Bell OH-58 Kiowa

Operation Just Cause and action in the 1990s

During [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in 1989, a team consisting of an OH-58 and an AH-1 were part of the Aviation Task Force during the securing of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The OH-58 was fired upon by [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] soldiers and crashed 100 yards (91 m) away, in the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. The pilot was rescued but the co-pilot died.

On 17 December 1994, Army [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (CWO) David Hilemon and Bobby Hall left Camp Page, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] on a routine training mission along the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (DMZ).

Their flight was intended to be to a point known as Checkpoint 84, south of the DMZ "no-fly zone", but the OH-58C Kiowa strayed nearly four miles (6.4 km) into the Kangwon Province, inside [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] airspace, due to errors in navigating the snow-covered, rugged terrain.

The helicopter was shot down by North Korean troops and CWO Hilemon was killed.

CWO Hall was held captive and the North Korean government insisted that the crew had been spying.

Five days of negotiations resulted in the North Koreans turning over Hilemon's body to U.S. authorities.

The negotiations failed to secure Hall's immediate release.

After 13 days in captivity, Hall was freed on 30 December, uninjured.

Operations in Afghanistan and Iraq


The United States Army has employed the OH-58D during [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Due to combat and accidents, over 35 airframes have been lost, with 35 pilots killed.
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The age of the helicopters and the loss of airframes resulted in the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter program to procure a new aircraft, the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], which was later canceled in 2008 due to cost overruns.

Variants

OH-58A

The OH-58A Kiowa is a 4-place observation helicopter.

The Kiowa has two-place pilot seating, although the controls in the left seat are designed to be removed to carry a passenger up front.

During its Vietnam development, it was fitted with the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], a 7.62 mm electrically operated machine gun.

A total of 74 OH-58A helicopters were delivered to the Canadian Armed Forces as COH-58A and later redesignated as CH-136 Kiowa helicopters.

In 1978, OH-58A aircraft began to be converted to the same engine and dynamic components as the OH-58C.

And, in 1992, 76 OH-58A were modified with another engine upgrade, a [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] system, a communications package for law enforcement, enhanced navigational equipment and high skid gear as part of the Army National
Guard's (ARNG) Counter-Drug RAID program.

The OH-58B was an export version for the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The Australian Government also procured the OH-58A for the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] as the CAC CA-32.

Produced under contract in Australia by [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], the CA-32 was the equivalent of the 206B-1 (upgraded engine and longer rotor blades).

The first twelve of 56 were built in the U.S. then partially disassembled and shipped to Australia where they were
reassembled.

Helicopters in the naval fleet were retired in 2000.