The Bell UH-1Y Venom
[DoD 4120-15L, ''Model Designation of Military Aerospace Vehicles''](_blank)
. US DoD, 12 May 2004. (also called Super Huey)
is a twin-engine, medium-sized
utility helicopter built by
Bell Helicopter under the
H-1 upgrade program of the
United States Marine Corps. One of the latest members of the numerous
Huey family, the UH-1Y is also called "Yankee", based on the
NATO phonetic alphabet pronunciation of its variant letter.
The UH-1Y was to have been remanufactured from UH-1Ns, but in 2005, it was approved for the aircraft to be built as new. After entering service in 2008, the UH-1Y replaced the USMC's aging fleet of
UH-1N Twin Huey light utility helicopters, first introduced in the early 1970s. In 2008 it entered full-rate production,
["UH-1Ys to be built new starting in 06"](_blank)
. US Navy, 22 April 2005. with deliveries to the Marines completed in 2018.
Development
Over the years, new avionics and radios, modern door guns, and safety upgrades have greatly increased the UH-1N's empty weight. With a maximum speed around and an inability to lift much more than its own crew, fuel, and ammunition, the UH-1N had limited capabilities as a transport.
In 1996, the United States Marine Corps launched the H-1 upgrade program. A contract was signed with Bell Helicopter for upgrading 100 UH-1Ns into UH-1Ys and upgrading 180
AH-1Ws into
AH-1Zs.
[Donald, David. ''Modern Battlefield Warplanes''. AIRTime Publishing, 2004. .][Bishop, Chris. ''Huey Cobra Gunships''. Osprey Publishing, 2006. .] The H-1 program modernized utility and
attack helicopter
An attack helicopter is an armed helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the offensive capability of engaging ground targets such as enemy infantry, military vehicles and fortifications. Due to their heavy armament they ...
s with considerable design commonality to reduce operating costs. The UH-1Y and AH-1Z share a common tail boom, engines, rotor system, drivetrain, avionics architecture, software, controls, and displays for over 84% identical components.
[''Rotorbreeze Magazine''](_blank)
Bell, October 2006.
Originally, the UH-1Y was to have been remanufactured from UH-1N airframes, but in April 2005, approval was granted to build them as new helicopters.
Bell delivered two UH-1Ys to the U.S. Marine Corps in February 2008,
["Bell H-1 upgrade program delivers two UH-1Y and one AH-1Z in February"](_blank)
, Bell Helicopter, 3 March 2008. and full-rate production was begun in September 2009. The Marine Corps purchased 160 Y-models to replace their inventory of N-models.
[Butler, Amy]
"U.S. Marines Propose AH-1Z Production Boost"
. ''Aviation Week'', 13 October 2010. Retrieved: 17 August 2017.
Design
The UH-1Y variant modernizes the UH-1 design. The Y-model upgrades pilot avionics to a glass cockpit, adds further safety modifications, and provides the UH-1 with a modern
forward-looking infrared system. Engine power was increased. Its most noticeable upgrade over previous variants is a four-blade, all-composite rotor system designed to withstand up to 23 mm rounds. By replacing the engines and the two-bladed rotor system with four composite blades, the Y-model returns the Huey to the utility role for which it was designed.
A fuselage extension just forward of the main door was added for more capacity. The UH-1Y features upgraded transmissions and a digital cockpit with
flat-panel multifunctional displays. Compared to the UH-1N, the Y-model has an increased payload, almost 50% greater range, a reduction in
vibration, and higher cruising speed.
Operational history
The UH-1Y and AH-1Z completed their developmental testing in early 2006. During the first quarter of 2006 the UH-1Ys were transferred to the Operational Test Unit at
NAS Patuxent River, where they began operational evaluation testing. In February 2008, the UH-1Y and AH-1Z began the second and final portion of testing. On 8 August 2008, the Marine Corps certified the UH-1Y as operationally capable, and it was deployed for the first time in January 2009 as part of the
aviation combat element of the
13th Marine Expeditionary Unit
The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (13th MEU) is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 per ...
. The UH-1N Twin Huey was retired by the Marines in August 2014, making the UH-1Y the Marine Corps' standard utility helicopter.
On 11 October 2017, the
Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified the
United States Congress of the potential sale of 12 UH-1Ys and related systems and support to the
Czech Republic for a cost of US$575 million. In December 2019, an order for eight UH-1Y helicopters was approved.
Operators
;
*
Czech Air Force (8 on order)
Additional 2 to be transferred at no cost via the Excess Defense Articles programme.
;
*
United States Marine Corps
**
HMLA-167
**
HMLA-169
**
HMLA-267
**
HMLA-269
**
HMLA-367
**
HMLA-369
Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369 (HMLA-369) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters. The squadron, also known as the "Gunfighters", is based a ...
**
HMLA-469
Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 (HMLA-469) was a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of AH-1 SuperCobra and AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters. The squadron was headquartered at Ma ...
**
HMLA-773
**
HMLAT-303
Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron 303 (HMLAT-303), is a United States Marine Corps helicopter training squadron stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Known as "Atlas", HMLAT-303 trains newly commissioned Naval ...
Specifications
See also
References
External links
UH-1Y Venom page on BellHelicopter.comUH-1Y Venom page on US Navy RDA site Flight International, 22 August 2008.
{{US helicopters
H-001Y, U
2000s United States military utility aircraft
United States military helicopters
2000s United States helicopters
Twin-turbine helicopters
Aircraft first flown in 2001