During the Vietnam War, the Bell UH-1 transported troops but was vulnerable to enemy fire. In response, Bell developed the Cobra gunship, armed with miniguns, grenade launchers, and missiles.

Manufactured by Bell Helicopter (now known ... the chopper’s official name is the Bell AH-1 SuperCobra; the unofficial moniker of “Whiskey Cobra“ emanates from the NATO phonetic alphabet ...

The Army also continued to pursue an interim attack helicopter, and Bell developed the AH-1 Cobra two-seat attack helicopter, using the Huey’s transmission, engine, rotor system, and tail structure.

2 Originating from a concept demonstrator delivered to the U.S. Army in 1962 based upon a UH-1 Huey, the AH-1W Super Cobra is the world’s first attack helicopter. Marines have been flying the AH ...