According to a contract released by the U.S. DoD (Department of Defense) on September 4, 2020, American company Bell Textron Inc. based in Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $272,161,641 fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract for the production and delivery of eight UH-1Y and four AH-1Z helicopters for the government of the Czech Republic.
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A UH-1Y Huey helicopter with U.S. Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Reinforced), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), lands on USS New Orleans (LPD 18). (Picture source U.S. DoD)
In May 2019, the U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Czech Republic of four AH-1Z attack helicopters and related equipment for an estimated cost of $205 million.
The Government of Czech Republic has requested to buy four (4) AH-1Z attack helicopters, eight (8) T700-GE-701D engines (installed), eight (8) Honeywell Embedded Global Positioning Systems with Inertial Navigation (EGI) and Precise Positioning Service (PPS) (installed), and fourteen (14) AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. Also included is communication equipment, electronic warfare systems, M197 20mm machine guns, Target Sight System, support equipment, spare engine containers, spare and repair parts, tools and test equipment, technical data and publications, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics and program support.
In October 2017, the U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Czech Republic for UH-1Y utility helicopters. The Government of the Czech Republic has requested the possible sale of twelve (12) UH-1Y utility helicopters, twenty-five (25) T-700 GE 401C engines (twenty-four (24) installed, one (1) spare), thirteen (13) Honeywell Embedded GPS/INS (EGI) (twelve (12) installed, one (1) spare), and twelve (12) 7.62mm M240 Machine Guns.
The Bell AH-1Z dubbed Viper is an American twin-engine attack helicopter, based on the AH-1W SuperCobra, that was developed for the United States Marine Corps as part of the H-1 upgrade program. It incorporates new rotor technology with upgraded military avionics, weapons systems, and electro-optical sensors in an integrated weapons platform. It has improved survivability and can find targets at longer ranges and attack them with precision weapons.
The AH-1Z's new bearingless, hingeless rotor system has 75% fewer parts than that of four-bladed articulated systems. The blades are made of composites, which have an increased ballistic survivability, and there is a semiautomatic folding system for storage aboard amphibious assault ships.[8] Its two redesigned wing stubs are longer, with each adding a wingtip station for a missile such as the AIM-9 Sidewinder. Each wing has two other stations for 2.75-inch (70 mm) Hydra 70 rocket pods, or AGM-114 Hellfire quad missile launchers. The AN/APG-78 Longbow fire control radar can also be mounted on a wingtip station.
The Bell UH-1Y nicknamed Venom is a twin-engined, medium-sized utility helicopter, built by Bell Helicopter under the H-1 upgrade program of the United States Marine Corps.
The UH-1Y variant modernizes the UH-1 design. Its most noticeable upgrade over previous variants is a four-blade, all-composite rotor system designed to withstand up to 23 mm rounds. A 21-inch (530 mm) fuselage extension just forward of the main door has been added for more capacity. The UH-1Y features upgraded engines and transmissions, a digital cockpit with flat-panel multifunctional displays, and an 84% parts commonality with the AH-1Z. Compared to the UH-1N, the Y-model has an increased payload, almost 50% greater range, a reduction in vibration, and higher cruising speed.
AH-1Z Viper attach helicopter of U.S. Marine (Picture source Wikimedia)
