OH-58D
| This page is about the US attack helicopter OH-58D. For the other version, see OH-58D (China). |
Contents
Description
Development of the Bell OH-58 Kiowa began in the early 1960s as part of a US Army competition for a light reconnaissance helicopter. The first prototypes, designated YOH-4, were ready by 1961, but initially lost against the Hughes OH-6 "Cayuse". However, in 1967 the competition was renewed, and Bell entered again with a significantly improved model, the already commercially successful Bell 206A. This time Bell won the contest, and its helicopter was adopted by the army under the designation OH-58.
In 1983, the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior modification made its first flight. It featured an upgraded powerplant and transmission, a four-bladed rotor instead of a two-bladed one, an updated cockpit, and the characteristic mast-mounted sight above the main rotor. OH-58D helicopters were used by the US Army during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan among other conflicts. Production of this version of the helicopter continued until 2000, and by 2020 the last OH-58Ds were retired from service with the US Army.
The OH-58D was introduced in Update "Sons of Attila". Besides its compact size and good performance specifications, the "Kiowa Warrior" can carry a substantial amount of weaponry: from standard rocket pods to Hellfire II missiles and a rapid-firing 30 mm LR30 grenade launcher. Moreover, it has decent chances of survival in air combat, thanks to its small size, access to countermeasures and RWR, and Stinger AAMs. However, it lacks any armour protection, making constant vigilance and good piloting skills vital for survival against aggressors.
General info
Flight performance
The OH-58D is quite nimble, whilst certainly not amongst the most agile flight models in the game it can reach comfortable speeds in quick time. Players who experienced the AH-6M previously to this may initially be put off. Aggressive manoeuvres are possible, but not recommended. Overhead flight will see the helicopter lose a fair amount of altitude and may unintentionally lead to a rather unwanted confrontation with the ground, though these types of manoeuvres are absolutely possible if you are far enough above ground.
Side-to-side movement is recommended for evasive actions, as "pulling up" will see the helicopter decelerate about halfway up. Just like in the real world, the helicopter is built for nap-of-the-earth flight, so staying low is sensible. Forward flight will see you in the mid-range of helicopter speed, you won't reach the speeds of heavier machines with bigger blades and more powerful engines. That said, it's heavier than its predecessor and thus climbs a fair bit slower.
| Characteristics | Max speed (km/h at 1,000 m) |
Max altitude (metres) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | ||
| Stock | 215 | 203 | 4575 |
| Upgraded | ___ | ___ | |
Survivability and armour
The main frame of the helicopter is completely unarmoured. The defensive capabilities of this machine are mostly limited to the pilot's ability to stay hidden. You have two crew members, who are both capable of manning controls. This does help, should a machine gun round find its way into the cockpit canopy.
More consistent defensive options include the OEAPS mounted on the rear behind the rotor, which can stop some IR-missiles from locking as well as optical locking if the Pod is visible. You also have a flare pod mounted on the bottom of the craft. It is recommended that should you flare missiles, you either point this pod at the missile whilst flaring/moving or pre-flare using your up to 36 countermeasures. Due to shooting downwards, terrain may obscure the flares from ground fired ordnance.
The helicopter also has a fairly large full tank behind the crew, which may absorb fragments from machine gun rounds and maybe even cannon ammo. However, this is your only fuel tank and if it were to burn out the engine will be out of fuel. Helicopters with skid landing gear, such as this one, tend to have it absorb a shot or two if they're lucky.
It is advised to not rely on luck and stay out of easy to spot positions.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
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Armaments
Offensive armament
The OH-58D is armed with:
- A choice between three presets:
- 36 x countermeasures
- 36 x countermeasures + Flak jackets
- 36 x countermeasures + Flak jackets + IRCM
Suspended armament
The OH-58D can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
| Default weapon presets | |
|---|---|
| |
Usage in battles
Pilots familiar with the AH-6M will find themselves in a similar position. The OH-58D sets out to mostly achieve the same end results with improved ease of use. You have the same high-resolution thermals with improved 36.8x magnification optics. The mast-mount also provides a higher point of view, however currently going hull-down whilst designating targets is not possible. The laser still originates from the pilot/cockpit and thus a missile will miss unless that is exposed. You can still peek ridges using it though.
Your most commonly used weaponry will be the AGM-114K Hellfire II, which you get two of starting out stock. It requires you to lase the target for the terminal part of flight, which tends to be around the final 8 seconds of flight. They can be sent into a target area and guide themselves initially using their in-ordnance guidance (IOG). Make sure to turn off your laser temporarily should you drop behind cover as the missile will nosedive otherwise.
Your other options, also usually known as your other weapon pylon when stock, include the APKWS II M282 and M151. The latter only functions against open-top vehicles as they are purely HE. The former feature a SAP warhead, which may deceive you into thinking it being a poor choice with a meagre ~500g of explosive mass. It will make short work of light vehicles though, easily penetrating vehicles like the Strela-M2 and the 2S38 and exploding within the crew compartment. Laser homing missiles like these should be fired from 3-4 km range, whilst pointing the helicopter at the target as they are quite rigid at turning.
The Kiowa Warrior will eventually be able to equip ATAS, which are the Stinger missiles that may be familiar from other vehicles already. They can be deadly from the rear aspect against less manoeuvrable planes, side-aspect shots aren't recommended as they need to make contact to detonate. They can be a viable secondary option besides AGM-114K.
The not-so popular options include small M247 Hydra rocket pods for seven shots each and a range of projectile weapon options. They can make for fun options mixing up playstyles. Even though these tend to necessitate close contact with the enemy. This is not recommended as the Kiowa Warriors protection mostly relies on premonition and staying hidden.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- 4 x AGM-144K Hellfire II, 2 of which while stock
- High 36.8x magnification
- IRST-auto tracking for missiles
- Many weapons options for different playstyles
Cons:
- No reliable close range defense options against attacking aircraft
- ATAS are unreliable and replace anti-ground ordnance
- Somewhat slow to accelerate in level flight
- Mast-mount sight currently does not allow for "hull-down" playstyle
History
Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the helicopter in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Related development
External links
| Bell Aircraft Corporation | |
|---|---|
| Aircraft | |
| Fighters | P-39N-0 · P-39Q-5 |
| P-400 | |
| P-63A-10 · P-63A-5 · P-63C-5 · ␠Kingcobra | |
| Jet Fighters | P-59A |
| Export | ▂P-39K-1 · ▂Pokryshkin's P-39N-0 · ▂P-39Q-15 · ▄P-39Q-25 |
| ▂P-63A-5 · ▂P-63A-10 · ▂P-63C-5 · ▄P-63C-5 | |
| Helicopters | |
| Attack | AH-1F · AH-1G · AH-1Z · AH-1W |
| OH-58D | |
| Utility | UH-1B · UH-1C · UH-1C XM-30 |
| Export/Licensed | ▅UH-1B · ◄UH-1D |
| Tzefa A · Tzefa B · Tzefa D/E · ▅AH-1S early · ▅AH-1S · ▅AH-1S Kisarazu · ␗AH-1W | |
| ␗OH-58D | |
| See Also | Fuji Heavy Industries · Agusta |
| USA helicopters | |
|---|---|
| Attack | |
| Black Hawk | MH-60L DAP |
| Choctaw | H-34 |
| Cobra | AH-1F · AH-1G · AH-1Z |
| SuperCobra | AH-1W |
| Kiowa | OH-58D |
| Little Bird | AH-6M |
| Apache | YAH-64 · AH-64A · ▃AH-64A Peten · AH-64A (GR) · AH-64D |
| Utility | |
| Huey | UH-1B · UH-1C · UH-1C XM-30 |
