Bell 214

The Bell 214 is a medium-lift helicopter derived from Bell Helicopter's UH-1 Huey series, announced in 1970 as the Huey Plus. Its first prototype used a Bell 205 airframe with a 1,900 shp Lycoming engine, and the Bell 214A that followed was evaluated by the Imperial Iranian Armed Forces, who ordered 287 aircraft. Bell delivered 296 Bell 214A and 39 Bell 214C helicopters before the Iranian Revolution of 1979 ended plans for Iranian production, and Bell then turned the type toward the civilian market. A single Lycoming LTC4B-8 engine of 2,930 shp and an upgraded rotor system give the Bell 214 a high lifting capacity and good performance at high temperatures and altitudes. The twin-engined Bell 214ST shares the model number but is a larger, much-modified aircraft.