Three more Huey II helicopters donated to Lebanon

Late January 2021, exact date unknown, three UH-1H-IIs destined for the Lebanese Air Force (LAF) have been airlifted by an Antonov Airlines An-124 Ruslan to Beirut Air Base (Lebanon). 

United States Ambassador Dorothy Shea participated in a small ceremony to commemorate the donation of the three Huey IIs, highlighting the importance of ongoing cooperation and coordination between the United States and Lebanon, specifically in the defence sector.  The trio, which will form a critical part of the LAF’s border and land security operations, are valued at over USD 32 million.

The Huey II is an upgraded version of Bell UH-1H multi-mission, medium-lift helicopter, designed and manufactured by Bell Helicopter, a subsidiary of Textron at Fort Worth (TX). The upgrade is intended to provide improved performance over the standard version.

The new second-hand Hueys, as can be seen, did not carry any serials or markings yet. On 29 September 2014, the US State Department announced a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Lebanon for eighteen Huey IIs  and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of USD 180 million.

In our database we only have serials L-1201 through L-1209 and a few more construction numbers for which we do not have a tie-up with 12 squadron at Beirut . It looks like these three Huey IIs might be the last of the above mentioned FMS contract.

Photos: via Twitter Harry Boone (@towersight)