Here are the 24 helicopters used in Vietnam. In the end, Hughes lost its contract to Bell, who was deemed to have the superior design. A "Loach" (Helicopter) Scout in IV Corps, South Vietnam, 1968-1969 The CH-53 Tarhe was another heavy-lift helicopter designed to transport and recover downed aircraft. We were combat trackers, says Mills. Initially fielded in Vietnam in early 1968, the Hughes OH-6A was used for command and control, observation, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. In her spare time, Samantha enjoys reading, knitting, and hanging out with her dog, Chowder! OA-6A 'Loach' Scout platoon. The Huey descended gingerly into a clearing smaller than its main rotor diameter, the aircrafts rotor blades chopping tree limbs as it descended. ). When the training was completed, C-141 Starlifter airlifters transported both rotorcraft and crews to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, for two weeks of mission training. s/n 67-16304 Flight Hours in Vietnam: 1,318 Worthy, the OH-6 Loach and two other air scout helicopter pilots, all decorated, were in Topeka on Saturday night for an event at Forbes Field Airport designed to increase interest and. On the night of 5-6 December 1972, the remaining helicopter deployed a wiretap near Vinh, Vietnam; useful information provided from this wiretap was acted on by the United States on several occasions, such as during the Linebacker II campaign and Paris Peace Talks. 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. The Korean War proved the necessity for such rotorcraft, particularly in regard to search and rescue operations. [22] The remaining H-13s were promptly withdrawn in favour of the OH-6s. OH-6 Loach - Light Observation Helicopter - Brickmania Toys 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. Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War - VHPA After around 10 hours at the controls of a Loach, the pilots were deemed worthy of flying in combat. Although many were still teenagers, their survival depended on well-honed instincts and razor-sharp reflexes, along with plenty of luck. Cobras, nicknamed Snakes, flew circles 1,500 feet above the scouts, waiting to pounce on whatever the Loach found. The aircraft, dubbed 500P (penetrator) by Hughes, began as an ARPA project, codenamed "Mainstreet", in 1968. But the light aluminum skin could be easily pierced by rifle bullets, and it also crumpled and absorbed energy in a crash, and a strong structural truss protected critical systemslike the people inside. The four-passenger teardrop shaped "Flying egg" (six-passenger with rear seats folded-down) was a small, light, sturdy, maneuverable helicopter, with very low drag. The light observation helicopter OH-6 Cayuse, or Loach (based on the LOH acronym), was a Vietnam-era helicopter designed with speed and maneuverability in mind. They were operated by a number of military organizations, including the Japanese Army, Navy and Coast Guard. Jim was unconscious when I helped pull him out of the burning aircraft.. I was just out of flight school when I went to Vietnam. He flew Loaches for the next 11 months, and today is an accountant in Seattle. A little gory but thats how close we were. As the Loach flew among the trees, the rear-seat pilot in the Snake circling above kept a close eye on the little scout and the front-seat gunner jotted down whatever the Loach observers radioed. To this day I am closer to those guys I flew with in Vietnam than my own brothers, says Mills. The enemy was moving toward us when a [command and control] ship picked us up. The 1-245th AVN BN enlisted 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 aircraft. During 1964, the U.S. Department of Defense issued a memorandum directing that all U.S. Army fixed-wing aircraft be transferred to the U.S. Air Force, while the U.S. Army transitioned to solely operating rotor-wing aircraft. Date: 02/08/1969 The 'Loach' was one of the riskiest helicopter assignments in Vietnam Logan Nye Updated December 07, 2022 09:30:25 While barely any American helicopters served in World War II and few flew in Korea, Vietnam was a proving ground for many airframes everything from the venerable Huey to Chinooks sporting huge guns. [7] The Hiller design, designated OH-5A,[7] had featured a boosted control system, while the Hughes design did not, a difference that accounted for some of the price increase. The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. The campaign included the first major use in the war of Soviet-built, shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles. a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization EIN 45-4703737We Fly for Our Veterans!. Hughes developed the Model 369 as a prototype for the U.S. Army in the early 1960s. How a Vietnam War Helicopter Pilot Captured a POW With His Civil War 2023 Smithsonian Magazine We got hit by incendiary .51-caliber rounds, and the phosphorus ignited the Cobras hydraulic fluid. The Vietnam War saw the extensive use of helicopters, though were mostly by the United States military. During the Vietnam war, the HH-43 Huskie was used for more rescue missions than all other aircraft combined. For most of the war, there was no formal Army training to prepare scout pilots and observers. If the OH-6 came under fire, the nearby Cobra would then strike at the revealed enemy. Vietnam Helicopters Museum - OH-6A "Cayuse" Helicopter s/n 67-16304 The back plate was often not used owing to the weight, and even the chest plate was deleted. ", FAI Record ID #11656 Absolute Rotorcraft World Record, Distance over a closed circuit without landing, FAI Record ID #11655 Absolute Rotorcraft World Record, Distance without landing, Obituary: Robert G. Ferry; Air Force veteran was record-setting test pilot, "In Vietnam, These Helicopter Scouts Saw Combat Up Close", "Jane's Aircraft Upgrades, MD Helicopters (Hughes) Model 500 (Military Versions)", "Dominican Republic Air Force Unit History", "Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force OH-6J", "Breda Nardi Hughes NH.500M in Armed Forces of Malta service", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hughes_OH-6_Cayuse&oldid=1133333304, This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 07:46. OH-6A Cayuse ('Loach') The OH-6A "Cayuse" is a small tactical helicopter flown by units of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment [SOAR]. I was flying wing and just dropped into the AO [Area of Operations]. In contrast, of the nearly 1,100 Cobras delivered to the Army, 300 were lost. It was used prolifically because of its unique hovering abilities. [17] On 26 March 1966, Jack Schwiebold set the closed circuit distance record in a YOH-6A at Edwards Air Force Base, California, flying without landing for 1,739.96mi (2,800.20km). I went up in a Loach with an M60 machine gun to get used to firing the weapon. Up against Fairchild Hiller, Hughes Tool Company purposely undervalued its cost estimates, earning the company favor and the contract. In the hunter-killer teams, the Loach would fly low over the jungle, drawing fire and then calling for the Cobra to kill the teams on the ground. Its effectiveness in battle allowed it to quickly replace the Bell H-13 Siouxs being operated in the country. Even when this helicopter was shot down, it refused to crack. In 1966 it entered military service with the US Army. These would be used to replace its fleet of Bell H-13 Sioux, a compact first generation rotorcraft. 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. The OH-6 was developed in response to the United States Army issuing Technical Specification 153 in 1960 to replace its Bell H-13 Sioux fleet. The Cayuse was organic to division, brigade, and battalion size units. So I engaged the enemy, but didnt make it out of that one. External load capacity was approximately 1,200 Lbs (550 kg), and transport capability 2 or 3 troops or cargo internally. While Hiller did not participate in the rebidding, Bell opted to, submitting their redesigned Model 206. The Cayuse was Hughes' longest-running helicopter program and, during the Vietnam War, as many as 100 OH-6As were built a month. Advertising Notice 2 Hellfire ATGM It was mostly used to transport troops and cargo during the Vietnam war. 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. The Gyrodyne QH-50 was mostly designed to be used on ships that werent large enough to carry a full-sized helicopter. This story is a selection from the September issue of Air & Space magazine, Donald Porter The US military primarily used the OH-6 for observational and reconnaissance purposes. Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A tail number 67-16304 Front left side view of the Hughes OH-6 Cayuse helicopter; color, Right side view of the Hughes OH-6 Loach in flight; color. This chopper is mostly known for having been used to spot enemy artillery. However, the choppers frame ensured the crewmen within remained safe. The Sea Stallion is a line of heavy-lift transport helicopters. They were famous for being shot down or crashing in combat. Warrant officer John Shafer was 21 when he arrived on October 16, 1970, to fly Loaches. Her research focused on Victorian, medical, and epidemiological history with a focus on childhood diseases. Following a competitive fly-off and a sealed bidding process, Hughes lost the contract to Bell, resulting in the competing Bell OH-58 Kiowa being produced. The Seasprite was an anti-submarine and anti-surface helicopter that had over-the-horizon targeting facilities. The Cayuse could absorb an extensive amount of small arms fire and still bring the crew home safely. It is 1/6th scale and very large, has to be at least 3 feet from rotor tip to rotor tip. He is proud of his service, which involved a great deal of combat, but has concluded that U.S. involvement in Vietnam was a mistake. It would often be crewed by a pilot and an observer; up to five passengers or up to 1,000lb of cargo could be carried internally. The-21C was extensively used by the US Army to transport troops and supplies. [2] The pilot was provisioned with excellent external visibility via its large plexiglass windscreen, while its four-bladed fully-articulated main rotor meant it was considerably more agile than the preceding H-13 Sioux. Armed with a 40mm grenade launcher in a nose turret, and two 19-tube 2.75 inch rocket launchers, the "OH-6C" was ready to take on anything. The Hughes OH-6 Cayuse is a single-engine light helicopter that was designed and produced by the American aerospace company Hughes Helicopters. While in Vietnam, Loach helicopters operated as part of air mobile teams. | The following text is exclusive to this site. As the H-13s were phased out, Loaches were paired with Cobra gunships. Possible mast-mounted sight. The "OH-6C" was the creation of the Maintenance Section of The Real Cav, B Troop 7/17th Air Cavalry Squadron, which was stationed near Pleiku in early 1972. (Scouts were known as White Teams and Cobras as Red; the two colors combine to become pink. In some areas, Purple Teamsone Loach and two Cobraswere also common, as were other variations.) To hunt for encampments, bunkers, or other signs of the enemy, commanders would deploy a flight of one scouting Loach and one supporting Cobra, called Pink Teams. The Bell AH-1J was also used for various subsequent assaults and military operations conducted by the US Marine Corps. The small-arms protection aircrewmen armor that was introduced in 1966 was a vest with pockets containing composite laminated plates commonly called chicken plates. Terms and Conditions, Safety Standards Acknowledgement and Consent (SSAC) Under enemy fire this nimble machine had to fly low to the ground, just above the jungle canopy. About Us | This simple design made maintenance easy, while the choppers 26-foot rotor made it much easier to maneuver in tight landing zones. Another such gunner was 19-year-old Joel Boucher, drafted and sent to Vietnam from 1967 to 1969.