Gyrodyne QH-50C Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter (DASH)

Gyrodyne QH-50C Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter

The QH-50 D.A.S.H. was the first drone helicopter to enter operational service, the first rotorcraft deployed with nuclear armament, and one of the first armed unmanned aerial vehicles. The introduction of Soviet nuclear-powered submarines in the early 1960s created an immediate demand for a remotely piloted helicopter that could operate from smaller, older destroyers and could carry a Mark 57 nuclear depth bomb (like the training model seen here) or two torpedoes.

Most QH-50 deployments consisted of anti-submarine patrols with torpedoes, but a number of the craft were used during the Vietnam War primarily for spotting naval gunfire. A few were adapted to carry gun and rocket systems. Gyrodyne built 758 D.A.S.H. airframes, most of which went to the U.S. Navy. Japan also operated a few.

Rotor diameter:6.1 m (20 ft)

Length:6.1 m (20 ft)

Height:3 m (9 ft 8.5 in)

Weight, empty:530 kg (1,169 lb)

Weight, gross:1,046 kg (2,306 lb)

Engine:Boeing T50-BO-8A, 270 shp

Manufacturer:Gyrodyne Company of America, St. James, N.Y., 1965

Gift of Peter P., Barbara, and Alexander Papadakos

Gyrodyne QH-50C Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter

The QH-50 D.A.S.H. was the first drone helicopter to enter operational service, the first rotorcraft deployed with nuclear armament, and one of the first armed unmanned aerial vehicles. The introduction of Soviet nuclear-powered submarines in the early 1960s created an immediate demand for a remotely piloted helicopter that could operate from smaller, older destroyers and could carry a Mark 57 nuclear depth bomb (like the training model seen here) or two torpedoes.

Most QH-50 deployments consisted of anti-submarine patrols with torpedoes, but a number of the craft were used during the Vietnam War primarily for spotting naval gunfire. A few were adapted to carry gun and rocket systems. Gyrodyne built 758 D.A.S.H. airframes, most of which went to the U.S. Navy. Japan also operated a few.

Rotor diameter: 6.1 m (20 ft)

Length: 6.1 m (20 ft)

Height: 3 m (9 ft 8.5 in)

Weight, empty: 530 kg (1,169 lb)

Weight, gross: 1,046 kg (2,306 lb)

Engine: Boeing T50-BO-8A, 270 shp

Manufacturer: Gyrodyne Company of America, St. James, N.Y., 1965

Gift of Peter P., Barbara, and Alexander Papadakos