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Bell Model 207 (Sioux Scout)

1963 COLD WAR X-PLANE

History of the Bell 207 (Sioux Scout)

This helicopter proved its worth on the battlefield in various roles during the Korean War (1950-1953), among them the stellar Bell Model 47 (described in detail elsewhere on this page), a very A lightweight, practical form of helicopter. The Type 47 first flew on December 8, 1945, and entered service in 1946.

By the time the Korean War broke out, it had become the H-13 Su, with production reaching 5,600 before the end, with operators all over the world.

With this in mind, Army war planners began to envision a future in which gunship helicopters would dominate the battlefield, and the concept of the "attack helicopter" helicopter was born, simply modifying the service type in various ways for use in the attack role. Soon after, The concept of dedicated "attack helicopters" came to fruition, and these machines brought decisive qualities to make the platform of everything on the battlefield as deadly as possible.

On the ground, the helicopter is mounted on a fixed four-point double carriage assembly, giving the machine a strong mass while simplifying maintenance and operating costs. The main rotor is mounted on a thin mast and consists of a simple two-blade assembly.

The tail rotor unit has the same simplified twin-blade design, facing the starboard side of the helicopter, encapsulated in a thin protective ring to protect it from ground impacts.

The Type 207 was powered by a 260 hp Lycoming TVO-435-A1A 6-cylinder air-cooled piston engine, driving both the main and tail rotor blades.

On June 27, 1963, the Type 207 made its maiden flight in its modified form and offered better performance and handling than the original Type 47. During the remainder of the development phase, the structure underwent various changes to improve every feature of the existing airframe.

The completed model was then handed over to the Army for testing by the end of the year, and was evaluated in 1964 - leading to a decrease in the Army's interest in the machine, with deficiencies identified as lacking the power and size required for the specified attack.

However, based on this claim, the service developed the need to establish the Advanced Air Fire Support System (AAFSS) program, which eventually adopted Bell's newer D-262 approach (the size of the original D-255) smaller) debuted in 1962). This is another attack helicopter concept based on the UH-1.

The contract for the project was ultimately awarded to the competing Lockheed AH-64 "Cheyenne" design (described in detail elsewhere on this site), which itself did not materialize more than a dozen prototypes and developed forms, and marked Lockheed's Sid's only foray into the helicopter market.

On the other hand, the Type 207 is just a footnote in the history of Army aviation. After all this work, Bell Helicopter finally succeeded by selling its Model 209 helicopter to the U.S.

Army, which entered service as the AH-1 Huey Cobra attack helicopter, while retaining the important features that the model recognized many years ago 207 Founding: Two-seater cockpit, skid-rail landing gear, two-blade main and tail rotors, side-mounted stubs and powered chin tower.