Chart of Military Helicopters
Just as jeeps and trucks replaced the horse for military mobility, the military helicopter has come a long way toward replacing motor transport. Originally used for only high value missions such as medical evacuation, helicopters are now the primary vehicle for air assault and many other military roles.
U.S. Army 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Soldiers dismount from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter during training for deployment to Afghanistan, Hohenfels, Germany, 4 May 2007.
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Today in WW II: 4 Jul 1942 German bombers and submarines sink 24 ships of Convoy PQ 17 to the Soviet Union after the convoy spread out in the Arctic Ocean to evade the German battleship Tirpitz. More ↓
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4 Jul 1942 US Eighth Air Force flies its first mission in Europe using six borrowed British planes; only three aircraft returned.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.
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Military Helicopter Type Designations
U.S. military helicopters are usually prefixed with a type designation from this list. However, there are exceptions so this system cannot be called universal:
- AH - Attack Helicopter.Carries weapons used for ground support.
- CH - Cargo Helicopter.Cargo transport, replacing trucks.
- HH - Heavy Helicopter. Large rescue helicopters not otherwise classified.
- MH - Special Operations Helicopter.
- OH - Observation Helicopter.Primary use is reconnaissance.
- RH - Minesweeping Helicopter.
- SH - Anti-submaarine Warfare Helicopter.
- TH - Training Helicopter.
- UH - Utility Helicopter.Troop transport, replacing trucks.
When military helicopters were first procured during World War II, they were designated with numbers like R-4 (R for Rotorcraft). In 1948, the U.S. Army Air Force changed the designation from R to H (Helicopter), renaming existing models. On 9 July 1962 the modern prefix system was adopted and again existing models were renamed, e.g. H-19 redesignated UH-19. Helicopters with an X prefix are experimental, with Y prefix are pre-production.
Chart of Military Helicopters
In this chart of military helicopters, click on the photo link to go to the page of photos and information for the specific helicopter.
| Aircraft |
Description |
Photo Link |
| UH-1 |
UH-1 "Huey" Helicopter |
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| AH-1 |
AH-1 Huey Cobra Helicopter |
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| CH-3 |
CH-3 Sea King / Jolly Green Giant Helicopter |
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| R-4 |
R-4 Sikorsky Helicopter |
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| R-5 |
R-5 Sikorsky Helicopter |
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| R-6 |
R-6 Sikorsky Helicopter |
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| OH-6A |
OH-6A Cayuse Light Observation Helicopter |
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| H-13 |
Bell H-13 Sioux Helicopter |
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| H-19 |
Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw Helicopter |
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| H-21 |
Boeing-Vertol H-21 / CH-21 Shawnee Helicopter |
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| V-22 |
Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey |
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| H-23 |
Hiller H-23 Raven Helicopter |
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| CH-34 |
Sikorsky CH-34 Choctaw |
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| H-37 |
Sikorsky H-37 / CH-37 Mojave |
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| HH-43 |
Kaman HH-43 Husky Helicopter |
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| CH-46 |
Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight Helicopter |
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| CH-47 |
CH-47 Chinook Helicopter |
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| HH-52 |
HH-52 Sea Guard Helicopter |
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| CH-53 |
CH-53 Super Stallion Helicopter |
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| CH-54 |
CH-54 Sky Crane Helicopter |
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| TH-55A |
Boeing Hughes TH-55A Osage Training Helicopter |
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| OH-58 |
OH-58 Kiowa Observation Helicopter |
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| UH-60 |
Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter |
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| AH-64 |
AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter |
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| HH-65 |
Aerospatiale HH-65 Dolphin Helicopter |
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| AH-66 |
Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche |
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| TH-67 |
Bell Textron TH-67 Creek Training Helicopter |
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| ARH-70 |
Bell Textron ARH-70 Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter |
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| UH-72A |
UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter |
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