Bell Helicopter has announced that its AH-1 ‘Zulu’ Cobra attack helicopter has achieved Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for the US Marine Corps ahead of schedule during February.
Program manager for the US Marine Corps Light and Attack Helicopters, USMC Colonel Harry Hewson, said reaching IOC for the AH-1Z had “been a huge achievement for the entire team”. “Now we get to put the Zulu in the hands of the Marines and prove that it is indeed the most capable marinised attack helicopter in the world,” he said.
The IOC announcement follows the AH-1Z being cleared for full rate production in December last year.
