[26], During 1972, a pair of heavily modified OH-6As were utilized by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) via Air America for a covert wire-tapping mission. I got shot down on my 22nd birthday, March 27, 1971. The following two-week mission was to Yuma for night operation training. For this, a small rotorcraft capable of landing in restrictive locations and easily transportable via US Air Force transport aircraft was necessary. Vietnam War Era Hughes OH-6 Loach Helicopter 60,632 views Mar 30, 2013 327 Dislike Share Save Steve1958OR 221 subscribers A friend came by with his restored US Army Loach OH-6 helicopter. The US military primarily used the OH-6 for observational and reconnaissance purposes. The Loach's main role was reconnaisance and observation. Unlike previous aircraft, the Tarhe was extremely successful during the Vietnam War. A.J. 79th Transportation Company: Jun 70 Jul 70 One of the most dangerous helicopter assignments was a tiny scout helicopter known as the Loach. Officially designated the OH-6 Cayuse, these things were made of thin plexiglass and metal but were expected to fly low over the jungles and grass, looking for enemy forces hiding in the foliage. The OH-6A could be armed with the M27 armament subsystem, the port (left) side mounting M134 six-barrel 7.62mm minigun or a 40mm grenade launcher on the XM8 armament subsystem. [12] Following a competitive fly-off, the Army requested the manufacturers to submit sealed bids. After evaluation, three designs were selected and 5 of each: the Bell OH-4A; the Hiller OH-5 and the Hughes OH-6, were ordered for trials by the U.S.Army Aviation Board. Hughes bid $56,550 per airframe, while Bell bid $54,200. Possible mast-mounted sight. They were famous for being shot down or crashing in combat. which many are taken will be available from our shop to Primarily, it was used by the Marine Corp to transport personnel and cargo. However, the U.S. Army subsequently chose to include Hughes's Model 369 for further consideration as well. Loach and Cobra were in constant radio communication, and because of the intensity of hunter-killer missions, it wasnt long before pairs in each type knew each other well enough to anticipate the others moves. External load capacity was approximately 1,200 Lbs (550 kg), and transport capability 2 or 3 troops or cargo internally. Headquarters, 173rd Airborne Brigade: Jan 70 May 70 Tough Mission LOACH Chopper Vietnam - YouTube 0:00 / 5:15 Intro Tough Mission LOACH Chopper Vietnam Chopperguy 15.4K subscribers Subscribe 1.1K 53K views 1 year ago We fly with Low Level. The type was born from the US Army Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) program (which provided its "Loach" nickname) and ultimately proved an excellent helicopter system seeing only limited service in the inventories of several American allies worldwide. Some units were modified during the war with machine guns to act as gunships. As a separate part of the project, armed OH-6As were being developed at Fort Rucker, Alabama. 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). Anthony comes from a military family and has served his country proudly in the military as a pilot. As of 2021, these records still stand. It was powered by a 285-hp engine but the helicopter weighed less than a Volkswagen. How a Vietnam War Helicopter Pilot Captured a POW With His Civil War Built by Hughes Tool Company, it was designed to be a scout helicopter during the Vietnam war. The 1-245 modified infantry night vision goggles and worked to develop the necessary skills for rapid deployment with Little Birds and C-130s.[31]. The OH-6 Cayuse, by this point known as the Loach helicopter, made its way to Vietnam in December 1967. The Bell UH-1B/C was modified from the UH-1A Cobra to include a set of machine guns for attacking ground targets. It served in Granada and Panama during the 1980s, as well as in the . The U.S. Army began to use Bell OH-13 Sioux and Hiller OH-23 Raven helicopters, once artillery spotters, to scout ahead of UH-1D Huey formations in the moments before air assaults to gather information about landing zones and enemy locations. They were employed in hunter-killer tactics, wherein they flew low over the jungle as bait to draw enemy fire. Improved versions were issued through the war and included pockets on the chest and back in which large additional plates could be inserted. This was a Combat incident. 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. MD-530MG/Defender: Has a mast-mounted sight, and incorporated upgrades of all previous variants. Historical Snapshot: OH-6 Cayuse/Hughes 500 Helicopter These helicopters were mostly used for observation, reconnaissance, utility, and for providing combat support. [13][3] Beginning in 2001, the JGSDF OH-6s were supplemented by the indigenously-developed Kawasaki OH-1, a more advanced observation helicopter. Joint Services Incident Damage Report. Here are the 24 helicopters used in Vietnam. [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. Onboard UH1 Huey helicopter (SN 66-163-56) was Aircraft Commander, WO William H. Seaborn Jr., myself as . I was used to getting up close and personal with the enemy.. It was used to look for and find the VC/NVA troops in Vietnam. New book recounts Newburgh man's time as Vietnam helicopter pilot The Aircraft Division of Hughes Tool Company came up with the Model 369, which became one of three finalists, alongside designs from Bell Helicopter Company and Fairchild Hiller. For other AH-6 and MH-6 variants, see MH-6 Little Bird and Boeing AH-6. Terms and Conditions, Safety Standards Acknowledgement and Consent (SSAC) The mission training consisted of loading onto C-130 Hercules transport aircraft which would then transport them to forward staging areas over routes as long as 1,000 nautical miles (1,900km). In one particular clandestine incident in 1972, known as the Vinh wiretap, a pair of OH-6As were heavily modified and used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) via Air America was used to infiltrate Vietnamese high level communications, providing valuable intelligence. Instead of disbanding Task Force 158, the military opted to turn it into the 160th Aviation Battalion. While in Vietnam, Loach helicopters operated as part of air mobile teams. Aircraft took off, fully flight capable. (7.62MM) The Mil Mi-4 was a Soviet transport chopper used both for civilian and military purposes. Observation Helicopters 4. Also: LNOF, 90119, JSIDR (Lindenmuth Old Format Data Base. [22] The remaining H-13s were promptly withdrawn in favour of the OH-6s. 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. On the night of 56 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 like a street cop going into a bad neighborhood. It is 1/6th scale and very large, has to be at least 3 feet from rotor tip to rotor tip. US Army Loach OH-6 Helicopter Vietnam War Era - YouTube 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. During the Vietnam War Era, different types of helicopters were crucial for providing support for ground forces, scouting locations, and deploying or retrieving soldiers. I followed footsteps. 60th Assault Helicopter Company: Mar 72 Jun 72, Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A tail number 67-16304 The OH-6A helicopters used for transporting personnel became the MH-6 aircraft of the Light Assault Company and the armed OH-6As became the AH-6 aircraft of the Light Attack Company. The OH-6 helicopters served in huge numbers and were used for light observation and utility roles. [10][self-published source][11], Due to price escalations for both the OH-6 and spare components, the U.S. Army opted to reopen bids for the programme in 1967. The helicopter was hit in the Left Side Army troops called the OH-6As Loaches, a contraction of light observation helicopters. The ship was unusually light and had plenty of power, perfect for flying nap-of-the-earth missions, and its 26-foot-diameter main rotor made getting into tight landing zones a snap. The shelf life of a scout pilot was probably six months. While successful in this respect, the Loach helicopter also had a reputation for being easily gunned down. 2 M75 40-mm grenade launchers Total flight hours at this point: 00000265 [18] Subsequently, on 6 April 1966, Robert Ferry set the long distance world record for helicopters by flying from Culver City, California, with over a ton of fuel to Ormond Beach, Florida, covering a total of 1,923.08 nm (2,213.04mi, 3,561.55km) in 15 hours, and near the finish at up to 24,000 feet (7,300m) altitude. They were operated by a number of military organizations, including the Japanese Army, Navy and Coast Guard. (Scouts were known as White Teams and Cobras as Red; the two colors combine to become pink. The OH-6A Cayuse was quite effective when teamed with the AH-1G Cobra attack helicopter as part of what were known as Pink Teams. Unit: DIR SUP / TRAN I had a wingman shot down, pilot John Shafer says.
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