A Case of Déjà vu

When I saw this picture on the front page of The Straits Times on Monday, especially when the newspaper was folded and only showing the two Bell Huey helicopters against the skyline, I thought it was 'Nam all over again.

Turned out they were actually Pakistani Army helicopters distributing relief supplies from the air to flood-affected residents of Nowshera in Pakistan's north-west Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa province. The death toll from Pakistan's worst floods in living memory topped 1,100 as outbreaks and waterborne disease emerged and penniless survivors sought refuge from the raging torrents.

The Bell the UH-1 was the first turbine-powered helicopter to enter production for the United States military, and more than 16,000 have been produced worldwide. The first combat operation of the UH-1 was in the service of the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. The original designation of HU-1 led to the helicopter's nickname of Huey. In September 1962, the designation was changed to UH-1, but Huey remained in common use. Approximately 7,000 UH-1 aircraft saw service in Vietnam. [source: wiki]

Sights like these have become familiar to many of us and the many Vietnam War movies that have been released only served to reinforce the images

The UH-1 has long been a symbol of US involvement in Southeast Asia in general and Vietnam in particular, and as a result of that conflict, has become one of the world's most recognized helicopters. In Vietnam primary missions included general support, air assault, cargo transport, aeromedical evacuation, search and rescue, electronic warfare, and later, ground attack.

The US Army phased out the UH-1 with the introduction of the UH-60 Black Hawk.