After More than 3 Decades, the Corps' AH-1W Super Cobra Makes its Final Flight

AH-1W Super Cobra Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base — Lt. Col. Charles Daniel, a pilot with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773, walks towards the AH-1W Super Cobra prior to its final flight at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, New Orleans, on Oct. 14, 2020. (Robert Brown/U.S. Marine Corps)

Military.com | By Gina Harkins

Published October 20, 2020

The Marine Corps has officially retired the AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter.

After 34 years of service and more than 930,000 flight hours, the AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter made its final flight last week. Maj. Patrick Richardson, with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773, flew the last Super Cobra flight out of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans.

The Marine Corps has transitioned to the "Zulu" variant of the aircraft, the four-bladed AH-1Z Viper.

"This final flight is very important for us to honor the aircraft," Richardson said in a video released by Bell Helicopter. "... It's an honor to be the last guy to fly one. I never thought I'd be in this position."

The dual-blade helicopter Richardson flew over New Orleans on Oct. 14 was received by HMLA-773 in 1994, he said. Marines flew it in Afghanistan between 2003 and 2005. Lt. Col. Charles Daniel, the squadron's executive officer, said in the video that he flew the aircraft making last week's final flight during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Marines also flew the Super Cobra in Iraq, Somalia, the Gulf War and with Marine expeditionary units operating on Navy ships around the world.

Both Richardson and Daniel called the Super Cobra's final flight bittersweet. Richardson said he flies the AH-1Z Viper, while Daniel said the AH-1W's retirement coincides with the end of his own career.

"I've had a lot of great memories in this aircraft," Daniel said. "It has gotten me back safe every time and done everything I ever asked it to do. I enjoyed every moment of my time with the Whiskey and the Marines around it."

The newer AH-1Z Viper is faster, carries more ordnance, has an all-glass cockpit, and can stand off further from the fight, Daniel said.

The Super Cobra's retirement represents just one transition for Marine Corps aviation. AV-8B Harrier squadrons are saying goodbye to that aircraft as the service transitions to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The Marine Corps is also in the process of upgrading its aging CH-53E Super Stallion heavy-lift helicopter to the powerful new CH-53K King Stallion.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.

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Related Topics: Military Headlines Marine Corps Topics Helicopters Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans

Gina Harkins

Gina Harkins previously covered the Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard for Military.com. She has covered troops and their families for nearly a decade, reporting from the U.S., Central and South America, and at sea. Before joining Military.com, Gina was a longtime reporter and managing editor for the independent Marine Corps Times. Her story on two recruits trapped at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina was runner up for the 2013 Military Reporters and Editors award for domestic military coverage. She holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and studied political science and international relations in her undergrad at Northeastern Illinois University. Read Full Bio

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