loach helicopter vietnam loach helicopter vietnam

External load capacity was approximately 1,200 Lbs (550 kg), and transport capability 2 or 3 troops or cargo internally. During the Vietnam War Era, different types of helicopters were crucial for providing support for ground forces, scouting locations, and deploying or retrieving soldiers. During the Vietnam war, the HH-43 Huskie was used for more rescue missions than all other aircraft combined. They were usually joined by Cobra gunships either in hunter-killer teams where the Loach hunted and the Cobra killed or in air mobile cavalry units where both airframes supported cavalry and infantrymen on the ground. The aircraft was diverted prior to accomplishing any mission objectives. A rescue operation for the crew of a downed Loach helicopter doesn't quite go as planned and the rescuers become victims themselves. Despite having been designed for anti-submarine combat, the Gyrodyne QH-50 was mostly used for conducting reconnaissance of enemy vessels in the Vietnam war, instead of actual combat. It was used to look for and find the VC/NVA troops in Vietnam. . 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. I still have scars on my legsit was terrifying. While Enroute this helicopter was at Level Flight at 0020 feet and 050 knots. In 1972, as U.S. troops slowly withdrew, the NVA began a major push that became known as the Easter Offensive. While successful in this respect, the Loach helicopter also had a reputation for being easily gunned down. Primarily, it was used by the Marine Corp to transport personnel and cargo. Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) program, The US Air Force Panicked When Its Top-Secret Stealth Fighter Crashed Into the California Wilderness. Unit: DIR SUP / TRAN A rescue operation for the crew of a downed Loach helicopter doesn't quite go as planned and the rescuers become victims themselves. The Mil Mi-8 was developed in the later stage of the Vietnam War to counter the Bell Huey UH1. The Marine Corp used it for the sea-based interdiction of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in 1972. This teamwork was actively encouraged by Army officials, and led to the development of so-called "hunter-killer" tactics that sought to flush out and eliminate hostile ground targets. 2 M75 40-mm grenade launchers They underwent two weeks of qualification training and an additional two weeks of mission training. 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. Table of Contents 1. This aspect was further bolstered by the use of self-sealing fuel tanks that lowered the likelihood of a post-impact fire breaking out. Book A Flight | The Cayuse was publicly introduced in 1966 and set several records, including record for endurance, speed and rate of climb. The 'Loach' was one of the riskiest helicopter assignments in Vietnam Logan Nye Updated December 07, 2022 09:30:25 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. The Gyrodyne company built the Gyrodyne QH-50 DASH (Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter) to combat submarines from a distance. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Fitted with 1x 253-shp Allison T63-A-5A turboshaft, 4 bladed main rotor, and an offset "V" tail. The Cayuse . Kawasaki Heavy Industries produced 387 OH-6D Cayuses under license in Japan. Each time we went out, we got shot at. 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. Total flight hours at this point: 00000265 I was flying wing and just dropped into the AO [Area of Operations]. [16], Early on in the OH-6's career, the type demonstrated its performance in a particularly prominent manner via the setting of 23 individual world records for helicopters during 1966 in the categories of speed, endurance and time to climb. The killer role persists. Cobra Gunship, Huey and Loach OH-6 Members of C Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry dedicated an OH-6 Loach Scout helicopter flown by their unit during the Vietnam War Moore served as an Army OH-6A Loach scout in IV Corps, South Vietnam, 1968-1969: Fort Apache, Vihn Long Province. In air mobile teams, a pilot would fly low while an observer would scan the ground for signs of the enemy force. The AH-1 is sometimes affectionately referred to as the Huey Cobra or The Snake. It is 1/6th scale and very large, has to be at least 3 feet from rotor tip to rotor tip. 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. Built by Hughes Tool Company, it was designed to be a scout helicopter during the Vietnam war. Hughes is reported to have told his confidant, Jack Real, that he lost over $100 million to construct 1,370 airframes. Nate Shaffer has restored a Hughes OH-6A Cayuse helicopter. 2 .50 cal MG pods The "OH-6C" was the creation of the Maintenance Section of The Real Cav, B Troop 7/17th Air Cavalry Squadron, which was stationed near Pleiku in early 1972. City of Walnut Creek Special Recreation Museum Tour October 26, 2019, United Airlines Family Day Fly-in October 13, 2019, Napa County Airport Day September 7, 2019, Virginia Rose II Cobra transferred to Vietnam Helicopters Museum August 14, 2019, Memorial Day 2019 Ceremonies at Oak Hill Memorial Park & Cemetery. An author of aviation books, his latest is Howards Whirlybirds. The Mil Mi-4 was a Soviet transport chopper used both for civilian and military purposes. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. Army units this aircraft deployed with in Vietnam: Cobras rolled in and blew the downed aircraft uptaking with it about 15 bad guys standing around it.. Although many were still teenagers, their survival depended on well-honed instincts and razor-sharp reflexes, along with plenty of luck. The Bell AH-1J was also used for various subsequent assaults and military operations conducted by the US Marine Corps. The shelf life of a scout pilot was probably six months. Date: 02/08/1969 The Mil Mi-1 was a Soviet-made light utility chopper with three or four seats. The Army purchased this helicopter 0968 In response, a task force was developed originally designated Task Force 158 for the next attempt to rescue the hostages, Operation Honey Badger. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Joint Services Incident Damage Report. 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. [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. Find Us on Facebook, Safety Standards Acknowledgement and Consent (SSAC). It never flew again. The OH-6A was powered by a single Allison T63-A-5A 285 shp turboshaft engine, and had a cruising speed of 144 mph (125 knots). Front left side view of the Hughes OH-6 Cayuse helicopter; color, Right side view of the Hughes OH-6 Loach in flight; color. During the testing phase, it became clear the Bell prototype was underpowered, so it was dropped. NVA troops shot down a Cobra, killing the crew. 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! Date: 03/25/1970 The Cayuse had a single articulated four-bladed main rotor, a metal two-bladed tail rotor, and a V-shaped tail. But even that armament combined with the Cobra escort couldnt keep them safe. In the hunter-killer teams, the Loach would fly low over the jungle, drawing fire and then calling for the Cobra to kill the teams on the ground. Cobras, nicknamed Snakes, flew circles 1,500 feet above the scouts, waiting to pounce on whatever the Loach found. Loach come from the LOH which means Light Observation Helicopter. In 1961, twelve companies submitted proposals to meet U.S.Army requirements for a four-seat turbine-powered light observation helicopter (LOH). By the end of the war, the Loachs replacement was imminent. Queer John was famous not just for crashing, but for keeping the crew safe while it did so. Operation Honey Badger never went ahead, as the hostages were released in January 1981. You had a couple of flights in the Huey, then you rode front seat in a Cobra, scout pilot Allan Krausz recounts. https://warandlifediscussions.weebly.com/Any veteran who served in any combat zone in any capacity is invited to contact Preston Jones: pjones@jbu.edu / (479) 524-7488 [19][20][21], In December 1967, the first OH-6As arrived in Vietnam. After around 10 hours at the controls of a Loach, the pilots were deemed worthy of flying in combat. Loach and Cobra crews lived together, and schedulers generally paired the teams with the partners they requested, though given the high turnover rate, that wasnt always possible. (He later transferred to the Air Force and flew F-4 Phantoms, and eventually became an airline captain.) Cobras generally attacked with rockets, preferred for long-range accuracy, switching to the less-accurate chin-mounted machine gun and grenade launcher only if they were far enough away from friendly troops or if the rocketsAH-1s could carry as many as 76 rocketsran out. 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. The Model 369, with its Allison T63-A-5A series turboshaft engine, took its first flight on February 27, 1963, under the military designation YOH-6A. Hughes 500M: Military export version of OH-6 in mid-1970s with upgraded 278-shp Allison 250-C18 turboshaft engine, "V" tail. This eventually gave way to the loach nickname, and was intended to provide the US military with a light-class, rotary-wing craft that could fulfill a number of purposes: search and rescue, close air support, MEDEVAC, observation, transport, reconnaissance and attack roles. 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. 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). 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 Huskie was used by the US Air Force, US Navy, and US Marine Corps. While in Target Area this helicopter was Attacking at 0060 feet and 010 knots. In 1966 it entered military service with the US Army. [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. I was used to getting up close and personal with the enemy.. 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. While its light aluminum skin could be easily penetrated by small arms fire, it also crumpled and absorbed energy in a crash while the rugged structure protected key systems and its crew; even though the OH-6 was relatively difficult to shoot down, its occupants would often survive forced landings that would have likely been fatal onboard other rotorcraft. Due to its designation LOH (Light Observation Helicopter), pilots and crew nicknamed this helicopter LOACH. 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. Missions began every day at dawn, when crews were briefed on where to fly and what to look for. The four-passenger teardrop shaped "Flying egg" (six-passenger with rear seats folded-down) was a small, light, sturdy, maneuverable helicopter, with very low drag. The Chickasaw was a multi-purpose helicopter designed for both the US Army and Air Force. We got hit by incendiary .51-caliber rounds, and the phosphorus ignited the Cobras hydraulic fluid. 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. For most of the war, there was no formal Army training to prepare scout pilots and observers. The U.S. Marine Corps still flies AH-1 SuperCobras as its main attack helicopter, with the latest versionthe AH-1Z Viper so upgraded and modernized that a Vietnam-era pilot might be hard-pressed to recognize it. Loach crews regularly walked away from crashes that would doom others. Can include a combination of the following across two fuselage wingstubs (though some weapons operated from cabin doors): (Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above), Hardpoint Mountings: 2 (if wingstub equipped). Pilots called this helicopter as the Loach. We were about ready to call in tactical air support to blow up the wrecked ship when another Cobra took a lot of fire. The OH-6 Cayuse, by this point known as the Loach helicopter, made its way to Vietnam in December 1967. History | 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. The Cayuse was publicly introduced in 1966 and set several records, including record for endurance, speed and rate of climb. The-21C was extensively used by the US Army to transport troops and supplies. Moses, a 19-year-old draftee, arrived in Vietnam in July 1970 for the first of two year-long tours, and later worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs as a therapist and administrator.