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Helicopter

United States

Bell

UH-1Y Venom

A twin-engine medium utility helicopter for the U.S. Marine Corps, extensively modernized from the UH-1N Twin Huey with a four-blade rotor, glass cockpit and uprated engines. It shares major components with the AH-1Z Viper under the USMC H-1 upgrade program.

In service since 2008 · 2 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-05

304

km/h

240

km range

6,100

m ceiling

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

US ITAR-controlled

Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.

Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale

Fielded & proven

Limited · 2 operators

In service since 2008. Status: active.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.: 304 km/h

Stronger than 59% of helicopters
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.: 240 km

Bottom 1% of helicopters
Service ceiling Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.: 6,100 m

Stronger than 84% of helicopters

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 2x pintle-mounted GAU-21 / M240D machine guns or GAU-17 miniguns
Secondary armament Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods.: 2x Hydra 70 rocket pods
Hardpoints External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.: 2

Bottom 5% of helicopters

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 17.78 m
Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.: 4.5 m
Empty weight Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.: 5,371 kg
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.: 8,391 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.: 2

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Engine Powerplant model and type.: 2x General Electric T700-GE-401C turboshafts
Engines Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.: 2
Engine power Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.: 1,546 hp

Stronger than 35% of helicopters
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…: Turboshaft

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 2

Stronger than 40% of helicopters

Specifications compiled from public Bell and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-05.

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