Find Us on Facebook, Safety Standards Acknowledgement and Consent (SSAC). A rescue operation for the crew of a downed Loach helicopter doesn't quite go as planned and the rescuers become victims themselves. 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. which many are taken will be available from our shop to On a few occasions, the OH-23 was also used for medical evacuation purposes, but this was rarely the case. I could see a cigarette butt still burning. A sobering statistic: Out of 1,419 Loaches built, 842 were destroyed in Vietnam, most shot down and many others succumbing to crashes resulting from low-level flying. The OH-6 was developed in response to the United States Army issuing Technical Specification 153 in 1960 to replace its Bell H-13 Sioux fleet. You can have all the guns, vests, and radios you want, but you need street smarts or youre going to be dead within an hour.. Ultimate Soldier Air Cavalry OH-6 "Loach" Helicopter 1/6 Scale The Mil Mi-4 was a Soviet transport chopper used both for civilian and military purposes. The Mil Mi-8 is a Soviet medium twin-turbine helicopter. Built by Hughes Tool Company, it was designed to be a scout helicopter during the Vietnam war. In August 1967, the AH-1G Cobra arrived in Vietnam. Loaches, usually with a pilot and observer and sometimes a door gunner aboard, flew as little as 10 feet above the treetops at between about 45 and 60 mph, scouting for signs of the enemy. I was wounded three times and shot down nine times, Romero reports. When the 1980 hostage situation of Operation Eagle Claw was deemed a disaster, the US military realized there was a lack of aircraft and personnel trained for such special operations. Troop C, 1st squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division: Oct 68 Jan 69 Upon landing, an inspection revealed a damaged pitch link, a rotor head component so critical that had it failed, they too would have crashed. The Bell UH-1 Huey & the Hughes OH-6 Loach It was a joy to fly. Kane, who today sells securities in Richmond, Virginia, flew AH-1s in Vietnam from 1968 to 1971. Served in Vietnam War during 1968 through 1970. SA-7 Grail heat-seeking missiles could down a Loach before its crew even realized they were under fire. The high-low hunter-killer combination gave way to uniform-altitude missions, with all helicopters flying nap of the earth. 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 CH-53 Tarhe was another heavy-lift helicopter designed to transport and recover downed aircraft. External load capacity was approximately 1,200 Lbs (550 kg), and transport capability 2 or 3 troops or cargo internally. But the Vietnam War was unlike any previous American conflict; there were few real definable frontlines, and combatants needed to know what was happening all around them, all the time. Table of Contents 1. ). The Marine Corp used it for the sea-based interdiction of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in 1972. Kanes commanding officer flew his command-and-control Huey to the ravine where Kane and Casher huddled. [6], During May 1965, the U.S. Army awarded a production contract to Hughes; this initial order for 714 rotorcraft was subsequently increased to 1,300 along with an option for another 114. Best Vietnam Helicopter Book - General Helicopter Forum - Vertical Served in Vietnam War during 1968 and 1970-1972 Four troop-carrying Hueys (called a Blue Team) often sat idle somewhere nearby, ready to insert troops if the Pink Team discovered an interesting targetor were shot down and needed rescuing. FAQ | 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! More from us: The US Air Force Panicked When Its Top-Secret Stealth Fighter Crashed Into the California Wilderness. The Chickasaw was a multi-purpose helicopter designed for both the US Army and Air Force. Following the Second World War, significant advancements were made in the field of rotary-wing flight. The small-arms protection aircrewmen armor that was introduced in 1966 was a vest with pockets containing composite laminated plates commonly called chicken plates. Primarily, it was used by the Marine Corp to transport personnel and cargo. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 Vietnam Helicopters Museum. During the Vietnam War, it was mostly deployed for aerial combat and for conducting rescue operations in areas close to US Air bases. In 1966 it entered military service with the US Army. While in Vietnam, Loach helicopters operated as part of air mobile teams. a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization EIN 45-4703737We Fly for Our Veterans!. Despite its strong offensive abilities, the SH-2 Seasprite was mostly used for rescuing downed friendly aircrews instead of direct combat. For other AH-6 and MH-6 variants, see MH-6 Little Bird and Boeing AH-6. Its effectiveness in battle allowed it to quickly replace the Bell H-13 Siouxs being operated in the country. The Bell H-13 Sioux were used for multiple roles, ranging from transporting troops, conducting medical evacuations, and performing reconnaissance and observational activities. Some of them were able to tell how large a force was and how recently it had passed. The Cayuse was organic to division, brigade, and battalion size units. It would often be crewed by a pilot and an observer; up to five passengers or up to 1,000lb of cargo could be carried internally. 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. Moore served as an Army OH-6A "Loach" scout in IV Corps, South Vietnam, 1968-1969: Fort Apache, Vihn Long Province. Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Provision for packaged armament on port side, including an XM-27 7.62mm (0.300in) machine-gun with 2,000 - 4,000 rounds of ammunition; or an XM-75 grenade launcher, Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and Task Force 160, List of military aircraft of the United States, Hearings on military posture and H.R. The Piasecki H-21 Workhorse was the fourth line of tandem rotor helicopters developed by Piasecki Helicopters. 2 .50 cal MG pods This was a Combat incident. Hughes Model OH-6A "Cayuse" or "LOACH". The Korean War proved the necessity for such rotorcraft, particularly in regard to search and rescue operations. Multi-Mission Helicopters 6. [8][9], A total of 387 OH-6/Hughes 369s were produced under license in Japan by the Japanese aerospace company Kawasaki Heavy Industries. They were employed in hunter-killer tactics, wherein they flew low over the jungle as bait to draw enemy fire. 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. The Model 369 was submitted by Hughes, and competed against the two finalists, Fairchild-Hiller and Bell, for a production contract. Hughes OH-6 Cayuse | Military Wiki | Fandom Army units this aircraft deployed with in Vietnam: The OH-6A would find targets by flying low, trolling for fire, and lead in a Cobra, or Snake, to attack. 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). 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. Also: LNOF, 90119, JSIDR (Lindenmuth Old Format Data Base. The Bell Model 206 is a line of both single and twin-engined helicopters with two primary rotor blades. I liked it because in the Bronx, I was a ghetto kid. 24 Helicopters Used in Vietnam (And Their Purpose) They went down in the jungle, and both [members of the crew] survived. The Gyrodyne QH-50 was mostly designed to be used on ships that werent large enough to carry a full-sized helicopter. 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. Tough Mission LOACH Chopper Vietnam - YouTube Lt. Col. The OH-6 helicopters served in huge numbers and were used for light observation and utility roles. Robert Davis Travel Management Consultant, 2023 Executive Flyers +1 (512) 241-0795. The NVA [North Vietnamese army] was everywhere. New book recounts Newburgh man's time as Vietnam helicopter pilot The architects of the task force identified the need for a small helicopter to land in the most restrictive locations and that was also easily transported on Air Force transport aircraft. It was mostly used as a transport chopper, but it could also deliver supplies to troops. [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. In photo #2 you can see the nice graphics. Its like a street cop going into a bad neighborhood. Loach History - Fly in a Vietnam War Helicopter Loach helicopter hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy Unlike its troop-carrying ancestors, a Cobra was like a World War II fighter, says Jim Kane, who arrived in Vietnam fresh out of Purdue University. The Cobra was fast and deadly. A rescue operation for the crew of a downed Loach helicopter doesn't quite go as planned and the rescuers become victims themselves. But the Army decided that it would be more prudent to keep the unit in order to be prepared for future contingencies. The hunter-killer tactic worked well for a few years, but by the time the United States left Vietnam, it was obsolete, says Mills. Vietnam War Era Hughes OH-6 Loach Helicopter - YouTube The Hughes OH-6 "Cayuse" (popularly recognized as the "Loach") was a revolutionary light helicopter mount primarily in service with the United States Army and saw combat service during the Vietnam War (1955-1975). Both Loach and Cobra have been in production, on and off, in one form or another ever since. The small "egg-shaped" design and simplified rotorhead incorporated four rotor blades of constant chord, made of bonded light alloy. An Army article written after Johns seventh crash credited it with surviving 61 hits from enemy fire and seven crashes without losing a single crew member. The-21C was extensively used by the US Army to transport troops and supplies. The CH-34 Choctaw was developed by Sikorsky Aircraft for transport purposes to carry personnel and deliver supplies. Contact | Despite Being Prone to Crashing, the Loach Helicopter Was Favored By He is proud of his service, which involved a great deal of combat, but has concluded that U.S. involvement in Vietnam was a mistake. Reportedly, 964 out of the 1,422 OH-6As produced for the U.S. Army were destroyed in Vietnam alone. How a Vietnam War Helicopter Pilot Captured a POW With His Civil War Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Helicopter took 1 hits from: The Incident - CherriesWriter - Vietnam War website Onboard UH1 Huey helicopter (SN 66-163-56) was Aircraft Commander, WO William H. Seaborn Jr., myself as . The Cobras high above had a few seconds of warningthey could spot the missiles exhaust plumebut were all the more tempting because at their higher altitudes they were more easily seen than the smaller Loaches. History. Military operators included the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), and the Japanese Coast Guard. Within that same year, help was on the way. 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. Unlike previous aircraft, the Tarhe was extremely successful during the Vietnam War. Furthermore, the helicopter was also developed into a civilian helicopter, the Model 500, which was still in production into the twenty-first century under MD Helicopters as the MD 500. 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. Its four-bladed full-articulated main rotor made it particularly agile, and it was suitable for personnel transport, escort and attack missions, and observation. The OH-6A "Cayuse" is a small tactical helicopter flown by units of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment [SOAR]. Home | EH-6B, a previous version of the Little Bird, was used for command, control and radio relay. Boucher quickly discovered that life as a qualified crewman was extremely dangerous. s/n 67-16304 Following a contentious selection process that included allegations of industrial espionage and political favoritism, the first Hughes OH-6A observation helicopters arrived in Vietnam in December 1967. In January 1968 PFC Richard Toops went on to Infantry OCS at Ft. Benning, Ga. graduating in September 1968. From the rear cockpit, the pilot fired rockets from launchers fixed to the stub wings on either side; the copilot in the front operated a chin turret that held a minigun and grenade launcher.