HUGHES OH-6 CAYUSE / MODEL 500 DEFENDER

OH-6 / MODEL 500 SERVICE

Manufacturer: Hughes Tool Co., Aircraft Division, Culver City, California, USA
(In 1972, became Hughes Helicopter Division, Summa Corp.)
(In 1981, became Hughes Helicopters Inc., Hughes Corp.)
(In 1984, became McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Co.,
McDonnell Douglas Corp., Mesa, Arizona, USA)
(In 1997, became Boeing Helicopter Co., The Boeing Co.)
(In 1999, became MD Helicopters Inc.)
Model: Model 369
(The Model 500 was a marketing number only, with the base
model still being the Model 369 until MD's 1984 take-over
where upon it became standard as the MD-500 etc.)
Designations: H-6 (A/E/M/OH-6); HO-6
Names: Cayuse, Defender
First official flight: (YOH-6A) 27/02/1963
Factory production period: 1962 - present
Primary service period: 1966 - present
Last official flight: Still in service

OH-6 / MODEL 500 VARIANTS

4900+ Hughes Model 369 / 500 series helicopters built from 1962 - present.
1786+ built as the OH-6 / Model 500 military version from 1962 - present.
3114+ built as Model 500 civil versions from 1966 - present, ff: 13/09/1966.


A civil Hughes 500C (Model 369HS), ZK-HLY (ex-N9134F), the design
 of which is very similar to the military OH-6A Cayuse variant.
Ashburton Aviation Museum, New Zealand, 2012.

OH-6 Cayuse

1963 Model 369M YOH-6A 7  
1965 Model 369M OH-6A 1420 Total: 1427

Model 500 Defender

1968 Model 369 Model 500M ?  
? Model 369C Model 500M-C ?  
1976 Model 369D Model 500M-D ?  
? Model 369E Model 500M-G ?  
? Model 369F Model 530M-G 6 Total: 0006
         
? Model 369D EH-6E 3  
? Model 369D MH-6E 15  
? Model MD-500D AH-6F 9  
? Model MD-530F AH-6G 5  
? Model MD-530F MH-6H 3  
? Model MD-530F AH-6J 28  
? Model MD-530F MH-6J 1 Total: 0064

Grand Total: 1497

? Foreign built - Argentina:
Model 369 		Model 500 ?  
? Model 369C Model 500C ?  
? Model 369D Model 500D ? Total: ?
? Foreign built - Italy:
Model 369 		NH.500 ?  
? Model 369D NH.500D ?  
? Model 369D NH.500MD ?  
? Model 369E NH.500E ? Total: ?
1971 Foreign built - Japan:
Model 369HM 		OH-6J 50  
1977 Model 369D OH-6D 40 Total: 0090
? Foreign built - South Korea:
Model 369D 		Model 500D ?  
? Model 369E Model 500E ? Total: 0200

Grand Total: 0290

 

GRAND TOTAL: 1787

OH-6 / MODEL 500 PRODUCTION

OH-6 Cayuse

YOH-6A
Prototype, single-engined, 4-bladed rotor,
observation helicopter for US Army.
Original designation was YHO-6.
Produced 1962 - 1963
Hughes Culver City, California (HU)

62-4211 / 62-4216 ?    
62-12624 ? 7 Total: 0007

OH-6A
As YOH-6A, minor changes.
Produced 1965 - 1970
Hughes Culver City, California (HU)

65-12916 / 65-13003 0001 / 0088    
66-7775 / 66-7942 0089 / 0256    
66-14376 / 66-14419 0257 / 0300    
66-17750 / 66-17833 0301 / 0384    
66-17905, 66-17918 ?    
1 unknown s/n ?    
67-16000 / 67-16686 0385 / 1071    
68-17140 / 68-17369 1100 / 1329    
69-15960 / 69-16075 1330 / 1445 1420 Total: 1420
4 additional airframes cancelled.

OH-6B - Proposed OH-6A development, cancelled.
               Designation later used for OH-6A rebuilds in 1988.

Model 500 Defender

Model 500M Defender
As Civil Model 500, export military version.
Produced
Hughes Culver City, California

? ? ? Total: ?

Model 500M-C Defender
As Model 500M, export military version,
engine upgrade.
Produced
Hughes Culver City, California

? ? ? Total: ?

Model 500M-D Defender
As Model 500M-C, export military version,
engine upgrade, 5-bladed rotor, T-tail.
Produced
Hughes Culver City, California

500MD Scout Defender
Basic military version, rocket packs. 		?  
500MD Quiet Advanced Scout Defender
Hughes Mast-Mounted-Sight. 		?  
500MD/ASW Defender
Anti-submarine version. 		?  
500MD/TOW Defender
Anti-tank version with TOW missiles. 		?  
500MD/MMS-TOW Defender
Hughes Mast-Mounted-Sight, TOW missiles. 		?  
500MD Defender II
1980, multi-mission version. 		? Total: ?

Model 500M-G Defender II
As Model 500M-D, export military version,
pointed nose section. Some built as Nightfox
and Paramilitary versions.
Produced
Hughes Culver City, California

? ? ? Total: ?

Model 530M-G Super Cayuse
As Model 500M-G, export military version,
engine / avionics upgrade. Some built as
Nightfox and Paramilitary versions.
Produced
Hughes Culver City, California

? ? ?  

McDonnell Douglas Mesa, Arizona

86-0382 / 86-0387
- 6 to Colombia. 		? 6 Total: 0006

EH-6E
As Model 500M-D, ELINT version
for US Army Special Forces.
Produced
Hughes Culver City, California (HU)

81-23654 / 81-23656 ? 3 Total: 0003

MH-6E
As Model 500M-D, multi-mission
version for US Army Special Forces.
1 EH-6E also upgraded to this standard.
Produced
Hughes Culver City, California (HU)

81-23629 / 81-23637 ?    
81-23648 / 81-23653 ? 15 Total: 0015

AH-6F
As Model 500M-D, armed, attack version
for US Army Special Forces.
Produced
McDonnell Douglas Mesa, Arizona

84-24319 ?    
84-24677, 84-24681 ?    
84-24683, 84-24684 ?    
85-25346 / 85-25348 ?    
86-0141
- For USAF evaluation. 		? 9 Total: 0009

AH-6G
 As Model 530M-G, armed, attack version
for US Army Special Forces.
8 AH-6F also upgraded to this standard.
Produced
McDonnell Douglas Mesa, Arizona

84-24678 / 84-24680 ?    
84-24682 ?    
85-25346 ? 5 Total: 0005

MH-6H
As AH-1G, multi-mission version.
for US Army Special Forces.
12 MH-6E and 2 EH-6E also upgraded
to this standard.
Produced
McDonnell Douglas Mesa, Arizona

88-25349, 88-25350 ?    
90-25361 ? 3 Total: 0003

AH-1J Little Bird Guns
As AH-6G, Mission Enhanced
Little Bird (MELB) avionics upgrade.
Produced
McDonnell Douglas Mesa, Arizona

88-25351 / 88-25357 ?    
89-25351 / 89-25356 ?    
90-25357 / 90-25360 ?    
90-25362 / 90-25364 ?    
91-25364, 91-25365 ?    
95-25367 / 95-25372 ? 28 Total: 0028

MH-6J Little Bird
As AH-6J, multi-mission version,
Little Bird avionics upgrade.
Produced
McDonnell Douglas Mesa, Arizona

91-25366 ? 1 Total: 0001

Model MD-520N / M-G Defender - Upcoming export variant.
AH-6M / MH-6M - Upcoming variants.

Grand Total: 1497

Foreign built - Argentina:
 Model 500 / 500C / 500D
Argentina military / civil built versions.
Produced
Representaciones Aero
Commerciales Argentinas SA (RACA),
Buenos Aires, Argentina

? ? ? Total: ?

Foreign built - Italy:
 NH.500 / NH.500D / NH.500MD / NH.500E
Italian military / civil built versions.
Produced
Breda-Nardi Costruzioni Aeronautiche SpA, Milan, Italy
Acquired by Agusta SpA in 1981.

? ? ? Total: ?

Foreign built - Japan:
 OH-6J
As Model 500M, version for JGSDF.
31 as Model 500, 19 as Model 500C.
Produced
Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., Gifu, Japan

(JGSDF) ? ? 50 Total: 0050

OH-6D
As Model 500M-D, version for JGSDF.
Produced
Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., Gifu, Japan

(JGSDF) ? ? 40 Total: 0040

Foreign built - South Korea:
 Model 500D / 500E
South Korean military / civil built versions.
Produced 1976 - 1984
Korean Air Lines Co. Ltd., Aerospace
Division (KAL), Seoul, South Korea

? ? 200 Total: 0200

 

Grand Total: 0290

OH-6 / MODEL 500 CONVERSIONS

US Army

OH-6A 1 "The Quiet One"
OH-6A(65-12968), 1969, prototype for noise reduction tests.
OH-6A HHC 1 OH-6A(68-17230), 1982, prototype for Higher-Harmonic-Control 
vibration reduction.
OH-6A NOTAR 1 OH-6A(65-12917), 1981, prototype NO-TAil-Rotor (NOTAR) conversion.
EH-6B 4 OH-6A, 1982, Special Forces ELINT conversions, engine / IR
suppression upgrade.
MH-6B 25 23 OH-6A / 2 EH-6B, Special Forces multi-mission conversions,
engine / avionics / weapons upgrade. 
OH-6B 250 OH-6A, 1988, rebuilds with engine / avionics upgrade for ANG.
(TH-6B) 6 OH-1B, trainer conversions.
AH-1C 15 11 OH-6A / 1 EH-6B / 3 MH-6B, armed, Special Forces conversions,
engine / avionics / equipment upgrade.
OH-6C 1 OH-6A, prototype with engine upgrade, led to civil Model 500C.
OH-6D - OH-6A, proposed major upgrade program, cancelled.
Designation later used for JGSDF OH-6D.

FOREIGN MILITARY / CIVILIAN SERVICE
 - Military Model 500 helicopters in service with many air forces worldwide
   in the observation, light attack and multi-mission roles.
 - Many OH-6A's used by Government agencies such as US Border Patrol,
   FBI and NASA for various tests.
 - Many OH-6A's helicopters sold on the civil market.

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