Aircrafttotal Encyclopedia


HH-43B Huskie of the United States Air Force
Role	Firefighting/rescue
Manufacturer	Kaman Aircraft
Designer	Anton Flettner
First flight	21 April 1953
Introduction	November 1958
Retired	Early 1970s
Status	Retired
Primary users	United States Air Force United States Marine Corps United States Navy
Number built	370
Developed from	Flettner Fl 282
Developed into	Kaman K-1125

First flown on 21 April 1953, the HH-43 went into production and was operated by several military air services, including the United States Air Force, the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. It was primarily intended for use in aircraft firefighting and rescue in the close vicinity of air bases, but was extensively deployed during the Vietnam War. It was used as a search and rescue platform, having often been enhanced with makeshift modification and new apparatus to better suit the tropical conditions. The HH-43 was also exported to several other countries and sold commercially. It set several aviation records in its class, and was first helicopter to experiment with twin-turbine engines even though early designs used piston engines. By the 1970s, it was being replaced by newer rotorcraft that were typically bigger and capable of greater performance. Many of the helicopters made their way to the civilian market and museums.

The Kaman HH-43 Huskie is a helicopter developed and produced by the American rotorcraft manufacturer Kaman Aircraft.[2] It is perhaps most distinctive for its use of twin intermeshing rotors, having been largely designed by the German aeronautical engineer Anton Flettner.

Design and development

In 1947, the German aeronautical engineer Anton Flettner was brought to the United States as part of Operation Paperclip. He was the developer of the two earlier synchropter designs from Germany during the Second World War: the Flettner Fl 265 which pioneered the synchropter layout, and the slightly later Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri ("Hummingbird"), intended for eventual production. Both designs used the principle of counter-rotating side-by-side intermeshing rotors, as the means to solve the problem of torque compensation, normally countered in single–rotor helicopters by a tail rotor, fenestron, NOTAR, or vented blower exhaust. Flettner remained in the United States and became the chief designer of the Kaman company. In this capacity, he designed numerous new helicopters that used the Flettner double rotor. .

Kaman Aerospace

Kaman Aerospace
Kaman HH-43 Huskie

General Info

Crew: Two flight crew and two rescue crew
Capacity: 3,970 lb (1,801 kg) maximum payload
Length: 25 ft 2 in (7.67 m) fuselage
Height: 15 ft 6.5 in (4.737 m) to tip of highest blade

12 ft 7 in (4 m) to top of rotor pylons

Empty weight: (2,096 kg)
Gross weight: (2,948 kg)
Max takeoff weight: (4,150 kg)

Powerplant

Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming T53-L-11A turboshaft engine, 825 shp (615 kW) (de-rated from 1,150 shp (858 kW)) Main rotor diameter: (14.33 m) Main rotor area:322.405 m²

Performance

Maximum speed:(190 km/h,
Cruise speed:(180 km/h
Range: 504 mi (811 km, 438 nmi) at 5,000 ft (1,524 m) and (3,751 kg) TOW
Service ceiling: (7,000 m)
Hover ceiling IGE: (6,096 m

Related development

- Related development
  - Kaman K-MAX
  - Kaman K-1125
  Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
  - Flettner Fl 282

Special Links Kaman Aerospace Corporation

Links to Youtube & Others

There is one known flying and restored Huskie by the 2020s, which is sometimes flown at the Olympia Air show.[20] There is not many spare parts available for the Huskie by this time, in particular the rotor blades.

Kaman Aerospace
Kaman HH-43 Huskie

The Huskie was deployed overseas during the Vietnam War; several detachments of the Pacific Air Rescue Center,

Youtube Link

The Huskie entered service in late 1958 with the Air Force. It was also adopted by the Navy and Marine Corp, but not the Army.

Kaman Corporation aerospace
Kaman HH-43 Huskie