H-13s were a single-engine light helicopter used often by the US Army. When the Korean War began, the US Army had 63 Bell H-13s, and eventually named them “Sioux” in keeping with the Army tradition of designating its aircraft after Native American tribes. In the rugged terrain of Korea, the H-13 demonstrated the versatility and usefulness of the light helicopter, flying all types of missions but specializing in medical evacuation. Many of the nearly 25,000 service members evacuated by helicopter in Korea flew to Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals — “M.A.S.H.” units — on Bell H-13s.
The Bell TH-13T variant was a two-seat pilot trainer developed for the US Army and was first produced in 1964. Eventually, 411 TH-13T aircraft were built, featuring a cockpit eight inches wider than previous versions of the Sioux, a tinted cockpit bubble, and a blind-flying hood for student pilots.
Bell delivered the TH-13T on display to the US Army in August of 1968. After the aircraft’s military career, the Tennessee Valley Authority acquired and operated it for several years out of the civilian airport in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. In 1988, this aircraft retired from service and was transferred to the Hill Aerospace Museum.
The Sioux helicopter is famously depicted in the opening scene for the television show M*A*S*H (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital), evacuating wounded troops from the front lines and flying them back to field hospitals. The show, a comedy drama focused on the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War, first aired in 1972 and ended in 1983.
Serial Number: 67-17053
Manufacturer: Bell
Primary Function: Medical Evacuation, Observation, Training
Crew: Two (instructor and student pilot)
Engines: One Avco Lycoming TVO-435-25A six-cylinder, 270 hp
Wingspan: Rotor Diameter: 37 ft 1 in
Length: 31 ft 7 in
Height: 9 ft 4 in
Weight: 1,564 lbs.; Maximum Takeoff Weight: 2,950 lbs.
Speed: Maximum: 100 mph; Cruising Speed: 83 mph
Range: 250 miles
Service Ceiling: 10,500 ft
Armament: None
Years of Service: 1947 – early 1970s
The Bell H-13 Sioux was a single-engine light helicopter used extensively by the US Army from the late 1940s through the early 1970s. It flew observation, liaison and medical evacuation missions across multiple conflicts. The H-13 helped establish the light helicopter as an indispensable tool for modern ground forces.
The H-13 Sioux and H-23 Raven were the first in what became the Army’s tradition of naming helicopters for Native American tribes. When the Korean War began in 1950, the Army had 56 Bell H-13s in its fleet. The helicopter’s performance in the rugged Korean terrain proved its value across a range of missions, cementing both the aircraft and its name in military aviation history.
In Korea, the H-13 Sioux flew a wide range of missions but specialized in medical evacuation. Pilots flew wounded service members from the front lines to Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals (known as MASH units) where they could receive immediate surgical care.
The H-13’s ability to land in almost any terrain made it uniquely suited to Korea’s mountainous landscape and helped establish helicopter medevac as a standard military capability.
The H-13 Sioux is depicted in the opening credits of the television series M*A*S*H, shown evacuating wounded troops from the front lines to field hospitals. The show was a comedy drama set at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War, first airing in 1972 and running through 1983. For many viewers, that opening sequence remains their most lasting impression of the Korean War helicopter medevac mission.
Nearly 25,000 alive but wounded service members were evacuated by helicopter during the Korean War, many of them airlifted to Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals (MASH units) on Bell H-13s. This scale of helicopter medevac was unprecedented and helped establish rapid air evacuation as a cornerstone of US military medicine in every conflict that followed.
The TH-13T was a dedicated two-seat pilot training variant of the H-13 Sioux, first produced in 1964. A total of 411 were built for the US Army, featuring a cockpit eight inches wider than earlier Sioux versions, a tinted cockpit bubble and a blind-flying hood for student pilots. These changes made the TH-13T purpose-built for instruction in a way the earlier combat variants were not.
This TH-13T did not serve at Hill Air Force Base. Delivered to the US Army in August 1968, it later served with the Tennessee Valley Authority out of Muscle Shoals, Alabama before retiring in 1988.
During that same period, Hill was the US Air Force’s national hub for helicopter combat crew training. From 1971 to 1976, the 1550th Aircrew Training and Test Wing at Hill consolidated all Air Force helicopter combat crew training programs from three locations into one.
This TH-13T arrived at Hill Aerospace Museum in 1988. Delivered to the US Army in August 1968, the aircraft served in military use before the Tennessee Valley Authority acquired and operated it from a civilian airport in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. After retiring from service that same year, it was transferred to the museum, where it has been on display ever since.
