THE HELICOPTER WARS: Bell's Huey, Cobra & The Lost Cheyenne [Rare Footage]

This documentary explores the restored history of the Bell Helicopter Company's role in the Vietnam War, focusing on the iconic Bell UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" and the revolutionary AH-1 Cobra. We also tell the parallel story of the ambitious, ill-fated Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne, the "super-chopper" that lost the race. This film, featuring restored and colorized footage, details how these aircraft created the concept of "Air Cavalry" and forever changed the face of modern warfare.

For an entire generation, the distinctive thump-thump-thump of the UH-1 Huey was the sound of the Vietnam War. This documentary traces the history of this legendary machine, from its development by Bell to its deployment as the backbone of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. The Huey was more than just a transport; it was a multi-role lifeline. We explore its different incarnations: the "Slick" troop transports, the "Dustoff" medevac choppers, and the "Hog" gunships.

As the war escalated, the need for a dedicated, high-speed attack helicopter became clear, leading to two competing philosophies. The first was the U.S. Army's ambitious AAFSS program, which resulted in the Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne. This was a technological marvel—a compound helicopter with a rigid rotor, small wings, and a pusher propeller, designed to be the fastest, most advanced gunship in the world.

The second path was pure pragmatism. Bell Helicopter, sensing the Cheyenne was too complex and would take too long, offered an interim solution. In an incredible feat of engineering, they took the proven engine, transmission, and rotor system of the Huey and built a revolutionary new aircraft around them: the AH-1 Cobra. With its tandem cockpit and impossibly slender profile, the "Snake" was the world's first purpose-built attack helicopter, and it was ready now.

Through rare, newly colorized combat footage, witness how the Cobra and Huey worked in deadly "hunter-killer" teams. While the Cobra was proving itself in combat, the Cheyenne program was collapsing under its own weight, plagued by technical failures and cost overruns. This is the story of the machines that gave American forces unprecedented mobility: the workhorse Huey, the pragmatic Cobra that became the war's iconic hunter, and the ambitious Cheyenne that became one of history's great "what-ifs."

General Information: Key Aircraft

Bell UH-1D/H Iroquois ("Huey")

Role: Utility Military Helicopter (Troop Transport, Gunship, Medevac)

Manufacturer: Bell Helicopter

Significance: The most iconic aircraft of the Vietnam War, pioneering air assault tactics. Over 7,000 served in Vietnam.

Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming T53-L-13 turboshaft engine, 1,400 shp (1,000 kW)

Maximum Speed: 127 mph (204 km/h)

Bell AH-1G Cobra

Role: Attack Helicopter

Manufacturer: Bell Helicopter

Significance: The world's first dedicated attack helicopter. It was a "stopgap" that proved so successful it served for decades.

Crew: 2 (Pilot, Co-pilot/Gunner)

Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming T53-L-13 turboshaft engine, 1,100 shp (820 kW)

Maximum Speed: 172 mph (277 km/h)

Armament: Chin turret with miniguns or grenade launchers, and 4 wing hardpoints for rocket pods.

Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne

Role: Attack Helicopter Prototype (AAFSS Program)

Manufacturer: Lockheed

Significance: A highly advanced "compound" helicopter. Its extreme complexity and cost led to its cancellation in 1972, paving the way for the simpler AH-1 Cobra and the later AH-64 Apache.

Crew: 2 (Pilot, Gunner)

Powerplant: 1 × General Electric T64-GE-16 turboshaft, 3,925 shp (2,927 kW), driving both the main rotor and a rear-facing pusher propeller.

Maximum Speed (Projected): 245 mph (394 km/h)

Armament: Chin turret with 30mm cannon or 40mm grenade launcher, 6 wing hardpoints for rockets and TOW missiles.

VIDEO SERIES:

🎥U.S. AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/US
🎥AVIATION VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/aviation
🎥GERMAN AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/WWIIGermany
🎥BRITISH AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/British
🎥ERIC BROWN VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/EricBrown
🎥B-29 VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/B29
🎥VIETNAM AND KOREA: https://dronescapes.video/Vietnam
🎥TURBOJET VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Turbojet
🎥SUPERSONIC VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/fastest
🎥EXTREME AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Extreme
🎥STRANGE PLANES VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Extreme
🎥COLD WAR ERA VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/ColdWar
🎥 WW2 VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/WW2

#VietnamWar #Helicopter #Documentary

Видео THE HELICOPTER WARS: Bell's Huey, Cobra & The Lost Cheyenne [Rare Footage] канала DroneScapes