Bell helicopters: these Bells need no whistles!

If any helicopter deserves to be introduced with a concise history of the helicopter at war, it's Bell. So many veterans owe their lives to the Bell Huey, that Bell has become the word in "choppers at war".

After World War II, military helicopters were not widely used. While being employed for supply and rescue missions, their limited design restricted their usage. This continued in the Korean War but on November 4, 1952, via an agreement signed by the Army and Air Force, the helicopter advanced into combat zones.

The Vietnam War saw the U.S. greatly increase the usage of air mobility. Troops from the Army of the Republic of Viet Nam (ARVN) were sent to fight Viet Cong guerillas using helicopters with initial success, before the guerillas found ways to combat this during the crucial AP BAC stand. They were taught how to shoot down the H-21 and Huey helicopters, and the air threat was greatly reduced as a result.

In spite of this, the U.S. Army broadened their scope of ground attacks via helicopters. By the mid-1960’s, the Army’s helicopters now not only ferried huge troop forces, but also larger fleets combined with bomb and rocket carpeting of opposing armies by fixed-wing airplanes. Using the helicopter, the U.S. Army could engineer rapid deployment and withdrawal of troops into, and from, enemy territory, which was a far cry from slow engagement over ground forces. It could also launch surprise attacks on enemies with less reaction time. The Ch-47 Chinook and UH-1 Huey were widely used for such purposes.

Armed helicopters evolved, providing cover and support for ground troops. Helicopter gunships as the AH-1 Cobra featured wide-ranging artillery. The Vietnam War had its greatest representative weapon in the Huey. Other countries like Great Britain and the ex Soviet Union copied the U.S.’s lead. However, most countries limited it to troop deployment against rebel groups, primarily using U.S. helicopters.

With the end of the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army continued to refine its combat aviation capabilities as they became less reliant on the U.S. Air Force. The looming threat in Europe of a Soviet ground offensive became their focus, and once again, the helicopter was the primary weapon.

The HueyCobra with heavy artillery was used against deep enemy targets. Utilizing technology that facilitated attacks under night cover, the Army bombarded the larger Soviet ground forces with missiles. Helicopters with sophisticated laser-guided missiles to cripple tanks became a fixture in the 1980s. The benefits of these developments were shown in the Persian Gulf War. Iraqi ground troops and artillery were crushed through tactical maneuvers that hinged on the mobility provided by U.S. attack helicopters.

From infancy, helicopters have been a mainstay in Combat Search and Rescue missions. Notable results were achieved during the East European wars as the Bosnia crisis and the Yugoslavia bombing in 1999, while Vietnam offered more than its share of highlight reels. The helicopter has also proved to be perfect for submarine hunting and anti-shipping missions, over-the-horizon targeting and deep sea mine clearing. They are more mobile than ships, and cannot be targeted by enemy submarines.

Despite increasing military usage, the helicopter still lacks in speed, range and lifting capabilities. However, with continued research and development by aircraft manufacturers worldwide, the helicopter could see an even wider future role and greater impact in the field.

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