The Bell OH-58 Kiowa is a family of single-engine single-rotor military helicopters used for observation, utility, and direct fire support. It was produced by the American manufacturer Bell Helicopter and is closely related to the Model 206A JetRanger civilian helicopter.
Bell Textron Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. A subsidiary of Textron, Bell manufactures military rotorcraft at facilities in Fort Worth, and Amarillo, Texas, United States as well as commercial helicopters in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada.
The Hughes OH-6 Cayuse is a single-engine light helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Hughes Helicopters. Its formal name is derived from the Cayuse people, while its "Loach" nickname is derived from Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) program under which it was procured.
The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- and twin-engined helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec, plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter program, it was not selected by the Army. Bell redesigned the airframe and successfully marketed the aircraft commercially as the five-place Bell 206A JetRanger. The new design was eventually selected by the Army as the OH-58 Kiowa.
The Bell 407 is a four-blade, single-engine, civil utility helicopter. A derivative of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger, the 407 uses the four-blade, soft-in-plane design rotor with composite hub developed for the United States Army's OH-58D Kiowa Warrior instead of the two-blade, semi-rigid, teetering rotor of the 206L-4.
NOTAR is a helicopter system which avoids the use of a tail rotor. It was developed by McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems. The system uses a fan inside the tail boom to build a high volume of low-pressure air, which exits through two slots and creates a boundary layer flow of air along the tailboom utilizing the Coandă effect. The boundary layer changes the direction of airflow around the tailboom, creating thrust opposite the motion imparted to the fuselage by the torque effect of the main rotor. Directional yaw control is gained through a vented, rotating drum at the end of the tailboom, called the direct jet thruster. Advocates of NOTAR assert that the system offers quieter and safer operation than a traditional tail rotor.
The Boeing MH-6M Little Bird and its attack variant, the AH-6, are light helicopters used for special operations in the United States Army. Originally based on a modified OH-6A, it was later based on the MD 500E, with a single five-bladed main rotor. The newest version, the MH-6M, is based on the MD 530F and has a single, six-bladed main rotor and four-bladed tail rotor.
The Hiller OH-23 Raven is a two, three, or four-place, military light observation helicopter based on the Hiller Model 360. The Model 360 was designated by the company as the UH-12, which was first flown in 1948. Initially it was a two-place helicopter powered by a piston engine that entered service in the late 1940s, it went on to be a popular military and civilian light helicopter in the late 20th century.
The Hughes TH-55 Osage is a piston-powered light training helicopter produced for the United States Army. It was also produced as the Model 269 family of light utility helicopters, some of which were marketed as the Model 300. The Model 300C was produced and further developed by Schweizer after 1983.
The Bell ARH-70 Arapaho was an American four-bladed, single-engine, light military helicopter designed for the United States Army's Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) program. With a crew of two and optimized for urban combat, the ARH-70 was slated to replace the Army's aging OH-58D Kiowa Warrior.
The Allison Model 250, now known as the Rolls-Royce M250, is a highly successful turboshaft engine family, originally developed by the Allison Engine Company in the early 1960s. The Model 250 has been produced by Rolls-Royce since it acquired Allison in 1995.
The MD Helicopters MD 500 series is an American family of light utility civilian and military helicopters. The MD 500 was developed from the Hughes 500, a civilian version of the US Army's OH-6A Cayuse/Loach. The series currently includes the MD 500E, MD 520N, and MD 530F.
The Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 is a single-engine turbine, single two-bladed rotor, light helicopter that was designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Fairchild Hiller in the 1960s.
The Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) program was a United States Army program to evaluate, develop and field a light scout helicopter to replace the Army's aging Bell OH-13 Sioux. It gained impetus with the advent of the Vietnam War, and was aided by advances in helicopter technology, specifically the development of the turboshaft engine.
The Bell 400 TwinRanger was a prototype four-bladed, twin-engine civil helicopter developed by Bell Helicopter in the 1980s. Both the TwinRanger and another planned version, the Bell 440, were attempts to market a twin-engine development of the Model 206L LongRanger. The Bell 400A was a planned single-engine version of the 400. TwinRanger, however development was canceled when Bell could not acquire enough orders for production. The TwinRanger name was later used for a twin-engine version of the LongRanger produced from 1994 to 1997.
The Bell Model 201 was created using a modified Model 47G and was the first Bell helicopter to use a turbine engine.
The Bell 47J Ranger is an American single-engine single-rotor light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It was an executive variant of the highly successful Bell 47 and was the first helicopter to carry a United States president.
The Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) was the planned replacement for the OH-58 Kiowa in United States Army service. This program resulted after the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter resulted in selection of the Bell ARH-70 Arapaho, but was ultimately not procured due to financial and other reasons, and the AAS program itself did result in a new design procurement. The next program lead to the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft, which was also halted before procurement. Meanwhile the OH-58 was retired by the 2020s, leaving the Army to fill the gap with other types of aircraft and systems.
The PZL SM-4 Łątka was a prototype three-seat helicopter of the 1960s, developed by WSK PZL-Świdnik in Poland. Of largely conventional design and construction, a single prototype was built, but was not flown as a result of engine problems.
The Filper ResearchModels Beta 200 and Beta 400 were small tandem, rigid rotor, helicopters intended for the personal helicopter market. Filper Research, located in San Ramon, California, was in existence from 1965 to 1968. The Beta 200 was a two place helicopter and the Beta 400 was a four place helicopter. One Beta 200 prototype and one Beta 400 prototype were manufactured and flown. Several pre-production airframes, which never flew, were also manufactured. Development testing was done in the experimental category. Development was not completed and Filper did not apply for an FAA Type Certificate for either type. There were several other variations on the basic Beta design which were contemplated but these were never developed beyond the conceptual stage. There was a fatal crash of the Beta 400 prototype in November 1967 and the company ceased operations in April 1968.
