One of the most widely used, versatile, and durable helicopters ever built, the Huey gives Marines utility support in the ship-to-shore phase of an amphibious assault and subsequent operations ashore. Early models were used extensively in Vietnam for medical-evacuation and command-and-control missions. The UH-1 entered Marine Corps service in 1964. It can carry 8-10 combat-loaded Marines and/or supplies. As a flying ambulance, it has room for six litter patients and one attendant. It may be armed with 7.62mm M60 machine guns, GAU-2B/A machine guns, .50 caliber machine guns, and 2.75" rockets. There are six composite light attack squadrons in the active forces and three Reserve squadrons; each will contain 18 AH-1Ws and nine UH-1Ns. A service life extension program (SLEP) has been funded for these aircraft, and a midlife upgrade is planned for the FY 1996 budget for safety and performance-margin upgrades.
FUSELAGE LENGTH: 42 feet, 4 inches. OVERALL LENGTH: 57 feet, 3 inches. WEIGHT: 6,370 pounds empty, 10,500 pounds maximum loaded. SPEED: 121knots. RANGE: 172 nautical miles. POWER PLANT: two Pratt and Whitney T400-CP-400 turbo shaft engines. ARMAMENT: 7.62mm or .50 caliber machine gun; 2.75" rockets. CREW: two pilots, two crewmen. CONTRACTOR: Bell Helicopter Textron.
