Although not as famous as the UH-60 Blackhawk or AH-64 Apache, Kiowa was the U.S. Army’s workhorse for nearly 50 years
Since its first introduction in 1969, more than 2,200 Kiowas have been produced
and by July 2020 the last helicopters were decommissioned
Earlier in March 2020 the US Army selected the Bell 360 Invictus and Sikorsky Raider X as part of the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program
to fill the capability gap left by the retirement of the OH-58
The OH-58 Kiowa was developed based on the civil Bell Model 206A Jet Ranger to meet the US Army's requirement for a helicopter capable of observation duties
as well as support of attack helicopters and direction of artillery fire
The OH-58 was in continuous U.S. Army service from 1969 to 2017
when it was replaced in these roles by the Boeing AH-64 Apache and Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota
The helicopter has a length of 12.85 m, a height of 3.93 m, an empty weight of 1.7 tons, and a gross weight of 2.5 tons
The cockpit is well organized forward with a side-by-side 2-seat configuration: pilot and co-pilot
The cockpit provides for excellent forward viewing thanks to its large forward windscreens and removable automobile-style hinged side doors
To the rear of the cockpit is the passenger cabin for an additional two or three personnel or two medical litters
The engine is mounted atop and to the rear of the passenger cabin, powering the main rotor blades
The OH-58 Kiowa is powered by a Rolls-Royce T703-AD-700A turboshaft 650 hp engine
for a top speed of 149 mph, a cruise speed of 127 mph, a range of 161 mi, and a Service ceiling of 15,000 ft
The Kiowa doesn't have a standard powered wheeled chassis
but instead uses a rather traditional and simplistic heavy duty landing skid system
When it was initially introduced in the Vietnam War, the OH-58A was armed with either an M134 Minigun or M129 40mm automatic grenade launcher
The helicopter was upgraded in the 1980s under the “Army Helicopter Improvement Program,”
and the OH-58D featured an upgraded digital cockpit that included Multi-Function Displays for both cockpit positions
and was the first U.S. Army helicopter to feature an “all glass cockpit.”
The OH-58D “Kiowa Warrior” was also equipped with a variety of more powerful armament
which included AGM-114 “Hellfire” guided anti-tank missiles
Hydra 70 series high-explosive unguided rockets, 12.7mm heavy caliber machine guns
The OH-58D introduced the most distinctive feature of the Kiowa family
he Mast Mounted Sight, which resembles a beach ball perched above the rotor system
These new features gave the aircraft the additional mission capability of target acquisition and laser designation in day or night
limited-visibility and adverse weather
The US OH-58s were tested for the first time during the Vietnam War
The initial Kiowas began arriving in Southeast Asia in August of 1969 and served side-by-side with the competing Hughes OH-6A "Cayuse" helicopters
Additional combat exploits found the OH-58 operating over the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq War in Operation Prime Chance
defending shipping in the region - particularly targeting Iranian Navy gunboats operating aggressively in Gulf waters
The OH-58 Kiowa had seen continuous service until 2017
and had also been exported to Austria, Canada, Croatia, the Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan
In 2003, there were 120 Kiowas deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and twenty-nine were lost during the conflict
The Army’s fleet of OH-58s achieved a total of 820,000 combat hours by the end of 2013