Misplaced Pages

#255744

75-413: OH-6 may refer to: Hughes OH-6 Cayuse , a U.S. military helicopter Ohio's 6th congressional district [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title formed as a letter–number combination. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to

150-550: A parasite fighter for the Convair B-36 Peacemaker strategic bomber, was tested with a Boeing B-29 Superfortress and found to be utterly impossible to use operationally. The subsequent FICON project attempted a similar solution, docking jet fighters with heavy bombers via a trapeze mechanism or their wingtips. Whilst projects for dedicated escort fighters such as the XF-85 Goblin came to nothing,

225-543: A boosted control system, while the Hughes design did not, a difference that accounted for some of the price increase. Hughes is reported to have told his confidant, Jack Real , that he lost over $ 100 million to construct 1,370 airframes. 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. Accordingly, this tactic had resulted in substantial losses being incurred on

300-595: A compact first generation rotorcraft. Twelve companies opted to participate in the competition, Hughes Tool Company's Aircraft Division being one of them, submitted the Model 369 as its response. Two of these designs, those submitted by Fairchild-Hiller and Bell , were selected as finalists by the Army-Navy design competition board. However, the U.S. Army subsequently chose to include Hughes's Model 369 for further consideration as well. In terms of its basic configuration,

375-608: A crash while the rugged structure protected key systems and its crew. The OH-6 was relatively difficult to shoot down, and its occupants would often survive forced landings that would have likely been fatal onboard other rotorcraft. The remaining H-13s were promptly withdrawn in favour of the OH-6s. Typically missions were flown during the daylight, starting at dawn; common roles included the clearance of landing zones and general intelligence/observation flights. It became common for OH-6s to operate in teams with other rotorcraft, particularly

450-581: A force of 22 Wellingtons lost 12 aircraft to German fighters as they attacked warships in harbour. For the rest of the war, the RAF was convinced night bombing was the only survivable strategy and this opinion was not seriously reconsidered. Both Fighter and Bomber command evolved doctrinal arguments against escorts, even after photoreconnaissance versions of the Spitfire were flying deep into Germany at ranges that would allow them to escort daytime bombing. During

525-496: A given battlespace is much harder, as any offensive or defensive tactics are likely to be overwhelmed. The first major strategic bombing campaigns were carried out during World War I . Initially using Zeppelins , and later by large bomber aircraft such as the Gotha G.IV and Handley Page Type O , these raids were increasingly countered by fighter aircraft . These fighters benefitted substantially from an inherent asymmetry;

600-653: A lower importance – they became just a single element of the nuclear triad in the US, and largely ignored entirely in the USSR. Furthermore, with the concept of mutually assured destruction high on the political agenda throughout the Cold War, a nuclear exchange became ever less likely, leaving existing fighter designs more than adequate for their protection in the wars being fought. In Vietnam for instance, McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs and sometimes Vought F-8 Crusaders escorted

675-406: A post-impact fire breaking out. 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. 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. On 27 February 1963,

750-618: A production contract to Hughes. During 1966, the OH-6 began service with the U.S. Army, and promptly entered active combat in the Vietnam War . In theater, it was commonly operated in teams with rotorcraft such as the Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter , using so-called "hunter-killer" tactics to flush out and eliminate hostile ground targets. The OH-6 would act as bait to draw enemy fire and mark targets for other platforms such as

825-417: A production contract. On 27 February 1963, the first prototype conducted its maiden flight . The Model 369 had a distinctive teardrop-shaped fuselage that was crashworthy and provided excellent external visibility. Its four-bladed full-articulated main rotor made it particularly agile, and it was suitable for personnel transport, escort and attack missions, and observation. During May 1965, the U.S. Army awarded

SECTION 10

#1732772381256

900-458: A standard configuration; they continued to be operated as such for a time. During the early 1970s, Soviet -supplied SA-7 Grail shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles emerged amongst North Vietnamese troops; one hit could down a Loach, potentially dealing fatal damage before its crew were aware that they were under fire. All American rotorcraft in the theatre had to be operated more cautiously following this development. Reportedly, 964 out of

975-552: A training mission late in the summer. On the night of 5–6 December 1972, the remaining helicopter deployed a wiretap near Vinh , North 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 . Shortly thereafter, the aircraft were returned to the U.S., where they were dismantled and converted back to

1050-416: The Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter . 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. 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. If the OH-6 came under fire,

1125-649: The MH-60 and the MH-47 . As a separate part of the project, armed OH-6As were being developed at Fort Rucker , Alabama. The pilots selected to fly the OH-6A helicopters came from the 229th Attack Helicopter Battalion and 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 rotorcraft. When

1200-569: The United States Army Air Force to come to the conclusion that their B-17 bombers needed to do something to reduce losses, and that escorts had an appreciable benefit in reducing the rate of losses, particularly as the intensity of German interception efforts had grown substantially, to the point where unescorted bombing missions came to be discouraged. This realisation eventually led to the development of long range escort fighters. A series of unrelated developments had left

1275-607: The 1,422 OH-6As produced for the U.S. Army were destroyed in the Vietnam theatre, the majority of these losses being a result of hostile action, typically ground fire. Towards the end of the conflict, the replacement of the OH-6 by the Bell OH-58 Kiowa was imminent across nearly all U.S. Army units. Some crews argued that the Kiowa was nowhere near as nimble as the OH-6, however, the transition proceeded while scouting doctrine

1350-489: The 1950s and again in the 1960s, but did not result in any production aircraft. Parasite fighters —small aircraft designed to be carried by a specialized bomber—were seen as a possible solution to the limited ranges of most traditional escort fighters. First experimented with in WWI , the U.S.-designed XF-85 Goblin would emerge as the last dedicated parasite fighter design and was abandoned in 1949 due to technical issues as well as

1425-608: The AH-1 to attack. In one 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 to infiltrate Vietnamese high level communications, providing valuable intelligence. Reportedly, 964 out of the 1,422 OH-6As produced for the U.S. Army were destroyed in Vietnam alone. During 1967, following price escalations for

1500-731: The AH-1. Prior to the arrival of the AH-1, "hunter-killer" teams often relied on the firepower from armed models of the Bell UH-1 Iroquois utility helicopter. 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 . The aircraft, dubbed 500P (penetrator) by Hughes, began as an ARPA project, codenamed "Mainstreet", in 1968. Development included test and training flights in Culver City, California ( Hughes Airport ) and at Area 51 in 1971. In order to reduce their acoustic signature,

1575-838: The American bombers such as Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses , Republic F-105 Thunderchiefs and Douglas A-4 Skyhawks . In some cases the missions of F-4 were "mixed", when some F-4 were equipped with bombs, and some F-4 acted as escorts (similar cases occurred with F-8). The advent of the air superiority fighter , such as the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle , meant that high value assets like tankers , airborne early warning and control , command platforms, bombers and attack aircraft would be protected by air superiority fighters, sometimes flying far afield and ahead of them, engaging distant enemy air units, rather than by direct escorts staying in sight nearby. The development of

SECTION 20

#1732772381256

1650-453: The German fighters it faced, permitting it to be easily adapted to the escort role through the use of drop tanks . On 3 March 1944, the 55th Fighter Group flew their P-38s over Berlin. Further adaptations quickly followed. The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt mounted a powerful engine that allowed it to carry large loads. This made it suitable in the fighter-bomber role, as well as giving it

1725-625: The JGSDF OH-6s were supplemented by the Kawasaki OH-1 , a more advanced observation helicopter. During 1966, the OH-1 entered service with the U.S. Army. Its first overseas deployment, as well as into frontline combat, was the Vietnam War . The pilots dubbed the new helicopter Loach , a word created by pronunciation of the LOH (light observation helicopter) acronym of the program that spawned

1800-454: The Model 369 had an atypical teardrop-shaped fuselage, a feature that led to personnel sometimes referring to it as the "flying egg". This shaping, combined with the provision of internal bulkheads , has been attributed as giving the rotorcraft its uncommonly strong crashworthiness properties. This aspect was further bolstered by the use of self-sealing fuel tanks that lowered the likelihood of

1875-509: The OH-6, the U.S. Army reopened the program to bids for as many as 2,700 additional airframes beyond the 1,300 OH-6s already contracted. 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. The OH-6/Model 369 was license-produced overseas by the Japanese aerospace company Kawasaki Heavy Industries for both military and civilian operators. It

1950-491: The RAF long argued against the development of escorts. A key reason was largely organizational. In 1936 the former Air Defence of Great Britain had its duties split into RAF Fighter Command and RAF Bomber Command . Fighter Command felt that using their fighters as protection for bombing raids would draw on their own numbers. On 30 November 1936, Director of Staff Duties Sholto Douglas made this position formal, stating "the bombers should be able to look after themselves without

2025-488: The RAF that this would not be the case. In the early stages of the US efforts, bombing runs often took place without escort fighters. German fighter pilots were scrambled to deal with these raids, and soon learned that it was much easier for them to take out formations which were unescorted as opposed to those who were escorted. As a result, fighters would attack bomber formations that were on long-range operations, as they would not have escorts with them. They quickly determined

2100-519: The U.S. Army at Fort Rucker , Alabama, where they competed against the other ten prototype aircraft produced by Bell and Fairchild-Hiller. During the course of the competition, the Bell submission, the YOH-4 , was eliminated as being underpowered (it was powered by the 250 shp (186 kW) T63-A-5). Accordingly, the bidding for the LOH contract came down to Fairchild-Hiller and Hughes. Ultimately, Hughes

2175-471: The U.S. Army that Hughes had used unethical procedures; therefore, the Army opened the contract for rebidding by all parties. While Hiller did not participate in the rebidding, Bell opted to, submitting their redesigned Model 206 . Following a competitive fly-off, the Army requested the manufacturers to submit sealed bids. Hughes bid $ 56,550 per airframe, while Bell bid $ 54,200. Reportedly, Hughes had consulted at

2250-529: 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. 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. On 26 March 1966, Jack Schwiebold set

2325-638: The US in the position of being able to quickly address this need. Prior to their entry into the war, the USAAF fighter forces were interested in bomber destroyers and developed a series of cannon-armed aircraft, among which, the Lockheed P-38 Lightning was large enough to also have a large fuel capacity. Unlike earlier twin-engine designs like the Bf 110, the Lightning proved to be competitive with

OH-6 - Misplaced Pages Continue

2400-562: The ability to carry large fuel tanks. Finally, the extremely high efficiency of the laminar-flow wing on the Merlin -powered North American P-51 Mustang gave it unparalleled range even on internal fuel, and with external tanks, it could cover most of Europe. Although not designed for the escort role, the P-51 remains the canonical example of the class. The successes of the P-47N and P-51 gave

2475-536: The addition of an escort of fighters." Production allocation followed this rule, capping the number of fighters delivered to front-line use with the British Expeditionary Force and sending the rest to UK formations. At the same time, the newly formed Bomber Command developed their plans with the assumption that there would be no escorts. This was due to a combination of factors. One was the belief that improved navigational technique would allow

2550-733: The advancement of technology and the nature of warfare of the wars being fought allowed the role of fighter escort to gradually merge with fighter types, so the term fell out of use. During the Korean War , the Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star and later the North American F-86 Sabre escorted B-29 heavy bombers and Republic F-84 Thunderjet strike fighters . Although the North American XB-70 Valkyrie Mach 3 bomber,

2625-492: The advent of practical aerial refueling . The escort role has been diminished as modern air combat doctrine places a heavy emphasis on the idea of air superiority , and its importance in the ability of an air force to carry out effective operations. Air superiority is defined as a situation in which an air force dominates an airspace to such a degree as to be able to carry out any operations with no interference from enemy air combatants. Fighting an opponent with air superiority in

2700-513: The aircraft. (Loach is also the name for numerous stream-dwelling carnivorous or insectivorous fishes, especially common in South-East Asia, which specialise in hunting among substrates and dense cover.) 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. Accordingly,

2775-506: The attacking aircraft had to fly long distances to reach its target and thus had to be large enough to carry the required fuel load, while the defending fighters were flying only a short distance and therefore were able to be much lighter and have higher performance. In early 1916, the British War Office drew up a specification for a multi-seat escort fighter intended to protect formations of bombers from German fighters. While

2850-720: The battalion. Crews trained side by side with the 160th for all operational concepts. The 1-245 modified infantry night vision goggles and worked to develop the necessary skills for rapid deployment with Little Birds and C-130s. For other AH-6 and MH-6 variants, see MH-6 Little Bird and Boeing AH-6 . Data from General characteristics Performance Armament Provision for packaged armament on port side, including an XM-27 7.62 mm (0.300 in) machine-gun with 2,000 - 4,000 rounds of ammunition; or an XM-75 grenade launcher Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Escort fighter The escort fighter

2925-423: The bomber will always get through ". Furthermore, due to a lack of precision aiming capabilities, bombers were viewed as likely to attack urban environments in general; Baldwin noted that their primary purpose would be to "kill the enemy's women and children more rapidly than they killed yours". This state of affairs was considered distasteful and there was some consideration given to methods to allow bombing during

3000-448: The bombers. With the development of guided missiles , particularly surface-to-air missiles , plans for dedicated escort fighters designed to escort nuclear bombers gradually faded from the scene. Missile technology meant that interceptors would rarely engage bombers directly, if ever, and the escorts could do little against missiles. At the same time, the advancement of land and submarine-based ballistic missiles relegated bombers to

3075-438: The closed circuit distance record in a YOH-6A at Edwards Air Force Base , California , flying without landing for 1,739.96 mi (2,800.20 km). 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 (2,213.04 mi, 3,561.55 km) in 15 hours, and near

OH-6 - Misplaced Pages Continue

3150-408: The contract with the U.S. Army; the company had allegedly anticipated that an extended production cycle would eventually make the rotorcraft financially viable. Due to price escalations for both the OH-6 and spare components, the U.S. Army opted to reopen bids for the program in 1967. Accordingly, during 1968, Hughes submitted a bid to build a further 2,700 airframes. Stanley Hiller complained to

3225-549: The day. At first, this was not seen as an issue; the Forces' Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers were the most heavily armed aircraft of the time. Close formations of them were planned, creating a crossfire of .50 caliber machine-guns that would fend off the enemy with no need for a fighter escort. Some officials claimed that escort fighters were wholly impractical. The service remained convinced of this strategy in spite of continued warnings from

3300-431: The day. Two ideas became popular. The schnellbomber was a very fast aircraft that would simply fly right past the slower fighters due to the extra power of their twin-engine designs. This was demonstrated with great effect at multiple air races during the early 1930s, where light twins easily outperformed fighters. However, this situation only existed for a short period until more powerful aircraft engines emerged in

3375-550: The designs. As the fighters held the upper hand, raids were almost always carried out at night. During the inter-war era, this led to the creation of dedicated night bomber designs that concentrated on solving the problem of long-range navigation at night. During 1932, in the face of increasingly capable bomber aircraft, the British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin surmised that interception efforts would inevitably not always succeed and that "

3450-484: The fighters opted to engage the BF 110s instead, a relatively high loss rate for the Bf 110s was typically incurred as a result. In one famous example, a group of seventy-two Heinkel He 111 's from Norway , escorted by Bf 110s, made an attack on Newcastle . The defending Hurricanes and Spitfires were able to pick their targets with complete impunity, eventually destroying eight He 111s and seven Bf 110s without loss. The raid

3525-524: The finish at up to 24,000 feet (7,300 m) altitude. As of 2021, these records still stand. In December 1967, the first OH-6As arrived in South Vietnam . Its straightforward design made it easier to maintain than most other helicopters, its relatively compact 26 feet (7.9 m) main rotor made it easier to use tight landing zones. While its light aluminum skin could be easily penetrated by small arms fire, it also crumpled and absorbed energy in

3600-645: The first Model 369 prototype performed its maiden flight . Originally designated as the YHO-6A according to the Army's designation system, the aircraft was redesignated as the YOH-6A in 1962 when the Department of Defense created a joint designation system for all aircraft. A total of five prototypes were built, all of which were powered by a single Allison T63-A-5A turboshaft engine, capable of producing 252 shp (188 kW). The prototypes were delivered to

3675-497: 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. During June 1972, they were deployed to a secret base in southern Laos (PS-44), where one of the helicopters was heavily damaged during

3750-479: The impression that the escort fighter was a concept worth continuing after the end of the war. The high fuel use of early jet engines made such aircraft difficult to design, and a number of experimental designs were tried that used mixed power, typically a turboprop and jet, but these failed to meet performance requirements. A new concept, the McDonnell XF-85 Goblin microfighter, planned to act as

3825-605: The intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=OH-6&oldid=1182878629 " Category : Letter–number combination disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Hughes OH-6 Cayuse The OH-6 was developed to meet United States Army Technical Specification 153, issued in 1960 to replace its Bell H-13 Sioux fleet. The Model 369 submitted by Hughes competed against two other finalists, Fairchild-Hiller and Bell , for

SECTION 50

#1732772381256

3900-486: The last moment with Real, who recommended a bid of $ 53,550. Hughes, without informing Real, raised the bid by $ 3,000, and thus lost the contract to Bell. 1,420 of the OH-6A would be produced, not counting the other derivatives. A total of 387 OH-6/Hughes 369s were produced under license in Japan by the Japanese aerospace company Kawasaki Heavy Industries . These rotorcraft were operated by several different organisations,

3975-574: The majority of which were based in Japan. Military operators included the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), and the Japanese Coast Guard . 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. Beginning in 2001,

4050-438: The mid-1930s and once again a single-engine fighter could catch a twin-engine bomber. The other idea was the escort fighter that would attempt to break up attacks by the defense before they could reach the bombers. To have the desired range, the aircraft had to carry a large fuel load, and at the time this demanded a twin-engine aircraft. Such a design would not be able to maneuver with the single-engine day fighters , so attention

4125-432: The nearby Cobra would then strike at the revealed enemy. As to indicate the position of concealed enemy ground forces, the observer in the OH-6 would mark the spot using a smoke grenade , assisting other units in effectively firing upon them. Over time, the effectiveness of this pairing was such that enemies would often decide against firing on the relatively vulnerable OH-6 in fear of the response that would be unleashed by

4200-461: The next attempt to rescue the hostages: Operation Honey Badger . 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. They chose the OH-6A scout helicopter to fill that role, and it became known as the Little Bird compared to the other aircraft in the task force,

4275-603: The night bomber force to attack point targets. Another was that immediately before the war, new and much larger aircraft like the Vickers Wellington were arriving that mounted heavy defensive armament. This convinced some in Bomber Command that daylight raids would not require escorts. The concept of daytime raids quickly ended after the disastrous air battle of the Heligoland Bight , in which

4350-482: The point at which the fighters would be forced to turn around and massed their fighters just beyond that point. USAAF bomber losses gradually increased, and experimental "gunships" like the YB-40 did nothing of significance to reduce them. This culminated in the disastrous Second Raid on Schweinfurt on 14 October 1943, in which 26% of the attacking force was either destroyed or written off due to damage. This forced

4425-466: The preparations for the Big Week offensive, the USAAF asked the RAF to consider how to carry out daytime bombing with Spitfire escorts. Fighter Command claimed this was impossible, making several highly questionable calculations to "prove" this. This led to two Spitfires being shipped to Wright-Patterson where many new fuel tanks were added without major effects on performance. Their now excellent range

4500-622: The schnellbomber designs, by the start of the conflict, its performance lead had been seriously eroded. During the Battle of Britain , the Luftwaffe used both Messerschmitt Bf 109s and Bf 110s based in France as escort fighter-bombers. Although flying from relatively close airfields in France, the Bf 109 was operating at the extreme of its range and unable to remain for long with the bombers if it

4575-409: The specification did not require high speed, a good field of fire for its guns was essential. Prototype aircraft were built – Armstrong Whitworth F.K.6 , Sopwith L.R.T.Tr and Vickers F.B.11 – all three put gunners into nacelles to provide wide fields of fire. The development of effective synchronisation gear which meant smaller fighters could be equally effective led to the end of development of

SECTION 60

#1732772381256

4650-435: The training program in the fall of 1980. Operation Honey Badger was canceled after the hostages were released on 20 January 1981, and for a short while, it looked as if the task force would be disbanded and the personnel returned to their former units. But the Army decided that it would be more prudent to keep the unit in order to be prepared for future contingencies. The task force, which had been designated as Task Force 158,

4725-400: The training was completed, C-141 Starlifter airlifters transported both rotorcraft and crews to Fort Huachuca , Arizona, for two weeks of mission training. 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 (1,900 km). The armed OH-6s from Fort Rucker joined

4800-420: The war, as they were commonly outmaneuvered by more agile single-engined fighters. As the war progressed, longer-range fighter designs and the use of drop tanks allowed single-engined fighters to perform escort duties. In the post-war era the introduction of jet engines and their inherent short range made escort fighters very difficult to build. The related concept of a penetration fighter emerged briefly in

4875-457: Was a concept for a fighter aircraft designed to escort bombers to and from their targets. An escort fighter needed range long enough to reach the target, loiter over it for the duration of the raid to defend the bombers, and return. A number of twin-engined heavy fighters with high fuel capacity were designed for escort duties prior to the outbreak of World War II . Such heavy fighters largely failed in their intended escort role during

4950-584: Was also developed into a civilian helicopter, the Model 500 , produced into the 21st century by MD Helicopters as the MD 500 . 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. These would be used to replace its fleet of Bell H-13 Sioux ,

5025-513: Was changed to emphasis operations from greater distances. Following the April 1980 failure of Operation Eagle Claw (the attempted rescue of American hostages in Tehran ), it was determined that the military lacked aircraft and crews who were trained and prepared to perform special operations missions. To remedy this shortcoming, the Army began developing a special aviation task force to prepare for

5100-470: Was demonstrated by flying them back across the Atlantic to England. In spite of this demonstration, Fighter Command was slow to consider such adaptations and was not until well after Pointblank was concluded that final sign-off was given, at which point they saw no need for such conversions. The U.S. Army Air Forces ' precision strategic bombing campaign against German industries was only possible during

5175-519: Was given to outright performance. Luftwaffe strategy was based mostly on daytime tactical bombing and put significant effort into the escort fighter concept before the outbreak of World War II . One of the principle outcomes of this attention was the Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter, which was widely produced. At the time of its introduction, the Bf 110 had been among the fastest production aircraft ever built, but as had occurred with

5250-578: Was intended to be immune to enemy attack due to its speed, North American Aviation briefly proposed the North American XF-108 Rapier interceptor for the escort role. In this case, the term " penetration fighter " was used, as the aircraft was not expected to actually escort the bombers, and was instead intended to fly into Soviet airspace well in advance of the bombers and attack the Soviet interceptors long before they could approach

5325-442: Was placed under the operational control of the 160th. 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. The following two-week mission was to Yuma for night operation training. The AH/MH Little Birds were lifted by a single C-5 Galaxy, and two C-130 Hercules, along with all support kits for

5400-422: Was selected as the winner of the competition. 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. Hughes 's price was $ 19,860 per airframe, without the engine, while Hiller's price was $ 29,415 per airframe, also without the engine. The Hiller design, designated OH-5A , had featured

5475-736: Was soon formed into the 160th Aviation Battalion . 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. On 1 October 1986, to help meet the increasing demands for support, the 1-245th Aviation Battalion from the Oklahoma National Guard, which had 25 AH-6 and 23 UH-1 helicopters,

5550-440: Was such a disaster than the Luftwaffe abandoned attacks from Norway and directed the remaining aircraft to France. From that point onwards, the Bf 110 was mostly withdrawn from the escort role, in part because so many had been lost that sufficient numbers could no longer be fielded in the short term; when it did return, it was largely used as a light bomber , and night fighter instead. In contrast to their German counterparts,

5625-468: Was to have fuel to return, while the Bf 110, specifically designed for the escort role, had inferior performance and was easily outperformed by the Royal Air Force 's Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes . In those few situations where the German bombers were escorted only by Bf 110s, the RAF fighters could simply ignore them and attack the bombers almost unhindered. In engagements where

#255744