Original Item. Only One Available. The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helicopter in service with the United States military.

The Iroquois was first used in combat operations during the Vietnam War, the first examples being deployed in March 1962. It was used for various purposes, including conducting general support, air assault, cargo transport, aeromedical evacuation, search and rescue, electronic warfare, and ground attack missions. Armed Iroquois gunships carried a variety of weapons, including rockets, grenade launchers, and machine guns, and were often modified in the field to suit specific operations. The United States Air Force deployed its Iroquois to Vietnam, using them to conduct reconnaissance operations, psychological warfare, and other support roles. Other nations' armed air services, such as the Royal Australian Air Force, also dispatched their own Iroquois to Vietnam. In total, around 7,000 Iroquois were deployed in the Vietnam theatre, over 3,300 of which were believed to be destroyed. Various other conflicts have seen combat deployments of the Iroquois, such as the Rhodesian Bush War, Falklands War, War in Afghanistan, and the 2007 Lebanon conflict.

This is a fantastically scarce offering that will become the centerpiece of any mancave or Vietnam War collection. This is a great example of the Crew Chief’s seat off of a UH-1 Huey. The seat comes with the original period safety belts and the original period base. The cloth covering was replaced with a more modern example to make the seat safer and usable.

The green fabric cover on the chair retains markings:

97499 P/N 205-070-703-7
CDA 76912 P/N ACA-4431-7
SPM4A7-09-M-3844
MFG DATE 08APR09

Both of the belts retain their data tags:

BELT, SAFETY, LAP, TROOP
TYPE C-3A
SPEC. NO. MIL-B-8242A (USAF)
S/N 1680-447-9504
CONT. NO. DA23-204-AMC-03200 (Y)
DATE OF MFG. MAY 1965
AERIAL MACH & TOOL CORP. L.I.C., N.Y.

The bottom of the four legs of the chair have KINEDYNE connections for attachment to the base. The base measures 27¾ x 28½ x 1½” and retains all four connection points. When fully put together, the seat is roughly 40” tall. 

The ubiquitous Bell Model 204 utility helicopter made its first flight in 1956. It was adopted by the US Army in 1959 as the UH-1 Iroquois. It is still in line to name the US Army helicopters after the Native American Indian tribes. This helicopter is unofficially known as the Huey. It was the first turbine-powered aircraft to serve with the US Army. It replaced Piasecki H-21 and Sikorsky CH-34 in the US Army service. Eventually than 11 000 of UH-1 series helicopters were built. In a modern form this utility helicopter continues to serve to this day.

The UH-1 was the most successful utility helicopter ever built, overtaking the Russian Mi-8/Mi-17. Improved and upgraded variants of the UH-1 remain in widespread use.

The UH-1 was the workhorse of the US Army in during Vietnam War. This transport helicopter was used for various purposes. Typical missions were transport of troops, fuel, ammunition and supplies, gunship mission, and medical evacuation mission. During that war, the UH-1 revolutionized warfare, adding a new dimensions to air mobility. A new "air cavalry" concept was pioneered. It enabled soldiers to move from one firefight to another by air, leapfrogging the enemy and seizing the advantage. Even battalion-sized units were moved from one battlefield to another. However thousands of these helicopters were lost to enemy small arms fire.

A fantastic piece, ready for further research and display.