New Zealand air force UH-1H Iroquois seen in flight 2007. Note the pintle mounted M60D machine gun.
Source: New Zealand Defence Force -
© CC BY 2.0
The Bell 205 is a Cold War era transport helicopter of US origin. It was developed in the early 1960's by Bell to provide an increased transport capability over the Bell 204. In its US military UH-1 Iroquois designation and Huey nickname it became an icon for the Vietnam war. It is one of the most numerous transport helicopters in the world. The design lives on in the twin engine Bell 212 and Bell 412.
The Bell 205 is a stretched version of the earlier Bell 204, but is nearly identical in all other aspects. Compared to the Bell 204 the cabin has been lengthened by 1.04 m to increase the internal carrying capacity. This meant that wider doors were needed. The Bell 205 also features longer rotor blades and has a lengthened tail to accommodate them. The single engine setup has been retained. At first the 1.100 hp engine as used in the Bell 204 was retained, but a more powerful 1.400 hp engine was installed in the UH-1H.
Most Bell 205 are fitted with a pintle mounted 7.62mm M60 machine gun on each side or are unarmed. Unlike the Bell 204 no dedicated gunship versions were created from the Bell 205. With the use of special kits it is possible to mount 7 or 19 round 70mm FFAR pods and M134 miniguns, although these configurations are rare outside US service.
The main purpose of the Bell 205 is troop transport. When only a single pilot is used it is possible to carry 14 troops. This is a phenomenal number for a single engine Vietnam era helicopter. In the medevac role it is possible to carry six stretchers. The cargo capacity is 1.7 t. This means that when armament mounts are fitted the carry capacity is significantly reduced.
The Bell 205 has a maximum speed of 217 km/h and a range of just over 500 km. The models with the uprated 1.400 hp engine have the same maximum flight characteristics but perform better within those limits due to their additional power.
The main user of the Bell 205 was the US military and over 7.000 UH-1 served in Vietnam. Nowadays all single engine UH-1 have been replaced, most by the UH-60 Blackhawk. The UH-1 and Bell 205 models were widely exported and large quantities have been produced under license, most of them by Agusta-Bell in Italy. Today large quantities remain in service all over the world, most of them can be found in South America and Asia.
UH-1D: Original military production model of the Model 205 with the same 1.100 hp engine as used in the Bell 204.
UH-1H: Improved military model with 1.400 hp engine. This is the most numerous version of the Bell 205 family
Bell 205: Civilian model of the UH-1D, also exported for military use.
Bell 205A1: Civilian model of the UH-1H, widely exported for military use.
AB-205: Italian production version of the UH-1D.
AB-205A: AB-205 with longer rotor blades and various minor improvements.
AB-205A-1: Italian production model of the UH-1H with longer rotor blades.
The Japanese production UH-1J is a heavily modified Bell 205. It features a more powerful 1.800 hp Allison T53-L-703 turboshaft engine, vibration reduction system, infrared countermeasures and a night vision goggles compatible cockpit.
In US military service the UH-1D and H were replaced by the UH-60 Black Hawk.
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