Army Retires UH-1

[granlistillo]

Does this include the Army National Guard?

I saw two USMC twin engines at KTYS holding short 5R a few months ago. Beautiful bird.

 

[C650CPT]

yes with very few exceptions, the Hueys are retired and all Aviators are retrained in an "advanced" aircraft. Other than the C-12 everything I'm qualified in has been retired.

 

[MikeD]

yes with very few exceptions, the Hueys are retired and all Aviators are retrained in an "advanced" aircraft. Other than the C-12 everything I'm qualified in has been retired.

I still see the range support white/orange UH-1s flying around White Sands, etc.

 

[granlistillo]

I thought I read somewhere a while back that the USMC was getting brand new UH1s twin hueys (not reengined N models). I know the Sea services have a woodie for twin engine helos, but was suprised to see a uh-1. Pix apparently showed a 4 bladed prop, so maybe not so much whop whop whop. :dunno:

 

[MikeD]

I thought I read somewhere a while back that the USMC was getting brand new UH1s twin hueys (not reengined N models). I know the Sea services have a woodie for twin engine helos, but was suprised to see a uh-1. Pix apparently showed a 4 bladed prop, so maybe not so much whop whop whop. :dunno:

It's the UH-1Y....similar to a Bell 412 with 4 blade fully articulated system vs the 2-blade semi-rigid system. Replacement for the AH-1W of the USMC is to be the AH-1Z, also 4 bladed FA

 

[MikeD]

The first two pics below is the older UH-1H Huey helo that I fly and its original panel; and in the second two pics, the modified TH-1H Huey II glass panel of the same helicopter on the right that we do instrument work in. The technology advancement is truly amazing, especially the amount of "empty space" on the TH panel now from it's former UH time:

And it's cool, regardless what that scrooge C650CPT says!

 

[deadstick]

No. I think he means that this is something like the third time the Army has announced the Huey is going to be gone from the fleet, in the last 5-10 years. Typical military stuff

Maybe they mean it this time!?!

I wasn't making a dig at your post, Steve. MikeD is correct.

Does this include the Army National Guard?

NGB didn't get the memo. There are still a couple operating around here.

It's the UH-1Y....similar to a Bell 412 with 4 blade fully articulated system vs the 2-blade semi-rigid system. Replacement for the AH-1W of the USMC is to be the AH-1Z, also 4 bladed FA

Something like 70% parts commonality. Engine, trans, rotor systems -- all the same. Leave it to the Marines. Bravo. Two strikes for the Army Aviation acquisition process: Comanche and ARH. I remember hearing "The legacy aircraft cannot keep up with the Army." How fast is that ol' M1?
Real helicopters don't have training wheels. I give the one that floats a pass.

 

[MikeD]

I wasn't making a dig at your post, Steve. MikeD is correct.



NGB didn't get the memo. There are still a couple operating around here.



Something like 70% parts commonality. Engine, trans, rotor systems -- all the same. Leave it to the Marines. Bravo. Two strikes for the Army Aviation acquisition process: Comanche and ARH. I remember hearing "The legacy aircraft cannot keep up with the Army." How fast is that ol' M1?
Real helicopters don't have training wheels. I give the one that floats a pass.

I see the -58Ds in your pic around here. IIRC they come out of Hanchey AHP. Seeing them do 180 autos in the pattern (minus the ball on top), and those things fall out of the sky like a brick! I thought my UH-1 came falling out of the sky, I've got nothing on them.

Supposedly, rumor is that the two Comanche prototypes are stuffed away out of sight in a hangar at Knox AHP. I'll have to do some poking around and be nosy.

 

[SteveC]

Ged dmn you Walter! You fekn' ! Everything's a fekn' travesty with you, man! And what was all that sht about Vietnam? What the FeK, has anything got to do with Vietnam?

I'm The Dude Playing the Dude Disguised as Another Dude

I know you were just quoting a movie or something, but just as a general reminder for everyone:

http://forums.jetcareers.com/general-topics/98040-profanity-filters-repost.html

Thanks.

 

[granlistillo]

It's the UH-1Y....similar to a Bell 412 with 4 blade fully articulated system vs the 2-blade semi-rigid system. Replacement for the AH-1W of the USMC is to be the AH-1Z, also 4 bladed FA

I think they are making new airframes instead of reworking older frames. Amazing.

 

[deadstick]

I see the -58Ds in your pic around here. IIRC they come out of Hanchey AHP. Seeing them do 180 autos in the pattern (minus the ball on top), and those things fall out of the sky like a brick! I thought my UH-1 came falling out of the sky, I've got nothing on them.

Supposedly, rumor is that the two Comanche prototypes are stuffed away out of sight in a hangar at Knox AHP. I'll have to do some poking around and be nosy.

My time was in the -58C. I just like the Santa pic.

I wondered what happened to them after the testing in FL. If history is any indication, they will be gutted, dropped in front of the museum next to the Cheyenne, and in 20 years they will have dulled paint and hazed glass.

 

[MikeD]

I wondered what happened to them after the testing in FL. If history is any indication, they will be gutted, dropped in front of the museum next to the Cheyenne, and in 20 years they will have dulled paint and hazed glass.

Ugggh, agree. While I think the museum has some definitely cool stuff here, the outdoor displays deteriorate in this environment faster than the museum has the staff or equipment to keep up with.

 

[Lefty]

Ugggh, agree. While I think the museum has some definitely cool stuff here, the outdoor displays deteriorate in this environment faster than the museum has the staff or equipment to keep up with.

The Caribou and Mohawk for example, There is a sick L-19 airframe in there with its original engine that needs to be restored to flying condition!

 

[MikeD]

The Caribou and Mohawk for example, There is a sick L-19 airframe in there with its original engine that needs to be restored to flying condition!

Yes! Those you mention as well as the large Army P-2 Neptune outside in back....it shows up especially due to it's light grey/white paint scheme. The Army T-37 back there too needs some lovin'.

 

[USMCmech]

I think they are making new airframes instead of reworking older frames.

Techinaly, the Marines are "upgrading" the UH-1 and AH-1.

However, basicly the only part of the "upgraded" ship will be the data plate.

 

[MikeD]

Techinaly, the Marines are "upgrading" the UH-1 and AH-1.

However, basicly the only part of the "upgraded" ship will be the data plate.

Kind of what the USAF did with the TH-1. The TH-1s aren't new-build airframes, they're UH-1Hs with a new tailboom-aft, new engine, transmission, rotors, and a re-skinned forward fuselage, along with the glass cockpit and crashworthy seats. However, they still keep their same dataplate, so the serial painted on them and their maintenance books, etc, they're still 1970-74 serial/year numbers.

 

[Blackhawk]

My time was in the -58C. I just like the Santa pic.

I wondered what happened to them after the testing in FL. If history is any indication, they will be gutted, dropped in front of the museum next to the Cheyenne, and in 20 years they will have dulled paint and hazed glass.

Actually I think this is one Army Aviation would like to sweep under a rug and forget about. Numerous critical items were sacrificed to support the Comanche including ASE items that were identified during the first Gulf War as critical issues. The entire time of its development we heard/read "Comanche this, Comanche that." All of it was positive, no one ever asked the question "Why are we building this." I went to one briefing and all the general talked about was how technically advanced it was. Nothing about what it would do or how it would help us fight wars. Because of this lives were lost during OIF due to a lack of funding for these critical items. I think the RAH-66 should go the way of the CF-105 Arrow. Chop them all up.

 

[Low_Level_Hell]

Cancellation of the Camanche ended up being a boon for the rest of Army Aviation with all the extra funds freed up. AH-64's recieved modernized FLIR sights with Block III aircraft hopefully being fielded sometime next decade, old CH-47s are being swapped out for new ones, and the UH-60M should be fielded soon.

No saving the OH-58D. Even thier replacement in lieu of the RAH-66, the ARH, was a pile of junk. The Kiowa Warrior is most deffinately the most useless aircraft in the US Military. I would provide a long list of reasons why this is but I don't want to jepordize the fact that the few remaining Insurgents that actually still have a shread of respect for this thing to get wind of it.

 

[Blackhawk]

Cancellation of the Camanche ended up being a boon for the rest of Army Aviation with all the extra funds freed up. AH-64's recieved modernized FLIR sights with Block III aircraft hopefully being fielded sometime next decade, old CH-47s are being swapped out for new ones, and the UH-60M should be fielded soon.

No saving the OH-58D. Even thier replacement in lieu of the RAH-66, the ARH, was a pile of junk. The Kiowa Warrior is most deffinately the most useless aircraft in the US Military. I would provide a long list of reasons why this is but I don't want to jepordize the fact that the few remaining Insurgents that actually still have a shread of respect for this thing to get wind of it.

Not really a boon for the Army Aviation. Things that were postponed were finally funded. Biggest impact was an the ASE gear that had been shelved. Of course a number of aircraft had to get shot down and crew members killed before Cody finally stepped in and pulled the plug for the Army Aviation brass that did not have the intelligence and fortitude to do so. Even up to the month of it being killed AAAA magazine was "Camanche this, Comanche that."
Part of the money will end up going to the Air Force in a round about way. One of the projects the Army had shelved for the RAH-66 was the C-23 Sherpa replacement. Money from the -66 project was suppose to be used for developing and fielding the C-27J for the Army. Once the Air Force saw money, they elbowed their way into the project and even got themselves put in charge of it... even though they wanted nothing to do with it prior to the Army showing interest and getting money for it. From what I last read it now appears the Army will get hosed in the deal. It will probably go the way of the Carribou. The Army will turn it over to the Air Force for more tanks and the Air Force will deep 6 it.
Now there's a familiar story. The Air Force was going to get rid of the C-123. McNamara suggested that the Air Force turn them over to the Army instead. Suddenly the Air Force found a need for them, so the Army got the Carribou since the Air Force would not put the C-123 where the Army needed it. The Air Force pitched a fit about the Carribou. The Army turned it over to the Air Force in exchange for the Air Force permitting the Army to arm helicopters.
OH-58Ds airframes were flying about 135 hours/month when I was over there. Seemed much better at some roles than the Apaches, or maybe it was just the OR rate was so bad for the -64s. Not sure. Of course at that rate the airframes will be trashed very soon.

 

[MikeD]

Part of the money will end up going to the Air Force in a round about way. One of the projects the Army had shelved for the RAH-66 was the C-23 Sherpa replacement. Money from the -66 project was suppose to be used for developing and fielding the C-27J for the Army. Once the Air Force saw money, they elbowed their way into the project and even got themselves put in charge of it... even though they wanted nothing to do with it prior to the Army showing interest and getting money for it. From what I last read it now appears the Army will get hosed in the deal. It will probably go the way of the Carribou. The Army will turn it over to the Air Force for more tanks and the Air Force will deep 6 it.

Reason number 652 I hate the USAF....their constant jealousy of the Army flying anything fixed wing. The USAF has always had an identity problem, even after separating from the Army in 1947. This whole C-27J clown act is another part of it. The AF makes the C-27J sound like some revolutionary new airlifter that we've never had. Nevermind that the USAF flew the C-27A for over a decade in Panama. So it's not really that new. But like the C-7 Caribou, IMO the Army should get their own C-27s and do their own intratheatre airlift....one less thing the AF would have to worry about. But alas, the AF doesn't want to lose the $$$ that come with the mission, even though that would likely free up a number of C-130s to do other things.

It's the same as the A-10. AF has historically hated the CAS mission, instead wanting pointy-nose jets and knocking down MiGs. When in the late 1980s, the AF was wanting to get rid of the A-10, there was talk of giving them to the Army. All of a sudden, the AF was interested in the A-10 again and the CAS mission. If I were king for a day, I'd give the Army all the A-10s.......let them do their own combined-arms work just like the USMC does. The AF didn't want the Army having the A-10 due to weak excuses like "the Army won't employ them correctly!" So freaking what? If the AF got rid of the A-10 to the Army, why the hell should they care what the Army does with them? If you sell someone a car, do you really care what then they do with it? The AF couldn't admit that though they didn't want the mission, they didn't want to lost the money that comes with the CAS mission, no matter how much they don't like the mission. Personally, I'd love the AF to give the A-10 to the Army, so they can focus on pointy-nose fighters and MiG killing, and space, and nukes. Let the Army be as efficient with their own CAS like the USMC does, or not. Wouldn't be our problem anymore. But I also think the AF doesn't want the Army showing that a high school educated CW-2 can fly the same plane their AF Academy degree-holding RLOs can.

Now there's a familiar story. The Air Force was going to get rid of the C-123. McNamara suggested that the Air Force turn them over to the Army instead. Suddenly the Air Force found a need for them, so the Army got the Carribou since the Air Force would not put the C-123 where the Army needed it. The Air Force pitched a fit about the Carribou. The Army turned it over to the Air Force in exchange for the Air Force permitting the Army to arm helicopters.

Again, the AF C-130 side is tasked to the hilt supporting the Army with everything big to small. If the Army had their own intratheatre airlift, then maybe there could be some relief on the C-130 force and we wouldn't be seeing things such as the E-model 130s being grounded for center wing box cracks.