Following the path of the UH-1 Huey. the Cobra was originally developed for the US Army. Delivered by Bell in 1967, the Cobra would log more than one million operational hours in Vietnam. This helicopter gunship packs an enormous punch with its array of armament featuring TOW missiles and Hellfire missiles along with a three barrel 20mm gun under the nose. An attack aircraft that marked enemy targets, Cobra’s also served as armed escorts for slower, vulnerable aircraft carrying personnel
| Type | Attack/Close-support Helicopter |
|---|---|
| Bureau Number | 159210 |
| Manufacturer | Bell |
| Powerplant | One 944-kW (1330-hp) Lycoming T53-L-13 or 1210-kW (1625-hp) T53-L-703 |
| Maximum Speed | 277 km/h (172 mph) |
| Cruising speed | 209 km/h (130 mph) |
| Range | 574 km (355 miles) |
| Service ceiling | 3530 m (11,600 ft) |
| Armament | One M197 20-mm cannon in nose turret and 998 kg (2200 lb) of weapons (XM-18 Minigun pods and XM-157 70-mm rocket pods) on four racks |
| Weights | Empty 2754 kg (6059 lb) Maximum take-‐off 4309 kg (9480 lb) |
| Dimensions | Main rotor diameter: 13.41 m (44 ft) Length, rotors turning: 16.26 m (53 ft 4 in) Height: 4.17 m (13ft 8 in) Rotor disc area: 141.26 m2 (1534 sq ft) |
