to voice a complaint about any articles or image on this website, please The Loach helicopter was pitted against what was then known as the Bell Model 206. As a separate part of the project, armed OH-6As were being developed at Fort Rucker, Alabama. On March 3, 2023, at a White House ceremony, retired Army Colonel Paris Davis received the Medal of Honor. During the course of the competition, the Bell submission, the YOH-4, was eliminated as being underpowered (it was powered by the 250shp (186kW) T63-A-5). The Bell OH-58 Kiowa was an entire line of military helicopters with a single engine and a single rotor. Observation Helicopters Hughes OH-6 Cayuse (Loach) The Hughes OH-6 Cayuse is a light helicopter with a single engine and a four-bladed main rotor. We got into another aircraft and went back out. Since units were all but permanently assigned to particular areas, they came to know the local geography intimately and could spot anything out of the ordinary. The first Loach arrived in Vietnam in 1966, and a total of 1,434 of the primary . Headquarters, 173rd Airborne Brigade: Jan 70 May 70 The Piasecki H-21 Workhorse was the fourth line of tandem rotor helicopters developed by Piasecki Helicopters. Cobra Gunship, Huey and Loach OH-6 Members of C Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry dedicated an OH-6 Loach Scout helicopter flown by their unit during the Vietnam War Unit: 173 ABN Due to its unique shape, the Loach was given the nickname . Hughes 500M: Military export version of OH-6 in mid-1970s with upgraded 278-shp Allison 250-C18 turboshaft engine, "V" tail. During the Vietnam War, it was exclusively used by North Vietnam for reconnaissance and VIP transport. Two of these designs, those submitted by Fairchild-Hiller and Bell, were selected as finalists by the Army-Navy design competition board. 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. He recalls: 360 degrees around you was enemy territory, and the ability to work with American and [South Vietnamese] units on the ground really required aviation to be able to look eye to eye to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Loach-Cobra pairings were sent out more and more frequently, until their main role was to gather general intelligence rather than prepare landing zones. Military operators included the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), and the Japanese Coast Guard. The OH-6 Cayuse was developed from specifications issued by the U.S. Army in 1960 for a light observation helicopter (LOH), and the familiar Loach nickname was derived from the acronym. It was pretty hairy, and we got the hell out of there. But Boucher got a rush from the missions, and stayed six months beyond what was required of a draftee. 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. But the Army decided that it would be more prudent to keep the unit in order to be prepared for future contingencies. Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. 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. The helicopter made a Forced Landing. The AH-6 Little Bird Gun, a light attack helicopter, has been tested and proven in combat. The enemy was moving toward us when a [command and control] ship picked us up. [2] Twelve companies opted to participate in the competition, Hughes Tool Company's Aircraft Division being one of them, submitted the Model 369 as its response. The Model 369, with its Allison T63-A-5A series turboshaft engine, took its first flight on February 27, 1963, under the military designation YOH-6A. Pilot sold separately. Moore served as an Army OH-6A Loach scout in IV Corps, South Vietnam, 1968-1969: Fort Apache, Vihn Long Province. However, the U.S. Army subsequently chose to include Hughes's Model 369 for further consideration as well. The U.S. Marine Corps still flies AH-1 SuperCobras as its main attack helicopter, with the latest versionthe AH-1Z Viper so upgraded and modernized that a Vietnam-era pilot might be hard-pressed to recognize it. The "loach" was the LOH (Light Observation Helicopter) or OH-6A. His three tours to Vietnam included death-defying scouting missions piloting his Hughes OH-6 light observation helicopter (or Loach) as well as gunship runs inside his AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter.. Cozzalio was also involved in nine aircraft mishaps; he was shot down six times and suffered three hard landings. All Rights Reserved. In order to reduce their acoustic signature, the helicopters (N351X and N352X) received a four-blade 'scissors' style tail rotor (later incorporated into the Hughes-designed AH-64 Apache), a fifth rotor blade and reshaped rotor tips, a modified exhaust system, and various other performance boosting modifications. I was flying wing and just dropped into the AO [Area of Operations]. A rescue operation for the crew of a downed Loach helicopter doesn't quite go as planned and the rescuers become victims themselves. Operation Honey Badger never went ahead, as the hostages were released in January 1981. 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. Nate Shaffer and Bruce Campbell at their assigned positions. It was also the right size to fit the necessary avionics and fuel stores, all while keeping the structure nimble and agile. Cobras and Loaches, two vastly different aircraft, relied on each other to fight the enemy. Optional and variable (attack and special forces versions only). Light Attack Helicopters 3. At peak production, during the Vietnam War, as many as 100 OH-6As were built a month. 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. However, the choppers frame ensured the crewmen within remained safe. Select the first letter of the last name of the person you want to find: We got hit by incendiary .51-caliber rounds, and the phosphorus ignited the Cobras hydraulic fluid. The pilots dubbed the new helicopter Loach, a word created by pronunciation of the acronym of the program that spawned the aircraft, LOH (light observation helicopter). OH-6A/MD-530F Super Cayuse/Lifter: Upgraded engine to a 425-shp Allison 250- C30 turboshaft, and avionics in 1988 for the US Army. They would then call in scouts on the ground or infantrymen to hunt for the enemy in the brush while attack helicopters protected everyone. Vietnam Veteran and his Helicopter Reunited. [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. Robert Davis Travel Management Consultant, 2023 Executive Flyers +1 (512) 241-0795. The LOH program opened the floor to several companies to come up with their own designs. The Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) (formerly Hughes model 369A) OH-6A was designed for use as a military scout during the Vietnam war to meet the US Army's need for an extremely maneuverable light observation helicopter. The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem rotor chopper that was developed by Vetrol and built by Boeing Vertol. After around 10 hours at the controls of a Loach, the pilots were deemed worthy of flying in combat. 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. Army units this aircraft deployed with in Vietnam: Troop B, 1st squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division: Aug '68 - Oct '70. A rescue operation for the crew of a downed Loach helicopter doesn't quite go as planned and the rescuers become victims themselves. The SeaCobra was a twin-engine attack helicopter that was developed from the single-engine AH-1 Cobra helicopter. Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center Helicopter database. Adopted after. History | Reportedly, Hughes had consulted at the last moment with Real, who recommended a bid of $53,550. AH-1G Huey Cobra 'Snake' . Vietnam OH-6A "Cayuse" Helicopter The OH-6A made its first flight in 1963. The Bell UH-1B/C was modified from the UH-1A Cobra to include a set of machine guns for attacking ground targets. There was one day of initial training, says Bob Moses, who was first trained as a tank crewman and then as infantry before a sudden transition to helicopter door gunner. [14][15], During 1966, the OH-1 entered service with the U.S. Army. [22] The remaining H-13s were promptly withdrawn in favour of the OH-6s. It was reasonably fast, very crashworthy, comparatively easy to maintain and fly, and extraordinarily maneuverable. Books/Magazines Your email address will not be published. The Hughes OH-6A Cayuse was quite effective when teamed with the AH-1G Cobra attack helicopter as part of what were known as Pink Teams, combining the OH-6A Loach (white team) with a AH-1G Cobra atacke helicopter (red team). The Sikorsky S-61R is a twin-engine transport and search helicopter. [8][9], A total of 387 OH-6/Hughes 369s were produced under license in Japan by the Japanese aerospace company Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Hughes is reported to have told his confidant, Jack Real, that he lost over $100 million to construct 1,370 airframes. In contrast, of the nearly 1,100 Cobras delivered to the Army, 300 were lost. While its light aluminum skin could be easily penetrated by small arms fire, it also crumpled and absorbed energy in a crash while the rugged structure protected key systems and its crew; even though the OH-6 was relatively difficult to shoot down, its occupants would often survive forced landings that would have likely been fatal onboard other rotorcraft. The killer role persists. Loaches, usually with a pilot and observer and sometimes a door gunner aboard, flew as little as 10 feet above the treetops at between about 45 and 60 mph, scouting for signs of the enemy. Aircraft took off, fully flight capable. As the reserve units have continued to move away from the OH-6 as their primary scout aircraft, military technical support of the aircraft has dwindled. The Hughes OH-6A Cayuse, was designed for use as a Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) nicknamed LOACH, military scout during the Vietnam war to meet the U.S. Armys need for an extremely maneuverable observation helicopter. [4] The prototypes were delivered to the U.S. Army at Fort Rucker, Alabama, where they competed against the other ten prototype aircraft produced by Bell and Fairchild-Hiller. Advertising Notice Lt. Col. 605th transportation Company (Direct Support): Nov . Improved versions were issued through the war and included pockets on the chest and back in which large additional plates could be inserted.

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