Bell Helicopter Textron‘s [TXT] aging OH-58 Kiowa Warrior continues to rack up hours and rates while flying vital combat missions.
“With over 820,000 combat hours and counting, the OH-58 is pressed into combat duty every day and it continues to respond to this extraordinary service with the reliability the Army has come to expect from a Bell Helicopter product,” said Jim Schultz, OH-58 Program Director at Bell Helicopter at the Army Aviation Association of America annual professional forum and exhibition.
In addition to the accumulation of these combat hours, all OH-58 units are reporting that they continue to achieve more than 90 percent mission capable rates, the company said in a statement. This means when a unit tasking comes down, over 90 percent of the helicopters are able to fly the mission.
“The Kiowa Warrior’s mission capable rate, coupled with the numbers of combat hours flown, is a truly remarkable achievement and represents the highest readiness rate and Operational Tempo in the U.S. Army,” said Mike Miller, director of Military Business Development at Bell.
Bell continues to focus on the future, and the next generation of the Kiowa Warrior, the OH-58F. This aircraft is a likely candidate for any potential Army armed aerial scout aircraft program, something the service has yet to decide.
The OH-58F is designed specifically for the Army’s next generation scout mission, the company said. Under the Army’s Cockpit and Sensor Upgrade program (CASUP), OH-58F aircraft offer several upgrades, including enhanced sensors, new cockpit control hardware and software, and three color multi-function displays. Other near-term improvements include increased engine power, weight reduction initiatives and the latest condition-based maintenance technologies. These enhancements will provide greater capability, better performance, increased safety and even more operational readiness.
Bell also has a continuous improvement program providing a roadmap for future growth to increase performance, reliability and safety.