This early experience using UH-1s in Vietnam (this is the Utility Tactical Transport Helicopter Company - UTTHCo - an experimental unit intended to both transport ARVN units and help develop US Army airmobile doctrine) deployed in late '62 and into '63 revealed serious shortcomings in the original UH-1A Huey. The main problem was lack of power. Gunship UH-1As with 850 shp T53 engines struggled to keep up even with the lumbering H-21 piston powered transports moseying along at about 80 kts. This led to the B model UH-1 with about 950 horsepower, which was still found to be insufficient. The D model slick transport Huey thus got the 1100 horsepower T53-11 engines of 1100 shp, and this same -11 was fitted to later B model gunships. Even this was not enough - a heavily laden B model with the -11 engine could still only maintain perhaps 90kts on a hot day. So the C model gunship was developed with T53-13 1400 shp engine and a new and larger rotor, which allowed the gunships to more or less keep up with the transports. The -13 engine was also to be found in the definitive Huey, the UH-1H slick transport. The problem of a truly effective and adequate transport escort and gunship was not solved until the AH-1G Cobra came into service in 1967. Even still, the pressing need for ever greater amounts of firepower to deal with the total armed commitment of North Vietnam to conquering the South meant that gunship Hueys remained in service until the closing days of US involvement in Vietnam in 1972. Anyway, more than anyone ever wanted to know.
Interesting summary. I wasn't aware the A models had been used on active service. Strange too to see the Browning LMG's fitted to gunships, and the crewmen carrying M1 or M2 carbines.
Really diggin you're channel over the years. I play DCS World flight sim, and recently bought the UH-1H "Huey" Iroquois module. Some of your vids have been indispensable learning it. So cool.
This early experience using UH-1s in Vietnam (this is the Utility Tactical Transport Helicopter Company - UTTHCo - an experimental unit intended to both transport ARVN units and help develop US Army airmobile doctrine) deployed in late '62 and into '63 revealed serious shortcomings in the original UH-1A Huey. The main problem was lack of power. Gunship UH-1As with 850 shp T53 engines struggled to keep up even with the lumbering H-21 piston powered transports moseying along at about 80 kts. This led to the B model UH-1 with about 950 horsepower, which was still found to be insufficient. The D model slick transport Huey thus got the 1100 horsepower T53-11 engines of 1100 shp, and this same -11 was fitted to later B model gunships. Even this was not enough - a heavily laden B model with the -11 engine could still only maintain perhaps 90kts on a hot day. So the C model gunship was developed with T53-13 1400 shp engine and a new and larger rotor, which allowed the gunships to more or less keep up with the transports. The -13 engine was also to be found in the definitive Huey, the UH-1H slick transport.
The problem of a truly effective and adequate transport escort and gunship was not solved until the AH-1G Cobra came into service in 1967. Even still, the pressing need for ever greater amounts of firepower to deal with the total armed commitment of North Vietnam to conquering the South meant that gunship Hueys remained in service until the closing days of US involvement in Vietnam in 1972.
Anyway, more than anyone ever wanted to know.
Interesting summary. I wasn't aware the A models had been used on active service. Strange too to see the Browning LMG's fitted to gunships, and the crewmen carrying M1 or M2 carbines.
Viet- Nami’s! That is fantastic.
this narrator is a hoot! sounds like he just learned viet - nahm was a thing. viet-nahm-eeze...
Really diggin you're channel over the years. I play DCS World flight sim, and recently bought the UH-1H "Huey" Iroquois module. Some of your vids have been indispensable learning it. So cool.
"Saigon... shit; I'm still only in Saigon... Every time I think I'm gonna wake up back in the jungle."
~ Captain Willard
I wonder if that was Hal Moore at the start of the video the man that lead the battle of ir drang
Pretty sure he was a Lt. Colonel not a captain
@@eastcoastgrandison4855 Don't think he was in country at this point, either.
looking for information on helos flying off the Oriskany in 1969 into Danang. Suggestions on how to find that info?
Who is here coming from DCS?😂