PROGRAM AND OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ARMED OH-58D KIOWA WARRIOR

U.S. Army units operating in the field learned through experience that the basic production OH-58D helicopter is a premier scout helicopter. It has no equal as a night scout, operating quietly to detect distant targets and handing off to ground artillery, other Army killer aircraft, or U.S. Air Force strike forces. Until recently, OH-58D crews had to be content to hand off targets to others for final disposition, or at most, laser-designating the target for a killer aircraft. Now enter the fully armed OH-58D. A hostile gunboat presence at night in the Persian Gulf in 1987 created a need for a small, stealthy, armed helicopter for interdiction purposes. Teamwork within the U.S. Armed Forces and industry made it possible for the Army’s OH-58D aircraft, built by Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. (BHTI), to meet that need. The paper tells the story of how military and civilian members of the Operation Prime Chance team added armament to 15 already superb aerial observation OH-58D helicopters, tested them, developed operational procedures, trained crews, and deployed them overseas in record time. The basic production OH-58D was developed under the Army Helicopter Improvement Program (AHIP) with initial deliveries beginning in December 85. This paper identifies the differences between the basic production and the special armed helicopter, called the Prime Chance OH-58D, and what it took to prepare the aircraft for Army deployment. The impact of the Prime Chance OH-58D on the hostile gunboat activity was so great that shortly after they arrived in the Persian Gulf, there were no more mining or harassment incidents. Because of the obvious advantages of the armament configuration and the successes in the Gulf, a program has begun to arm all OH-58Ds in Army inventory, starting with current production. The paper discusses improvements being made in integrating the weapons systems into the modern, user-friendly OH-58D cockpit controls and displays. Planned qualification tests and schedules are described. The paper briefs another facet of the armed OH-58D picture with the description of the Multi-Purpose Light Helicopter (MPLH) development concept. In the MPLH configuration, the armed OH-58D is capable of many different missions, including rapid air deployment aboard military transport aircraft. And finally, armed operational aspects are covered describing performance at the National Training Center (NTC), REFORGER exercises, and armed fielding. Several appendices are attached which include engineering descriptions of the air vehicle and the subsystems that make up the mission equipment package (MEP).