Hughes OH-6A Cayuse
In 1960, the US Army came to the realization that it had no real scout helicopter: the OH-13 Sioux could operate effectively in the role, but it was aging and its slow speed made it vulnerable to ground fire. The O-1/L-19 Birddog was a good scout aircraft, but it did not have the mobility of a helicopter. With this in mind, the Army issued a requirement for a Light Observation Helicopter (LOH). The new helicopter needed reasonably high speed, good visibility from the cockpit, and be not too expensive. Bell, Hiller and Hughes all developed prototypes; in 1965, the Army chose Hughes' Model 369 as the OH-6A Cayuse, and placed an order for 1300 helicopters.
The Army was then presented with a problem. Hughes did not have a large factory, and was run by the mercurial and unpredictable Howard Hughes: there was a real concern that Hughes could not deliver the order. Moreover, the Army learned that Hughes had deliberately undercut Bell's and Hiller's bids to win the contract, and as such was taking massive losses on the OH-6. The Army then reopened the competition, and Bell's OH-58A Kiowa won this time: the Army would use both helicopters. As for Hughes, the company would later make up the losses by marketing the OH-6 as the Model 369 and later the Model 500.
The OH-6A entered service in 1966, and was sent to Vietnam soon thereafter. Though given the name Cayuse (as part of the US Army's tradition of naming helicopters after native tribes), this name never stuck: instead, the helicopter was nicknamed Loach, after the LOH project name and its buglike appearance. Loaches were quickly armed with field modification kits to carry machine guns, and were usually paired with the also newly-arrived AH-1 Cobra as a "Pink Team." The job of the Pink Team was to scout ahead of the UH-1 "slicks" carrying troops: the OH-6 would come over at low level to see if it drew ground fire. If it did, it would then call in the AH-1s to attack the enemy position and clear the landing zone. This hunter-killer team proved very effective, if dangerous to the OH-6 crews: of 1420 OH-6s built, 842 were shot down over Vietnam.
Because of the heavy losses over Vietnam, the scout role after the war was gradually taken over by the OH-58A, which was cheaper to buy and easier to maintain. OH-6s began to be passed on to Reserve and National Guard units, but got a new lease on life after 1980: the Army still needed a small helicopter that could land in places the OH-58 or UH-1 could not. The OH-6 was the only aircraft that fit the bill, and several dozen were seconded to Task Force 158 in preparation for an operation to free the American hostages in Tehran, Iran. The hostages were freed by the Iranians themselves in 1980, but the Army recognized the need for an elite force trained in night operations, and renamed the unit Task Force 160--known to its crews as the "Nightstalkers."
TF 160 proved its worth during Operation Prime Chance, the United States' undeclared naval and air war against Iran in 1988, and the OH-6s were redesignated MH-6 (for transport OH-6s) and AH-6 (for armed versions). Nicknamed "Little Birds" by their crews, TF 160 worked closely with the elite and secretive Delta Force, most notably in the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993, where they were the only gunships available to the beleaguered Army forces in the Somalian city. The standard OH-6 has been retired from Army units, but the MH-6 and AH-6 remain in service. The Cayuse also remains operational with Spain and Japan, though in both cases it is being replaced.
This OH-6A is 68-17252, and is a Vietnam veteran. It was delivered in 1969 to the 9th Cavalry Regiment ("Headhunters"), attached to the 25th Infantry Division at Cu Chi, South Vietnam. It would participate in actions around the Saigon area and the 1970 Cambodian Incursion. It was also both a lucky and unlucky helicopter: it was shot down four times and crashed twice in landing accidents, but each time was not destroyed and was repaired.
Somehow, 68-17252 survived to come back stateside in 1971, and was assigned to Fort Rucker as a training helicopter; from 1973 to 1976, it was part of the US Army's little-known Silver Eagles helicopter demonstration team. After the Silver Eagles were disbanded, 68-17252 was transferred to the 142nd Aviation Regiment (New York National Guard), where it would remain until retirement in 1988. It was then donated to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, where it flew until 68-17252 was finally grounded in 2001. The RCSD gave it to the March Air Museum for preservation.
March restored 68-17252 back to its Vietnam appearance, and today it is part of the museum's Firebase Romeo Charlie display, placed inside a shelter. The skids are on Marston Mat, metal matting used extensively since World War II on unimproved airfields; in Vietnam, it was used in firebases as well, and occasionally as improvised armor. This is actually the second ex-Silver Eagle helicopter I've seen (the other is on display at the Kansas National Guard Museum in Topeka); I would say that 68-17252 has definitely earned its retirement.
Hughes OH-6A Cayuse
In 1960, the US Army came to the realization that it had no real scout helicopter: the OH-13 Sioux could operate effectively in the role, but it was aging and its slow speed made it vulnerable to ground fire. The O-1/L-19 Birddog was a good scout aircraft, but it did not have the mobility of a helicopter. With this in mind, the Army issued a requirement for a Light Observation Helicopter (LOH). The new helicopter needed reasonably high speed, good visibility from the cockpit, and be not too expensive. Bell, Hiller and Hughes all developed prototypes; in 1965, the Army chose Hughes' Model 369 as the OH-6A Cayuse, and placed an order for 1300 helicopters.
The Army was then presented with a problem. Hughes did not have a large factory, and was run by the mercurial and unpredictable Howard Hughes: there was a real concern that Hughes could not deliver the order. Moreover, the Army learned that Hughes had deliberately undercut Bell's and Hiller's bids to win the contract, and as such was taking massive losses on the OH-6. The Army then reopened the competition, and Bell's OH-58A Kiowa won this time: the Army would use both helicopters. As for Hughes, the company would later make up the losses by marketing the OH-6 as the Model 369 and later the Model 500.
The OH-6A entered service in 1966, and was sent to Vietnam soon thereafter. Though given the name Cayuse (as part of the US Army's tradition of naming helicopters after native tribes), this name never stuck: instead, the helicopter was nicknamed Loach, after the LOH project name and its buglike appearance. Loaches were quickly armed with field modification kits to carry machine guns, and were usually paired with the also newly-arrived AH-1 Cobra as a "Pink Team." The job of the Pink Team was to scout ahead of the UH-1 "slicks" carrying troops: the OH-6 would come over at low level to see if it drew ground fire. If it did, it would then call in the AH-1s to attack the enemy position and clear the landing zone. This hunter-killer team proved very effective, if dangerous to the OH-6 crews: of 1420 OH-6s built, 842 were shot down over Vietnam.
Because of the heavy losses over Vietnam, the scout role after the war was gradually taken over by the OH-58A, which was cheaper to buy and easier to maintain. OH-6s began to be passed on to Reserve and National Guard units, but got a new lease on life after 1980: the Army still needed a small helicopter that could land in places the OH-58 or UH-1 could not. The OH-6 was the only aircraft that fit the bill, and several dozen were seconded to Task Force 158 in preparation for an operation to free the American hostages in Tehran, Iran. The hostages were freed by the Iranians themselves in 1980, but the Army recognized the need for an elite force trained in night operations, and renamed the unit Task Force 160--known to its crews as the "Nightstalkers."
TF 160 proved its worth during Operation Prime Chance, the United States' undeclared naval and air war against Iran in 1988, and the OH-6s were redesignated MH-6 (for transport OH-6s) and AH-6 (for armed versions). Nicknamed "Little Birds" by their crews, TF 160 worked closely with the elite and secretive Delta Force, most notably in the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993, where they were the only gunships available to the beleaguered Army forces in the Somalian city. The standard OH-6 has been retired from Army units, but the MH-6 and AH-6 remain in service. The Cayuse also remains operational with Spain and Japan, though in both cases it is being replaced.
This OH-6A is 68-17252, and is a Vietnam veteran. It was delivered in 1969 to the 9th Cavalry Regiment ("Headhunters"), attached to the 25th Infantry Division at Cu Chi, South Vietnam. It would participate in actions around the Saigon area and the 1970 Cambodian Incursion. It was also both a lucky and unlucky helicopter: it was shot down four times and crashed twice in landing accidents, but each time was not destroyed and was repaired.
Somehow, 68-17252 survived to come back stateside in 1971, and was assigned to Fort Rucker as a training helicopter; from 1973 to 1976, it was part of the US Army's little-known Silver Eagles helicopter demonstration team. After the Silver Eagles were disbanded, 68-17252 was transferred to the 142nd Aviation Regiment (New York National Guard), where it would remain until retirement in 1988. It was then donated to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, where it flew until 68-17252 was finally grounded in 2001. The RCSD gave it to the March Air Museum for preservation.
March restored 68-17252 back to its Vietnam appearance, and today it is part of the museum's Firebase Romeo Charlie display, placed inside a shelter. The skids are on Marston Mat, metal matting used extensively since World War II on unimproved airfields; in Vietnam, it was used in firebases as well, and occasionally as improvised armor. This is actually the second ex-Silver Eagle helicopter I've seen (the other is on display at the Kansas National Guard Museum in Topeka); I would say that 68-17252 has definitely earned its retirement.