>>64469069
>Cool name
>Looks cool
>Successor to the Huey, already an iconic cool transport helo
>Right in time to be the face of the New And Improved US military in Desert Storm
It's no great mystery, it's just a cool chopper. Compare it to something like the Mi-8, which while undeniably a useful and versatile transport/utility chopper in a similar role used to this day, is also undeniably a lot less cool.