Encyclopedia of the Persian Gulf War

Page 283

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U-2R Spyplane–USS Stark Incident

U-2R Spyplane

See TR-1A.

UAV

See Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

UH-1H/N Huey Iroquois

Built by Bell Helicopter Textron of Fort Worth, Texas, the UH-1H/N saw action with U.S. Army and Marine contingents during the Gulf War. According to the military report Desert Score, “Two Marine UH-1Ns flying from the U.S.S. Okinawa were lost in the Northern Arabian Sea in October [1990]. One from the USS Tripoli crashed into the Pacific in December while enroute to the Persian Gulf. During the buildup and execution of Desert Storm, the UH-1Ns were the Marine Corps’ principal light utility helicopter. Some were fitted with Nite Eagle Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR)/laser designator pods . . . used to designate targets at night. During Desert Storm, 50 Marine Corps UH-1Ns—30 flying from shore bases and 20 from amphibious ships—flew 1,016 sorties.”

The UH-1 variants have a fuselage length of 42 feet 4 inches (12.9 m) and an overall length of 56 feet 3 inches (17.15 m). Empty weight is 5,550 pounds (2,517 kg) for the UH-1H and 5,997 pounds (2,720 kg) for the UH-1N. The helicopter is powered by either a single Lycoming T53-L-13 turboshaft, which provides 1,400 shaft horsepower (shp) (the H variant) or by two Pratt & Whitney of Canada PT6T-3B-1 turboshafts, which together provide 1,800 shp. It has the capability of carrying two crew (pilot and copilot), with the option of a third crew member, and from 11 to 14 troops.

References:

Almond, Denise L., ed., Desert Score: U.S. Gulf War Weapons (Washington, DC: Carroll Publishing, 1991), 110–111;

Sea Power: The Official Publication of the Navy League of the United States 37: 1 (January 1994), 214.

UH-1H/N Huey Iroquois

A U.S. Navy UH-1H Huey Iroquois helicopter leaves the flight deck of the USS Tripoli during minesweeping operations following the close of Desert Storm.

UH-60 Blackhawk

Brigadier General Robert H. Scales, Jr., called the Blackhawk one of the “Big Five” weapons systems of the U.S. military. The U.S. Army’s version of the exportable S-70B Seahawk, the UH-60 flew ten sorties for USSOCCENT (U.S. Special Operations Command Central) during the Persian Gulf War.

Powered by two General Electric T700-GE-701C turboshaft engines providing 1,800 shaft horsepower (shp) each, the UH-60 has a fuselage length of 50 feet ¾ inch (15.26 m) and a rotor diameter of 53 feet 8 inches (16.36 m). The copter weighs 11,500 pounds (5,216 kg) empty and up to 23,500 pounds (10,660 kg) loaded. It has a maximum cruising speed of 173 mph (278 km/h), with an unrefueled range of 363 miles (584 km); with the addition of four external fuel tanks, the range increases to 1,380 miles (2,220 km). It carries a crew of 3 and either 11 to 14 troops, or 6 litters and 1 to 3 attendants for medical evacuation and/or treatment. Armaments include pylons for Hellfire missiles, mine distributors, and ECM (electronic countermeasures) pods. Israel is currently forming a small squadron of ten UH-60s, which it has renamed Nammer (Tiger).

See also

S-70B Seahawk.

References:

Scales, Robert H., Jr., Certain Victory: The United States Army in the Gulf War (Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, 1993);

Taylor, John W. R., and Kenneth Munson, “Gallery of Middle East Airpower,” Air Force 77:10 (October 1994), 67.

UH-60 Black Hawk

A U.S. Army UH-60L Black Hawk lifts a howitzer.

Underway Replenishment Ships, Coalition

Underway replenishment ships (URSs) were used by five coalition nations to replenish their supplies during the Gulf War. Such tankers and ships furnish a nation’s overseas military forces with food, oil, munitions, and other combat supplies and materiel.

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