While they were circling the wreckage, enemy rounds hit their ship. During the Vietnam War the OH-6 helicopters served in huge numbers and were used for light observation and utility roles. The Hughes OH-6 Cayuse was a revolutionary rotorcraft operated during the Vietnam War. 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! 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. Loach crews were equipped with small arms and returned fire as they fled. NVA troops shot down a Cobra, killing the crew. You had a couple of flights in the Huey, then you rode front seat in a Cobra, scout pilot Allan Krausz recounts. The Raven was used as a scouting helicopter during the early phases of the war, before it was eventually replaced by the Cayuse in early 1986. The Loach-derived MD-500 and other civilian variants still roll off the assembly lines at MD Helicopters, Inc., while Boeing produces an upgraded variant, the AH-6 Little Bird, for military forces (including an autonomous drone version). 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 It served in Granada and Panama during the 1980s, as well as in the . A total of five prototypes were built, all of which were powered by a single Allison T63-A-5A turboshaft engine, capable of producing 252shp (188kW). All Rights Reserved. which many are taken will be available from our shop to I could tell how old a footprint was by how it looked. It can cruise at speeds of 150 mph. By the end of the war, the Loachs replacement was imminent. MD-530MG/Defender: Has a mast-mounted sight, and incorporated upgrades of all previous variants. [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 following two-week mission was to Yuma for night operation training. Primarily, it was used by the Marine Corp to transport personnel and cargo. The Loach helicopter was pitted against what was then known as the Bell Model 206. While successful in this respect, the Loach helicopter also had a reputation for being easily gunned down. The Loach's main role was reconnaisance and observation. s/n 66-07841. Most of our engagements [we] were 25 to 50 feet [away] when we opened up on [the Viet Cong], Mills continues. The AH-6 and its troop-carrying sibling, the MH-6, are still heavily used by U.S. special-operations forces, as everything from airborne sniper platforms to transports inserting small teams to expeditionary light attack helicopters. Underneath, a fixed twin-skid undercarriage was supported at two separate points. Almost as soon as production began, however, it was replaced by a competitors model. Jim Kanes Vietnam tour abruptly ended one day in February 1971. Warrant officer John Shafer was 21 when he arrived on October 16, 1970, to fly Loaches. Helicopter took 2 hits from: They underwent two weeks of qualification training and an additional two weeks of mission training. The AH-6 Little Bird Gun, a light attack helicopter, has been tested and proven in combat. 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. While in Vietnam, Loach helicopters operated as part of air mobile teams. South Vietnam 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. The North Vietnamese deployed hundreds of the missiles, and from then on, both hunter and killer tried to stay well hidden. 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. When the opposing forces exposed themselves, the crew would call upon an accompanying Bell AH-1 Cobra to attack. Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. When the training was completed, C-141 Starlifter airlifters transported both rotorcraft and crews to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, for two weeks of mission training. We were so close to the elephant grass that wed blow the grass apart to see if anyone was hiding in there, observer Bob Moses says. 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. In the Vietnam War, these choppers were used to recover downed aircraft. As the H-13s were phased out, Loaches were paired with Cobra gunships. Infantrymen would also launch an assault from the ground. Pilots called this helicopter as the Loach. We got into another aircraft and went back out. Crews trained side by side with the 160th for all operational concepts. 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. It had a distinct teardrop-shaped fuselage, which made it instantly recognizable, and a cockpit for two crew members, along with two removable seats in the passenger cabin. EH-6B, a previous version of the Little Bird, was used for command, control and radio relay. The NVA [North Vietnamese army] was everywhere. Loach come from the LOH which means Light Observation Helicopter. 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. Thats why the majority of pilots who served in Vietnam shared the opinion that, if you were going to crash, it was best to do it in a Loach. 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. [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. 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. AH/MH-6J: US Army Special Operations variant derived from the MD-530MG. The Little Birds weaponry is a far cry from the M60 machine gun carried aboard a Loach in Vietnam: AH-6s can carry miniguns, rocket pods, grenade launchers, Hellfire missiles, and air-to-air Stinger missiles. Nate Shaffer and Bruce Campbell at their assigned positions. Overtop of the fuselage was the OH-6s single engine, attached to a four-blade main rotor assembly. In 1972, as U.S. troops slowly withdrew, the NVA began a major push that became known as the Easter Offensive. The OH-6 was also exported as the Model 500 Defender. I tried to move the stuck controls and prayed for a place to set down. It took all of Kanes strength to pull out of a steep dive, and they crash-landed with a horrific thud. Heavy Attack Helicopters 2. But even that armament combined with the Cobra escort couldnt keep them safe. The OH-6 Cayuse was built with a rugged structure covered in light aluminum. 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). During the Vietnam War, it was exclusively used by North Vietnam for reconnaissance and VIP transport. These would be used to replace its fleet of Bell H-13 Sioux, a compact first generation rotorcraft. Within that same year, help was on the way. The Marine Corp used it for the sea-based interdiction of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in 1972. Moore served as an Army OH-6A Loach scout in IV Corps, South Vietnam, 1968-1969: Fort Apache, Vihn Long Province. Its four-bladed full-articulated main rotor made it particularly agile, and it was suitable for personnel transport, escort and attack missions, and observation. It was used for transporting personnel, escorting other aircraft and naval vessels, attacking enemy units, and acting as an observation post. One, nicknamed Queer John, hit the dirt at least seven times. In 1965, the concept of helicopter-borne fighting forces was still new and largely untested, and units in Vietnam invented tactics on the spot. They were operated by a number of military organizations, including the Japanese Army, Navy and Coast Guard. Table of Contents 1. [22], Following the April 1980 failure of Operation Eagle Claw (the attempted rescue of American hostages in Tehran), it was determined that the military lacked aircraft and crews who were trained and prepared to perform special operations missions. 2 .50 cal MG pods In support of the Helicopter Flight Mechanics syllabus, the USNTPS operates surplus Army OH-6B Helicopters which were refurbished by the Army National Guard, Gulfport, Mississippi in 1991. [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). The flames covered my boots and lower legs. When the opposing forces exposed themselves, the crew would call upon an accompanying Bell AH-1 Cobra to attack. The small "egg-shaped" design and simplified rotorhead incorporated four rotor blades of constant chord, made of bonded light alloy. Terms of Use A saying among Army aviators was, If you have to crash, do it in a Loach.. It is 1/6th scale and very large, has to be at least 3 feet from rotor tip to rotor tip. The Light Observation Helicopter ( LOH) program was a United States Army program to evaluate, develop and field a light scout helicopter to replace the Army's aging Bell OH-13 Sioux. This chopper is mostly known for having been used to spot enemy artillery. The helicopter was hit in the Left Side Small Arms/Automatic Weapons; Gun launched non-explosive ballistic projectiles less than 20 mm in size. Home | The Cayuse (white) was used alongside the AH-1 Cobra (red) attack helicopters, forming (pink) hunter killer teams. The Bell Model 206 is a line of both single and twin-engined helicopters with two primary rotor blades. Modifications were also made to the rotor assembly by way of a five blade main rotor which increased stability. This was a Recon mission for Unarmed Recon Front left side view of the Hughes OH-6 Cayuse helicopter; color, Right side view of the Hughes OH-6 Loach in flight; color. [19][20][21], In December 1967, the first OH-6As arrived in Vietnam. Rattler One-Seven puts you in the helicopter seat, to see the war in Vietnam through the eyes of an inexperienced pilot as he transforms himself into a seasoned combat veteran. During the Vietnam war, the HH-43 Huskie was used for more rescue missions than all other aircraft combined. Unit: DIR SUP / TRAN The Loach helicopters used to transport personnel were given the designation MH-6, while the armed ones were dubbed the AH-6.