Hunter Killer Team

During Vietnam and afterward, Bell OH-58A/C Kiowas and Bell AH-1 Cobras operated in hunter-killer teams in which the Kiowa located enemy forces through reconnaissance and the Cobra attacked with rockets and machine guns. Introduced in 1973 near the end of the Vietnam War, the AH-1F upgraded the AH-1G and after Vietnam was adapted for anti-armor operations against Soviet-style enemies before gradually being replaced by the Boeing AH-64 Apache beginning in 1988, although the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) used Cobras during Operation Desert Storm. The OH-58 entered service in 1969 as an unarmed aircraft designed for observation, utility transport, and direct fire support, and the OH-58C remained externally very similar to the OH-58As used in Vietnam while adding a more powerful engine and numerous electronic navigation and targeting capabilities; it last saw combat during Operation Desert Storm. The Bell AH-1F Cobra carried a nose gun turret, 70mm rockets, and either a 7.62mm minigun pod or 20mm cannon, with a maximum speed of 141 mph, a cruising speed of 125 mph, and a range of 315 miles. The Bell OH-58C Kiowa had a maximum speed of 140 mph, a cruising speed of 120 mph, and a range of 356 miles.

Clarksville, Tennessee · United States