US Hiller OH23 ''Raven'' Helicopter

By Crusader1307

The Hiller OH-23 ''Raven'' was an Observation Helicopter was designed for US Army use in 1948. Famed for being the first Helicopter to make a transcontinental flight from The US States of California to New York in 1949, The ''Raven'' was also one of the first widely exported Helicopter to other Countries (Germany and France). With the start of The Korean Conflict in 1950, The OH-23 was seen as a viable form of transportation for another form of ''new'' Military Formation, the Forward Deployed Medical Aid Station or as is better known, Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH). The OH-23 was modified to support (2) stretchers (mounted to the outside strutting). Transport time from battlefield injury to MASH Unit was 10 to 15-minutes (as opposed to 30 to 45-minuets and an almost imminent prognosis of death). Thousands of lives were saved as a result of The OH-23. In the early years of The Vietnam War (1965), ''Raven'' Helicopters were the first to be deployed into South Vietnam. However, a new and revolutionary design by The Bell Helicopter Company (The ''Huey''), would quickly replace it. Several Models were still in use in South Korea as late as 1968. The OH-23 was Crewed by (2). It's length was 28-feet with a Rotor Radius of 35-feet. Powered by a Lycoming VO-435 6 cylinder Piston Engine, it could produce 250-HP. The ''Raven'' had an airspeed of 95-mph with a 13,000-foot operational ceiling. It had no Armament packages.