Hughes H-6
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- H-6 redirects here. For the Chinese Xian H-6 medium bomber, see Tupolev Tu-16 .
| Hughes H-6 | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Attack helicopter |
| Manufacturer | Hughes Tool Co. - Aircraft Division |
| Status | Active service |
| Primary user | United States Army |
| Variants | MD Helicopters MD 500 |
The Hughes H-6 is a family of light utility civilian and assault helicopters.
Contents |
[edit] History
The OH-6A Cayuse was originally designed for the United States Army in the 1960s as a scout and utility aircraft. It was fitted with a 253-shp Allison T63-A-5A.
The prototype Model 369 first flew in February 1963, with production OH-6 craft entering service in 1966. It was the original winner of the Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) competition, and was dubbed Loach in the Vietnam conflict. The losers in that competition were Fairchild Hiller, which faded away in helicopters, and Bell Helicopter. Bell's OH-4A entry would later sprout a tapered nose, among other changes, and dominate the civilian light helicopter market as the Bell 206 JetRanger.
This helicopter is noted for high performance and low noise due its four-bladed rotor and small size. The OH-6 would act as a scout to draw fire and spot enemy positions, while only lightly armed with a fixed minigun, teamed with AH-1 Cobra gunships and UH-1 Huey troop ships. The Army would later adopt the Bell OH-58 Kiowa militarized version of the JetRanger in a second round LOH competition, despite criticism from pilots that the OH-6 Cayuse was a better performer.
The OH-6 set 23 world records for helicopters in 1966 for speed, endurance and time to climb. On March 23, 1966, Jack Schwiebold set the closed circuit distance record in a YOH-6A at Edwards Air Force Base, California. He flew without landing for 1,739.96 mi (2,800.20 km). And on April 7, 1966, Robert Ferry set the long distance world record for helicopters. He flew from Culver City, California to Ormond Beach, Florida, covering a total of 1,923.08 nm (2,213.04 mi, 3,561.55 km).
In the 1970s, Hughes Aircraft developed a military export version, the 500M, featuring a new 278-shp Allison 250-C18. The MD 500MD Scout (bearing a McDonnell Douglas designation after their takeover of Hughes) was an upgrade of the 500 series that featured 5 main rotor blades, a 375-shp Allison 250-C20B turboshaft engine, and T-tail. The MD-500E and MD 500MG Defender II series had a more elongated nose for streamlining, and an optional 4x blade tail rotor. The OH-6E Super Cayuse (MD-530F Lifter) upgraded the turboshaft to a 425-shp Allison 250-C30. The MD 530MG Defender was an updated 530 series that included a mast-mounted sight.
Later versions, the AH-6J and MH-6J Little Bird (dubbed the "Killer Egg"), are produced specifically for the Special Forces. The Little Bird is flown by units of the U.S. Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) at Fort Campbell. The AH-6 assault variant can carry a pod on either side of the fuselage fitted with various guns, missiles or rockets. In lieu of pods, the MH-6 troop ship variant is rigged with exterior benches on both sides of the cabin for carrying up to six men, three on each side and can cruise at speeds of 160 mph (257 km/h). Variants of this helicopter were used by American Ranger and Delta forces during the Battle of Mogadishu, as chronicled by Mark Bowden in the book Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War and the ensuing Jerry Bruckheimer film.
The NOTAR no-tail-rotor version is popular with law enforcement because of its very low noise levels. Instead of an anti-torque tail rotor, a fan exhaust is directed out slots in the tail boom, using the Coandă effect for yaw control.
[edit] Japanese OH-6
In Japan, 387 OH-6s were produced under licence by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and used by the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), the Japanese Coast Guard, and civilian operators. Beginning in 2001, the OH-6s of the JGSDF are in the process of being replaced by Kawasaki's new observation helicopter, the OH-1.
- OH-6J : Light observation helicopter for the Japanese Ground Self Defence Force. The OH-1J was built under licence in Japan by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The OH-6J was based on the OH-6A Cayuse light observation helicopter.
- OH-6D : Light observation and scout helicopter for Japanese Ground Self Defence Force. The OH-6D was built under licence in Japan by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and was based on the civilian Hughes Model 500D helicopter.
[edit] Popular culture
OH-6s were used in the movie Capricorn One. Other movies that feature H-6s include Diamonds Are Forever, Blue Thunder, Airwolf,Outbreak, Fire Birds, Last Action Hero, Black Hawk Down, The Italian Job, Apocalypse Now, and Three Kings. A cartoon show "Skyhawks" also featured a Hughes 500. Perhaps its most famous role was in the television show Magnum P.I., albeit the example used on the show was a Hughes 500D, with the later T-tail design and five-bladed main rotor. The Hughes 500 is featured most extensively in the television movie Deadly Encounter, starring Larry Hagman as a veteran helicopter pilot.
[edit] Military Operators
- Argentina, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, Greece, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Nicaragua, Philippines, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, United States Army
[edit] Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 30 ft 10 in - 32 ft 2 in (9.4 m - 9.8 m)
- Rotor diameter: ()
- Height: 8 ft 6 in - 11 ft 2 in (2.6 m - 3.4 m)
- Empty weight: 1,975 lbs (896 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 3,549 lbs (1,610 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× One Allison T63-A-5A or T63-A-700 Turboshaft, 317 hp (236 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 152 knots (175 mph, 282 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 135 knots (155 mph, 250 km/h)
- Range: 267 miles (430 km)
- Service ceiling: 15,994 ft (4,875 m)
- Rate of climb: 2,067 ft/min (10.5 m/s)
Armament
- Guns: Two M60 or M134 Minigun 7.62 mm Chaingun / machine gun; Two .50 cal (12.7 mm) MG pods
- Rockets: Two 2.75 in (70 mm) Hydra 70 rocket pods
- Missiles: Two TOW missile pods; Two Hellfire
[edit] Related content
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Designation sequence
Related lists
See also
- Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, the present owners of McDonnell Douglas
