#1856
MD Helicopters MH-6 Little Bird
🇺🇸 United States ·first flew 1963· observation, multi-mission, light attack
2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. 2 AH-6J Little Bird de l'US Army, 31 mars 2003, Irak: Wikimedia Commons· Public domain
- 2. MH-6 Little Bird deck landing: USASOC· Public domain
what is it?
The Boeing MH-6M Little Bird (nicknamed the Killer Egg) and its attack variant, the AH-6, are light helicopters used for special operations in the United States Army. Originally based on a modified OH-6A, it was later based on the MD 500E, with a single five-bladed main rotor. The newest version, the MH-6M, is based on the MD 530F and has a single, six-bladed main rotor and four-bladed tail rotor.
How to recognise it: 1 turboshaft engine · 8.4 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 63 years ago, in 1963.
- Top speed is 2.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
turboshaft: A turbine that turns a shaft, usually a helicopter rotor.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1963-02-27
- introduced
- 1980
- status
- still flying
- number built
- —
- role
- observation, multi-mission, light attack
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- makers
- MD Helicopters
- engines
- 1× Allison T63-A-5A or T63-A-700
- crew
- 2
- length
- 9.9 m
- rotor diameter
- 8.4 m
- height
- 2.7 m
- max take-off weight
- 1,406 kg
- top speed
- 282 km/h
- cruise speed
- 250 km/h
- range
- 430 km
- ceiling
- 5,700 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
family
Sources: Wikidata Q3272950, Wikipedia: MD Helicopters MH-6 Little Bird (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.