The AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter is providing the U.S. Marine Corps with superior speed and firepower in combat.

Zulu Cobra
The AH-1Z Viper is an attack aircraft developed by Bell Helicopter of Fort Worth, Texas. The Viper is a twin engine helicopter that has been designed based on the Cobra line of attack helicopters that have been in service with the U.S. Marine Corps since the early 1970s. The Viper is also called the "Zulu Cobra" helicopter. It entered service with the U.S. Marines in September 2010.The Marines have ordered about 200 Viper helicopters and deliveries of the aircraft are expected to continue through 2019.

The AH-1Z Viper was created as part of the U.S. Marines Corps "H-1 Upgrade Program," which saw the development of the Viper attack helicopter and the UH-1Y Venom utility helicopter. Bell Helicopter won contracts to develop both the Viper and Venom helicopters and modernize the Marines’ helicopter capabilities. Bell has been working on the Viper and Venom helicopters since 1996. Similar design and shared parts between the two helicopters is expected to reduce long-term maintenance costs.

Precision Weapons
The Viper attack helicopter features state-of-the-art avionics, sensors and weapons systems. The aircraft is able to locate targets at greater distances and attack them with greater precision than previous attack helicopters. Weapons on the Viper include a 20 millimeter M197 gatling gun, Hydra 70 rockets, AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, and AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles.

The two crewmen in the Viper helicopter are equipped with high-tech sight and display systems mounted into their flight helmets. This system provides the pilot and co-pilot with night vision, infrared sighting, binocular display and video imagery.

The Viper has also been designed to have better survivability than previous attack helicopters. The rotor blades are made with durable composites that better withstand ballistic attacks. The Viper can travel at a maximum speed of 255 miles per hour, and has a cruise speed of 185 miles per hour. And, the Viper can climb at nearly 2,800 feet per minute.