Tag Archives: bell

Vehicle I-D, Cold War & Beyond: Jordanian Cobras الكوبرا الأردني, or How to rebuild your AH-1S/F.

Video July 24, 2022 Hutchins AAron

Eager Lion wargame, 14SEP2022. Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh via Xinhua News.

Towards the end of 2021, Jordan donated two of its Cold War era AH-1S/F Cobras to the Philippine Air Force. The donation actually officially happened in 2018, but the Filipino pilots had been training in Jordan, including becoming AH-1S/F instructors, and were not ready until 2021 (delayed by the Pandemic?).

In 2020, there was a report that Jordan was getting rid of its AH-1S/F Cobras, which is shocking considering they underwent major upgrades in the United States in 2018-19.

U.S. Army photo by Richard Bumgardner, 10APR2019.

Towards the end of 2018, Royal Jordanian AH-1S/F Cobras (Bell 209) began upgrades at Northrop and Science and Engineering Services (aka SES) facilities in Huntsville, Alabama.

USA photo by Richard Bumgardner, 10APR2019.

The upgrades were coordinated through U.S. Army Security Assistance Command. It is hoped Jordan can use the helicopter gunships for another 20 years.

USA photo by Richard Bumgardner, 10APR2019.

U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sergeant Joshua L. DeMotts, 17APR2018.

Double trouble. USAF photo by Master Sergeant Joshua L. DeMotts, 17APR2018.

In 2017, there was a report that Jordan was donating AH-1S/F Cobras to the African country of Kenya.

U.S. Army photo by Specialist Ian Valley, 18MAY2016.

U.S. Marine Corps video report, by Lance Corporal Manuel Benavides, Eager Lion wargame, May 2016:

USA photo by Specialist Ian Valley, 18MAY2016.

In 2015, it was revealed that Israel donated U.S. contractor upgraded AH-1 Cobras to Jordan.

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Corporal Sean Searfus, 18MAY2015.

U.S. Army photo by Major Brian Fickel, 05JUN2014.

USA photo by Major Brian Fickel, 05JUN2014.

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sergeant Austin Hazard. 03JUN2014.

USMC photo by Sergeant Austin Hazard. 03JUN2014.

Jordanian Bell AH-1S/F Cobra during Exercise Eager Tiger, May 2014.

U.S. Air Force video, by Technical Sergeant Bryan Magee, Jordanian Cobras arrive, 12MAY2014:

USAF video, by Technical Sergeant Bryan Magee, Jordanian Cobra gunnery, 14MAY2014:

USAF video, by Staff Sergeant Roidan Carlson, Cobras attack, 14MAY2014:

USAF video, by Airman First Class Danny Rangel, infantry support, 14MAY2014:

In 2010, at the behest of the United States government, Jordan donated 16 AH-1S/F Cobras to Pakistan.

Cold War, approximately 1947 (due to U.S. President Harry Truman’s Truman Doctrine) to 1991 (Operation Desert Storm, collapse of Soviet Union).

Despite the sequence of letters, the S variant actually came before the F variant. During the Cold War, AH-1Q Cobras were upgraded to the AH-1S variant, with at least three additional upgrades which resulted in the AH-1F.

Photo by Staff Sergeant Mike Haggerty, 01AUG1985.

Jordan was one of the first foreign users of the AH-1S/F, beginning in 1985.

Photo by Staff Sergeant Mike Haggerty, 01AUG1985.

Vehicle I-D: Jordan donates IRAQI HUEY, U.S. taxpayers pay for it.

JORDANIAN SHIELD اردني درع

Kit Bashing, Technology

Cold War ‘Fake News’ Helicopter: UH-1H ‘Huey-Hind’

Video November 22, 2021 Hutchins AAron

U.S. Army (USA) NTC (National Training Center), California, October 1987. USA photo by Sergeant First Class Carrasco.

Before the U.S. Army could get its hands on a real Mil 24 Hind-D, it had to ‘fake it’ using the old UH-1H (improved D model) Iroquois (Huey). The Huey-Hind was also known as the JUH-1 Sokol (not to be confused with the JUH-1H SOTAS [Stand Off Target Acquisition System]).

October 1985, NTC (Fort Irwin), California. USA photo by Mary Jacobs.

The U.S. Army propagandists tried and tried to convince everybody that their OpFor (Opposing Forces) Huey looked like a Mi-24 Hind-D.

October 1985, NTC (Fort Irwin), California. USA photo by Mary Jacobs.

The launch rails look more like what you would see on a Mil 8/17 Hip.

February 1987, Fort Irwin, California. USA photo by Donna Fulghum.

NTC, October 1987. USA photo by Sergeant First Class Carrasco.

Even in the air the Huey-Hind still looks like a Huey.

Fort Irwin, California, March 1988. USA photo.

JUH-1 Sokol photo via NTC Aviation Company, Barstow, California.

Photo via NTC Aviation Company, Fort Irwin, California.

Video posted February 2010:

Photo via NTC Aviation Company, Barstow, California.

Video posted in November 2011:

Retirement, December 2011. USA photo, Fort Irwin, California.

UH-1 Iroquois operations over Fort Irwin, California, began in 1980. Most of the Hueys were used for their usual purpose, troop transport. In December 2011, the last of the Hueys, including a former fake-news UH-1H Huey-Hind, were officially retired. Less than a handful were transferred to the U.S. Air Force.

Fake News Tank:

USAF photo by John Hamilton.

WORLD’S BIGGEST R/C T-72?

How to build your own Fake News BMP-2

Fake News Aircraft:

USMC photo by Sergeant A. D. Gruart, March 1986.

USMC MiG-23?

Cold War Paint Job: UH-1N IN S-E-A CAMO

Cold War Battle Damage: THE HIND-END OF DESERT STORM

Kit Bashing

Cold War Paint Job: UH-1N in S-E-A Camo

Video November 14, 2021 Hutchins AAron

The UH-1N ‘Twin Huey’ is an evolution of the UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed Huey). The UH-1 first flew in 1956, while its descendant first flew in 1969.

In 2021, a UH-1N still operated by the United States Air Force’s (USAF) 54th Helicopter Squadron ‘Rough Riders’ got a new paint job in an old scheme known as South East Asia, or SEA. UH-1N #23 (623) began its USAF career in 1970, was based on Minot Air Force Base (AFB) even before the B-52s, and is still in service!

These USAF photos were made by Airman Allison Martin as the ‘heritage’ Huey flew around Minot AFB, North Dakota, on 11MAY2021:

USAF promotional/explainer video by Airman First Class Zachary Wright:

What the Major in the video failed to explain was that tail # 23 (623) was the first UH-1N to go through the U.S. Navy’s (USN) Fleet Readiness Center East’s ‘Kingston location’ at Cherry Point, North Carolina, however, the USN did not make this information public until 24SEP2021. The depot level maintenance began in March 2021, the USN boasts that the work was completed 40 days sooner than if the USAF Twin Huey had been sent to the ‘primary facility’ on U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.

Cold War Paint Job: A-10C S-E-A CAMO

Cold War Oooops: SEA HARRIER MALFUNCTION DURING 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF NAVAL AVIATION

Cold War Battle Damage: THE HIND-END OF DESERT STORM

Technology

Vehicle I-D: End of Days for the Sea Ranger

Video May 24, 2021 Hutchins AAron

After more than five decades, the U.S. Navy plans on retiring their aged fleet of TH-57 Sea Rangers in 2022-23. It’s interesting that the Sea Ranger is being retired, as in 2019 a report came out about the U.S. Navy buying new TH-57 Sea Ranger flight simulators.

Video by Julie Ziegenhorn, TH-57 Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Field, Florida, February 2020:

Army Kiowas and Navy Sea Rangers are both based on the Bell 206 JetRanger. The U.S. Navy began using the TH-57 in 1968.

U.S. Navy photo.

Hovering over a new outlying landing field, NAS Whiting Field, January 2019.

U.S. Navy photo by Ensign Antonio More.

TH-57Cs over Pensacola, Florida, February 2017.

USN photo by Petty Officer First Class Karlton Rebenstorf.

Pre-flight checks on a TH-57 Sea Ranger, June 2014.

USN photo by Petty Officer First Class Karlton Rebenstorf.

USN photo by Jay Cope.

August 2012, Sea Rangers crammed together in a hanger on NAS Whiting Field, in preparation for Tropical Storm Isaac.

USN photo.

NAS Whiting Field, Florida, December 2008.

USN photo Lieutenant Michelle Parkington.

TH-57 carrying Santa visits Bennett C. Russell Elementary School, December 2007.

USN photo by Gary Nichols.

August 2006, TH-57 lands on Helicopter Landing Trainer (HLT) IX-514 Baylander.

USN photo.

Landing on the USS Lexington (AVT-16), October 1985.

Photo by Don S. Montgomery.

TH-57A instrument panel, May 1984.

Robot Wars: BEWARE THE ZOMBIE KIOWA!

Technology

Final Flight: OH-58D Kiowa Warriors

Video March 23, 2021 Hutchins AAron

Video by Sergeant Chloe Barns, C Troop, 1st Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division’s OH-58D final flight, Afghanistan, 22NOV2014:

Video report of last flight of OH-58D over Hawaii, January 2015:

By the end of November 2015, the Tennessee Army National Guard became the last state militia to operate the OH-58D, sending 30 Kiowa Warriors to the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AFB) in Arizona: “We don’t have to do anything when we drop them off. It’s their helicopter. They shake our hand, say thank you, and we walk away from it. It’s a different feeling, kind of painful, knowing we have flown all of these aircraft in different countries and now see them being torn down for storage. It hurts a little bit.”-Chief Warrant Officer 3 Peter Neveu

U.S. Army photo by Captain Joe Bush. Over Fort Polk, Louisiana, 2015.

2016 was a bad year for the U.S. Army’s OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, it was retired en masse. Kiowa Warriors based across the United States were ordered decommissioned by December 2016.

By January 2016, already more than 140 Kiowas had been interned at Davis-Monthan AFB.

The ‘D’ version of the Kiowa was being replaced with a recon version of the AH-64 Apache: “Reconnaissance is a mission, not an airframe. Making the transition with the Kiowa pilots will cross-pollinate the recon mindset to Apache.”-Major Adam Camarano, November 2015

Department of Defense photo by Kenneth Kassens.

In April 2016, the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division made a dramatic en masse last flight over Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

USA photo by Staff Sergeant Christopher Freeman.

32 OH-58D Kiowa Warriors took part in the massive final flight.

USA photo by Sergeant Daniel Schroeder.

Video by Staff Sergeant David Birchfield, of what is claimed to be a Guinness world record for the largest formation of helicopters:

DoD photo by Kenneth Kassens.

Video, by Staff Sergeant David Birchfield, of what a Guinness world record for the largest formation of helicopters sounds like from the ground:

USA photo by Staff Sergeant Christopher Freeman.

This is what happens when a helicopter passes through the ceremonial water salute by air base fire trucks.

USA photo by Staff Sergeant Christopher Freeman.

A true rotor wash.

USA photo by Sergeant Neil A. Stanfield.

USA photo by Captain Adan Cazarez.

Two autographed final flight T-shirts were given to staff a Fork Polk’s elementary school, Kimberly Hampton Primary School.

USA photo by Sergeant Jesse Smith. Rodriguez Live Fire Range in Korea (South), June 2015.

2017 was the year OH-58Ds were retired from U.S. Army operations in Republic of Korea (South), when the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry(cav-all-ry) Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division completed its rotation and was ‘re-deployed’ elsewhere.

July 2020: FINAL FLIGHT OF THE FORT POLK OH-58C KIOWAS

Final Flight: ANOTHER B-1B ‘BONE’ SENT TO THE BONEYARD! IS THE END NEAR?

Technology

Final Flight of the Fort Polk Kiowas

Image July 16, 2020 Hutchins AAron

“They were great birds to fly. You could land them anywhere, in any type of environment; they were great for what we were using them for here.”-Captain Tyler Smith, Bravo Company commander, 1st Bn, 5th Avn Reg

The U.S. Army’s 1st Battalion, 5th Aviation Regiment OH-58C Kiowas fly over Fort Polk, Louisiana, for the last time, 09JUL2020. The Kiowa helicopters are being replaced with UH-72 Lakotas.

Farewell water salute.

The U.S. Army’s oldest operational aircraft is a Kiowa, tail # O-16696, now to become a static display ‘gate guard’ at Fork Polk. Three of the Fort Polk Kiowas will be cannibalized for spare parts while the other four retiring Kiowas will be used by sheriff departments in Texas, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

The Kiowa family of helicopters have been used by the U.S. Army since 1969. Ultimately, 2-thousand-2-hundred different versions of the Kiowa would be built between 1966 and 1989. The U.S. Army’s last operational ‘C’ Kiowas are based at Fort Irwin (National Training Center), California, but will also be retired soon.

Vehicle I-D: COLORADO MILITIA LAKOTA RESCUE TRAINING

Technology

Vehicle I-D: Iraqi Huey

Video May 10, 2020 Hutchins AAron

According to a 2007 Reuters report, the neighboring country of Jordan donated their old UH-1H helicopters to Iraq, but the U.S. taxpayers paid to rebuild the Hueys at a cost of $3.5-million, each!

U.S. Air Force photo by Technical Sergeant Randy Redman, 18APR2011.

April 2011, Exercise Lion.

U.S. Army photo by First Lieutenant Jason Sweeney, 18MAY2011.

Air Assault training on Camp Mejid, photo by Staff Sergeant Tanya Thomas, 11NOV2010.

Prior to 2010, the Iraqis used a smaller flag on their Hueys.

U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Michael Keller, 14JUL2009.

Here’s the smaller flag.

USAF photo by Staff Sergeant Michael Keller, 17JUL2009.

Iraqi Bell UH-1H Huey take-off from Taji Air Base, July 2009.

USAF photo by Staff Sergeant Michael Keller, 17JUL2009.

Their mission is to pick-up a soldier, who is considered recovered enough from being gut-shot, at the Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad Air Base.

USAF photo by Staff Sergeant Michael Keller, 17JUL2009.

U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer First Class Carmichael Yepez, 31JUL2009.

The same Iraqi Huey (#206) is taking off from Forward Operating Base Diamondback in Mosul, at the end of July 2009.

USN photo by Petty Officer First Class Carmichael Yepez, 31JUL2009.

Video, pre-flight checks:

U.S. Army photo by Specialist Chuck Gill, 28SEP2008.

Al Taji Air Base, 11SEP2008.

USAF photo by Technical Sergeant Paul Villanueva the Second, 11SEP2008.

Flaming engine start.

USAF photo by Technical Sergeant Paul Villanueva the Second, 11SEP2008.

USAF photo by Technical Sergeant Paul Villanueva the Second, 12SEP2008.

Door gunner uses Soviet era PK-C machine gun.

Camp Taji, USAF photo by Senior Airman Julianne Showalter, 28APR2008.

Video, over-fly Taji:

Vehicle I-D: IRAQI ARMOR, AFTER THE INVASION

RECOVERING UH-1 SKELETONS

Technology

Recovering UH-1 skeletons

Video April 14, 2020 Hutchins AAron

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Corporal Ursula V. Smith, 25SEP2019.

In September 2019, U.S. Marines used what remained of a UH-1 to conduct fire fighting and recovery training at U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Grounds (YPG), Arizona.

USMC photo by Corporal Ursula V. Smith, 25SEP2019.

Video, Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course 1-20 at Site 2, YPG, 25SEP2019:

USMC photo by Lance Corporal Claudia Nix, 28MAR2019.

They did the same thing earlier, in March 2019.

USMC photo by Lance Corporal Claudia Nix, 28MAR2019.

From 2017, “Just what I need for my collection.”

This pic of the tail section recovery was taken in March 2015.

Video from 2015:

From September 2014.

Also from September 2014.

U.S. Army’s Company D, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, conduct Downed Aircraft Recovery Team (DART) training on Hohenfels, Germany, January 2018.

April 2017, U.S. Army’s B Company, 277th Aviation Support Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, conduct DART training on Oberdachstetten Training Area, Germany.