The Bell AH-1 Cobra is basically a single-engined attack helicopter which was developed and manufactured by the American rotor aircraft manufacturer Bell Helicopter. The AH-1 is also known as the HueyCobra or Snake or Cobra attack helicopter.
Some of the features of Cobra attack helicopter are as follows:
Crew: two of which one is pilot and the other is co-pilot or gunner.
Length: 53 feet or 16 metres including the rotors
Width: 10 feet 4 inch or 3.15 metres
Height: 13 feet 6 inch or 4.11 metres
Empty weight: 5,810 lb or 2,635 kg
Max takeoff weight (MTOW) : 9,500 lb or 4,309 kg
Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming T53-L-13 turboshaft; 1100 hp
Maximum speed: 149 kn or 171 mph or 276 km/h
Never exceed speed: 190 kn or 220 mph or 350 km/h
Range: 310 nmi or 360 mi or 570 km
Service ceiling: 11,400 feet or 3,500 metres
Rate of climb: 1230 ft/min or 6.2 m/s
The AH-1 was developed using the engine, transmission and rotor system concept of the Bell UH-1 Iroquois, which itself had proven itself to be a capable platform during the Vietnam War. It was produced as a result of fulfilling a need for a dedicated armed escort for transport helicopters to give the latter better chance to survive in highly contested and challenging environments. Likewise, the AH- was a dedicated attack helicopter and thus is known Cobra attack helicopter featuring a range of features like tandem cockpit, stub wings for weapons, and a chin-mounted gun turret.
For several decades, the Cobra attack helicopter formed the very core of the US Army's attack helicopter fleet, witnessing combat in regions ranging through Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, and Iraq. In US Army service, the Cobra attack helicopter was progressively replaced by the newer and more capable Boeing AH-64 Apache during the 1990s, with the final examples being withdrawn during 2001. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) operated the Cobra attack helicopter mostly along its land border with Lebanon, with its intensive use being witnessed during the 1982 Lebanon War. Turkish AH-1s have seen regular combat with Kurdish near Turkey's southern borders. Upgraded versions of the Cobra attack helicopter have been developed, such as the twin engined AH-1 SeaCobra/SuperCobra and the experimental Bell 309 KingCobra.
Furthermore, surplus AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters have been reused for several other purposes, including civilian ones; numerous of them have been converted to perform aerial firefighting operations.
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