User:Born2flie/OH-58 Kiowa

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Main article: OH-58 Kiowa

OH-58 Kiowa
OH-58D Kiowa Warrior
Type	Observation/scout helicopter
Manufacturer	Bell Helicopter Textron
Maiden flight	8 December 1962^[1]
Introduced	1967
Status	Active service
Primary users	United States Army Taiwan (Republic of China), Saudi Arabia
Produced	1966-1989^[2]
Number built	2200+
Developed from	Bell 206

The Bell OH-58 Kiowa is a family of single-engine, single-rotor, observation and light attack helicopters manufactured by Bell Helicopter and originally based on the company's Bell 206A JetRanger helicopter. The OH-58 Kiowa has been in continuous use by the United States Army since its introduction in 1968. The latest model, the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, is primarily operated in an armed reconnaissance role in support of ground troops.

[edit] Development

[edit] Light Observation Helicopter (LOH)

In October 1961, the Army submitted a request for proposals (RFP) for the Light Observation Helicopter (LOH). Bell, along with 12 other manufacturers (including Fairchild-Hiller and Hughes Tool Co. Aircraft Division), entered the competition.^[3] Bell submitted their design for Model 206, which was selected out of the design phase by the Army^[4] and designated as the YHO-4A.^[5]

Bell produced five prototype aircraft in 1962 for the Army's test and evaluation phase. The first prototype flew on 8 December 1962.^[1] That same year, all aircraft began to be designated according to the new Joint Services designation system, so the prototype aircraft were redesignated as YOH-4A. The YOH-4A also became known as the Ugly Duckling in comparison to the other contending aircraft. During the testing phase, the test pilots complained about the power problems of the aircraft^{[citation needed]} which eliminated it from consideration.^[1]

When the YOH-4A was rejected by the Army, Bell went about solving the problem of marketing the aircraft. In addition to the image problem, the helicopter lacked cargo space and only provided cramped quarters for the planned three passengers in the back. The solution was a fuselage redesigned to be more sleek and aesthetic, adding 16 cubic feet of cargo space in the process.^[6] The redesigned aircraft was designated as the Model 206A, and Bell President Edwin J. Ducayet named it the JetRanger denoting an evolution from the popular Model 47J Ranger.

YOH-4A LOH in flight.

In 1967, the Army reopened the LOH competition for bids because Hughes Tool Co. Aircraft Division couldn't meet the contractual production demands.^{[citation needed]} Bell resubmitted for the program using the Bell 206A.^[5] Fairchild-Hiller failed to resubmit their bid with the YOH-5A, which they had successfully marketed as the FH-1100.^[7] In the end, Bell underbid Hughes to win the contract and the Bell 206A was designated as the OH-58A. Following the U.S.Army's naming convention for helicopters, the OH-58A was named Kiowa in honor of the Native American tribe.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Advanced Scout Helicopter (ASH)

In the 1970s, the U.S. Army began evaluating the need to improve the capabilities of their scout aircraft. The OH-58A and OH-58C lacked the power for operations in areas that exposed the aircraft to high altitude and hot temperatures, areas where the ability to acquire targets was a critical deficiency in the tactical warfare capabilities of Army aviation.^[8] The power shortcoming caused other issues as the Army anticipated the AH-64A's replacement of the venerable AH-1 in the Attack battalions of the Army. The Army began shopping the idea of an Aerial Scout Program to industry as a prototype exercise to stimulate the development of advanced technological capabilities for night vision and precision navigation equipment.^[8]

“

Prototypes in this program will possess an extended target acquisition range capability by means of a long-range stabilized optical subsystem for the observer, improved position location through use of a computerized navigation system, improved survivability by reducing aural, visual, radar, and infrared signatures, and an improved flight performance capability derived from a larger engine to provide compatibility with attack helicopters.^[8]

”

In early March of 1974, the Army created a special task force to develop the system requirements for the Aerial Scout Helicopter program,^[9] and in 1975 the task force had formulated the requirements for the Advanced Scout Helicopter (ASH) program. The requirements were formulated around an aircraft capable of performing in day, night, and adverse weather and compatible with all the advanced weapons systems planned for development and fielding into the 1980s. The program was approved by the System Acquisition Review Council and the Army prepared for competitive development to begin the next year.^[10] However, as the Army tried to get the program off the ground, Congress declined to provide funding for it in the fiscal year 1977 budget and the ASH Project Manager's Office (PM-ASH) was closed on 30 September 1976.^[11]

No development occurred on the program during the next few years, although the program survived as a requirement, only without funding. On 30 November 1979, the decision was made to defer development of an advanced scout helicopter in favor of pursuing modification of existing airframes in the inventory as a near term scout helicopter (NTSH) option. The development of a mast-mounted sight would be the primary focus to improve the aircraft's ability to perform reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition missions while remaining hidden behind trees and terrain. Both the UH-1 and the OH-58 were evaluated as NTSH candidates, but the UH-1 was dropped from consideration due to its larger size and ease of detection. The OH-58, on the other hand demonstrated a dramatic reduction in detectability with an MMS.

On 10 July 1980, the Army decided that the NTSH would be a competitive modification program based on developments in the commercial helicopter industry, particularly Hughes Helicopters' development of the Hughes 500D which provided significant improvements over the OH-6.^[12]

[edit] Army Helicopter Improvement Program (AHIP)

During January 1981, the RFP for the NTSH was developed and released to the helicopter industry.^[13] Both Bell Helicopter and Hughes Helicopters redesigned their scout aircraft to compete for the contract. Bell offered a more robust version of the OH-58 in their model 406 aircraft,^[14] and Hughes offered an upgraded version of the OH-6, based on the Hughes 500, and on 21 September 1981, Bell Helicopter Textron was awarded a development contract.^[15]^[13]

After a Critical Design Review for the AHIP in November 1982, Bell began producing five prototype aircraft and seven prototypes of the Mast Mounted Sight (MMS). In March 1983, as soon as the AHIP engine was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Bell tested the engine, transmission and rotor systems on a company aircraft. On 1 September 1983, the first AHIP prototype flight took place without the MMS, and on 8 September 1983, the aircraft made its first flight with the MMS installed.^[16] With the initial success of the test flight program, AHIP continued moving forward as the Army awarded Bell Helicopter and Allison Engine contracts for the engines and airframes of the production aircraft.

The aircraft entered service in 1985 as the OH-58D.^[17] Initially intended to be used in attack, cavalry and artillery roles, the Army only approved a low initial production level and confined the role of the OH-58D to field artillery observation. The Army also directed that a follow-on test be conducted to further evaluate the aircraft due to perceived deficiencies. On 1 April 1986, the Army formed a task force at Fort Rucker, Alabama, to remedy deficiencies in the AHIP.^[17]

As a result of those deliberations, the Army had planned to discontinue the OH-58D in 1988 and focus on the LHX, but Congress approved $138 million for expanding the program, calling for the AHIP to operate with the Apache as a hunter/killer team; the AHIP would locate the targets, and the Apache would destroy them in a throwback to the traditional OH-58/AH-1 relationship.^[18] However, based on experience with Task Force 118's performance operating armed OH-58D helicopters in the Persian Gulf, the Secretary of the Army directed that the aircraft's armament systems be upgraded and that the aircraft be used primarily for scouting and armed reconnaissance.^[19]

FY 83 was the second year of Full-Scale Development (FSD) for the Army Helicopter Improvement Program (AHIP) under a fixed-price incentive contract with Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc., of Fort Worth, Texas. The objective of this program is to produce an improved scout helicopter capable of day, night, and adverse weather operations through the modification of 578 OH-58A observation helicopters to an OH-58D scout configuration. Besides improvements to the engine, rotor, drive train, cockpit, and avionics, the AHIP scout will feature television, thermal imaging, and laser sensors encapsulated in a Mast Mounted Sight above the helicopter main rotor. The Critical Design Review for AHIP, held in November 1982, was successful and the program proceeded to produce five prototype aircraft and seven functional prototypes of the Mast Mounted Sight. After constructing and testing subsystems and completing Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) certification of the engine, Bell Helicopter began flight testing the AHIP engine, transmission, and rotor systems on one of its own aircraft in March 1983. On 1 September the aircraft company started initial flight testing of a prototype OH-58D helicopter. A pilot flew the basic aircraft configuration, without the Mast Mounted Sight on I and 2 September, and the aircraft with a Mast Mounted Sight on 8 September 1983. Based on an assessment of the test results and reasonable program maturity, including program cost, the Army In-Process Review (IPR) members recommended and received approval to contract for the required AHIP Long Lead Time (LLT) and advanced procurement items. The Army awarded contracts to Bell Helicopter and The Allison Gas Turbine Operations of Indianapolis, Indiana, for the airframe components and engines. The Army also conducted Initial Production Readiness Reviews (IPRR) for the AHIP at Bell Helicopter and five subcontractors during FY 83. --Source

The AHIP called for upgrading the OH-58D Kiowa scout helicopter. In addition to replacing its main rotor and engine, the Army intended to install advanced avionics and to arm the OH-58D with Stinger missiles to provide air-to-air combat capability. The Secretary of the Army decided to upgrade the Kiowa's armament on 6 December 1989 and directed that it be used primarily for scouting and armed reconnaissance. In March 1989 the armed Kiowa underwent an inconclusive test to ascertain its deployability by C-130 aircraft to enhance the forced entry capability of the 82d Airborne Division. Although the LHX is expected to replace the OH-58D, Congress emphasized the Kiowa's complementary role with the Apache as an effective hunter-killer team and boosted Kiowa production from twenty-four to thirty-six per year in FY 1989. Army OH-58D helicopters had performed outstandingly in the Persian Gulf since 1987 in protecting surface ships at night from Iranian gunboats. --Source

[edit] Operational History

[edit] Vietnam

MG Norton received the first OH-58A Kiowa at a ceremony at Bell Helicopters Fort Worth plant in May 1969. Two months later, on 17 August 1969, the first production OH-58A Kiowa helicopters were arriving in Vietnam^[20], accompanied by a New Equipment Training Team (NETT) from the Army and Bell Helicopters.^[21] Although the Kiowa production contract replaced the LOH contract with Hughes, the OH-58A did not automatically replace the OH-6A in operation. Subsequently, the Kiowa and the Cayuse would continue operating in the same theater until the end of the war.

The Australian military forces operating in Vietnam had been flying the OH-13 in support of their ground troops. 161 Recce received 8 OH-58A on loan from the United States Army in Vietnam.

[edit] 1970s

In 1979, the Army ordered production of the OH-58C (comparable to the Bell 206B) and by the end of the production contracts, the Army had ordered 2200 Bell OH-58A/C aircraft.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 1980s

In another upgrade effort, the Army Helicopter Improvement Program (AHIP), the service received the first production OH-58D observation helicopters. A refurbished OH-58A, the OH-58D (commonly referred to as the AHIP) is fitted with a mast-mounted sight that enables the aircraft to operate at night and in other conditions of limited visibility. The sight incorporates a special television, a thermal imaging system, and a laser designator-range finder. Using the sight, the crew can scout and direct artillery fire while hovering behind trees and hilltops, safe from direct enemy fire.[1]

By mid-FY 88 six Army divisions had AHIP platoons-1st, 2d, and 3d Armored; 3d and 8th Mechanized; arid the 2d Infantry. The XVIII Airborne Corps had one AHIP company.[2]

During FY 1989 the Army decided to replace the older T-63-A-700 engine used on the OH-58A and OH-58C with the more powerful T-63-A-720 engine. The older engine lacked sufficient horsepower for the OH-58 to perform its missions most effectively, and repair parts were difficult to obtain. In addition to increased power, the T-63-A-720 engine would standardize engines of the entire OH-58 fleet, improve readiness, and reduce support costs. In FY 1989 the Under Secretary of the Army approved sole-source procurement of 652 replacement engines, with delivery expected to begin in September 1989.[3]

[edit] Operation Just Cause

During Operation Just Cause, a Scout Weapons Team, consisting of an OH-58 and an AH-1, were part of the Aviation Task Force during the securing of Fort Amador in Panama. During the operation, the OH-58 was fired upon by Panama Defense Force soldiers and crashed 100 yards away, in the Bay of Panama. The pilot was rescued but the co-pilot died.[4]

[edit] Operation Prime Chance

In early 1988, it was decided that armed OH-58D (AHIP) helicopters from the 118th Aviation Task Force would be phased in to replace the SEABAT (AH-6/MH-6) teams of Task Force 160th to carry out Operation Prime Chance, the escort of oil tankers during the Iran-Iraq War. On 24 February 1988, two AHIP helicopters reported to the Wimbrown VII, and the SEABAT team stationed on the barge returned to the United States. For the next few months, the AHIP helicopters on the Wimbrown VII shared patrol duties with the SEABAT team on the Hercules. Coordination was difficult, but despite frequent requests from TF-160, the SEABAT team on the Hercules was not replaced by an AHIP detachment until June 1988.^[22] The OH-58D helicopter crews involved in the operation received deck landing and underwater survival training from the Navy.

In November 1988, the number of OH-58D helicopters that supported Task Force 118 was reduced. However, the aircraft continued to operate from the Navy's Mobile Sea Base Hercules, the frigate Underwood, and the destroyer Connolly. OH-58D operations primarily entailed reconnaissance flights at night, and depending on maintenance requirements and ship scheduling, Army helicopters usually rotated from the mobile sea base and other combatant ships to a land base every seven to fourteen days. On 18 September 1989, an OH-58D crashed during night gunnery practice and sank, but with no loss of personnel. When the Mobile Sea Base Hercules was inactivated in September 1989, all but five OH-58D helicopters redeployed to the continental United States.^[23]

[edit] RAID

In 1989, Congress mandated that the Army National Guard would be a player in the country's War on Drugs enabling them to aid federal, state and local law enforcement agencies with "special congressional entitlements". In response, the Army National Guard Bureau created the Reconnaissance and Aerial Interdiction Detachments (RAID) in 1992, consisting of aviation units in 31 states with 76 specially modified OH-58A helicopters to assume the reconnaissance/interdiction role in the fight against illegal drugs. During 1994 twenty-four states conducted more than 1,200 aerial counterdrug reconnaissance and interdiction missions, conducting many of these missions at night. Eventually, the program was expanded to cover 32 states and consists of 116 aircraft including dedicated training aircraft at the Western Army Aviation Training Site (WAATS) in Marana, Arizona.^[24]

The RAID program’s mission has now been expanded to include the war against terrorism and supporting U.S. Border Patrol activities in support of homeland defense. The National Guard RAID units' Area of Operation (AO) is the only one in the Department of Defense that is wholly contained within the borders of the United States.^[24]

[edit] 1990s

After the Task Force Ranger raid on the Olympic Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, on October 3-4, 1993, Task Force 2-25 Aviation from Fort Drum, NY deployed with OH-58D, AH-1 Cobras and UH-60 aircraft as part of the beefed up response to the deteriorating conditions during Operations Restore Hope.

In 1994, Taiwan took delivery of sixteen of twenty-six OH-58D armed scout helicopters that it had already purchased.[5]

[edit] Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm

[edit] Korea

Dec. 17, 1994, Army aviators Chief Warrant Officer 2 David Hilemon and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bobby Hall left Camp Page, South Korea on a routine training mission along the Demilitarized Zone. Their flight was intended to be to a point south of the "no-fly zone" along the DMZ known as Checkpoint 84, but the OH-58A Kiowa aircraft strayed into the Kangwon Province, about four miles inside North Korean airspace, due to errors in navigating the snow covered, rugged terrain.

The aircraft was shot down by North Korean troops and the North Korean government insisted that the crew was spying. CWO Hilemon was killed and CWO Hall was held captive for 13 days. Negotiations resulted in the North Koreans turned over Hilemon's body to U.S. authorities five days after the shoot-down. However, the negotiations failed to secure Hall's immediate release. He was finally freed on Dec. 30, exhausted but uninjured.^[25]

[edit] Operation Iraqi Freedom

[edit] Controversies

Some pilots in Vietnam were not happy with the Kiowa and preferred the Cayuse because they felt it was a better aircraft. The misgivings about the new aircraft, brought about by its rotor design being unsuited to the same flying tactics previously used by the OH-6 pilots, led to the feeling within the aviation ranks of being saddled with an inferior aircraft. These feelings gave rise to the speculation that because Bell Helicopters was located in Texas, the awarding of the contract to Bell somehow personally benefited President Johnson. Ultimately, this would manifest itself as an urban legend within helicopter circles that the president's wife, Lady Bird Johnson, owned stock in Bell Helicopters and that Bell was awarded the contract over Hughes to raise the value of that stock.

As use of the aircraft changed from the constant movement tactics in Southeast Asia to the hovering, nap-of-the-earth (NOE) tactics of the Cold War, several accidents occurred which brought awareness of a shortcoming with the helicopter's tail rotor. This condition, which became known as loss of tail rotor effectiveness (LTE), occurred when the tail rotor could no longer produce enough thrust to counteract the torque reaction of the main rotor. Shortly after determining the cause of the accidents, the Army and Bell studied the flight envelope and determined the conditions that resulted in LTE. Some pilots of non-Bell helicopters inferred that the condition should have been called lack of enough tail rotor and that Bell purposely portrayed the issue as purely aerodynamic rather than a design flaw. The FAA was also criticized for accepting this term and its explanation into the FAA list of terms. These conditions were printed as limitations in the Army's Operator's Manual for the OH-58A, along with a related emergency procedure to recover from the situation. Bell subsequently designed a larger diameter tail rotor for both the OH-58 and Bell's Model 206 commercial aircraft.

Based on the Army Safety Center's earlier identification of the problem of helicopter accidents involving loss of tail rotor effectiveness, the result of about one-half of all Army OH-58 aircraft accidents, this year HQDA directed that an Army Joint Working Group research the problem and recommend possible countermeasures. Also, in response to this problem, the Army initiated actions in flight test and engineering analyses at a number of Army agencies and within civilian industry. The Army Safety Center was instrumental in evaluating the plans for these actions and the results as an "honest broker" to ensure that the conclusions were well substantiated and formed the basis for effective corrective actions. Based on the working group's efforts, the Army identified countermeasures in helicopter design, operating procedures, and mission planning. In November 1983, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army received a briefing on these countermeasures, which he is considering for Armywide application. -Source

[edit] Variants

[edit] OH-58A

The OH-58A Kiowa is a 4-place observation helicopter. The Kiowa has two-place pilot seating, although the controls in the left seat are designed to be removed to carry a passenger up front. Its primary mission is to locate the enemy and report the location and/or conduct calls for fire from artillery units nearby to destroy, disrupt or disable the enemy. During its Vietnam development, it was fitted with an M134 7.62 mm electrically-operated machine gun. In 1978, OH-58A aircraft began to be converted to the same engine and dynamic components as the OH-58C.^[26]

74 OH-58A helicopters were delivered to the Canadian Armed Forces as COH-58A and redesignated as CH-136 Kiowa helicopters.^[27] The Australian Army produced the OH-58A under contract in Australia as the CA-32. It was essentially the 206B-1 equivalent OH-58A (upgraded engine and longer rotor blades). The first twelve were built in the U.S. then torn down and shipped to Australia where they were reassembled.^[28]

In 1992, 76 OH-58A were modified with an engine upgrade, a thermal imagery system, a communications package for law enforcement, enhanced navigational equipment and high skid gear as part of the Army National Guard's (ARNG) Counter-Drug RAID program. The program called for these "OH-58A+" aircraft to be located in 31 states and the Western Army Aviation Training Site (WAATS). By the end of the summer of 1994, 24 states had their detachments operational.^[29] The program has currently been expanded to 32 states and a total of 116 aircraft.^[24]

[edit] OH-58B

The OH-58B Kiowa was an export version for the Austrian Air Force.^[30]

OH-58C Kiowa in Bosnia

[edit] OH-58C

Equipped with a more robust engine, the OH-58C was supposed to solve many issues and concerns regarding the Kiowa's power. In addition to the upgraded engine, the OH-58C had unique IR suppression systems mounted on its turbine exhaust. Early "C" models featured flat-panel windscreens as an attempt to reduce glint from the sun, which could give away the aircraft's location to an enemy. The windscreens had a negative effect of limiting the forward view of the crew, a previous strength of the original design.

The aircraft were also equipped with a larger instrument panel, roughly a third bigger than the OH-58A panel, which held larger flight instruments. The panel was also equipped with Night Vision Goggle (NVG) compatible cockpit lighting. The lights inside the aircraft are modified to prevent them from interfering with the aircrews' use of NVGs.^[31] OH-58C aircraft were also the first U.S. Army scout helicopter to be equipped with the AN/APR-39 radar detector, a system which allowed the crew to know when there were anti-aircraft radar systems in proximity to the aircraft.^[32]

Some OH-58C aircraft were armed with two AIM-92 Stingers. These aircraft are sometimes referred to as OH-58C/S, the "S" referring to the Stinger installation.^[33] Called Air-To-Air Stinger (ATAS), the weapon system was intended to provide an air defense capability for the Kiowas as they pulled security on the flanks, while the Apaches destroyed tanks in the Engagement Area (EA).^{[verification needed]}

[edit] OH-58D

OH-58D Kiowa

The OH-58D (Bell Model 406) was the result of the Army Helicopter Improvement Program (AHIP). It was a serious re-thinking of what was needed to be an effective scout aircraft. An upgraded transmission and engine gave it the power it needed, and the four-bladed main rotor made it much quieter than the two-bladed OH-58C. In addition, it had a Mast-Mounted Sight (MMS) above the rotor system with a gyro-stabilized platform containing a TeleVision System (TVS), a Thermal Imaging System (TIS), and a Laser Range Finder/Designator (LRF/D). These new features gave the aircraft the additional mission capability of target acquisition and laser designation in both day or night, and in limited adverse weather.

15 copies of a modified version of the OH-58D (sometimes referred to as the MH-58D^[1]^[34]) was sold to Saudi Arabia^[35] as the Bell 406CS "Combat Scout". The MMS was removed and replaced with a Saab HeliTOW sight system[6] mounted on the roof of the aircraft, just above the left pilot seat.[7] It also had detachable weapons hardpoints on each side.

[edit] Kiowa Warrior

The Kiowa Warrior is the armed version of the OH-58D Kiowa. The main difference that distinguishes the Kiowa Warrior from the original AHIP aircraft is a universal weapons pylon found mounted on both sides of the aircraft. These pylons are capable of carrying combinations of Hellfire missiles, Air-to-Air Stinger (ATAS) missiles, 7-shot 2.75" (70mm) rocket pods, and an M296 .50 caliber machine gun. The weapons are mounted on an ejector rack that provides the aircraft with a jettison capability in the event of an emergency to reduce weight or to eject a burning weapon system away from the aircraft. The Kiowa Warrior upgrade also includes improvements in available power, navigation, communication and survivability, as well as modifications to improve the aircraft's deployability.^[36]

[edit] Design

[edit] Operators

Australia: Australian Army^[28]

OH-58A/CA-32
- 161 Recce Squadron
- 162 Recce Squadron

Austria

OH-58B
- Fliegerregiment 1 [8]

Canada: Canadian Forces Air Command

COH-58A/CH-136 (1971-1995)
- 3 Canadian Forces Flying Training School [9]
- 400 Tactical Helicopter Squadron [10]
- 401 Tactical and Training Helicopter Squadron (disbanded 23 June 1996) [11]
- 403 (Helicopter) Operational Training Squadron [12]
- 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron [13]
- 411 Tactical Helicopter Squadron (disbanded 23 June 1996) [14]
- 422 Tactical Helicopter Squadron (disbanded 16 August 1980) [15]
- 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron (430e Escadron Tactique d'Hélicoptères) [16]
- 438 Tactical Helicopter Squadron [17]

Republic of China: Republic of China Army^[37]

OH-58D Kiowa Warrior
- 601st Air Cavalry Brigade
- 602nd Air Cavalry Brigade

Dominican Republic^[38]

OH-58C

Saudi Arabia: Royal Saudi Land Forces^[35]

406CS
- 1st Aviation Battalion

United States: United States Army (current)

OH-58A/C
- Eagle Flight Detachment, Fort Irwin
- Eagle Flight Detachment, Fort Polk
- Reconnaissance and Aerial Interdiction Detachments (RAID), 32 states

OH-58D Kiowa Warrior
- 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment
- 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment
- 4th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment
- 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment
- 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment
- 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment
- 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment
- 6th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment
- 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment

[edit] Specifications (OH-58A)

General characteristics

Crew: 1 pilot, 2 pilots, or 1 pilot and 1 observer
Length: 32 ft 2 in (9.81 m)
Rotor diameter: 35 ft 4 in (10.77 m)
Height: 9 ft 7 in (2.92 m)
Empty weight: 1,553 lb (704 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 2313 lb (1049 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Allison T63-A-700 turboshaft, 317 shp (236 kW)
Fuel capacity: 70 gal (264.9 liters)

Performance

Maximum speed: 120 knots (222.2 km/h)
Cruise speed: 102 knots (188.9 km/h)

Armament

M134 7.62 mm "Mini-gun"

M129 40 mm Grenade Launcher

[edit] Specifications (OH-58D)