I thought I'd start a topic covering the five scout helicopter programmes initiated to provide the US Army with turbine-powered scout helicopters from 1963 to the present day. The LHX and RAH-66 Commanche programmes should of course be included but they have their own topics so I left them out.
The various programmes are;
LOH - Light Observation Helicopter (1963). Reopened in 1968.
ASH - Armed Scout Helicopter. This was more of a theoretical programme for industry to develop new technology (1970's).
AHIP - Army Helicopter Improvement Programme. An "interim" programme to update the LOH until the LHX arrived (1981).
ARH - Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter. A mid-2000's programme that was cancelled due to high costs.
AAS - Armed Aerial Scout. The latest programme currently ongoing.
The interesting thing is that after running four different programmes, LOH, AHIP, LHX and ARH, the US Army is still flying a scout helicopter based on an airframe selected in the late sixties.
The LOH programme of 1963 saw the entries narrowed down to three, Hiller (YOH-5), Hughes (YOH-6) and Bell (YOH-4). Initially the Hughes entry won and went into production. It gained a legendary reputation in Viet Nam but production problems at Hughes saw the LOH contest re-opened with Bell winning this time with the Bell OH-58A.
The ASH programme was probably generated from the planned purchase of the AH-56A Cheyenne. With the huge increase in capability that the Cheyenne would have brought, the US Army saw the future need for a more advanced scout helicopter that could work with the AAFSS. I don't think any actual ASH prototype was built but Hughes built a few interesting OH-6 helicopters in the mid-seventies that were possibly based on ASH requirements.
AHIP was a fight between the OH-6A and OH-58A for a programme that would see the winner being upgraded with lots of improvements including a mast-mounted sight. The OH-58D proved to be the winner and it is still in use today. Bell have even re-opened the production line to build a number of attrition replacements.
ARH was initiated after the cancellation of the LHX programme. The Bell ARH-70A Arapaho was selected as the winner but as the helicopter neared production, the costs had risen so high that the programme was cancelled.
AAS is the current contest to find a new scout helicopter for the US Army. Boeing, Eurocopter, Bell and Sikorsky are in the mix. Some sources have also mentioned AgustaWestland, probably with a version of the A109. Sikorsky are offering their S-97 Raider but that won't be flying for some time yet and will miss next month's initial AAS flight demonstration. Just to confuse things, this competition was initially referred to as the "Armed Scout Helicopter".
There are plenty of photos and details available of the helicopters that went into production arising out of these contests in the past but less is known about the prototype helicopters flown in each programme or the helicopters that didn't win or even the proposals that were made by various companies that only ever made it into model or mock-up form. Plenty of export derivatives were also made of the various proposals that did fly, so if anyone has anything interesting to add, documents, drawings, photos or links, please add them here. The scout helicopter is often overshadowed by its big brother, the Attack Helicopter, so hopefully this thread will gather together a large pool of information on the the development of the US Army's turbine-powered scout helicopters from the early sixties to the present day.
500 Fan.
The various programmes are;
LOH - Light Observation Helicopter (1963). Reopened in 1968.
ASH - Armed Scout Helicopter. This was more of a theoretical programme for industry to develop new technology (1970's).
AHIP - Army Helicopter Improvement Programme. An "interim" programme to update the LOH until the LHX arrived (1981).
ARH - Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter. A mid-2000's programme that was cancelled due to high costs.
AAS - Armed Aerial Scout. The latest programme currently ongoing.
The interesting thing is that after running four different programmes, LOH, AHIP, LHX and ARH, the US Army is still flying a scout helicopter based on an airframe selected in the late sixties.
The LOH programme of 1963 saw the entries narrowed down to three, Hiller (YOH-5), Hughes (YOH-6) and Bell (YOH-4). Initially the Hughes entry won and went into production. It gained a legendary reputation in Viet Nam but production problems at Hughes saw the LOH contest re-opened with Bell winning this time with the Bell OH-58A.
The ASH programme was probably generated from the planned purchase of the AH-56A Cheyenne. With the huge increase in capability that the Cheyenne would have brought, the US Army saw the future need for a more advanced scout helicopter that could work with the AAFSS. I don't think any actual ASH prototype was built but Hughes built a few interesting OH-6 helicopters in the mid-seventies that were possibly based on ASH requirements.
AHIP was a fight between the OH-6A and OH-58A for a programme that would see the winner being upgraded with lots of improvements including a mast-mounted sight. The OH-58D proved to be the winner and it is still in use today. Bell have even re-opened the production line to build a number of attrition replacements.
ARH was initiated after the cancellation of the LHX programme. The Bell ARH-70A Arapaho was selected as the winner but as the helicopter neared production, the costs had risen so high that the programme was cancelled.
AAS is the current contest to find a new scout helicopter for the US Army. Boeing, Eurocopter, Bell and Sikorsky are in the mix. Some sources have also mentioned AgustaWestland, probably with a version of the A109. Sikorsky are offering their S-97 Raider but that won't be flying for some time yet and will miss next month's initial AAS flight demonstration. Just to confuse things, this competition was initially referred to as the "Armed Scout Helicopter".
There are plenty of photos and details available of the helicopters that went into production arising out of these contests in the past but less is known about the prototype helicopters flown in each programme or the helicopters that didn't win or even the proposals that were made by various companies that only ever made it into model or mock-up form. Plenty of export derivatives were also made of the various proposals that did fly, so if anyone has anything interesting to add, documents, drawings, photos or links, please add them here. The scout helicopter is often overshadowed by its big brother, the Attack Helicopter, so hopefully this thread will gather together a large pool of information on the the development of the US Army's turbine-powered scout helicopters from the early sixties to the present day.
500 Fan.
