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)
 
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)
 
H-23 Raven Raven Hiller Helicopters 1948
(Model 360)
 
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)
 
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)
 
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
 
H-56 Cheyenne Cheyenne Lockheed Corporation 21 September 1967  
H-57 Sea Ranger Bell Helicopter 10 January 1966
(Model 206A)
 
H-58 Kiowa Kiowa
Kiowa Warrior
Bell Helicopter 10 January 1966
(Model 206A)
6 October 1983
(OH-58D)
 
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
  1. ^ "The First 100 Years of Aviation". Hiller Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on 2005-02-06. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  2. ^ 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.