America’s Huey helicopter is probably the most iconic military rotorcraft in history. Specifically designed to operate in the jungle canopy of Asia, variants of this bird have operated in service to the US military for more than 40 years. 

For the United States Air Force, the final UH-1N Huey departed Yokota Air Base after 45 years of continuous service there. This marks the end of an era for the Air Force, which has now retired their final Huey as part of a larger modernization effort. But the helicopter is far from the end of its useful life; variants are still active in other branches of the US military, and it continues to serve in the inventories of dozens of other air forces around the world.

The United States military was looking for a new helicopter to conduct battlefield medical evacuation (“medevac”) missions. On February 23, 1955, Bell Helicopters won the contract from the United States Army. It would be redesigned and given the designation of “HU-1,” giving rise to the nickname “Huey.” The designation was ultimately changed to “UH-1,” but the nickname stuck. 

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter debuted on October 20, 1956, under the prototype designation of the “XH-40.” It entered US Army service three years later, in 1959. It soon became the primary helicopter used throughout America’s war in Vietnam—

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