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3 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. OH-23 inflight colour photo: U.S. Army· Public domain
- 2. Hiller OH23 IDF Air Force1952: David Eldan· Public domain
- 3. OH-23 inflight (centered): US Army· Public domain
what is it?
The Hiller OH-23 Raven is a two, three, or four-place, military light observation helicopter based on the Hiller Model 360. The Model 360 was designated by the company as the UH-12 ("UH" for United Helicopters), which was first flown in 1948. Initially it was a two-place helicopter powered by a piston engine that entered service in the late 1940s, it went on to be a popular military and civilian light helicopter in the late 20th century.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine · 10.8 m main rotor
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 78 years ago, in 1948.
- Rotor of 10.8 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1948
- introduced
- 1948
- status
- retired
- number built
- 2,000
- role
- multipurpose light helicopter
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- makers
- Hiller Aircraft Company
- engines
- 1× Lycoming VO-435-23B
- crew
- 2
- length
- 8.7 m
- rotor diameter
- 10.8 m
- height
- 3 m
- max take-off weight
- 1,225 kg
- top speed
- 153 km/h
- cruise speed
- 132 km/h
- range
- 217 km
- ceiling
- 4,023 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q691806, Wikipedia: Hiller OH-23 Raven (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.