The Rotary-winged military aircraft of the United States include a variety of types, designated primarily in two seperate numbering sequences.
In 1962 when the Unified Designation System was adopted, six former Navy and Army types received new designations in the H-1 to H-6 series, which can be found here. However, the original sequence was also continued, and remains in use to the present, with the next designation available being H-73.
Sequence | Name | Manufacturer | Image | First flight | Notes/Notable variants |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
R-1 | Platt-Lepage Aircraft | 12 May 1941 | |||
R-2 | Kellett Autogiro | Modified from YG-1C. | |||
R-3 | Kellett Autogiro | Modified from YG-1B. | |||
R-4 | "Hoverfly" | Sikorsky Aircraft | 13 January 1942 | ||
R-5/H-5 | "Dragonfly" | Sikorsky Aircraft | 18 August 1943 | Redesignated H-5 in 1948. | |
R-6 | "Hoverfly II" | Sikorsky Aircraft | 15 October 1943 | Redesignated H-6 in 1948. | |
R-7 | Sikorsky Aircraft | - | Not built. | ||
R-8 | Kellett Autogiro | 7 August 1944 | Redesignated H-8 in 1948. | ||
R-9 | Firestone Aircraft | 1946 | Redesignated H-9 in 1948. | ||
R-10 | Kellett Autogiro | 24 April 1947 | Redesignated H-10 in 1948. | ||
R-11 | Rotorcraft Corporation | 1947 | Redesignated H-11 in 1948. | ||
R-12 | Bell Helicopter | 1947 | Redesignated H-12 in 1948. | ||
H-12 | Bell Helicopter | 1947 | Redesignated H-12 in 1948. | ||
R-13 | Sioux | Bell Helicopter | 8 December 1945 | Redesignated H-13 in 1948. Some variants formerly HTL, HUL. | |
H-13 Sioux | Sioux | Bell Helicopter | 8 December 1945 | Redesignated H-13 in 1948. Some variants formerly HTL, HUL. | |
R-14 | Firestone Aircraft | - | Not built. | ||
R-15 | Bell Helicopter | 1948 | Redesignated H-15 in 1948. | ||
H-15 | Bell Helicopter | 1948 | Redesignated H-15 in 1948. | ||
R-16 | Transporter | Piasecki Helicopter | 23 October 1953 | Redesignated H-16 in 1948. H-16A formerly H-27. | |
H-16 | Transporter | Piasecki Helicopter | 23 October 1953 | Redesignated H-16 in 1948. H-16A formerly H-27. | |
R-17 | "Flying Crane" | Hughes Helicopters | 23 October 1952 | Redesignated H-17 in 1948. | |
H-17 | "Flying Crane" | Hughes Helicopters | 23 October 1952 | Redesignated H-17 in 1948. | |
H-18 | Sikorsky Aircraft | 12 February 1947 (S-52) |
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H-19 | Chickasaw | Sikorsky Aircraft | 10 November 1949 | Some variants formerly HRS, HO4S. | |
H-20 Little Henry | Little Henry | McDonnell Aircraft | 29 August 1947 | ||
H-21 | Shawnee Workhorse "Flying Banana" |
Piasecki Helicopter | April 1952 | ||
H-22 | Kaman Aircraft | July 1949 (K-225) |
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H-23 Raven | Raven | Hiller Helicopters | 1948 (Model 360) |
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H-24 | Sky Hawk | Seibel Helicopter | April 1951 | ||
H-25 | Army Mule | Piasecki Helicopter | March 1948 | Some variants formerly HUP. | |
H-26 Jet Jeep | Jet Jeep | American Helicopter | January 1952 | ||
H-27 | Transporter | Piasecki Helicopter | - | Redesignated as H-16A. | |
H-28 | Hughes Helicopters | - | Not built. | ||
H-29 | McDonnell Aircraft | - | Not built. | ||
H-30 | McCulloch Aircraft | March 1951 (MC-4) |
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H-31 | Doman Helicopters | 27 April 1953 | |||
H-32 Hornet | Hornet | Hiller Helicopters | 1950 | YH-32A Serial No. 55-4965 is believed to be the world's first helicopter gunship.[1] | |
H-33 | Bell Helicopter | - | Redesignated as V-3. | ||
H-34 | Choctaw Seabat Seahorse |
Sikorsky Aircraft | 8 March 1954 | Some variants formerly HUS, HSS-1. | |
H-35 | McDonnell Aircraft | - | Redesignated as V-1. | ||
H-36 | Skipped | Possibly assigned to V-2. Possibly assigned to Project LONG EARS. | |||
H-37 Mojave | Mojave | Sikorsky Aircraft | 1953 | H-37C formerly HR2S. | |
H-38 | Skipped | Possibly assigned to Project SHORT TAIL. | |||
H-39 | Sikorsky Aircraft | 1954 | Modified from H-18. | ||
H-40 | Bell Helicopter | 20 October 1956 | Produced as H-1. | ||
H-41 Seneca | Seneca | Cessna | 1953 (CH-1) |
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H-43 Huskie | Huskie | Kaman Aircraft | 1953 | Some variants formerly HOK, HTK, HUK. | |
H-44 | Skipped | Possibly assigned to Project BIG TOM. | |||
H-45 | Skipped | Possibly assigned to Project STEP CHILD. | |||
H-46 Sea Knight | Sea Knight | Boeing Vertol | August 1962 | Formerly HRB-1. UH-46B formerly H-49. H-46C formerly HC-1A. | |
H-47 Chinook | Chinook | Boeing Vertol | August 1962 | Formerly HC-1B. | |
H-50 DASH | DASH | Gyrodyne | 1959 | Formerly DSN. | |
H-51 | Lockheed Corporation | 100px | 2 November 1962 | ||
H-52 | Seaguard | Sikorsky Aircraft | 1959 (S-62) |
Formerly HU2S. | |
H-53 Sea Stallion | Sea Stallion "Super Jolly Green Giant" Pave Low Super Stallion Sea Dragon |
Sikorsky Aircraft | 14 October 1964 (YCH-53A) 1 March 1974 (YCH-53E) |
[2] MH-53 Pave Low CH-53E Super Stallion CH-53K Super Stallion | |
H-54 Tarhe | Tarhe | Sikorsky Aircraft | 9 May 1962 | ||
H-55 Osage | Osage | Hughes Helicopters | 2 October 1956 Model 269 |
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H-56 Cheyenne | Cheyenne | Lockheed Corporation | 21 September 1967 | ||
H-57 | Sea Ranger | Bell Helicopter | 10 January 1966 (Model 206A) |
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H-58 Kiowa | Kiowa Kiowa Warrior |
Bell Helicopter | 10 January 1966 (Model 206A) 6 October 1983 (OH-58D) |
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H-59 | Sikorsky Aircraft | 26 July 1973 | |||
H-60 Black Hawk | Black Hawk Seahawk Jayhawk Pave Hawk Nighthawk Oceanhawk Rescue Hawk "Whitehawk" "Knighthawk" DAP |
Sikorsky Aircraft | 26 July 1973 | SH-60 Seahawk HH-60 Pave Hawk HH-60 Jayhawk | |
H-61 | Boeing Vertol | November 1974 | |||
H-62 | Boeing Vertol | - | Never flown. | ||
H-63 KingCobra | Bell Helicopter | 1 October 1975 | |||
H-64 Apache | Apache Apache Longbow |
Hughes Helicopters McDonnell Douglas Boeing Helicopters |
30 September 1975 | ||
H-65 Dolphin | Dolphin | Aérospatiale Eurocopter |
1980 | ||
H-66 Commanche | Comanche | Boeing Helicopters Sikorsky Aircraft |
4 January 1996 | ||
H-67 Creek | Creek | Bell Helicopter | 1993 | ||
H-68 | Stingray | AgustaWestland | 2000 | [2] Leased 2000-2008 | |
H-69 | Skipped | ||||
H-70 | "Arapaho" | Bell Helicopter | 20 July 2006 | [2] | |
H-71 Kestrel | Kestrel | AgustaWestland Lockheed Martin Bell Helicopter |
3 July 2007 | [2] | |
H-72 Lakota | Lakota | Eurocopter | 19 June 1999 (EC145) |
[2] |
References
edit- ^ "The First 100 Years of Aviation". Hiller Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on 2005-02-06. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Parsch, Andreas. "DOD 4120.15-L - Addendum, MDS Designators allocated after 19 August 1998 (until March 2009)". Designation-Systems.Net. Retrieved 2010-04-05.