Buys 24 Upgraded Aircraft

Bell Helicopter says it's sold 24 Huey II Upgrades to the US Air Force to be delivered over the next four years.

The Huey II aircraft will be used at Fort Rucker, AL, to train helicopter pilots for the Air Force, which still has a substantial number of UH-1N helicopters in its inventory.  The Air Force Huey II will feature a Bell 212 nose and a fully integrated glass cockpit in addition to all of the other aircraft improvements and enhancements that are standard with the Huey II program.

The helicopters will be assembled at US Helicopters in Ozark, Alabama. Lockheed Martin will, in cooperation with the US Air Force, conduct a Military Qualification of the Huey II for training with the prototype first flight scheduled for June 2005.

The US Air Force had been using UH-1H airframes for training but since the US Army discontinued using the UH-1H, the Air Force elected to upgrade UH-1H aircraft which had been moved from the US Army inventory to the US Air Force inventory. The Huey II was chosen for its excellent performance and support while teaching strong habit transfer for larger more sophisticated aircraft currently and planned for the US Air Force Fleet.

The Huey II is a major upgrade to the storied UH-1H Iroquois, of which there are currently over 5,000 in service in 45 countries around the world.  The Huey II includes an up-rated engine and new Bell 212 flight dynamics. Every part in on the Huey II is in current production guaranteeing a ready parts supply to assure many more years of continuous service. The Huey II is designed for the high temperatures found in today's combat environment. Another benefit is the power to yield a 39% increase in IGE hover ceiling on a standard day and over 275% increase in IGE hover ceiling on an extremely hot day.

The Huey II is a modernized aircraft offering more payload than its predecessor, the UH-1H, at significantly reduced cost of operations

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