Evolved from the venerable Bell UH-1 "Huey," the Cobra AH-1 (Attack Helicopter) was the first helicopter specifically designed for direct fire support of ground troops. Early AH-1 units shared the Huey's engine and rotor, but not its cockpit—all Cobras were designed with tandem seating, an arrangement that presented a much narrower head-on target to the enemy.

Employed in every US combat action since 1967, various configurations of the Cobra have served the Army and National Guard through 2002, and a new version, the AH-1Z, is scheduled to deploy with the Marines in 2006. An immensely popular aircraft at home and abroad, the Cobra, in the words of one pilot, "enjoyed successes… that will probably never be equaled by another helicopter."

Battleship Cove's Cobra entered service as an AH-1G, but a TOW anti-tank missile system and an upgraded engine and transmission resulted in its final AH-1S designation. Recovered from an abandoned hangar at Rhode Island's Quonset Point Army Aviation Support Facility, this helicopter was restored by a number of Rhode Island National Guard volunteers led by longtime Battleship Cove volunteer John St. Laurent.

Teachers, set kids' imaginations soaring with this aviation workshop.

PHYSICS OF FLIGHT: Celebrate a century of flight as you examine a carrier plane, two helicopter gunships, and more than 300 model aircraft. Construct take-home flying machines as you study the evolution of aviation and thrust technology through activities that decipher scientific laws like Bernoulli’s Principle and Newton’s Laws of Motion.

Visit our education department to learn more about Battleship Cove's hands-on history, science and math workshops.