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Sikorsky S-58/UH-34 Choctaw

The Sikorsky H-34 Choctaw (company designation S-58) is a piston-engined military helicopter that was originally designed by American aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky for the United States Navy for service in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role. It has seen extended use when adapted to turbine power by the British licensee as the Westland Wessex and Sikorsky as the later S-58T.

Various H-34s served, mostly as medium transports, on every continent with the armed forces of twenty-five countries — from combat in Algeria, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and throughout Southeast Asia, in roles such as saving flood victims, recovering astronauts, fighting fires, and carrying presidents. As one of the last piston-powered helicopter designs before its replacement by turbine-powered types such as the UH-1 Huey and CH-46 Sea Knight, it would see a remarkably long run of 2,108 H-34s produced between 1953 and 1970.


Type: Transport/SAR Helicopter
Crew: 1
Capacity: 16 troops or 8 stretchers
Manufacturer: Sikorsky Aircraft

Powerplant:
Type: Wright R-1820-84 radial engine
Horsepower: 1,525 hp (1,137 kW)


Dimensions:
Length: 56 ft 8.5 in (17.28 m)
Rotor diameter: 56 ft 0 in (17.07 m)
Height: 15 ft 11 in (4.85 m)
Disc area: 2,463 ft² (228.85 m²)
  Weights:
  Empty weight: 7,900 lb (3,583 kg)
  Max. takeoff weight: 14,000 lb (6,350 kg)

Performance:
Maximum speed: 123 mph (107 kn, 198 kph)
Range: 293 km (182 mi)
Service ceiling: 4,905 ft (1,495 m)



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