HH-43 Huskie

Infobox Aircraft
name=HH-43 Huskie


caption=HH-43 Huskie
type= Firefighting/rescue
manufacturer= Kaman Aircraft
designer=
first flight=
introduced=
retired=
status= Retired
primary user= USAF
more users= United States Marine Corps United States Navy
produced=
number built=
unit cost=
variants with their own articles=

The Kaman HH-43 Huskie was a helicopter used by the United States Air Force, the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps in the 1950s through 1970s. It was primarily used for aircraft firefighting and rescue. It was originally designated as the HTK and HUK by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.

Design and development

The Huskie had an unusual inter-meshing contra-rotating twin-rotor arrangement with control effected by servo-flaps. The first prototype flew in 1947 and was adopted by the U.S. Navy with a piston-engine. It was later adopted by the Air Force in a turboshaft HH-43B and F versions.

Operational history

This aircraft saw use in the Vietnam War with several detachments of the Pacific Air Rescue Center, the 33d, 36th, 37th, and 38th Air Rescue Squadrons, and the 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, where the aircraft was known by its call sign moniker "Pedro." The HH-43 was eventually replaced by newer aircraft in the early 1970s. [ "Vietnam Air Losses", Chris Hobson, Midland Publishing, Hinckley, LE10 3EY, UK, c2001, P. 258, ISBN 1-85780-115-6 ]

Variants

;XHTK-1: two two-seat aircraft for evaluation;HTK-1: three-seat production version for the United States Navy, later became TH-43A, 29 built;HTK-1G: one example for evaluation by the United States Coast Guard;HTK-1K: one example for static tests as a drone;XHOK-1: prototype of United States Marine Corps version, 2 built;HOK-1: United States Marine Corps version powered by a 600hp R-1340-48, later became OH-43D, 81 built;HUK-1: Unites States Navy version of the HOK-1, later became UH-43C, 24 built;H-43A: USAF version of the HOK-1, later became the HH-43A, 18 built;HH-43A: post-1962 designation of the H-43A;H-43B: H-43A powered by a 860shp T-53-L-1B, three-seats and full rescue equipment, later became HH-43B, 200-built;HH-43B: post-1962 designation of the H-43B;UH-43C: post-1962 designation of the HUK-1;OH-43D: post-1962 designation of the HOK-1;TH-43E: post-1962 designation of the HTK-1;HH-43F: HH-43B powered by a 825shp T-53-L-11A with a reduced diameter rotors, 42 built and conversions from HH-43B;QH-43G: One OH-43D converted to drone configuration

Operators

;BIR;COL;IRN;MAR;PAK;THA;USA:
* United States Air Force
* United States Marine Corps
* United States Navy

urvivors

*HH-43B, AF S/N 62-4535, is undergoing restoration at the Midland Air Museum in Coventry, England. The aircraft is usually viewable on display; 24535 is one of only two examples on display in the UK.
*HH-43F, AF S/N 62-4513, on display at Castle Air Museum, Atwater, California
*An HH-43 Huskie is on display at the Hill Aerospace Museum at Hill Air Force Base in Utah.
*An HH-43 Huskie is on display at the Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.
*An HH-43 Huskie is on display in the open at the Pakistan Air Force museum in Karachi, Pakistan.
*An airworthy HH-43B Huskie is on display at the Olympic Flight Museum, Olympia, Washington. [ [http://www.olympicflightmuseum.com/collection-HH-43Huskie.php HH-43 Huskie - Olympic Flight Museum Collection, Olympia WA ] ]
*HH-43F, AF S/N 60-0263, is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. It was assigned to rescue duty with Detachment 3, 42nd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico prior to its retirement and flight to the museum in April 1973.
*HOK-1 / OH-43D, BuNo 139990, is on display at the Flying Leathernecks Museum, MCAS Miramar, California. It was previously on display at the former MCAS Tustin, California prior to that installation's closure via BRAC action. It was then transported to MCAS Miramar when that installation was transferred from the Navy (former NAS Miramar) to the Marine Corps.
*HOK-1 / OH-43D, BuNo 139974, is on display at the Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona.
*HOK-1 / OH-43D, BuNo 138101, was formerly displayed at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola, Florida in USMC markings. It was loaned to the U.S. Army, repainted in pre-Vietnam Army colors as an OH-43 and loaned to the Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker, Alabama. It is currently in storage at Fort Rucker and not on display.

In addition to museum displays, there are a number of Huskies which are in private hands, purchased for agricultural or general operations.

pecifications (HH-43F)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=copter
jet or prop?=prop
crew= 2 pilots, 2 rescue crew
capacity=
length main= 25 ft
length alt= 7.62 m
span main= 47 ft
span alt= 14.3 m
height main= 17 ft 2 in
height alt= 5.23 m
area main=
area alt=
airfoil=
empty weight main=
empty weight alt=
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main= 9,150 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 4,150 kg
more general=
engine (prop)=Lycoming T53
type of prop= turboshaft
number of props= 1
power main= hp
power alt= kW
power original=
max speed main= knots
max speed alt= 120 mph, 193 km/h
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main= nm
range alt= 185 mi, 298 km
ceiling main= 25,000 ft
ceiling alt= 7,620 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=
avionics=

ee also

aircontent
related=
* Kaman K-MAX
similar aircraft=
*Flettner Fl 282
sequence=
* "1922-1962 Navy" :
** HNS - HOE - HOK - HOS - HO2S, HO3S - HO4S - HO5S
** HTE - HTL - HUK - HU2K - HUM - HUP
lists=
* List of active United States military aircraft
* List of military aircraft of the United States
see also=
*U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command

References

External links

* [http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=306 HH-43 page at the National Museum of the United States Air Force]
* [http://www.cybermodeler.com/aircraft/h-43/huskie.shtml HH-43 Huskie Reference at Cybermodeler.com]
* [http://www.shanaberger.com/HH-43.htm KensAviation.com page on the HH-43]
* [http://www.museumofaviation.org/aircraftCollection/helicopters/05-hh43a.htm Museum of Aviation HH-43 page]
* [http://hh43b-husky.net/ Unofficial USAF "Pedro" Crash Rescue Air Rescue Web Site]