The U.S. Marine Corps will say goodbye to a long-serving utility helicopter type in September as it retires its last UN-1N Iroquois, almost universally known as the “Huey,” after 43 years of service. The UH-1N is being replaced by the UH-1Y Venom, a highly upgraded version of the UH-1N.
The last UH-1Ns, built by Bell Helicopter, are operated by Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773 (HMLA-773), a reserve squadron split between three locations: Robins Air Force Base, Ga.; Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, La.; and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. HMLA-773 took the UH-1N on its last deployment, in which two UH-1Ns sailed on a Royal Netherlands Navy ship in 2013 for an African Partnership Station deployment.
HMLA-773 already has begun transition to the UH-1Y. The squadron also operates the AH-1W Super Cobra gunship version.
For the complete story by Richard R. Burgess of SEAPOWER Magazine, click here.
Photo by USMC
