Hughes TH-55 Osage (Model 269A)

History of Hughes TH-55 Osage (Type 269A)

Recognizing the long-term needs of the helicopter market, Hughes Helicopter turned its attention to a very light two-seat single-engine model to attract interest from domestic and foreign military and civilian market buyers. The result of this work is the Hughes 269 Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), which, despite its toy appearance, is a rugged, versatile rotor platform for many services and industries around the world. The same mold forms the basis of the U.S.

Army's TH-55 "Osage" series - the focus of this article.

The U.S. Army was initially interested in using the helicopter as a combat-grade Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) and evaluated no less than five examples, named "YHO-2". This was to replace the aging Bell OH-13 and Hiller OH-23 models that were in service at the time. Evaluations were conducted between 1957 and 1958 and used a slightly modified version of the Type 269, the "Type 269A", which eliminated the exposed truss-framed tailstock and instead introduced a sheathed cantilever structure.

However, the Army abandoned the design, citing lack of funding and the model's inability to convince Army authorities of its battlefield value.

The Type 269A has been redesigned for use as a dedicated two-seat training platform and is used in Army service under the designation TH-55 "Osage". With final deliveries totaling 792, his contribution was so great that a replacement for this compact helicopter was not found until the arrival of the Bell UH-1 "Huey" training format in 1988 - leading to decades of American helicopters Pilots use Hughes products.

The Army received TH-55As from 1964 to 1967, which were the service's standard helicopter trainers in the air. Some were tested with different engines.

The Japanese company Kawasaki also produced the TH-55/269A under local license under the designation TH-55J for direct service with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). Kawasaki produced 38 of these helicopters for the service.

The basic TH-55/Model 269 is designed to carry two crew members forward (in side-by-side seats) in the bulbous cockpit/fuselage section. The crew shared a console and sat in front of them, leaning against the bubble-like front glass panel. Visibility outside the cockpit is excellent, there are duplicate controls for each crew member's position, and the Army model is equipped with standardized U.S.

Army instruments and radios. On top is the main rotor mast, to which is attached a three-blade main rotor assembly. The engine system, mounted under and aft of the fuselage, also powers a simple two-blade tail rotor unit facing the port side. An upturned fin is attached to the starboard side.

For ground support, the helicopter sits on a simple four-point support landing skid assembly.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes