Item Description
Original Item. Only One Set Available. The Bell OH-58 Kiowa is a family of single-engine single-rotor military helicopters used for observation, utility, and direct fire support. It was produced by the American manufacturer Bell Helicopter and is closely related to the Model 206A JetRanger civilian helicopter.
The OH-58 was originally developed during the early 1960s as the D-250 for the Light Observation Helicopter (LOH). While the rival Hughes OH-6 Cayuse was picked over Bell's submission in May 1965, the company refined its design to create the Model 206A, a variant of which it successfully submitted to the reopened LOH competition two years later. The initial model, designated by the service as the OH-58A, was introduced in May 1969. Successive models followed, often with uprated engines, enhanced protection systems, and other improvements, culminating in the OH-58F. Additional improvements, such as the OH-58X, were proposed but not pursued.
This is a tremendous set including the primary control stick and throttle stick off of a Bell OH-58 Kiowa helicopter. The primary control stick measures 21½” long and retains most of its buttons which still press in. The side of the box is stamped LEX-10912. The top left switch which originally had a small red cover that would stop accidental pressing is missing most of the cover. There is a great deal of intact wiring coming from the power cable.
The second stick is just a throttle control stick with no buttons or switches. It measures roughly 18½” long and retains part of its harness.
A tremendous control stick group, ready for further research and display.
The origin of the Kiowa dates back to the early days of the Vietnam War, when the Army’s air-mobility command began searching for a light helicopter.
By the early 1980s, Army aviation needed a digital aerial platform as spotters for a new generation of artillery. The new OH-58D bore only a passing resemblance to the older Kiowa. The Army rebranded the armed version as the Kiowa Warrior.
Kiowa Warrior has since served in Somalia, Bosnia, and Kosovo on general peacekeeping duties. It had a distinguished career in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was in the thick of counterinsurgency battles.
Accepted for service in 1992, OH-58D Kiowa Warrior 90-00368 served most of its career in a training role at Fort Rucker Alabama, Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia, and finally with the 25th Brigade Air Cavalry at Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii.
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