OH-6A Cayuse

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The Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) (formerly Hughes model 369A) OH-6A is a small tactical and observation helicopter first flew on February 23 1963. It entered service in 1966 and after which operated for the Vietnam War. The helicopter quickly became noted for high performance and low noise due its four-bladed rotor and small size. The OH-6A would act as a scout to spot enemy positions, while only lightly armed with a fixed minigun. The most common configuration had an observer/gunner either in the left seat or in the rear seat.

The OH-6A was powered by a 263-kW (317-shp) Allison T63-A5A Engine. The pilots dubbed the little helicopter Loach, a word created by pronunciation of the acronym of the program that spawned the aircraft, LOH (light observation helicopter). The Hughes 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 OH-6A Loach would find targets by flying low, “trolling” for fire, and lead in a Cobra, or Snake, to attack. The OH-6A could be armed with the M27 armament subsystem, the M134 six-barrel 7.62mm Minigun or the M129 40mm grenade launcher on the XM8 armament subsystem. The Task Force 160th 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, the UH-60A and the CH-47C. As a separate part of the project, armed OH-6As were being developed at Fort Rucker, Alabama.

Specifications (OH-6A Cayuse)

Type: Observation helicopter
Crew: 1 or 2
Length: 9.24m (30.3 ft)
Fuselage Length: 7.60 m (24.9 ft)
Height: 2.48 m (8.1 ft)
Width: 1.9 m
Empty Weight: 524 kg (1,155 lbs)
Max. Takeoff Weight: 1,225 kg (2,701 lbs)
Engine: 263-kW (317-shp) Allison T63-A5A Engine
Speed: 230 km/h (283 kts)

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