@ Merritt Island, FL
September 2021
This fully loaded Bell AH-1 Cobra (68-17023) can be seen on display at the Brevard Veterans Memorial Center. This gunship was originally delivered to the US Army as an AH-1G, then transferred to the USMC then back to the Army. Converted to AH-1S, then later to AH-1F configuration. The AH-1 was the backbone of the United States Army’s attack helicopter fleet, but has been replaced by the AH-64 Apache. First flown in 1965, it was developed using the engine, transmission and rotor system of the Bell UH-1 Iroquois. This head-on view clearly shows the narrow fuselage of the Cobra, presenting a small target for enemy fire. There are M200 rocket launchers on inboard pylons and TOW Missile launchers on the outboard. The U.S. Army retired the AH-1 from active service in March 1999, offering them to NATO allies.
