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Subject: Sikorsky H-34
Date: 25 Mar 2018 02:25:20 -0700
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_H-34
The Sikorsky H-34 (company designation S-58) is a piston-engined military
helicopter originally designed by American aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky as an
anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft for the United States Navy. It has seen
extended use when adapted to turbine power by the British licensee as the
Westland Wessex and Sikorsky as the later S-58T.
H-34s served, mostly as medium transports, on every continent with the armed
forces of twenty-five countries. It saw combat in Algeria, the Dominican
Republic, Nicaragua, and throughout Southeast Asia; other uses included saving
flood victims, recovering astronauts, fighting fires, and carrying presidents.
It was the last piston-engined helicopter to be operated by the United States
Marine Corps, having been replaced by turbine-powered types such as the UH-1
Huey and CH-46 Sea Knight. A total of 2,108 H-34s were manufactured between 1953
and 1970.
The Sikorsky S-58 was developed as a lengthened and more powerful version of the
Sikorsky Model S-55, or UH-19 Chickasaw, with a similar nose, but with a
tail-dragger rear fuselage and landing gear, rather than the high-tail, 4-post
pattern. It retained the nose-mounted radial reciprocating engine with the drive
shaft passing through the cockpit placed high above the cargo compartment.
The aircraft first flew on 8 March 1954. The first production aircraft was ready
in September and entered in service for the United States Navy initially
designated HSS-1 Seabat (in its anti-submarine configuration) and HUS-1 Seahorse
(in its utility transport configuration) under the U.S. Navy designation system
for U.S. Navy, United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Coast Guard
(USCG) aircraft. The U.S. Army and Marine Corps, respectively, ordered it in
1955 and 1957. Under the United States Army's aircraft designation system, also
used by the United States Air Force, the helicopter was designated H-34. The
U.S. Army also applied the name Choctaw to the helicopter. In 1962, under the
new unified DoD aircraft designation system, the Seabat was redesignated SH-34,
the Seahorse as the UH-34, and the Choctaw as the CH-34.
Role
Helicopter
Manufacturer
Sikorsky Aircraft
First flight
8 March 1954
Introduction
1954
Status
out of production, still in civilian service
Primary users
United States Army
United States Navy
United States Marine Corps
Produced
license after the Sikorsky production ended.)
Number built
2,108
Developed from
Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw
Variants
Westland Wessex
French evaluations on the reported ground fire vulnerabilities of the CH-34 may
have influenced the U.S. Army's decision to deploy the CH-21 Shawnee to Vietnam
instead of the CH-34, pending the introduction into widespread service of the
Bell UH-1 Iroquois. U.S. Army H-34s did not participate in Vietnam, and did not
fly in the assault helicopter role, but a quantity were supplied to the Army of
the Republic of Vietnam. These saw little use due to a lack of spare parts and
maintenance.
Its higher availability and reliability due to its simplicity compared to the
newer helicopters led Marines to ask for it by name. The phrases "give me a
HUS", "get me a HUS" and "cut me a HUS" entered the U.S. Marine Corps
vernacular, being used even after the type was no longer in use to mean "help me
out".
USMC H-34s were also among the first helicopter gunships trialled in theatre,
being fitted with the Temporary Kit-1 (TK-1), comprising two M60C machine guns
and two 19-shot 2.75 inch rocket pods. The operations were met with mixed
enthusiasm, and the armed H-34s, known as "Stingers" were quickly phased out.
The TK-1 kit would form the basis of the TK-2 kit used on the UH-1E helicopters
of the USMC.
The H-34 remained in service with United States Army and Marine Corps aviation
units into the late 1960s; at this time it was also standard equipment in Marine
Corps Reserve, Army Reserve and Army National Guard aviation units, eventually
being replaced by the UH-1 Iroquois utility helicopter. Sikorsky terminated all
production activities in 1968, a total of 1,821 having been built. All H-34
helicopters were retired from service in the U.S. military by the early 1970s;
the type having the distinction of being the last piston-engined helicopter to
be operated by the Marine Corps. On 3 September 1973, the last flight of a USMC
UH-34 occurred as Bureau Number 147191 which had been formally assigned to
Headquarters Squadron, FMF Pacific was flown from Quantico, Virginia to MCAS New
River to be placed on static display.
Specifications (H-34 Choctaw)
General characteristics
Crew: 2
Capacity: 12 (A Model) 18 (C Model) troops or 8 stretchers
Length: 56 ft 8.5 in (17.28 m)
Rotor diameter: 56 ft 0 in (17.07 m)
Height: 15 ft 11 in (4.85 m)
Empty weight: 7,900 lb (3,583 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 14,000 lb (6,350 kg)
Performance
Maximum speed: 173 mph (150 kn, 278 km/h)
Range: 293 km (182 mi)
Service ceiling: 4,905 ft (1,495 m)
Armament
Various (See main article: U.S. Helicopter Armament Subsystems)
*
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