Hughes TH-55 Osage (Model 269A)

Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) [ 1964 ]

The Hughes TH-55 Osage was the U.S. Army military form of the Model 269A - Japanese industry also contributed to production totals.

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Sensing a long-standing need in the helicopter market, Hughes Helicopter turned its attention to a very-lightweight two-seat, single-engine type to interest domestic and foreign military and civilian market buyers. The result of this work became the Hughes Model 269, a Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) that, despite its seemingly toy-like appearance, was a rugged, highly versatile rotary-wing platform for many services and industries of the world. This same form established the basis for the U.S. Army's TH-55 "Osage" series - the focus of this article.

The United States Army originally became interested in the helicopter as a combat-level Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) and evaluated no fewer than five examples under the "YHO-2" designation. This was intended to succeed an aging stock of Bell OH-13 and Hiller OH-23 types then in service. Evaluations were held during 1957-1958 and used the slightly modified version of the Model 269, the "Model 269A", which did away with the exposed, skeletal truss-style tail stem and introduced a shrouded boom structure instead. However, the Army passed on the design, citing a lack of funding and the type's inability to convince Army authorities of its over-battlefield value.

The Model 269A was revisited for the role of dedicated two-seat training platform and, in this guise, was adopted for Army service under the designation of TH-55 "Osage". Deliveries ultimately totaled 792 units and its contributions were such that no replacement for this compact helicopter was found until the arrival of Bell UH-1 "Huey" training forms in 1988 - resulting in decades of American helicopter airmen being trained on the Hughes product.

The Army took delivery of the TH-55A from 1964 until 1967 and these were the standard helicopter trainers of the service for their time aloft. Several were outfitted with various engines for testing. Kawasaki of Japan also produced the TH-55/Model 269A under local license as the TH-55J, these to serve directly with the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). Kawasaki produced 38 such helicopters for the service.

The basic design of the TH-55/Model 269 carried the crew of two ( in side-by-side seating) at the bulbous cockpit/fuselage section at front. The crew shared a single console which sat ahead of them and against the bubble-style front glass panel. Views out-of-the-cockpit were excellent and controls were duplicated at each crewman's position and Army models were outfitted with standardized U.S. Army instrumentation and radio equipment. Overhead was the main rotor mast mounting a three-bladed articulated main rotor unit. The engine system was installed under and aft of the fuselage and also drove a simple two-bladed tail rotor unit facing port side. An upward-cranked tailplane was fitted to starboard. For ground support, the helicopter sat on a simple, braced four-point landing skid assembly.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Hughes Helicopters - USA / Kawasaki - Japan
Manufacturer(s)

Japan; United States
Operators

1964
Service Year

United States
National Origin

Retired
Project Status

1
Crew

830
Units

SPECIAL-MISSION: MECICAL EVACUATION
Extraction of wounded combat or civilian elements by way of specialized onboard equipment and available internal volume or external carrying capability.

SPECIAL-MISSION: SEARCH & RESCUE
Ability to locate and extract personnel from areas of potential harm or peril (i.e. downed airmen in the sea).

INTELLIGENCE-SURVEILLANCE-RECONNAISSANCE
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

TRAINING
Developed ability to be used as a dedicated trainer for student pilots (typically under the supervision of an instructor).

28.9 ft
(8.80 meters)
Length

24.9 ft
(7.60 meters)
Width/Span

7.9 ft
(2.40 meters)
Height

893 lb
(405 kilograms)
Empty Weight

1,554 lb
(705 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight

+661 lb
(+300 kg)
Weight Difference

1 x Lycoming HIO-360-B1A engine developing 180 horsepower while driving a three-bladed main rotor and two-bladed tail rotor.
Propulsion

90 mph
(145 kph | 78 knots)
Max Speed

14,633 ft
(4,460 m | 3 miles)
Ceiling

234 miles
(376 km | 203 nm)
Range

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

None.

TH-55 "Osage" - Base Series Designation.

Model 269 - Base design model developed by Hughes Helicopters for lightweight helicopter market; two prototypes developed utilizing truss-style tail structures; first-flight in 1956 with power from Lycoming O-360-A engine.

Model 269A - Revised tail structure (solid boom type); engine and control options available.

YHO-2 - Model 269A helicopters trialed by the U.S. Army as combat-level observation helicopters; five examples evaluated during 1957 into 1958.

TH-55A - U.S. Army service models, based in the MOdel 269A, featuring U.S. Army-specific equipment and instrumentation; 792 examples delivered from 1964 into 1967.

TH-55J - Model 269A license-produced by Kawasaki for Japanese military service; 38 examples produced.

General Assessment

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.

Overall Rating

The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.

38

Rating is out of a possible 100 points.

Relative Maximum Speed

Hi: 100mph

Lo: 50mph

This entry's maximum listed speed (90mph).

Graph average of 75 miles-per-hour.

City-to-City Ranges

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

Max Altitude Visualization

Design Balance

The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.

Aviation Era Span

Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.

Unit Production (830)

830

36183

44000

Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).

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