September 1963: The Sioux Scout was a short-lived rotary wing aircraft which appeared in the early 1960s. It was a two-place experimental armed helicopter offered by the Bell Helicopter Company in Fort Worth, Texas. A few particulars below:
The Sioux Scout
Personnel: Pilot and gunner.
Power plant: A single Lycoming TVO-435 turbo supercharged engine, rated 260 hp.
Rotor system: A single two-bladed main rotor of 37 feet in diameter. A two-bladed metal tail rotor of five feet 10 inches in diameter.
The Scout flew publically for the first time in September 1963. As a configuration based on the OH-13, the Scout was an attempt to foster an advanced design towards producing an armed helicopter for tactical requirements. The Scout featured an aerodynamic design for reduced drag, was maneuverable with an improved rate-of-climb. Featured stub wings, external fuel cells, mounting points for external stores and forward-firing machine guns mounted in the nose in under-chin fashion. The Scout was a probationary platform towards the development of Bell’s Cobra attack helicopter.
Sources: “Army Aviation Equipment” issue, page 60, “Scout,” Army Aviation, Army Aviation Publications, Inc., Westport, Ct., February-March 1964.
