of Grenada|US invasion of Grenada]] in 1983, the [[United States invasion of Panama|US invasion of Panama]] in 1989, and the [[Gulf War]] in 1991.<ref name= "remarkheuy 2016"/> In the latter conflict, in excess of 400 Iroquois performed a variety of missions in the region; over a nine-month period, the fleet cumulatively reached 31,000 flight hours and achieved a stable fully mission capable rate of 70%. The type comprised more than 20% of all rotorcraft across the coalition and recorded 21% of the overall flying hours.<ref name= "remarkheuy 2016"/> Even after the Gulf War, the US Army had more than 2,800 Iroquois in its inventory; in particular, 389 UH-1Vs comprised 76% of the Army's medevac aircraft. Nevertheless, plans were mooted as early as 1992 to undertake a slow withdrawal of the aging type in favor of larger and more technologically advanced rotorcraft.<ref name= "remarkheuy 2016"/>

The US Army began phasing out the UH-1 with the introduction of the [[Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk]] starting in the 1980s, although the Army UH-1 Residual Fleet had around 700 UH-1s that were to be retained until 2015, primarily in support of Army Aviation training at [[Fort Rucker]] and in selected [[Army National Guard]] units. Army support for the craft was intended to end in 2004; The UH-1 was retired from active Army service in early 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htatrit/articles/20130411.aspx |title= Death Traps No More |publisher= Strategypage.com |date= 11 April 2013 |access-date= 16 May 2013 |archive-date= 15 May 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130515212531/http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htatrit/articles/20130411.aspx |url-status= dead }}</ref> During 2009, Army National Guard retirements of the UH-1 accelerated with the introduction of the [[Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota]].<ref>{{cite web |last= Mehl |first= Maj. Thomas W |url= http://www.ng.mil/news/archives/2009/02/022609-Final.aspx |title= A Final LZ |publisher= Army National Guard |access-date= 25 August 2010 |archive-date= 12 July 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090712012315/http://www.ng.mil/news/archives/2009/02/022609-Final.aspx |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last= Sommers |first= Larry |url= http://dma.wi.gov/dma/news/2009news/HueyRetirement.asp |title= Huey Retirement |publisher= Army National Guard |date= 4 May 2009 |access-date= 25 August 2010 |archive-date= 8 January 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100108143258/http://dma.wi.gov/dma/news/2009news/HueyRetirement.asp |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last= Soucy |first= Staff Sgt. Jon |url= http://www.arng.army.mil/News/Pages/NewHelicoptersDeliveredtoDistrictofColumbiaNationalGuard.aspx |title= New Helicopters Delivered to District of Columbia National Guard |publisher= Army National Guard |date= 3 December 2009 |access-date= 25 August 2010 |archive-date= 10 March 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110310153512/http://www.arng.army.mil/News/Pages/NewHelicoptersDeliveredtoDistrictofColumbiaNationalGuard.aspx |url-status= dead }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Huey's Last Hurrah - National Guard |url=https://www.nationalguard.mil/Features/2009/Hueys-Last-Hurrah/ |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=www.nationalguard.mil}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=D.C. National Guard, Army Huey takes its final flight |url=https://www.nationalguard.mil/News/Article/627840/dc-national-guard-army-huey-takes-its-final-flight/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalguard.mil%2FNews%2FArticle-View%2FArticle%2F627840%2Fdc-national-guard-army-huey-takes-its-final-flight%2F |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=National Guard |language=en-US}}</ref> The Washington, D.C. Army National Guard had its last flight in 2011, and Pennsylvania in 2010.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Brittany |date=2010-04-21 |title=Pennsylvania Army National Guard's last Huey helicopter pilot ends 42-year career |url=https://www.pennlive.com/midstate/2010/04/pennsylvania_army_national_gua_3.html |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=pennlive |language=en}}</ref> The final U.S. Army UH-1 was retired in late 2016, and transferred to a State police department.<ref>{{cite web |last= Edwards |first= J. D. |url= http://www.wsmr.army.mil/fn/Pages/Last-UH-1-Huey,-a-42-year-military-veteran-retires.aspx |title= Last UH-1 Huey, a 42-year military veteran retires |publisher= wsmr.army.mil |access-date= 3 July 2017 |archive-date= 23 July 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170723131114/http://www.wsmr.army.mil/fn/Pages/Last-UH-1-Huey,-a-42-year-military-veteran-retires.aspx |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref name= "remarkheuy 2016"/> In context, the Huey is still in service with Armed Forces overall, and the Air Force UH-1N were still in service as of 2024, but scheduled for replacement.<ref name=":3" />