Fleet Has Accumulated Over 1.4 Million Flight Hours

Bell Helicopter tells ANN the US Army fleet of OH-58 Kiowa helicopters has accumulated in excess of 1.4 million flight hours and over 300,000 combat flight hours. Despite these high usage rates, the daily combat scenario and the harsh environmental conditions, the OH-58D continues to achieve readiness rates above 80 percent, according to Bell.

Army CW-4 Darren Monroe sums up how commanders in the field feel about the Kiowa when he stated, "The Kiowa Warrior is the preferred aircraft when the ground commanders call for air support."

LTC James Barker, Commander of 2-6 Cav added, "Ninety-nine percent of the convoys that roll out with Kiowa Warrior coverage are not attacked in any way, shape or form. The Kiowa is to OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) what the A-10 was to Desert Storm."

The OH-58D Kiowa Warrior was first deployed to support combat operations back in 1998, when it was used to control Iranian gunboats in the Persian Gulf. From those operations it has moved from one mission to the next including Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm (Saudi Arabia and Kuwait), and many others. During all of these missions the Kiowa and its crews have compiled an enviable readiness record as the most reliable helicopter in the Army's inventory.

The Kiowa Warriors are being flown at up to 10 times the normal number of planned hours... and are able to do so, Bell says, because of the efforts of both the uniformed personnel and the Bell support team.

"These high mission capable rates are a result of lots of factors and Bell is proud to build such a robust platform, but the real accolades need to go to the men and women in uniform who are out there on the front line working in unbelievably harsh conditions servicing these helicopters day in and day out," said Bob Cook, Bell's executive director for fielded systems. "And our hat goes off to them."

Bell Helicopter produces commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical lift aircraft and the pioneer of the revolutionary tilt rotor aircraft. Bell's global workforce serves customers flying Bell aircraft in more than 120 countries.

FMI: www.bellhelicopter.com