U. S. Army and Air Force Retired Helicopter Types Scrapbook

Photos by Del Laughery, Anne Taylor, Andrew Spry and Ken Kula

Here are twenty-four photos of U.S. Army, National Guard, and Air Force helicopter types that have been retired from service over the past half century, with captions containing the aircraft’s type. There might have been a few airframes still active in support roles after that year, but the type’s widespread retirement is noted here. The types may still be in service with other countries, but not with the user in these photos.

The Bell UH-1 “Huey” was retired from the U.S. Army in 2005, the Army National Guard around 2016. The U. S. Air Force still utilizes Hueys for training foreign pilots, as aggressors, and the UH-1N Twin Huey will soldier on for a few more years until the MH-139A Grey Wolf replaces them.  The Bell AH-1 Cobra was retired from the U. S. Army in 1999, and Guard forces in 2001.

The Air Force’s MH-53 Pave Low helicopters were withdrawn by March, 2008. The last Bell OH-58C was retired by the U. S. Army in 2020; earlier in 2016 the final OH-58 Kiowa Warriors were retired.

Please return to these pages periodically, as we’ll have another collection of retired U. S. Navy, Marine and Coast Guard helicopters too. Hover over the thumbnail for an ID, or click for an enlargement!