Hiller OH-23 Raven (Model UH-12)

History

Hiller Aircraft began operations in 1942 during World War II as Hiller Industries. The company's last name was Stanley Hiller (1924-2006), who did much of the early work in helicopter flight. In fact, his first coaxial helicopter was completed at the age of 15, and his XH-44 impressed the US Army at the age of 17. Shearer manages the world's first helicopter factory in Berkeley, California.

Its early developments (now known as the United Helicopter) included the UH-4 Commuter and UH-5B Rotorcraft, which led to the UH-12 single-seat light utility helicopter in the late 1940s.

The UH-12 originated with the company's Model 360, which first flew in 1948. The UH-12A is a follow-up to the original UH-12, with more powerful engines and a new, two-bladed main rotor. The U.S. Army liked what they saw and ordered a militarized variant of the UH-12A, which became an evaluation prototype, designated the YH-23. For military form, crew capacity is increased to two, with side-by-side seating arranged under a largely transparent bubble-style windshield.

The plane was powered by a 178-horsepower Franklin piston engine.

The Royal Navy followed suit, buying Hiller designs under two brands - Hiller HT. Mk1 and HT. Mk 2. The Mk 1 is a former US Navy mount (HTE-2 model), while the Mk 2 is a UH-12E production model. Numbered 20 and 21 respectively, mainly active as a coach for RNAS Culdrose (Cornwall).

The Canadian Army also used the Shearer design, codenamed the C-112 "Noman".

In 1962, the U.S. military underwent an industry-wide designation overhaul, changing all H-23 designations to the "OH" format. H-23B becomes OH-23B, H-23C becomes OH-23C, and so on (see the Variants section for a full list).

Many OH-23 variants are based on existing Hiller civilian brands, including the original UH-12A. The UH-12B is the basis for the U.S. Navy HTE-1, while the UH-12C is the H-23C. UH-12 is H-23D and so on.

In addition to its use in the US, UK and Canada, OH-23 is also very popular in the world market. The list includes Argentina, Chile, Indonesia, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Korea, Thailand and Uruguay, among others.

The OH-23 served with the U.S. military during the Korean War (1950-1953) and was one of the few helicopters in the conflict. The conflict marked the first actual use of rotorcraft in modern warfare, although rotorcraft was in (limited) use in the final years of World War II. The Shearer aircraft is used for mission liaison, reconnaissance, observation, general duties, as trainers and in medical evacuation roles in warfare, operating alongside the similar family of Bell 47/H-13 "Su" helicopters. The main military model became the OH-23D. Like the H-13 series, the OH-23 saw combat in the early days of the Vietnam War.

They were eventually replaced by the greatly improved Hughes OH-6A "Cayuse" light helicopter.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes