Title 10, Armed ForcesRelease 119-110

§2581 Excess Uh–1 Huey and Ah–1 Cobra Helicopters: Requirements for Transfer to Foreign Countries

Title 10 › Subtitle A — General Military Law › PART IV — SERVICE, SUPPLY, AND PROPERTY › CHAPTER 153 — EXCHANGE OF MATERIAL AND DISPOSAL OF OBSOLETE, SURPLUS, OR UNCLAIMED PROPERTY › § 2581

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Before an excess UH‑1 Huey or AH‑1 Cobra is sold or given to a foreign country for flying, the Secretary of Defense must try to make sure it gets any depot‑level maintenance and repairs it would need if it stayed in U.S. service. That work must not cost the Department of Defense, and the Secretary must try to have it done in the United States. The rule does not apply to helicopters sent only for spare parts.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §2581

Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Requirements.—

(1)Before an excess UH–1 Huey helicopter or AH–1 Cobra helicopter is transferred on a grant or sales basis to a foreign country for the purpose of flight operations by that country, the Secretary of Defense shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure that the helicopter receives, to the extent necessary, maintenance and repair equivalent to the depot-level maintenance and repair (as defined in section 2460 of this title) that the helicopter would need were the helicopter to remain in operational use with the armed forces. Any such maintenance and repair work shall be performed at no cost to the Department of Defense.

(2)The Secretary shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure that maintenance and repair work described in paragraph (1) is performed in the United States.

(b)Exception.—

Subsection (a) does not apply with respect to salvage helicopters provided to the foreign country solely as a source for spare parts.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 2581

Title 10, Armed Forces

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110