In March 1960, the Army awarded Bell a production contract for 100 aircraft, which was designated as the HU-1A and officially named Iroquois after the Native American nations.
En marzo de 1960 o Exército premiou a Bell cun contrato de produción por 100 aeronaves, sendo designado o modelo HU-1A e bautizado como Iroquois pola tribo nativa americana.