How Bell Helicopters Turned The HUEY Into The COBRA

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In the mid-sixties America found herself hopelessly entangled in an unwinnable war, deep in the jungles of South East Asia. Huey helicopters were doing the heavy lifting and laying down heavy fire, but realistically they couldn't do both. The US Army soon found themselves needing an ATTACK helicopter, an aircraft designed solely for combat. And luckily for them, Bell helicopter had already made one. Just for fun. This is the strange story of the AH-1 HueyCobra.
SOURCES:
"The Bell AH-1 Cobra, From Vietnam To The Present" - Alexander Ludeke
DISCORD: / discord
PATREON: / redwrenchfilms
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:43 Sponsor Message
01:42 The Issue...
03:12 A.A.F.S.S
05:00 The Iroquois Warriors
06:07 OH-13X The Sioux Scout
07:20 Model 209
10:58 The Fate of N209J
11:20 AH-1G
13:12 Cobra!
13:45 Outro
All content is presented in historical context for educational purposes. All footage is owned by it's copyright holder and is used in this channel under "fair use".
Music by Epidemic Sound

[@RedWrenchFilms]

Receive an Amazing New Player Pack, only available for the next 30 days! Play Conflict of Nations for FREE on PC or Mobile: 💥 con.onelink.me/kZW6/qa5ni0fx

[@onlyrandomvids2907]

New vid suggestion : "why there is no modern tanks using Recoiless rifle"

[@quinnmcculloch3154]

Iroquois, correctly pronounced. Ear-ah-kwah no Ear ah coy.

[@primarymiju]

@RedWrenchFilms do a vid on the pby catalina1!1!1!1!!!1!1!!1!1

[@ahhamartin]

My father (Phu Bai 67-68) told me the early rockets pods were aimed with the "legendary TLAR sighting system". Before he died in 2020 he told me what this "secret" aiming system was; look at the windscreen, say "That Looks About Right" and fire...

[@dannyzero692]

The sheer ingenuity and simplicity of this attack helicopter was the reason why I’ve came to love it, and it inspired a lot of later attack helicopter designs.

[@GodSoloGames]

Same! Plus it looks badass!

[@_sx_]

What's super impressive is that it's rare for a first gen weapon system to nail the essential elements in that first go. Stub wings, tandem seating, chin gun-- 50+ years later nearly every attack helicopter features the same.

[@marksasahara1115]

I was going to like your comment, but it's at 209 right now, so I'll give a 👍

[@FlightLizard]

I've heard a different story on the Cobra naming. The Army initially WANTED to name it Apache, but assumed that since it was a gunship, and intended for attack, rather than a general mission like utility, that the Apache tribe would take offense, so they opted for Cobra, like you said. Trouble was, nobody actually spoke to Apache tribal leaders who said: "Nah that thing is awesome. We would have been honored." Thus, the Army's NEXT dedicated gunship would be named Apache.

[@TheS1E2A3L4]

I think given that the Apache is the more advanced and probably the more terrifying looking of the two, I saw the Apache tribe got the better helicopter named after them. The AH-64 just looks meaner. If it was a human fighter, it would be a heavyweight.

[@asianinvasian9022]

the ah-1z and it's pilots would like to argue that, lol@@TheS1E2A3L4

[@Tuck-Shop]

​@@TheS1E2A3L41 looks like it is saying it will kill you. The other says I am going to kill you and you cannot stop me.

[@kalashnikovdevil]

@@TheS1E2A3L4 I dunno about that mate, the AH-1Z Viper's one hell of a machine. I think they'd have been well served with either machine.

[@mattmarzula]

What kind of revisionist bs is this?

[@eryk3146]

I was today years old when I learned that the cobra and Huey share the same main rotor and tail assembly. Impressive video as always man, enjoy the weekend

[@noelking4876]

It’s crazy how interchangeable they are remember when I was taught that

[@rex8255]

I used to Wyeth on Hueys, and the odd Cobra. They are very similar, but I recall the control tubes for the main rotors of the Conra being significantly more robust.

[@abdullahrizwan592]

Same

[@bobmiley9587]

I was a UH-1H and AH-1G helicopter mechanic. The Huey had a different rotor system than the Cobra. The Cobra had the 540 rotor system, no sway bar.

[@darylcav6285]

They absolutely do not share the same rotor system, the cobra has a computerized stability control while the Huey has stabilizing bars mounted on the main rotor, plus the chord width of the cobras main rotor blades were substantially wider than the huey

[@emergency_broadcast_system]

someones gotta make a historical report for warthunder now

[@eryk3146]

Oh like they’d listen to their players😂

[@leopard1419]

Leak the document.. oh Waiiiittttt~ *ban*

[@emergency_broadcast_system]

@@eryk3146 I'd probably just get stuck in the acknowledged category like the pbj who had a report put in saying it was missing several loadouts, including 350lb bombs, 1600lb armor piercing bombs and even a internal torpedo

[@emergency_broadcast_system]

@@leopard1419 Don't worry, it's flight manual, that can be found on Google like every other aircrafts and is basically the only source that gaijin accepts, is more than 30 years old and isn't currently used by anyone important so it doesn't matter

[@jehoiakimelidoronila5450]

Oh god pls no, I beg them. Because this time it's the freakin' *CIA* that's gon' get ya

[@interpl6089]

History of Mi-24/35 or Mi-8/17 Series Would be a Great Video and Would Greatly Complement the Heli Content.

[@IronSink]

Tbh with his video style and voice any piece of equipment would be interesting 100% agreed tho

[@righty5890]

oh yeah that'd be wonderful

[@f-104C_starfighter]

Oooooo I have a friend who would 100% love to see a vid on the MI-8s

[@MRptwrench]

Ol Jarhead here, and witnessed the AH-1 up thru the Zulu Viper, and several sea variants. Just an enlisted grunt, but seeing those skinny locusts roar over before unleashing hell on target got the juices flowin every time. And the Warrant Officers that flew them strutted just like Navy & Marine fighter pilots, just a little bit more gray in the temples. Much respect.

[@kyleolson8977]

"Interim Solution 2: Attack Helo Boogaloo" It's the story of a group of dancers saving the community center by blowing up the evil developer's bulldozers with attack choppers.

[@denverbeek]

This should be the actual plot of Stardew Valley

[@bryanrussell6679]

The built-in ash trays were a hilarious sign of the times.

[@herrakaarme]

Back in those days, when you went to a clinic due to some health issues, you often found the doctor smoking in his office. A sign of the times, indeed.

[@ekscalybur]

I'm not a young man, and Cobras were very old and being replaced by Apaches when I was a kid. The fact that new models are still in production and still in active duty service is astonishing.

[@Killerduck0213]

If my memory serves the US Marine Corps still uses the newer models as well as the newer versions of the Huey.

[@jj4791]

The Huey is still made in many different variants mostly for Civilian use.

[@alangeddes268]

1968 I was in school to become a Huey crew chief and we were introduced to the Cobra which was brand new. We thought of it as a sports car. Huey mechanics could work on them as other than weapons systems and airframe shape were so similar.

[@michaelhowell2326]

We were doing vehicle ID class in OSUT and the Iroquois came up on a slide. One of the guys called it the "Iraqis" and just couldn't understand why would name a helicopter after the country we were warring with. I don't know why that has stuck with me so long but has.

[@adamfrazer5150]

😳........🤣 Thanks for hanging on to this memory - can't imagine actually h e a r i n g someone say that 👍👍

[@petergray2712]

Funny thing..... the word Iroquois is a nonsense word with no actual meaning. A British Anglican bishop got tired of trying to say "Hauddenosaunee" (which is the correct endonym for the six nation confederacy) and came up with the word that was both simple to say and yet remained exotic enough that he could pass it off as being Native American. Thus, it exists along other bs American names like "Idaho" and "Vermont."

[@Mthammere2010]

Didn't know that insult​@@petergray2712 probably why God let it be buried; to not offend the Proto-Americans.

[@stevewhisperer6609]

Great birds! I started my Army career off in 1990 and worked on ECAS models, ( Armament Dawg here.) By 1991/1992, my unit turned in the ECAS birds and got 'F' models. Had the 'F' models until the mid '90s when the Army started retiring them and transitioned to Kiowa Warriors. I'm looking forward to your future videos on the Cobra. Thank you!

[@steveasman1506]

I worked on ECAS birds in the mid 80's, also in armaments. I was a 68J. Were yo a 68J or 68M?

[@stevewhisperer6609]

@@steveasman1506 68J

[@desertrat592]

I was a 68J also. Worked AH1Q in Germany from 76 to 79. AH1G whenbI got back to the states. Then moved over to a new attack unit and worked some ECAS before getting the new Modernized S. I got out in 82 and was able to work Cobras in Fresno at the AVCRAD.

[@roseanneroseannadanna9651]

My father (who passed last July 87yrs) was instrumental in setting up the first squadrons of Cobras in Vietnam and one of the first to combat certify Cobras. I think the chopper with the Playboy logo on engine cowling is his chopper.

[@igorpniak8308]

AH-1 Cobra is so amazing that ~15 minutes video is not enough. We need continuation about it later development and capabilities.

[@Wes-ku9tb]

As soon as you mentioned the standard ashtray equipment, i was sold

[@peghead]

Ahhh, , , the 60's. . .

[@PhantomLover007]

I have flown in both the Iroquois and the Cobra. I rode front seat in the cobra a few years ago. In Georgia there is a group called the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation, and they offer rides at airshows and at their base camp in Hampton, Georgia. Huey slicks usually cost around $90-$100 and rides in the cobra are around $700.

[@jalenjohnson6187]

I think the AH-56 needs a reboot.

[@SeannoG1]

Do you think the next AH-1 model will reset from Z to AA? Like on an Excel spreadsheet

[@AHappyCub]

💀💀

[@PhantomLover007]

Maybe the Cobra II..

[@herrakaarme]

AA means anti-aircraft in the military terminology, so it would give a wrong impression.

[@pdxbohica]

At 12:00 is a ship from my Platoon, 1st platoon (Playboys), 334th AHC ("First With Guns"), 145th Aviation Battalion, 1st Aviation Brigade. First Gunships platoon in VN, 1st Cobras in VN. I was a Crew Chief on the oldest Cobra in the Platoon, '68-'69.

[@carlcrisp8700]

The 114th AHC (Knights) arrived in RVN in May of 1963. Their gun platoon was called the Lancers at that time, but became the Cobras shortly there after.

[@user-dt2rv7mp4b]

I worked at Bell in the 90s. They had a stealth cobra at plant 5. It looked like it was all add on, and probably heavy.

[@RinkyRoo2021]

Wouldn't that be classified?

[@heathb4319]

@@RinkyRoo2021 ....only for so long like 7 years after you leave and such or what ever it may be for said project. And if this was 94 then it has been 30 years so far and the whole stealth whatever is being adapted by lots of countries by now. And while most counties were working on something similar it isn't a breach to say broad ideas or experiments...you just can't say the details of what and how it works. I can say we are working on a plane that can fly in atmo and out like in Stargate Sg1 x 302 program. But if i say how we are doing it then im in trouble.

[@Bucketroo]

I thought I knew a lot about the Cobra, but I had no idea the original design had retractable skids! It's so weird seeing it fly around without skids!

[@crazyralph6386]

They look meaner with the skids

[@zeroyaka42]

He actually made the AH1 history video, LET'S GOOO!!

[@__gosk8__]

…”At that same time in the early sixties people were starting to make the new T.A.C.O From Bell”

[@heinrichzerbe]

I'm excited about this series. Thank you, and may there be plenty more like this to come.

[@slobodanmitic1354]

First helicopters appeared even in late WW2, as a concept even before that, not in the late 1940s. By that time they were well known.

[@carlanderson7618]

The Air Commandos started using them in the CBI theater around 1943/44 IIRC

[@FLMKane]

Epic thumbnail. Cobra looks great with Gundam colors

[@Zarumee]

Awesome video, was really looking forward this one on the Cobra, and I'm glad I finally caught it! Subscribed and looking forward to the next part!

[@chickendude1695]

Love your videos and would really like to see more on aircraft like this one

[@jacuzzibusguy]

This was a great documentary! Thank you for the effort. I really enjoyed it.

[@juusolatva]

we have seen the transport helicopter and the gunship, so next we need to see them combined in one

[@localcrew]

That cobra head handle is LIT! Just subscribed!

[@dansmagicalcreations2162]

11:20 Getting aHEAD of ourselves… good one Red Wrench

[@mattdownes6361]

Great video, very informative

[@nickprice2165]

I was on a youtube tank binge all of last year, now I’m moving on to ships and helicopters. Great vid. Consider an Apache video!

[@bigredc222]

Very Good. Thank you.

[@bobwilson758]

Hell of a transmission - Good stuff . Thanks

[@mrpoool1015]

Yes I've been waiting for this

[@carlcrisp8700]

The ship allegedly got it's famous nickname when the engineers from Bell - Textron were visiting different Army helicopter units in RVN to get feedback from gunship crews as to what a dedicated "attack" helicopter should be able to do. They were visiting the 114th Assault Helicopter Co. at Vinh Long Army Airfield in the Mekong Delta and noticed the call sign of the gunship platoon of the 114th. That call sign was "Cobra". That name seemed to fit the idea of the long, slim and dangerous version of the Huey airframe envisioned by Bell. So...the "Huey Cobra" was born. I flew with the 114th's First Lift Platoon (Red Knights) out of Vinh Long as a crew chief / door gunner from 11/69 to 10/70.

[@Bryan-cd9cl]

🎉 nice vidéo... Well done documented too... congrats bro 🙏

[@thedudeabides3138]

This is a really well researched, narrated and edited essay, thank you for all your hard work. Immediate Sub and Like.

[@RedWrenchFilms]

Very kind - thanks so much.

[@StupidPerson-dh9bj]

My Physics teacher used to fly one these. Coolest dude you’ll meet.

[@rogerdavis2056]

Great video thanks!

[@saltygeorge]

THX alot !!!

[@KapiteinKrentebol]

Funny to see how much effort was put into making the AH-1 as sleek as possible only for to later versions to get more bloated.

[@lochnessmonster5149]

Range, speed, and firepower. With a mini-gun, rocket pods, and a 40mm grenade launcher, It's essentially a Marine Corps heavy weapons platoon strapped to a high performance sports car in the sky. It really was an ingenius helicopter and might be the most beautiful one that's ever flown.

[@MedicalTape_xX]

I will never stop cheyenne posting

[@GodSoloGames]

The Cobra is my favorite helicopter

[@juh503]

Great vid❤

[@SmedleyDouwright]

Still the best looking attack helicopter.

[@s_e-LBR]

Finally, AH-1 video.

[@michaelmulligan0]

4:29 that helicopter looks so like a OV10 Bronco with rotors

[@ronjon7942]

Ha! That is great; yes, it does.

[@olegadodasguerras3795]

Nice vídeo Man

[@coucoul38]

I love the JGSDF versions, the Japanese camo is just soooo beautiful 🤩

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Great video...👍

[@Run1212]

Well done 👍🏼

[@ridhobaihaqi144]

With ash tray 🚬🚬

[@stevewhisperer6609]

Some of the birds still had ash trays up into the 90's.

[@user-qp6to8qh9x]

Fantastic video Nice

[@Penultimeat]

Some designs you get correct right away

[@choprjock]

I flew UH-1C gunships and the one advantage it had over the Cobra was the two door gunners. (Two extra pairs of eyes, and the ability to shoot out the sides of the aircraft.)

[@jj4791]

I always wondered what could be done with a couple of Dillion miniguns in addition to the helmet aimed, 30mm chain gun. This in conjunction with composite survivable designs that can stop a .50 cal, and survive a 23mm would be pretty useful against insurgents.

[@FloridaManMatty]

The AH-56 sits at or near the top of the short list of aircraft that SHOULD have been produced. It’s up there with the F-20, F-16XL, and YF-23.

[@ronjon7942]

Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

[@user-uc6bf5ze3b]

I remember my step father in a picture on a shake test of the cobra . I worked drive systems test in the 90s, and they had a stealth cobra. It was a proof of concept and looked like the panels were installed over the Cobra's original skin. In 97 they were still building new ones in Arlington.

[@jehoiakimelidoronila5450]

Also, I like the marketing in which they put a literal snake head over the collective stick Been thinking of that strategy for years

[@mike7652]

I've always loved this chopper. Probably my favorite heli ever, even over the Apache (but barely). Definitely not the retractable skids though, looks better with fixed skids for sure!

[@jsgaminghub9402]

More please

[@youngthaiarfssoldier8732]

So after AH-1, what you think of doing Mil Mi-24 next?

[@Jmfanslau]

Patiently waiting for part 2 😢

[@marcbrasse747]

Excellent timeline. Never knew about the 207. 👍👍👍

[@IronSink]

Ngl as interesting as cobra is ... Im still after that tease you gave at end of is-6 vid lol

[@wesleyallan7436]

Cobras were named after the 114th aviation company 3rd aviation aviation battalion VN, In vinh long on the Mekong river, south of Saigon This was a army outfit under MACV. White Knight and Red knights were the slicks & Gold knight was the command ship (road service). 14:33

[@EarthtoneEmar]

7:40 I bet seeing that much tech back then was amazing

[@danielmclaughlin9043]

Rolling in hot!

[@boathemian7694]

My test pilot friend says never ever try to loop a Cobra.

[@tasjan9190]

Pancaked the Huey and strapped some mini guns and rocket launchers to 'em, Fuk' yeah!!

[@CarlosCardoso2amissao]

An ashtray. Amazing!

[@Xristoforos41493]

I drive by the old Bell plant in Niagara Falls, NY everyday. They called it the Iroquois Warrior because Niagara Falls is in old Iroquois territory, specifically Tuscarora.

[@CharChar2121]

That is not why the AH-56 was canceled. It was canceled because the Air Force didn't feel comfortable with the Army being able to provide its own close air support and they wanted their A-10. Thus, we ended up with a worse attack helicopter and a shitty plane.

[@AHappyCub]

I think you're confusing it with the Comanche

[@gregdomenico1891]

No, their not.Megaprojects has a good video on the subject. Long story short; when the AF was created, they had to provide the Army with Close Air Support.(The Key West Agreement). The Army was prohibited from having armed Aircraft. The only reason the Army got the Cobra was because the AF didn't have anything slow enough for escort missions. When the AH-56 came into play, the War was ending, budgets were tight, and the AF lost their frigging minds.

[@blackopscw7913]

@@AHappyCubno, he isn't

[@aarondavies8486]

I watch the same video on a different channel but I'll watch it again because you have done a video on it

[@crazyralph6386]

Imagine being a grunt, door gunner or UH-1 pilot seeing one of these for the first time, in which it’s effortlessly pulling ahead of them in cruise? 😂

[@archiebotten4061]

nice

[@cheekibreeki4638]

Great vid! Cheyenne deserved better...

[@gregdomenico1891]

Any way you can add in the next video how the Army got around the Key West Agreement( pretty much telling the AF to screw off) so we could actually build and keep the Cobra?

[@gregsutton2400]

Fascinating to contrast with the adoption of the AR15, also a private venture.

[@kamakaziozzie3038]

The most impressive thing is both crewmen got their own ashtrays! I just purchased a $50K truck and it doesn’t even include *one* ashtray

[@jj4791]

^ This is a $35-50 feature. Smokers package. Also comes with the 12v lighter coil.

[@f-104C_starfighter]

After the AH-1 is done will you do the F-104 starfighters? Or maybe AH-64 apache, if it hasn't already been done, either way I wanna see you do one on us starfighters

[@thedungeondelver]

It's wild to think that the Cobra may still be flying after the Apache's retired & replaced!

[@ronjon7942]

Hard to say. Boeing still has the Apache in full production, in Mesa, AZ.

[@allentate3760]

I flew in a cobra two years ago. It was awesome. They told me the Huey flies like a school bus while the cobra is a sports car.

[@timeno1763]

Bell Helicopter rocks !!!

[@user-ti3fe6gg4s]

Love the Huey , love the Cobra .

[@LuckyAlternative]

We want part 2

[@stevenkmiller]

That's a lot of longevity for an interim solution.

[@raymondyee2008]

I heard of the comparison with the still in development AH-56 Gunship and in hindsight the AH-1 was easier to maintain than the AH-56. Size was also an issue with the AH-56 when you compare it with the AH-1. Smaller and a less pronounced heat signature was your best friend in Vietnam (take a hint).

[@jaymetaylor1509]

I actually know what happened to the cobra shaped collective head they showed on the door gunners controls. My father had it for a bit and there’s a story documenting it in the Vietnam Helicopter Pilot Association newsletter archives

[@WatcherMovie008]

*Fortunate Son intensifies*

[@DJJAW11]

...I literally adored flying these gals, in the Original BF2 game !,miss so 🥴😔

[@rex8255]

Creating a Cobra... 1. Take a Huey. 2. Squish it. 3. Put guns n tickets n stuff on it.

[@evreet2000]

Was a little disappointed you didn't mention the inspiration for the narrow fuselage. The original fuselage was only 36" wide. I was told "That's the same width as a Spitfire!"

[@jj4791]

The spitfire was 24" at the wing roots. And not much wider inside at the hips/shoulders. About the same as an RV-3 homebuilt airplane.

[@philliplopez8745]

When asked , who won the Vietnam war ? Always answer " Bell helicopter"

[@TexasGrandDad]

I turned wrenches on Cobras before going to OCS and branching Field Artillery. Sadly, I never had the vision required to be a pilot. Did get my pilot's license as a civilian.