Hughes OH-6 Cayuse

what is it?

The Hughes OH-6 Cayuse is a single-engine light helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Hughes Helicopters. Its formal name is derived from the Cayuse people, while its "Loach" nickname is derived from the Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) program, under which it was procured. The OH-6 was developed to meet United States Army Technical Specification 153, issued in 1960 to replace its Bell H-13 Sioux fleet.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 turboshaft engine · 8 m main rotor

base stats

• speed 241 km/hcruise speed
• range 611 kmwithout refuelling
• seats 4passengers
• size 1,225 kgmax take-off weight
• built 1,434made in total

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 63 years ago, in 1963.

turboshaft: A turbine that turns a shaft, usually a helicopter rotor.

spec sheet

first flight

1963-02-27

introduced

1966

status

still flying

number built

1,434

role

light observation helicopter/utility

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Hughes Helicopters

engines

1× Allison T63-A-5A

crew

2

passengers

4

length

9.2 m

rotor diameter

8 m

height

2.5 m

max take-off weight

1,225 kg

top speed

—

cruise speed

241 km/h

range

611 km

ceiling

4,816 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

family