In 1966 the Department of Defense ordered 1,100 AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters from Bell Helicopter, and in Vietnam they logged over 1 million flight hours. The Cobra weighed 9,000 pounds, measured 53 feet long and 13 feet 5 inches high, had a rotor span of 44 feet, and was powered by an 1800 horsepower Lycoming engine. It had a climb rate of 1,925 feet per minute, a maximum altitude of 14,750 feet, a maximum speed of 195 mph, and a cruising speed of 173 mph. With two seats, with the pilot in the rear and the copilot-gunner in front, the Cobra provided ground commanders with air superiority without waiting to call in the Air Force and struck fear in enemy forces for more than 30 years. The army retired the aircraft on March 31, 1999, in Hawaii, where the 25th Infantry said farewell to its first dedicated attack aircraft, and the Cobra continued in service with the U.S. Marines and was also used by Bahrain, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Pakistan, South Korea, Thailand, and Turkey.