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Military

This Incredible US Military Helicopter Can Fly Over 300 MPH

Photo of Chris Lange
By Chris Lange Published
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This Incredible US Military Helicopter Can Fly Over 300 MPH

© Bell 407 GT (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Mgroessing

The United States is well-known for its impressive military force, including its massive military helicopter fleet. Helicopters like the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, are recognized for their involvement in high-profile operations. Other popular helicopters in service include the Apache and Chinook. The U.S. has some of the most impressive on the planet — including many of the fastest choppers available. (These are the future military helicopters of the world.)

Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at America’s fastest helicopters. To identify the fastest combat helicopters currently in the U.S. military, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry publication. We ranked these helicopters according to their top speed. We included supplemental information regarding type, year introduced, and armament.

Why Are We Covering This?

United+States+apache+helicopter | APACHE - AH-64D
usaghumphreys / Flickr

Military helicopters play an important role in modern military operations. Understanding what the United States has in its arsenal further explains its military capabilities.

Here is a look at the fastest helicopters in the U.S. military:

15. Bell UH-1

cak757 / Flickr
  • Type: Multirole attack helicopter
  • Year introduced: 1959
  • Top speed: 137 mph
  • Armament: 7.62mm machine guns, 12.7mm machine guns, rocket pods, Sea Killer missiles, drop bombs, torpedoes, TOW missiles, miniguns, automatic cannons
  • Variants: OH-58 Kiowa, UH-1 Iroquois, UH-1N Twin Huey, UH-1Y Venom
  • Active in military: 230

14. Airbus H125

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Type: Light utility helicopter
  • Year introduced: 1990
  • Top speed: 152 mph
  • Armament: 20mm automatic cannon, 7.62mm machine gun pods, 12.7mm machine gun pods, 70mm rocket pods, 68mm rocket pods, BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles
  • Variants: H125, AS350
  • Active in military: 1

13. Bell 407

N69JU 2006 Bell 407 C/N 5373... by Tomu00e1s Del Coro
N69JU 2006 Bell 407 C/N 5373... (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Tomu00e1s Del Coro
  • Type: Light utility helicopter
  • Year introduced: 1996
  • Top speed: 162 mph
  • Armament: Machine gun pods, rocket pods
  • Active in military: 10

12. Mi-8/17 Hip

ILA - Berlin Airshow 2014 by Neuwieser
ILA - Berlin Airshow 2014 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Neuwieser
  • Type: Multirole medium-lift helicopter
  • Year introduced: 1967
  • Top speed: 162 mph
  • Armament: Rocket pods, Swatter missiles, Sagger missiles, Phalanga missiles, 12.7mm machine gun, drop bombs, gun pods, cannon pods
  • Variants: Mi-8, Mi-17
  • Active in military: 10

11. Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Type: Light utility helicopter
  • Year introduced: 2007
  • Top speed: 167 mph
  • Armament: 7.62mm machine guns, 12.7mm machine guns
  • Variants: H145 (UH-72A/B)
  • Active in military: 483

10. MH-6 Little Bird

080928-A-6218 by mashleymorgan
080928-A-6218 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by mashleymorgan
  • Type: Light attack helicopter
  • Year introduced: 1980
  • Top speed: 175 mph
  • Armament: 30mm automatic cannon, 12.7mm gatling guns, 7.62mm miniguns, rocket pods, Hellfire missiles, TOW missiles, Stinger missiles
  • Variants: MD500 (AH/MH-6)
  • Active in military: 47

9. Boeing CH-47 Chinook

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Type: Medium-lift tandem rotor helicopter
  • Year introduced: 1962
  • Top speed: 180 mph
  • Armament: 7.62mm machine guns, miniguns
  • Variants: CH-47D/F/MH-47G
  • Active in military: 510

8. Boeing AH-64 Apache

TOPSHOTS-ISRAEL-AIR FORCE-GRAD... by Diariocritico de Venezuela
TOPSHOTS-ISRAEL-AIR FORCE-GRAD... (CC BY 2.0) by Diariocritico de Venezuela
  • Type: Two-seat attack helicopter
  • Year introduced: 1986
  • Top speed: 183 mph
  • Armament: 30mm automatic cannon, Hellfire missiles, Hydra rocket pods, Stinger missiles, Sidewinder missiles, Sidearm missiles
  • Variants: AH-64D/E
  • Active in military: 824

7. S-70 Black Hawk

fikretozk / iStock via Getty Images
  • Type: Medium-lift multi-mission helicopter
  • Year introduced: 1979
  • Top speed: 183 mph
  • Armament: 7.62mm machine guns, Hellfire missiles, 12.7mm gatling guns, M134 gatling guns, rocket pods, 30mm chain gun
  • Variants: HH-60G, U, W, MH-60G, EH, MH, UH-60, MH-60R/S, UH-60A/L
  • Active in military: 2853

6. Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion

Robert Sullivan / Public Domain / Flickr

  • Type: Heavy-lift transport helicopter
  • Year introduced: 2018
  • Top speed: 196 mph
  • Armament: 12.7mm heavy machine guns, 12.7mm GAU-21 miniguns
  • Active in military: 11

5. MH-53E Sea Dragon

Stocktrek Images / Stocktrek Images via Getty Images
  • Type: Heavy-lift transport helicopter
  • Year introduced: 1966
  • Top speed: 196 mph
  • Armament: 12.7mm machine guns, 7.62mm machine guns
  • Active in military: 26

4. Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion

Robert Sullivan / Flickr / Public Domain
  • Type: Super heavy-lift transport helicopter
  • Year introduced: 1981
  • Top speed: 196 mph
  • Armament: 12.7mm heavy machine guns, 12.7mm GAU-21 miniguns
  • Active in military: 135

3. MH-139 Grey Wolf

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

  • Type: Multi-mission medium-lift helicopter
  • Year introduced: 2021
  • Top speed: 202 mph
  • Armament: Pintle-mounted machine guns of various calibers
  • Active in military: 4

2. Bell AH-1Z Viper

Robert Sullivan / Public Domain / Flickr
  • Type: Twin-engine attack helicopter
  • Year introduced: 2010
  • Top speed: 255 mph
  • Armament: 20mm gatling-style cannon, Hellfire missiles, Sidewinder missiles, Hydra rocket pods
  • Active in military: 176

1. Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey

viper-zero / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Type: Tilt rotor VTOL aircraft
  • Year introduced: 2007
  • Top speed: 316 mph
  • Armament: 7.62mm machine guns, 12.7mm machine guns
  • Variants: CV-22, MV-22
  • Active in military: 367
Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

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