The Bell AH-1W Super Cobra was the U.S. Marine Corps' twin-engine attack helicopter between the mid-1980s and 2020, bridging the AH-1T SeaCobra and the AH-1Z Viper. NAVAIR lists Bell as contractor and describes the type as an HMLA aircraft with T700 engines, a night targeting system, and a 14,750 lb maximum gross weight, while official Marine and Navy sources document AH-1W combat use from Desert Storm and Iraq to Afghanistan and Operation Odyssey Lightning in Libya.
Marine AH-1W/SuperCobra units flew Desert Storm close-air-support and anti-armor missions; Marine Corps University describes HMLA-369 AH-1s firing Hellfire, TOW, rockets, and 20 mm cannon around al-Khafji, and the National Naval Aviation Museum credits AH-1W squadrons with destroying Iraqi tanks and armored vehicles during the campaign.
Role detailsAH-1W Super Cobras flew with Marine UH-1N Hueys in Afghanistan as armed reconnaissance, escort, and fire-support teams; a 22nd MEU account describes Super Cobras joining firefights against Taliban and anti-coalition forces in June 2004.
Role detailsMarine AH-1W squadrons fielded Super Cobras during Operation Iraqi Freedom; HMLA-269's official history records repeated Iraq deployments, uninterrupted combat support during a 2008 move, and 1,821 combat flight hours before Marine attack aircraft left Iraq in 2009.
Role detailsDuring Operation Odyssey Lightning, Marine AH-1W Super Cobras conducted precision strikes from amphibious ships in support of GNA-aligned forces fighting ISIS in Sirte; HMLA-269's history says its detachment delivered 164 AGM-114 Hellfire missiles in the operation.
The AH-1W sits in the Marine twin-engine Cobra line after the AH-1J Sea Cobra and AH-1T Improved Sea Cobra. It began as the AH-1T+/T700 re-engining effort and was succeeded in Marine service by the four-bladed AH-1Z Viper.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| AH-1J Sea Cobra | Early Marine twin-engine Cobra | Pima describes the AH-1J as the Marine Corps' two-engine Cobra ordered in 1968 and entering service in the early 1970s. Sources: Bell AH-1W - Pima Air & Space |
| AH-1T Improved Sea Cobra | Lengthened AH-1J development | Pima describes the AH-1T as a lengthened Sea Cobra with improved transmission and more powerful engines; NAVAIR's AH-1W anniversary article says the AH-1W grew from installing T700 engines in an AH-1T. Sources: Bell AH-1W - Pima Air & Space, Marines' AH-1W Super Cobra turns 20 | NAVAIR |
 | Four-bladed successor | NAVAIR says the Marine Corps replaced the AH-1W with the AH-1Z Viper, and Bell says remanufactured AH-1Ws continued the platform line as AH-1Zs. Sources: AH-1W Super Cobra | NAVAIR, United States Marines Retire Bell AH-1W After 34 Years of Service |
NAVAIR describes the AH-1W Super Cobra weapons fit as including TOW, Hellfire, Sidearm, Sidewinder, 2.75-inch rockets, a 20-mm gun, and other precision-guided munitions.
| Carried item | Item type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Air-to-surface missile family | NAVAIR listed Hellfire in the AH-1W weapons fit, and Redstone Arsenal history lists the Navy AH-1W as a HELLFIRE launch platform. Sources: Marines' AH-1W Super Cobra turns 20 | NAVAIR, HELLFIRE History | Redstone Arsenal |
 | 2.75-inch rocket system | NAVAIR listed 2.75-inch rockets in the AH-1W weapons fit, and General Dynamics describes Hydra-70 as a 2.75-inch rocket family mountable on Cobra aircraft. Sources: Marines' AH-1W Super Cobra turns 20 | NAVAIR, HYDRA-70 Rocket | General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems |
 | Laser-guided 2.75-inch rocket | NAVAIR describes APKWS II as a guided conversion of the Hydra 2.75-inch rocket and says initial operational capability was declared on AH-1W and UH-1Y helicopters in 2012. Sources: APKWS | NAVAIR |
 | Short-range air-to-air missile | NAVAIR listed Sidewinder in the AH-1W weapons fit, and its AIM-9M page identifies Sidewinder employment on Navy and Marine AH-1 aircraft. Sources: Marines' AH-1W Super Cobra turns 20 | NAVAIR, AIM-9M Sidewinder | NAVAIR |
 | Anti-tank guided missile | NAVAIR listed TOW among the AH-1W's weapons after the re-engined AH-1T development effort. |
Bell says the AH-1T+ prototype that became the AH-1W first flew at Bell's Arlington, Texas, flight research center.
Sources: United States Marines Retire Bell AH-1W After 34 Years of Service
Bell says it delivered the first AH-1Ws to the Marine Corps on March 27, 1986.
Sources: United States Marines Retire Bell AH-1W After 34 Years of Service
Marine AH-1 SuperCobra helicopters from HMLA-369 launched on the first day of Desert Storm and engaged Iraqi observation posts and later armored or support targets near al-Khafji.
Sources: The Desert War | Marine Corps University
NAVAIR states that Bell followed the prototype with production AH-1Ws and delivered the last aircraft in July 1998.
Sources: Marines' AH-1W Super Cobra turns 20 | NAVAIR
NAVAIR says AH-1W replacement by the AH-1Z began in 2006 as part of a remanufacture program.
Sources: AH-1W Super Cobra | NAVAIR
DVIDS documented Marines loading AGM-114 Hellfire missiles onto an AH-1W Super Cobra aboard USS San Antonio during Operation Odyssey Lightning.
Sources: Operation Odyssey Lightning AH-1W Hellfire loading
Marines.mil says the AH-1W Whiskey Super Cobra flew its last flight over New Orleans after 933,614 flight hours, passing the mission to the AH-1Z Viper.
Sources: AH-1W Whiskey Sundown | Marines.mil
