Editing Bell OH-58 Kiowa (section)

===OH-58D===
[[File:OH-58D of the 25th CAB landing on USS Lake Erie (CG-70) off Hawaii in 2013.JPG|thumb|OH-58D of 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, landing on {{USS|Lake Erie|CG-70|6}}]]

The ''OH-58D'' (Bell Model 406) was the result of the Army Helicopter Improvement Program (AHIP). An upgraded transmission and engine gave extra power, needed for [[nap-of-the-earth]] flight profiles, and a four-bladed main rotor made it quieter than the two-bladed OH-58C. The OH-58D introduced the distinctive Mast-Mounted Sight (MMS) above the main rotor, and a mixed glass cockpit with traditional instruments as "standby" for emergencies.

The ''Bell 406CS'' "Combat Scout" was based on the OH-58D (sometimes referred to as the ''MH-58D''). Fifteen aircraft<ref name="1000photos-1"/><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.airwar.ru/enc/ah/mh58.html |title= MH-58D Combat Scout |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20001204085200/http://airwar.ru/enc/ah/mh58.html |archive-date= 4 December 2000}}</ref> were sold to Saudi Arabia.<ref name="saudi1">{{cite web |url= http://www.scramble.nl/mil/4/saudiarabia/main.htm |title= Royal Saudi Air Arms |work= Scramble |publisher= Dutch Air Society |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120907235559/http://www.scramble.nl/mil/4/saudiarabia/main.htm |archive-date= 7 September 2012}}</ref> A roof-mounted Saab HeliTOW sight system was opted for in place of the MMS.<ref>"Bell Model 406 CS Combat Scout". ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1992–1993''. Jane's Information Group, 1992. [http://search.janes.com/Search/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/yb/jawa/del00521.htm@current&pageSelected=allJanes&keyword=Bell%20406%20CS&backPath=http://search.janes.com/Search&Prod_Name=JAWA& subscription article, dated 15 July 1992]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}.</ref> The 406CS also had detachable weapon hardpoints on each side.

[[File:OH-58DKW takes off in Afghanistan.jpg|thumb|left|OH-58D in Afghanistan, 2011]]
The ''AH-58D'' was an OH-58D version operated by [[17th Cavalry Regiment#Unit history|Task Force 118]] (4th Squadron, 17th Cavalry) and modified with armament in support of [[Operation Prime Chance]]. The weapons and fire control systems would become the basis for the Kiowa Warrior. AH-58D is not an official DOD aircraft designation, but is used by the Army in reference to these aircraft.<ref>[http://tri.army.mil/LC/CS/csa/ah-58d.htm OH-58 series Kiowa Photo Gallery] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916230645/http://tri.army.mil/LC/CS/csa/ah-58d.htm |date=16 September 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.history.army.mil/CHRONOS/16jan91.htm |title= XVIII AIRBORNE CORPS CHRONOLOGY (16- 31 January 1991) |work= army.mil |access-date= 23 November 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303180609/http://www.history.army.mil/CHRONOS/16jan91.htm |archive-date= 3 March 2016 |url-status= dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.history.army.mil/photos/gulf_war/ods.htm |title= Gulf War Photo Sampler – XVIII Airborne Corps History Office Photographs – Center of Military History |author= U.S. Army Center of Military History |work= army.mil |access-date= 23 November 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151124171855/http://www.history.army.mil/photos/gulf_war/ods.htm |archive-date= 24 November 2015 |url-status= dead}}</ref>

The ''Kiowa Warrior'', sometimes referred to by its acronym ''KW'', is the armed version of the OH-58D. A key difference between the Kiowa Warrior and original AHIP aircraft is a universal weapons pylon found mounted on both sides of the fuselage, capable of carrying combinations of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, air-to-air Stinger (ATAS) missiles, 7-shot {{convert|2.75|in|mm}} Hydra-70 rocket pods,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/hydra-70.htm |title= Hydra-70 Rocket System |publisher= Federation of American Scientists |access-date= 27 February 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070204162152/http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/hydra-70.htm |archive-date= 4 February 2007 |url-status= live}}</ref> and an [[M2 Browning machine gun|M296]] 0.50 in (12.7&nbsp;mm) caliber machine gun. The performance standard of [[aerial gunnery]] from an OH-58D is to achieve at least one hit out of 70 shots fired at a wheeled vehicle {{convert|800|to|1200|m|ft|abbr=on}} away.<ref name=heligun1>[http://www.dodsbir.net/sitis/display_topic.asp?Bookmark=42650 "ASP Motion Base for Stabilized Mounts"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708201653/http://www.dodsbir.net/sitis/display_topic.asp?Bookmark=42650|date=8 July 2013}} ''[[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] [[Small Business Innovation Research]]''. Retrieved: June 2012.</ref><ref name=heligun2>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/1-140/AB.HTM "Helicopter gunnery tables"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120601144705/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/1-140/AB.HTM |date=1 June 2012}} ''GlobalSecurity.org''. Retrieved: June 2012.</ref> The Kiowa Warrior also includes improvements in available power, navigation, communication, survivability, and deployability.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/oh-58.htm |title= OH-58D Kiowa Warrior |publisher= Federation of American Scientists |access-date= 4 October 2006 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20000125160557/http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/oh-58.htm |archive-date= 25 January 2000}}</ref>