The AH-1 Cobra was retired from the regular US Army in 1999 and the US Army National Guard in 2001. They had 469 surplus Cobras on their hands and have actually turned a profit getting rid of them. In an article from DID, its detailed how the Army rebuilt these Vietnam era gunships and have sold them all over the world as well as passing on $75-million in parts to the USMC for their more modern AH-1 “Whiskey” variants. Some of the more exotic Cobras are Firewatch Cobras
Domestic customers came from a surprising source. The US Forestry Service bought 25 Bell 209 “Firewatch Cobras,” who use their speed and thermal sensors to monitor fires in real time. State forestry services in Florida, Montana and Washington also bought a few, in Fire Cobra monitoring or “FireSnake” variants which focus on firefighting.
Now thats a chopper…you may see one at a forest fire near you
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About laststandonzombieisland
Let me introduce myself. I am a bit of a conflict junkie. I am fascinated by war and warfare, assassination, personal protection and weaponry ranging from spud guns and flame throwers to thermonuclear bombs and soviet-trained Ebola monkeys. In short, if it’s violent or a tool to create violence it is kind of my thing.
I have written a few hundred articles on the dry encyclopedia side for such websites as History Times, Firearms Talk.com, GUNS.com, Suite 101 (where I am the contracted Feature Writer for Military History) and Combat Forums; as well as for print publications like England Expects, and Strike First Strike Fast. Several magazines such as Sea Classics, Military Historian and Collector, Mississippi Sportsman and Warship International have carried my pieces. Additionally I am on staff as a naval consultant and writer for Eye Spy Intelligence Magazine.
Currently I am working on several book projects, including a section in the upcoming Mississippi Encyclopedia (to be published by Ole Miss this summer), an alternative history novel about the US-German War of 1916, and a biography of Bennett Doty. My first novel, about the coming zombie apocalypse was released this Spring by Necro Publications and can be found at Amazon.com.
In my day job I am a contractor for the US federal government in what could best be described as the ‘Force Protection’ field. In this I am a certified Firearms, and less-than-lethal combat instructor.
