The UH-1 Iroquois, better known as the Huey, is one of the most iconic helicopters in the world. Indispensable in the Vietnam War, the Huey continues to serve in both military and civilian roles around the globe today. DCS: UH-1H features an updated model of the helicopter armed with rockets, gatling guns, and door gunner machine guns. The simulation offers both extreme realism in its flight and systems modeling as well as a variety of options to reduce the learning curve for new players, including an Easy flight mode. DCS: UH-1H provides multiple player positions, including pilot, co-pilot, and door gunners. A handcrafted storyline campaign is included as well as a number of single missions and a training course.

Introduction

The UH-1 Huey is one of the most iconic and recognizable helicopters in the world. Having served extensively as a transport and armed combat support helicopter in the Vietnam War, the Huey continues to perform a wide variety of military and civilian missions around the world today.

"DCS: UH-1H Huey" features an incredible level of modelling depth that reproducers the look, feel, and sound of this legendary helicopter with exquisite detail and accuracy. Developed in close partnership with actual UH-1H operators and experts, the DCS Huey provides the most dynamic and true to life conventional helicopter experience available on the PC.

A variety of realism and gameplay options, a number of single missions and a handcrafted campaign storyline featuring custom voiceovers and characters provide ample fun and immersion for both the realism buff and the casual enthusiast.

"DCS: UH-1H Huey" is the first DCS title to offer multiple player positions, including pilot, co-pilot, and door gunner. The helicopter can be flown as either a lightly armed combat transport or a close air support platform armed with steerable rapid-firing machine guns and unguided rockets.

A comprehensive training course that includes both demonstration lessons and in-cockpit interactive tutorials designed with the help of real helicopter pilots takes you through the learning process of proper helicopter control and employment.

A powerful yet easy-to-use mission editor allows you to create an unlimited number of both single-player and multiplayer missions and campaigns. A one-click Mission Generator also allows you to instantly create battles as small or large as you wish.

Fly online using the built-in server browser and fight with or against other player-controlled DCS aircraft like the Ka-50 Black Shark, P-51D Mustang and A-10C Warthog in a rich multiplayer environment.

Key Features of "DCS: UH-1H Huey" include:

Unmatched flight physics providing the most realistic and dynamic conventional helicopter experience on the PC.

Multiple player positions, including pilot, co-pilot, and door gunner.

Accurate and highly detailed 3D cockpit featuring six-degrees-of-freedom technology.

Interactive cockpit controls that allow you to operate the systems using the mouse.

Realistic modelling of the UH-1H instruments, weapons, engine, radios, fuel, electrical, and hydraulic systems.

Highly detailed UH-1H external 3D model, liveries, and weapons.

Accurate and engaging audio environment based on actual UH-1H sound recordings.

Missions that include transport and combat support operations.

Training that includes interactive and video lessons.

Multiplayer coop mode for crew members of the same helicopter under development for a later update.

Developed in close cooperation with real UH-1H operators.

UH-1H - General design and mission

The UH-1H is a single engine, single rotor helicopter. Primary mission capability of the helicopter is air movement of supplies and personnel. Secondary missions include air assault, and command and control (C2) operations under day, night, visual, and instrument conditions.

In DCS: UH-1H Huey, the helicopter can be operated in the following variants:

Combat transport – transport of troops and/or material. Up to 11 combat troops can be transported and deployed. Combat Air Support (CAS) – armed air support employing unguided rockets and steerable rapid-firing machine guns.

The helicopter can be employed either from prepared airfields or Forward Area Rearming/Refueling Point (FARP) helipads.

The crew includes the pilot in the right-hand seat, copilot in the left-hand seat and one or two door gunners.

Flight dynamics model

Helicopter velocity is determined using primitive equations that calculate the forces and moments not only at the fuselage center of gravity (CG), but also acting on the turning rotors, which include the flapping motions of the rotor blades. This makes it possible to model all of the dynamic effects specific to helicopter flight.

The aerodynamic forces acting on the helicopter model are derived as a summation of the parameters of its individual elements: main and tail rotors, fuselage, vertical fin, horizontal stabilizer, pylons, landing skids. Each of these elements is positioned and orientated individually within the airframe’s local coordinate system and has its own aerodynamic characteristics.

The aerodynamic characteristics of each model element are pre-calculated with special software using numerical methods. In determining the forces and moments acting on the main and tail rotors, the calculations include the axial and longitudinal components of airflow speed, blade pitch, rotor angular velocities, airflow parameters, and blade inertia characteristics.

The aerodynamic forces acting on each model element are determined according to its pre-calculated characteristics in its own coordinate system. This includes local airflow velocity changes in the vicinity of the element as induced by other model elements.

Each element has a damage/destruction capacity that affects the lifting and center of gravity calculations of the model. Damage can be affected either by aerodynamic force or by physical contact with the ground or other objects. Ground and object contact is modeled using a system of rigid body points.

The detailed, real-time modeling of the dynamics involved with the main and tail rotors, fuselage, empennage, and other elements of the helicopter produces flight characteristics that closely match those of the real Huey and make it possible to naturally induce and closely model important flight conditions and effects like torque-induced yaw, translational lift, translating tendency, rotor overspeed and droop, retreating blade stall, autorotation, settling with power (vortex ring state), etc.

3D model and liveries

DCS: UH-1H Huey features an accurate and highly detailed 3D model of the helicopter using a 100,000+ polygon construction and a variety of historically accurate and inspired high resolution liveries. Multiple-texture maps, normal maps and specular maps are used to achieve a variety of special effects while extensive use of skeletal animation is made for effects such as rotor blade flexing, skid flexing, and machine gun belt bending.

The main rotor assembly is fully animated and correctly translates movement of the cyclic and collective controls to the rotor system, making it possible to visually see rotor disc tilting, conning, and blade pitching. Tail rotor pitch is animated and correctly translates anti-torque pedal input to the tail rotor.

The model includes extensive damage visualization that includes sector-based bullet/shrapnel penetration, canopy/window fracturing and penetration, and variety of partial or complete tearing of aircraft sections.