The UH-1P on display was delivered to the USAF in March 1966 as a UH-1F. In June 1969, it was converted at Nha Trang Air Base, South Vietnam, to a UH-1P gunship with twin pintle-mounted 7.62 mm Miniguns and two rocket pods. 65-7925 was shipped back to the U.S. in November 1970 and served with various training and rescue units until it was retired in October 1987. It was shipped to the Museum in 1992.
Bell UH-1P
Iroquois
The Bell UH-1 is one of the most successful helicopter types in history, with over 16,000 produced worldwide. The UH-1 is also one of the most familiar symbols of the Vietnam War. The prototype UH-1 first flew in 1956 and went into production for the U.S. Army in 1959. It was the U.S. military’s first turbine-powered helicopter. The initial Army designation was “HU-1,” which led to the common unofficial nickname “Huey.” The designation was changed to UH-1 in 1962 but the nickname stuck.