[2] Originally designated as the YHO-6A according to the Army's designation system, the aircraft was redesignated as the YOH-6A in 1962 when the Department of Defense created a joint designation system for all aircraft. [8][9] It was reported that Howard Hughes had directed his company to submit a bid at a price beneath the actual production cost of the helicopter in order to secure this order. Robert Davis Travel Management Consultant, 2023 Executive Flyers +1 (512) 241-0795. 2 M134 7.62-mm 6x barrel, Gatling type twin MG pods The AH-1J SeaCobra was used later in the later stages of the Vietnam war. Advertising Notice [23][22] Such a team would have normally comprised a single OH-6 that would fly relatively slow and at a low altitude while attempting to spot the presence of enemies. Krausz was ordered to Vietnam in April 1971, and today teaches Army students how to fly the Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota, a twin-engine trainer. 2 MK19 40-mm grenade launcher The NVA [North Vietnamese army] was everywhere. Ultimately, Hughes was selected as the winner of the competition. Operation Honey Badger never went ahead, as the hostages were released in January 1981. purchase. Her research focused on Victorian, medical, and epidemiological history with a focus on childhood diseases. The OH-6 helicopters served in huge numbers and were used for light observation and utility roles. Military operators included the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), and the Japanese Coast Guard. The small-arms protection aircrewmen armor that was introduced in 1966 was a vest with pockets containing composite laminated plates commonly called chicken plates. While in Vietnam, Loach helicopters operated as part of air mobile teams. Pilots called this helicopter as the Loach. Loach crews were equipped with small arms and returned fire as they fled. You were right in the enemys face with a helicopter and had to know what you were doing, recalls warrant officer Clyde Romero of his 1,100 hours flying scout missions over South Vietnam in 1971. USNTPS plans to retain the aircraft indefinitely and continue to improve the safety, reliability, and usefulness of the aircraft in the test pilot training role. [13][3] Beginning in 2001, the JGSDF OH-6s were supplemented by the indigenously-developed Kawasaki OH-1, a more advanced observation helicopter. | The following text is exclusive to this site. The AH/MH Little Birds were lifted by a single C-5 Galaxy, and two C-130 Hercules, along with all support kits for the battalion. Scout pilots were a different breed of cat, says Cobra pilot Jim Kane, who likens his former colleagues to the airborne equivalent of the Tunnel Rats, soldiers who crawled head-first into Viet Cong-built tunnels without any idea what awaited them there. Unlike its troop-carrying ancestors, a Cobra was like a World War II fighter, says Jim Kane, who arrived in Vietnam fresh out of Purdue University. In 1966 it entered military service with the US Army.
Despite Being Prone to Crashing, the Loach Helicopter Was Favored By Towards the end of the conflict, the replacement of the OH-6 by the Bell OH-58 Kiowa was imminent across nearly all US Army units. It gained impetus with the advent of the Vietnam War, and was aided by advances in helicopter technology, specifically the development of the turboshaft engine. The guidance systems on newer attack helicoptersoften working with or even controlling the cameras of reconnaissance droneshave relegated to history the hunter role in the hunter-killer missions. Light Attack Helicopters 3. External load capacity was approximately 1,200 Lbs (550 kg), and transport capability 2 or 3 troops or cargo internally. [22], It became common for OH-6s to operate in teams with other rotorcraft, particularly the Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter. I had another lead that went through 150 feet of trees, and they survived., Shafer himself had brushes with disaster, and his luck nearly ran out on a mission west of Dak To, near the border with Laos. A saying among Army aviators was, If you have to crash, do it in a Loach.. The UH, nicknamed Huey is a utility military chopper that was used for troop and cargo transport, medical evacuation, and sometimes for military purposes. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. 1:00 Jan. 6 will mark 50 years since former Newburgh resident Dave Middleton was shot down in Vietnam while piloting a Loach helicopter on a mission to which he wasn't originally assigned.. We were about ready to call in tactical air support to blow up the wrecked ship when another Cobra took a lot of fire. These would be used to replace its fleet of Bell H-13 Sioux, a compact first generation rotorcraft. Contact | Late in the war, the HH-43 was also deployed for short overland search and rescue missions. Its formal name is derived from the Cayuse people while its "Loach" nickname comes from the acronym for the Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) programme that it was procured under. At peak production, during the Vietnam War, as many as 100 OH-6As were built a month. Total flight hours at this point: 00000496 The prototype first flew in early 1963, and production began two years later. This teamwork was actively encouraged by Army officials, and led to the development of so-called "hunter-killer" tactics that sought to flush out and eliminate hostile ground targets.
With all these benefits, several variations were developed. President As we navigate rapidly evolving military culture and Like any deployed troops, Russian soldiers make calls Sign up for our newsletter and receive the mighty updates! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 Vietnam Helicopters Museum. Lt. Col. Although many were still teenagers, their survival depended on well-honed instincts and razor-sharp reflexes, along with plenty of luck. Reportedly, 964 out of the 1,422 OH-6As produced for the US Army were destroyed in the Vietnam theatre, the majority of these losses being a result of hostile action, typically ground fire. While in Vietnam, Loach helicopters operated as part of air mobile teams. Fewer than 2,000 of the type were produced though the original went on to spawn a plethora of viable performers including the Hughes 500 "Defender" and the special forces-minded MH-6 "Little Bird". The campaign included the first major use in the war of Soviet-built, shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles. OH-6A Cayuse ('Loach') The OH-6A "Cayuse" is a small tactical helicopter flown by units of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment [SOAR]. A Troop, 7th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division: Aug 70 Feb 72 Helicopter took 1 hits from: Small Arms/Automatic Weapons; Gun launched non-explosive ballistic projectiles less than 20 mm in size.
Historical Snapshot: OH-6 Cayuse/Hughes 500 Helicopter This was a Combat incident. Army headquarters developed doctrine by building on what worked in the field, rather than the other way around, and each unit in-country did things slightly differently. [28][29], The pilots selected to fly the OH-6A helicopters came from the 229th Attack Helicopter Battalion and were sent to the Mississippi Army National Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF) at Gulfport, Mississippi, for two weeks of qualification training in the rotorcraft. The Hughes OH-6 Cayuse (nicknamed "Loach", after the requirement acronym LOHLight Observation Helicopter) is a single-engine light helicopter with a four-bladed main rotor used for personnel transport, escort and attack missions, and observation. Its effectiveness in battle allowed it to quickly replace the Bell H-13 Siouxs being operated in the country. During the Vietnam war, the HH-43 Huskie was used for more rescue missions than all other aircraft combined. AH-1G Huey Cobra 'Snake' . The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem rotor chopper that was developed by Vetrol and built by Boeing Vertol. Its first overseas deployment, as well as into frontline combat, was the Vietnam War. To counter the US, the Vietnamese employed their helicopter fleets of mostly Soviet-made aircraft. Here are the 24 helicopters used in Vietnam. Kanes commanding officer flew his command-and-control Huey to the ravine where Kane and Casher huddled. SA-7 Grail heat-seeking missiles could down a Loach before its crew even realized they were under fire. All Rights Reserved. Stanley Hiller complained to the U.S. Army that Hughes had used unethical procedures; therefore, the Army opened the contract for rebidding by all parties. In one particular clandestine incident in 1972, known as the Vinh wiretap, a pair of OH-6As were heavily modified and used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) via Air America was used to infiltrate Vietnamese high level communications, providing valuable intelligence. We flew down along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, he says of the supply route that wound through Vietnam and neighboring Laos and Cambodia. Your Privacy Rights For other AH-6 and MH-6 variants, see MH-6 Little Bird and Boeing AH-6. Initially fielded in Vietnam in early 1968, the Hughes OH-6A was used for command and control, observation, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. The Bell UH-1B/C was modified from the UH-1A Cobra to include a set of machine guns for attacking ground targets. That was about it.. s/n 67-16304 The Army officially adopted the Bell OH-58 Kiowa in 1969. To this day I am closer to those guys I flew with in Vietnam than my own brothers, says Mills.
Best Vietnam Helicopter Book - General Helicopter Forum - Vertical The high-low hunter-killer combination gave way to uniform-altitude missions, with all helicopters flying nap of the earth. Kane recalls, The vibrations were so harsh I had to return to base camp at Khe Sanh, seven miles from the Laotian border. I got shot down on my 22nd birthday, March 27, 1971. Although most combat aircraft in Vietnam aimed for altitudes and speeds that helped them avoid anti-aircraft weapons, U.S. Army crews flying Hughes OH-6A Cayuse helicopters flew low and drew fireto set up the shots for the Bell AH-1G Cobras circling above. You can have all the guns, vests, and radios you want, but you need street smarts or youre going to be dead within an hour.. The Piasecki H-21 Workhorse was the fourth line of tandem rotor helicopters developed by Piasecki Helicopters. Hughes Tool Company, Aircraft Division - USA, (View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers), Dominican Republic; Denmark; Japan; Spain; Taiwan; United States, (OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable), Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout, X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator), (Showcased structural values pertain to the base Hughes OH-6 Cayuse (Loach) production variant), RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: >19030, (Showcased performance specifications pertain to the. Privacy Statement By Richard Toops. MD-500MD/Scout and TOW Defender: Improved military version of the model 500 with 5 main rotor blades, 375-shp Allison 250-C20B turboshaft engine, and T-tail. Even when this helicopter was shot down, it refused to crack. The Loach's main role was reconnaisance and observation. Your email address will not be published. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft were returned to the U.S., where they were dismantled and converted back to a standard configuration; they continued to be operated as such for a time. The architects of the task force identified the need for a small helicopter to land in the most restrictive locations and that was also easily transported on Air Force transport aircraft. If you would like Up against Fairchild Hiller, Hughes Tool Company purposely undervalued its cost estimates, earning the company favor and the contract. However, the U.S. Army subsequently chose to include Hughes's Model 369 for further consideration as well. Vietnam OH-6A "Cayuse" Helicopter The OH-6A made its first flight in 1963. Donald Porter served in Vietnam with the helicopters he writes about. You had a couple of flights in the Huey, then you rode front seat in a Cobra, scout pilot Allan Krausz recounts. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. The type was born from the US Army Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) program (which provided its "Loach" nickname) and ultimately proved an excellent helicopter system seeing only limited service in the inventories of several American allies worldwide. Terms and Conditions, Safety Standards Acknowledgement and Consent (SSAC) This chopper is mostly known for having been used to spot enemy artillery. In terms of its basic configuration, the Model 369 had an atypical teardrop-shaped fuselage, a feature that led to personnel sometimes referring to it as the "flying egg". Some of them were able to tell how large a force was and how recently it had passed.
loach | My Vietnam Experience ). It can cruise at speeds of 150 mph. The Seasprite was an anti-submarine and anti-surface helicopter that had over-the-horizon targeting facilities. (Scouts were known as White Teams and Cobras as Red; the two colors combine to become pink. Though Cobra pilots were trained Stateside, most Loach pilots didnt take control of OH-6s until arriving in Vietnam. So I engaged the enemy, but didnt make it out of that one.
The 'Loach' was one of the riskiest helicopter assignments in Vietnam The Vietnam War saw the extensive use of helicopters, though were mostly by the United States military. The LOH program opened the floor to several companies to come up with their own designs. (He later transferred to the Air Force and flew F-4 Phantoms, and eventually became an airline captain.) Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I could tell how old a footprint was by how it looked. On 27 February 1963, the first prototype conducted its maiden flight. The OH-6A could be armed with the M27 armament subsystem, the M134 six-barrel 7.62mm minigun or the M129 40mm grenade launcher on the XM8 armament subsystem. Flight Hours in Vietnam: 1,400. Adopted after.
The Bell UH-1 Huey & the Hughes OH-6 Loach Cartas de Lee: La historia de un hombre de Vietnam por Larayne M. Topp The Hughes OH-6 "Cayuse" (popularly recognized as the "Loach") was a revolutionary light helicopter mount primarily in service with the United States Army and saw combat service during the Vietnam War (1955-1975).
Vietnam War helicopter pilots bring stories and aircraft to Topeka [16], Early on in the OH-6's career, the type demonstrated its performance in a particularly prominent manner via the setting of 23 individual world records for helicopters during 1966 in the categories of speed, endurance and time to climb. 60th Assault Helicopter Company: Mar 72 Jun 72, Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A tail number 67-16304 The Sikorsky S-61R is a twin-engine transport and search helicopter. Its cockpit teems with electronics and sensors, and its stub wings are heavy with heat-seeking Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, laser-guided Hellfires, rockets (like those used in Vietnam), and even fuel-filled drop tanks.