Jump to content
Main menu
Main menu
move to sidebar
hide
Navigation
Main page
Recent changes
Random page
Help about MediaWiki
Special pages
Niidae Wiki
Search
Search
Appearance
Create account
Log in
Personal tools
Create account
Log in
Pages for logged out editors
learn more
Contributions
Talk
Editing
Bell OH-58 Kiowa
(section)
Page
Discussion
English
Read
Edit
View history
Tools
Tools
move to sidebar
hide
Actions
Read
Edit
View history
General
What links here
Related changes
Page information
Appearance
move to sidebar
hide
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
===OH-58F=== The ''OH-58F'' is an OH-58D upgrade. The Cockpit and Sensor Upgrade Program (CASUP) adds a nose-mounted targeting and surveillance system alongside the MMS. The AAS-53 Common Sensor Payload has an infrared camera, color Electro-Optical camera, and image intensifier; via weight and drag reductions, flight performance increased by 1β2%.<ref name="vertiflite">{{cite journal |title= Stretching the Scout |last= Colucci |first= Frank |journal= Vertiflite |date= MayβJune 2013 |volume= 59 |issue= 3 |pages= 42β45}}</ref> Cockpit upgrades include the Control and Display Subsystem version 5, more storage and processing power, three color multi-function displays, and dual-independent advanced moving maps. It has Level 2 Manned-Unmanned (L2MUM) teaming, the [[Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below|Force Battle Command Brigade and Below]] (FBCB2) display screen, and can be updated to [[Blue Force Tracking|Blue Force Tracker 2]]. Survivability enhancements include ballistic floor armor and the Common Missile Warning System. It has greater situational awareness, digital inter-cockpit communications, HELLFIRE future upgrades, redesigned wiring harness, Health and Usage Monitoring (HUMS), and enhanced weapons functionality via 1760 digital interface. The OH-58F is powered by a Rolls-Royce 250-C30R3 engine rated at {{convert|650|shp|kW|abbr=on}};<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20190502131608/http://www.military-today.com/helicopters/oh58f.htm "OH-58F Kiowa Warrior"]}}. ''OH-58F Kiowa Warrior''. military-today.com (online).</ref> it has a dual-channel, full-authority digital engine-controller that operates at required power levels in all environments.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.army.mil/article/53295/army-building-new-f-model-kiowa-warrior/?ref=news-home-title3 |title= Army building new F model Kiowa Warrior |publisher= army.mil |first= Kris |last= Osborn |date= 15 March 2011}}</ref><ref>[http://www.army.mil/standto/archive/2011/05/18/ OH-58F] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817061726/http://www.army.mil/standto/archive/2011/05/18/ |date=17 August 2011}} Army.mil/Stand-To, 18 May 2011.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.bellhelicopter.com/MungoBlobs/93/11/EN_OH-58F_FactSheet.pdf |title= The Bell OH-58F: Your Mission |date= 2011 |publisher= Bell Helicopter |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111101084334/http://bellhelicopter.com/MungoBlobs/93/11/EN_OH-58F_FactSheet.pdf |archive-date= 1 November 2011}}</ref> [[Rolls-Royce North America|Rolls-Royce]] proposed engine tweaks to raise output by 12%.<ref>{{cite web |last= Trimble |first= Stephen |url= http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/10/26/348929/us-army-announces-new-fox-model-for-kiowa-warrior.html |title= US Army announces new Fox model for Kiowa Warrior |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101031215051/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/10/26/348929/us-army-announces-new-fox-model-for-kiowa-warrior.html |publisher= Flight International |date= 26 October 2010 |archive-date= 31 October 2010}}</ref> [[File:OH-58F.jpg|thumb|OH-58F test aircraft in flight]] In October 2012, the first OH-58F was finished. Unlike most military projects, the Army designed and built the new variant itself, which lowered development costs. It weighed {{convert|3590|lb|kg|abbr=on}}, {{convert|53|lb|kg|abbr=on}} below the target weight and about {{convert|200|lb|kg|abbr=on}} lighter than the OH-58D. The weight savings are attributed to more efficient wiring and a lighter sensor. The first production aircraft began manufacturing in January 2013 and was handed over to the Army by year end. Low rate production was to start in March 2015, with the first operational squadron being fully equipped by 2016. The Army was to buy 368 OH-58Fs, with older OH-58 variants to be remanufactured.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/ausa-us-army-completes-first-oh-58f-test-aircraft-378059/ |title= US Army completes first OH-58F test aircraft |publisher= Flightglobal.com |date= 25 October 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121031141046/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/ausa-us-army-completes-first-oh-58f-test-aircraft-378059/ |archive-date= 31 October 2012}}</ref> Due to battle damage and combat attrition, total OH-58F numbers would be about 321 aircraft.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130415093523/http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/archive/2013/April/Pages/GivenBudgetUncertainty,ArmedAerialScoutHoveringinLimbo.aspx Given Budget Uncertainty, Armed Aerial Scout Hovering in Limbo]}} β Nationaldefensemagazine.com, April 2013</ref> The OH-58F's first flight occurred on 26 April 2013.<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/us-army-oh-58f-makes-first-flight-385319/ US Army OH-58F makes first flight] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728175121/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/us-army-oh-58f-makes-first-flight-385319/ |date=28 July 2013}} β Flightglobal.com, 30 April 2013</ref> The Army chose to retire the Kiowa and end the CASUP upgrades. CASUP and SLEP upgrades were estimated to cost $3 billion and $7 billion respectively. The OH-58D could do 20 percent of armed aerial scout mission requirements, the OH-58F upgrade raised that to 50 percent. Replacing the Kiowa with Apaches and UAVs in scout roles met 80 percent of requirements.<ref name="ndm14jan14">{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20140119180058/http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/blog/lists/posts/post.aspx?ID=1374 Army Debates Divestment of Kiowa Warrior; Replacement Program in Doubt]}} β Nationaldefensemagazine.com, 14 January 2014</ref> In early 2014, Bell received a stop-work order for the Kiowa CASUP program.<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/bell-receives-stop-work-order-for-kiowa-upgrades-398890/ Bell receives stop work order for Kiowa upgrades] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140506200309/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/bell-receives-stop-work-order-for-kiowa-upgrades-398890/ |date=6 May 2014}} Flightglobal.com, 5 May 2014</ref>
Summary:
Please note that all contributions to Niidae Wiki may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here.
You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see
Encyclopedia:Copyrights
for details).
Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Search
Search
Editing
Bell OH-58 Kiowa
(section)
Add topic