loach helicopter vietnam

OA-6A 'Loach' Scout platoon. Although many were still teenagers, their survival depended on well-honed instincts and razor-sharp reflexes, along with plenty of luck. 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. The CH-53 Tarhe was another heavy-lift helicopter designed to transport and recover downed aircraft. Up against Fairchild Hiller, Hughes Tool Company purposely undervalued its cost estimates, earning the company favor and the contract. Joint Services Incident Damage Report. The prototype first flew in early 1963, and production began two years later. The United States deployed all types of helicopter, ranging from massive troop transport choppers, to smaller multipurpose and attack helicopters, and even helicopter drones. The OH-6A Loach (for "LOH") would find targets by flying low, "trolling for fire", then marking the target with colored smoke to lead in a Cobra, or Snake, to attack. The Seasprite was an anti-submarine and anti-surface helicopter that had over-the-horizon targeting facilities. Even trampled grass was a clue; it meant that enemy troops had passed through the area within eight hours, the time it took for grass to dry upright. Your Privacy Rights (He later transferred to the Air Force and flew F-4 Phantoms, and eventually became an airline captain.) 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. Accordingly, the U.S. Army's fixed-wing airplane, the Cessna O-1 Bird Dog, which was utilized for artillery observation and reconnaissance flights, would be replaced by the incoming OH-6A. 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. Development included test and training flights in Culver City, California (Hughes Airport) and at Area 51 in 1971. [14][15], During 1966, the OH-1 entered service with the U.S. Army. It was reasonably fast, very crashworthy, comparatively easy to maintain and fly, and extraordinarily maneuverable. Book A Flight | Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A tail number 67-16304 608th Transportation Company (Aircraft Direct Support): Mar 72 It could accomplish missions that bigger, slower and louder helicopters couldnt do. In air mobile teams, a pilot would fly low while an observer would scan the ground for signs of the enemy force. Its like a street cop going into a bad neighborhood. Helicopter took 1 hits from: Reportedly, 964 out of the 1,422 OH-6As produced for the US Army were destroyed in the Vietnam theatre, the majority of these losses being a result of hostile action, typically ground fire. OH-6A/Cayuse: Developed initially by the Hughes Aircraft company (later McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Company) in the mid-1960s for the US Army. Furthermore, a number of civilian customers also flew Kawasaki-built OH-6s for a variety of missions, including emergency medical services (EMS), law enforcement, and agricultural work. [12] Accordingly, during 1968, Hughes submitted a bid to build a further 2,700 airframes. The Army initially ordered 1,438 Hughes Model 369s, designated by the Army as the OH-6A Cayuse helicopters. The high-low hunter-killer combination gave way to uniform-altitude missions, with all helicopters flying nap of the earth. 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. The Hughes 369 was redesignated the OH-6A "Cayuse" by the U.S. Army. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work. I went up in a Loach with an M60 machine gun to get used to firing the weapon. The OH-6 was also exported as the Model 500 Defender. 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. Served in Vietnam War during 1968 and 1970-1972 (He later transferred to the Air Force and flew F-4 Phantoms, and eventually became an airline captain.) Has a mouth full of pointy teeth and a pair of eyes. Missions began every day at dawn, when crews were briefed on where to fly and what to look for. 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. During 1960, the United States Army issued Technical Specification 153 for a Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) capable of fulfilling various roles on the battlefield, including personnel transport, escort, casualty evacuation, observation, and attack missions. The Cayuse was publicly introduced in 1966 and set several records, including record for endurance, speed and rate of climb. The Sea Stallion is a line of heavy-lift transport helicopters. s/n 66-07841. Her research focused on Victorian, medical, and epidemiological history with a focus on childhood diseases. The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem rotor chopper that was developed by Vetrol and built by Boeing Vertol. Overtop of the fuselage was the OH-6s single engine, attached to a four-blade main rotor assembly. . ", FAI Record ID #11656 Absolute Rotorcraft World Record, Distance over a closed circuit without landing, FAI Record ID #11655 Absolute Rotorcraft World Record, Distance without landing, Obituary: Robert G. Ferry; Air Force veteran was record-setting test pilot, "In Vietnam, These Helicopter Scouts Saw Combat Up Close", "Jane's Aircraft Upgrades, MD Helicopters (Hughes) Model 500 (Military Versions)", "Dominican Republic Air Force Unit History", "Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force OH-6J", "Breda Nardi Hughes NH.500M in Armed Forces of Malta service", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hughes_OH-6_Cayuse&oldid=1133333304, This page was last edited on 13 January 2023, at 07:46. 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. 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. In her spare time, Samantha enjoys reading, knitting, and hanging out with her dog, Chowder! The OH-6D was an improved version with more advanced electronics and heavier armament. 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. Both Loach and Cobra have been in production, on and off, in one form or another ever since. The-21C was extensively used by the US Army to transport troops and supplies. On a few occasions, the OH-23 was also used for medical evacuation purposes, but this was rarely the case. It gained impetus with the advent of the Vietnam War, and was aided by advances in helicopter technology, specifically the development of the turboshaft engine. The Cobra was fast and deadly. A saying among Army aviators was, If you have to crash, do it in a Loach.. [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. Multi-Mission Helicopters 6. Some units were modified during the war with machine guns to act as gunships. For most of the war, there was no formal Army training to prepare scout pilots and observers. 2 Stinger AAM. Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) program, The US Air Force Panicked When Its Top-Secret Stealth Fighter Crashed Into the California Wilderness. AH-1G Huey Cobra 'Snake' . All Rights Reserved. The Loach's main role was reconnaisance and observation. It was used for transporting personnel, escorting other aircraft and naval vessels, attacking enemy units, and acting as an observation post. Find Us on Facebook, Safety Standards Acknowledgement and Consent (SSAC). The Cayuse . Moore served as an Army OH-6A "Loach" scout in IV Corps, South Vietnam, 1968-1969: Fort Apache, Vihn Long Province. I was used to getting up close and personal with the enemy.. It was powered by a 285-hp engine but the helicopter weighed less than a Volkswagen. Pilots called this helicopter as the Loach. This was a Combat incident. The AH-1 is sometimes affectionately referred to as the Huey Cobra or The Snake. OH-58 "Kiowa" light observation / scout platform. 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. Primarily, it was used by the Marine Corp to transport personnel and cargo. The killer role persists. The Model 369 was submitted by Hughes, and competed against the two finalists, Fairchild-Hiller and Bell, for a production contract. Another flight competition was held, this time without a submission from Fairchild Hiller. Aircraft took off, fully flight capable. The US Army charged Hughes for 714 units with the serial production contract formally announced in May of 1965. 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. The Army dictated that after 300 hours of flight time, each Loach go through a thorough inspection, but in practice such inspections were rare: Few Loaches survived to reach that mark. The Mojave is a large heavy-lift helicopter that was deployed in the Vietnam War in 1965 to assist in recovery of downed US aircraft, but it proved ineffective. It is 1/6th scale and very large, has to be at least 3 feet from rotor tip to rotor tip. By Richard Toops. While in Target Area this helicopter was Attacking at 0060 feet and 010 knots. Vietnam following a morning mission with the 11th Special Forces (SF) at Long Than North, South Vietnam. 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). However, the U.S. Army subsequently chose to include Hughes's Model 369 for further consideration as well. It was mostly used as a transport chopper, but it could also deliver supplies to troops. Cookie Settings, pilot. [12] Following a competitive fly-off, the Army requested the manufacturers to submit sealed bids. Upon encountering enemy fire, Loaches were to leave immediately, dropping smoke grenades to mark the target so that within seconds, the Cobra could roll in. Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center Helicopter database. But even that armament combined with the Cobra escort couldnt keep them safe. Cobras and Loaches, two vastly different aircraft, relied on each other to fight the enemy. [8][9] It was reported that Howard Hughes had directed his company to submit a bid at a price beneath the actual production cost of the helicopter in order to secure this order. 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. The back plate was often not used owing to the weight, and even the chest plate was deleted. Setting 23 world records for speed, distance, and altitude, the Hughes Tool Company OH-6 entered service in September of 1966. (7.62MM) [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. The AH-6 Little Bird Gun, a light attack helicopter, has been tested and proven in combat. It can cruise at speeds of 150 mph. The aircraft, dubbed 500P (penetrator) by Hughes, began as an ARPA project, codenamed "Mainstreet", in 1968. The OH-6A made its first flight in 1963. 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. Each could be equipped with any number of armaments, including grenade launchers, 7.62 mm miniguns, Hydra 70 mm unguided rockets, and TOW and Hellfire anti-tank guided missiles. 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. [27] During June 1972, they were deployed to a secret base in southern Laos (PS-44), where one of the helicopters was heavily damaged during a training mission late in the summer.

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