The Sikorsky H-34 "Choctaw" (company designation S-58) is an American piston-engined military

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribut ...

originally designed by

Sikorsky Sikorsky or Sikorski may refer to: * Sikorsky (comics), a Marvel Comics character * Sikorsky (crater), a lunar crater * Sikorsky Aircraft, an American aircraft manufacturer People with the surname * Brian Sikorski (born 1974), Major League Baseball ...

as an

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are typi ...

(ASW) aircraft for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. It has seen extended use when adapted to turbine power by the British licensee as the

Westland Wessex The Westland Wessex is a British-built turbine-powered development of the Sikorsky H-34 (in US service known as Choctaw). It was developed and produced under licence by Westland Aircraft (later Westland Helicopters). One of the main chang ...

and Sikorsky as the later S-58T. H-34s served, mostly as medium transports, on every continent with the armed forces of 25 countries. It saw combat in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , religi ...

, the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean Sea, Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to ...

, and throughout

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

. Other uses included saving flood victims, recovering astronauts, fighting fires, and carrying presidents. It was the last piston-engined helicopter to be operated by the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...

, having been replaced by turbine-powered types such as the

UH-1 Huey The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family The Bell Huey family of helicopters incl ...

and

CH-46 Sea Knight The Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight is a medium-lift tandem-rotor transport helicopter powered by twin turboshaft engines. It was designed by Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol following Vertol's acquisition by Boeing. Development of th ...

. A total of 2,108 H-34s were manufactured between 1953 and 1970.

Development

The Sikorsky S-58 was developed as a lengthened and more powerful version of the Sikorsky Model S-55, or UH-19 Chickasaw, with a similar nose, but with a

tail-dragger Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...

rear fuselage and landing gear, rather than the high-tail, 4-post pattern. It retained the nose-mounted radial reciprocating engine with the drive shaft passing through the cockpit placed high above the cargo compartment. The aircraft first flew on 8 March 1954. The first production aircraft was ready in September and entered in service for the

initially designated HSS-1 Seabat (in its anti-submarine configuration) and HUS-1 Seahorse (in its utility transport configuration) under the U.S. Navy designation system for U.S. Navy,

(USMC) and

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

(USCG) aircraft. The U.S. Army and Marine Corps, respectively, ordered it in 1955 and 1957. Under the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

's aircraft designation system, also used by the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

, the helicopter was designated H-34. The U.S. Army also applied the name Choctaw to the helicopter. In 1962, under the new unified DoD aircraft designation system, the Seabat was redesignated SH-34, the Seahorse as the UH-34, and the Choctaw as the CH-34. Roles included utility transport, anti-submarine warfare,

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

, and

VIP A very important person or personage (VIP or V.I.P.) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social status, influence or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War 2 by RAF pilots. Examples in ...

transport. In its standard configuration, transport versions could carry 12 to 16 troops, or eight

stretcher A stretcher, gurney, litter, or pram is an apparatus used for moving patients who require medical care. A basic type (cot or litter) must be carried by two or more people. A wheeled stretcher (known as a gurney, trolley, bed or cart) is often ...

cases if utilized in the

MedEvac Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to wounded being evacuated from a battlefield, to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of a ...

role, while VIP transports carried significantly fewer people in much greater comfort. A total of 135 H-34s were built in the US and assembled by

Sud-Aviation Sud Aviation (, ''Southern Aviation'') was a French state-owned aircraft manufacturer, originating from the merger of Sud-Est ( SNCASE, or ''Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du sud-est'') and Sud-Ouest ( SNCASO or ''Sociét� ...

in France, 166 were produced under licence in France by Sud-Aviation for the French Air Force, Navy and Army Aviation (ALAT). The CH-34 was also built and developed under license from 1958 in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Westland Aircraft Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil, Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Limited just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915. ...

as the

turboshaft A turboshaft engine is a form of gas turbine that is optimized to produce shaftpower rather than jet thrust. In concept, turboshaft engines are very similar to turbojets, with additional turbine expansion to extract heat energy from the exhaust ...

engined

Wessex la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons , common_name = Wessex , image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg , map_caption = S ...

which was used by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

and

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

. The RN Wessex was fitted out with weapons and ASW equipment for use in an antisubmarine role. The RAF used the Wessex, with turboshaft engines, as an air/sea rescue helicopter and as troop transporter. Wessexes were also exported to other countries and produced for civilian use.

Operational history

Algerian War

The helicopters used by the

French Army Light Aviation The French Army Light Aviation (french: Aviation légère de l’armée de Terre, ALAT, , Land Army Light Aviation (the army is officially called the 'Land Army' because the air force is officially called the 'Air Army')) is the Army aviation serv ...

(ALAT), including the Sikorsky H-34, aggregated over 190,000 flying hours in Algeria (over 87,000 for the H-21 alone) and helped to evacuate over 20,000 French combatants from the combat area, including nearly 2,200 at night. By the time the war in Algeria had ended, eight officers and 23 non-commissioned officers from ALAT had been killed. The use of armed helicopters during the Algerian War, coupled with helicopter transports which can insert troops into enemy territory, gave birth to some of the tactics of airmobile warfare that continue today.

Vietnam War

French evaluations on the reported ground fire vulnerabilities of the CH-34 may have influenced the U.S. Army's decision to deploy the

CH-21 Shawnee The Piasecki H-21 Workhorse/Shawnee is an American helicopter, the fourth of a line of tandem rotor helicopters designed and built by Piasecki Helicopter (later Boeing Vertol). Commonly called "the flying banana", it was a multi-mission helico ...

to Vietnam instead of the CH-34, pending the introduction into widespread service of the

Bell UH-1 Iroquois The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered hel ...

. U.S. Army H-34s did not participate in Vietnam, and did not fly in the assault helicopter role, but a quantity were supplied to the

Republic of Vietnam Air Force The South Vietnam Air Force, officially the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF; vi, Không lực Việt Nam Cộng hòa, KLVNCH; french: Force aérienne vietnamienne, FAVN) (sometimes referred to as the Vietnam Air Force or VNAF) was the aer ...

(RVNAF). These saw little use due to a lack of spare parts and maintenance.Mesko 1984, pp. 4–6. UH-34D door gun USMC Vietnam 1965

Its higher availability and reliability due to its simplicity compared to the newer helicopters led Marines to ask for it by name. The phrases "give me a HUS", "get me a HUS" and "cut me a HUS" entered the U.S. Marine Corps vernacular, being used even after the type was no longer in use to mean "help me out".Fails 1995, p. 9. USMC H-34s were also among the first

helicopter gunships An attack helicopter is an armed helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the offensive capability of engaging ground targets such as enemy infantry, military vehicles and fortifications. Due to their heavy armament they a ...

trialled in theatre, being fitted with the Temporary Kit-1 (TK-1), comprising two M60C machine guns and two 19-shot 2.75 inch rocket pods. The operations were met with mixed enthusiasm, and the armed H-34s, known as "Stingers" were quickly phased out. The TK-1 kit would form the basis of the TK-2 kit used on the UH-1E helicopters of the USMC. An H-34 was featured in the famous early-Vietnam War Time-Life

photo essay A photographic essay or photo-essay for short is a form of visual storytelling, a way to present a narrative through a series of images. A photo essay delivers a story using a series of photographs and brings the viewer along a narrative journey. E ...

One Ride With Yankee Papa 13
, photographer

Larry Burrows Henry Frank Leslie Burrows (29 May 1926 – 10 February 1971), known as Larry Burrows, was an English photojournalist. He spent 9 years covering the Vietnam War. Early career Burrows began his career in the art department of the Daily Express ...

, which depicted stages of a disastrous combat mission in which several crew were wounded or killed.

Post-Vietnam War

The H-34 remained in service with United States Army and Marine Corps aviation units into the late 1960s; at this time it was also standard equipment in

Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command, by assigned pe ...

Army Reserve A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve ...

and

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States A ...

aviation units, eventually being replaced by the

UH-1 Iroquois The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered heli ...

utility helicopter. Sikorsky terminated all production activities in 1968, a total of 1,821 having been built.Endres, Günter G. ''Jane's Helicopter Markets and Systems''. Coulsdon, Surrey, UK: Jane's Information Group, 1996. . All H-34 helicopters were retired from service in the U.S. military by the early 1970s; the type having the distinction of being the last piston-engined helicopter to be operated by the Marine Corps. On 3 September 1973, the last flight of a USMC UH-34 occurred as Bureau Number 147191 which had been formally assigned to Headquarters Squadron, FMF Pacific was flown from

Quantico, Virginia Quantico ( or ; formerly Potomac) is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 480 at the 2010 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, DC, bordered by the Potomac River to the east a ...

MCAS New River Marine Corps Air Station New River is a United States Marine Corps helicopter and tilt-rotor base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in the eastern part of the state. In 1972, the airfield was named McCutcheon Field for General Keith B. McCutcheo ...

to be placed on static display.Fails 1995, p. 127.

France

France purchased an initial batch of 134 Choctaws; these were shipped in kit-form from the United States and locally assembled by

. Later, a further 166 were domestically manufactured by Sud-Aviation; these were operated by the

(

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

French Naval Aviation French Naval Aviation (often abbreviated in French to: ''Aéronavale'' (contraction of Aéronautique navale), or ''Aviation navale'', or more simply ''l'Aéro'') is the naval air arm of the French Navy. The long-form official designation is '' ...

(

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...

) and

Air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ar ...

United Kingdom

The Wessex was used as an anti-submarine and utility helicopter with the Royal Navy and as a transport and search and rescue helicopter with the Royal Air Force. British Wessex saw action in several conflicts: Falklands, Oman, Borneo, Aden, etc.

South Vietnam

Used by RVNAF 219th Squadron to insert MACV-SOG reconnaissance teams into Laos. The H-34 was the primary RVNAF helicopter until replaced by the Bell UH-1 Huey.

Israel

Israeli S-58s flew numerous combat missions after the end of the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...

; these missions were mainly against Palestinians infiltrating Israel or against their bases in Jordan. On 21 March 1968, various S-58s participated in the

Battle of Karameh The Battle of Karameh ( ar, معركة الكرامة) was a 15-hour military engagement between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and combined forces of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) in the Jo ...

, bringing Israeli troops in and out of the theatre as well as evacuating the wounded. This was the last operation of the S-58 as it was retired shortly later, having been replaced by the newer

Bell 205 The Bell 204 and 205 are the civilian versions of the UH-1 Iroquois single-engine military helicopter of the Huey family of helicopters. They are type-certificated in the transport category and are used in a wide variety of applications, inc ...

and

Aérospatiale Super Frelon Aérospatiale (), sometimes styled Aerospatiale, was a French state-owned aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société nationale industrielle aérospatiale ( ...

Civilian use

The H-34's lift capacity was just sufficient to lift a Mercury space capsule. In 1961, the hatch of

Mercury-Redstone 4 Mercury-Redstone 4 was the second United States human spaceflight, on July 21, 1961. The suborbital Project Mercury flight was launched with a Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle, MRLV-8. The spacecraft, Mercury capsule #11, was nicknamed the ''L ...

was prematurely detached and the capsule was filled with seawater. The extra weight was too much for the H-34 and the capsule, ''Liberty Bell 7'', was emergency released and sank in deep water,Wade, Mark
"Mercury MR-4."
''astronautix.com,'' 29 April 2009. Retrieved (from archive): 26 July 2011. remaining on the ocean floor until 1999. Sikorsky set up a production line in 1970 to remanufacture existing S-58 aircraft into the S-58T configuration, replacing the R-1820 engine with a pair of

Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T Twin-Pac is a turboshaft engine designed for helicopters. Manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Canada, its first application was in the Bell 212 and UH-1N Twin Huey helicopter family. The PT6T Twin-Pac consists of two ...

-3 Twin-Pac

s; Sikorsky obtained a

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

type certificate A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). It confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production, is in compliance with applic ...

for the conversion in April 1971. The conversion enhanced safety, allowing the aircraft to continue flight after an engine failure, and greatly improved its

hot and high In aviation, hot and high is a condition of low air density due to high ambient temperature and high airport elevation. Air density decreases with increasing temperature and altitude. The lower air density reduces the power output from the airc ...

performance; whereas the R-1820 could only provide full power up to an altitude of , the paired PT-6s provide full power up to , and an S-58T can fly at maximum gross weight up to . The type certificate for the S-58T was sold to California Helicopter International in 1981. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, S-58T helicopters were operated by New York Helicopters in scheduled passenger airline service between

JFK International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport (colloquially referred to as JFK Airport, Kennedy Airport, New York-JFK, or simply JFK) is the main international airport serving New York City. The airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the New ...

and

East 34th Street Heliport East 34th Street Heliport is a heliport on the east side of Manhattan located on the East River Greenway, between the East River and the FDR Drive viaduct. Also known as the Atlantic Metroport at East 34th Street, it is a public heliport own ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. In the early 1970s, Orlando Helicopter Airways developed a novel civil conversion of the S-55/H-19, the ''Heli-Camper'', a

campervan A camper van, also referred to as a camper, caravanette, motor caravan or RV (recreational vehicle) in North America, is a self-propelled vehicle that provides both transport and sleeping accommodation. The term describes vans that have been fitt ...

-like conversion—featuring a built-in mini-kitchen and sleeping accommodations for four. Later in that decade, Orlando developed a larger version based on the S-58, and participated in a joint effort with popular American

recreational vehicle A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and camp ...

(RV) manufacturer

Winnebago Industries Winnebago Industries, Inc. is an American manufacturer of motorhomes, a type of recreational vehicle (RV), in the United States. In 2018, the company expanded into motorboat manufacturing with the acquisition of Chris-Craft Corporation. Winneba ...

to market both aircraft as the Winnebago Heli-Home. The S-58 version featured a larger kitchenette, sleeping accommodations for six, a minibar, and an entertainment system; optional floats were offered for

amphibious Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...

operations. The aircraft were featured in several American popular magazines and reportedly drew large crowds at RV shows and dealerships, but their high purchase price together with rising 1970s fuel prices resulted in very limited sales; production is not well documented, but is estimated at only six or seven of the S-55 and S-58 versions combined.

Variants

;H-34A :U.S. Army version of the HSS-1 powered by a 1,525 hp R-1820-84, re-designated CH-34A in 1962, 359 built and 21 transferred from the U.S. Navy. ;JH-34A :Designation for H-34A used for weapon tests. ;VH-34A :Staff transport conversions of H-34A. ;H-34B :H-34As converted with detail changes, became CH-34B in 1962. ;H-34C :H-34B design with detail changes converted from H-34As, became CH-34C in 1962. ;JH-34C :Designation for CH-34C used for weapon tests. ;VH-34C :Staff transport conversions of CH-34C. ;HH-34D :Designation applied to aircraft given USAF serials to be transferred under MAP and MDAP. ;LH-34D :HUS-1L re-designated in 1962 ;UH-34D :HUS-1 re-designated in 1962 and 54 new build. ;VH-34D :HUS-1Z re-designated in 1962 ;UH-34E :HUS-1A re-designated in 1962 ;HH-34F :HUS-1G re-designated in 1962 ;YSH-34G :YHSS-1 re-designated in 1962 ;SH-34G :HSS-1 re-designated in 1962 ;SH-34H :HSS-1F re-designated in 1962 ;YSH-34J SH-34 CVS-9 1962

:YHSS-1N re-designated in 1962 ;SH-34J :HSS-1N re-designated in 1962 ;UH-34J :SH-34J without

ASW ASW, a three-letter abbreviation, may refer to: * an Associate Clinical Social Worker (ASW) in the state of California * High-temperature insulation wool#alumino silicate wool *Asynchronous SpaceWarp, a framerate smoothing technique used on the Ocul ...

equipment for cargo and training purposes. ;HH-34J :Ex-USN UH-34Js operated by the U.S. Air Force ;VH-34J :Staff transport conversions of SH-34J. ;XHSS-1 Seabat :Three Sikorsky S-58s for evaluation by the U.S. Navy, re-designated YHSS-1 then YSH-34G in 1962. ;HSS-1 Seabat :Production Anti-Submarine model for the U.S. Navy, re-designated SH-34G in 1962, 215 built ;HSS-1F Seabat :One HSS-1 re-engined with two YT-58-GE as a flying test bed, re-designated SH-34H in 1962. ;YHSS-1N Seabat :One HSS-1 converted as the HSS-1N prototype, re-designated YSH-34J in 1962. ;HSS-1N Seabat :Night/Bad weather version of the HSS-1 with improved avionics and autopilot, re-designated SH-34J in 1962, 167 built (an addition 75 HSS-1 airframes were built to CH-34C standard for West Germany). ;HUS-1 Seahorse :Utility transport version of the HSS-1 for the U.S. Marine Corps, re-designated UH-34D in 1962, 462 built ;HUS-1A Seahorse :Forty HUS-1s fitted with amphibious pontoons, re-designated UH-34E in 1962. ;HUS-1G Seahorse :United States Coast Guard version of the HUS-1, re-designated HH-34F in 1962, six built. ;HUS-1L Seahorse :Four HUS-1s converted for Antarctic operations with

VXE-6 Antarctic Development Squadron Six (VXE-6 or ANTARCTIC DEVRON SIX, commonly referred to by its nickname, The Puckered Penguins) was a United States Navy air test and evaluation squadron based at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California with forwa ...

, re-designated LH-34D in 1962. ;HUS-1Z Seahorse :Seven HUS-1s fitted with VIP interior for the Executive Flight Detachment, re-designated VH-34D in 1962. ;CH-126 :Canadian military designation for the S-58B. ;S-58A :Commercial designation for basic cargo variant, certified in 1956 ;S-58B :Commercial designation for improved cargo variant, certified in 1956 ;S-58C :Commercial passenger transport/airliner version, certified in 1956 ;S-58D :Commercial airliner/freighter version, certified in 1961 ;S-58E :Certified in 1971 ;S-58F :Certified in 1972 an increased maximum weight variant of the S-58B. ;S-58G :Certified in 1972 an increased maximum weight variant of the S-58C. ;S-58H :Certified in 1972 an increased maximum weight variant of the S-58D. ;S-58J :Certified in 1972 an increased maximum weight variant of the S-58E ;S-58T :Commercial conversion to turboshaft power using

-3 Twin-Pac turboshaft with special nose cowling featuring distinctive twin rectangular air intakes, designations relate to original model: ;S-58BT :Turboshaft-powered conversion of the S-58B ;S-58DT :Turboshaft-powered conversion of the S-58D ;S-58ET :Turboshaft-powered conversion of the S-58E ;S-58FT :Turboshaft-powered conversion of the S-58F ;S-58HT :Turboshaft-powered conversion of the S-58H ;S-58JT :Turboshaft-powered conversion of the S-58J ;Orlando Heli-Camper / Winnebago Heli-Home :RV conversion by Winnebago Industries and Orlando Helicopter, fitted with a Wright Cyclone R-1820-24 engine ;Orlando Airliner :Commercial conversion. 18-seat passenger transport helicopter. ;

: Licence production and development in the

Operators

; *

Argentine Air Force "Argentine Wings" , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 August (anniversary) 1 May (Baptism of fire during the Falklands War) , equipment = 139 aircraft , equipment_label = , battles = * Operation Independence * Operation Soberanía * Falkl ...

Argentine Naval Aviation ) Gulf War , anniversaries = , decorations = , battle_honours = , commander1 = President , commander1_label = Commander-in-Chief , commander2 ...

; *

Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air Component ( nl, Luchtcomponent, french: Composante air) is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force ( nl, Belgische Luchtmacht; french: Force aérienne belg ...

Belgian Navy The Belgian Navy, officially the Belgian Naval Component ( nl, Marinecomponent; french: Composante marine; german: Marinekomponente ) of the Belgian Armed Forces, is the naval service of Belgium. History Early history The Belgian Navy w ...

; *

Brazilian Navy ) , colors= Blue and white , colors_label= Colors , march= " Cisne Branco" ( en, "White Swan") (same name as training ship '' Cisne Branco'' , mascot= , equipment= 1 multipurpose aircraft carrier7 submarines6 frigates2 corvettes4 amphibious ...

; *

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environ ...

Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

; *

Chilean Navy The Chilean Navy ( es, Armada de Chile) is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso. History Origins and the Wa ...

; * Ministry of Public Security ; *

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in th ...

; *

German Air Force The German Air Force (german: Luftwaffe, lit=air weapon or air arm, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ''Bundeswehr'') was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as ...

* German Army *

German Navy The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified '' Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mar ...

; *

Haitian Air Corps The Haiti Air Corps (french: Corps d'Aviation d'Haiti (Corps d’Aviation de 1’Armee d’Haiti)) was the air force of Haiti from 1942 to 1994. The air corps was disbanded along with the rest of the armed forces after Operation Uphold Democracy, ...

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Indonesian Air Force The Indonesian Air Force ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU), literally "''Indonesian National Military-Air Force''") sometimes shortened as IDAF / IdAF, is the aerial branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. The I ...

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Italian Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello , mascot = , anniversaries = 28 March ...

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Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defense ...

; *

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

; *

Khmer Air Force The Khmer Air Force (french: Armée de l'air khmère; AAK), commonly known by its americanized acronym KAF (or KhAF) was the air force component of the Khmer National Armed Forces (FANK), the official military of the Khmer Republic during the Ca ...

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Kingdom of Laos The Kingdom of Laos was a landlocked country in Southeast Asia at the heart of the Indochinese Peninsula. It was bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, North Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

Royal Lao Air Force The Royal Lao Air Force (french: Aviation Royale Laotiènne – AVRL), best known to the Americans by its English acronym RLAF, was the air force component of the Royal Lao Armed Forces (FAR), the official military of the Royal Lao Government an ...

; * Royal Netherlands Navy ; * Fuerza Aérea Sandinista ; *

Philippine Air Force The Philippine Air Force (PAF) ( tgl, Hukbong Himpapawid ng Pilipinas, , Army of the Air of the Philippines) ( es, Ejército Aérea del Filipinas, , Ejército de la Aérea de la Filipinas) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Forc ...

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Republic of China Army The Republic of China Army (ROCA), previously known as the Chinese Nationalist Army or Nationalist Revolutionary Army and unofficially as the Taiwanese Army, is the largest branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces. An estimated 80% of th ...

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Royal Thai Air Force "Royal Thai Air Force March" , mascot = , anniversaries = 9 April 1937 (Royal Thai Air Force Day) , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles ...

; * Air America *

"S58 (CH-34, UH-34, VH-34, SH-34, HH-34, S-58A, C, D, S-58T)."
''Sikorsky Product History''. Retrieved: 5 March 2013. *

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Uruguayan Navy The National Navy of Uruguay () is a branch of the Armed Forces of Uruguay under the direction of the Ministry of National Defense and the commander in chief of the Navy (''Comandante en Jefe de la Armada'' or COMAR). History Independence Und ...

Accidents and incidents

*27 July 1960

Chicago Helicopter Airways Flight 698 The Chicago Helicopter Airways Flight 698 was a scheduled domestic helicopter service between Chicago Midway Airport and Chicago O'Hare Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport , sometimes referred to as, Chicago O'Hare, or simply O'Har ...

a S-58C registered N879 crashed into Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, Illinois, United States with the loss of 11 passengers and two crew. The investigation concluded that the helicopter became uncontrollable as a result of structural disintegration in flight caused by a fatigue failure of the main Helicopter rotor, rotor blade. *14 November 1971 Sikorsky SH-34J, A-062 of the Uruguayan Navy lost control after trying to lift a ground vehicle in an airshow, the helicopter fell to the ground hitting another Sikorsky SH-34J Helicopter. The broken blades flew directly into the audience of the airshow killing 8 people and severely injuring and mutilating at least 40 more. Due to the unstable political situation of the country at the time, no investigation followed the accident. Several years later, many irregularities came to light: The helicopter condition was not good when it was purchased by the Uruguayan Navy, fuel used was not appropriate, temperature on the day of the accident was too high to attempt a heavy lift, and the co-pilot of the helicopter was a fixed wing pilot with no experience in rotary wing aircraft. *10 July 2002 Sikorsky S-58ET, N580US (S/N 58-1673, built 1963), struck power transmission lines with its tailwheel, ripping the aircraft in two, over Brookville Lake, Indiana. One crew member was killed; the other two crew members were rescued by boaters. The aircraft was operated by Midwest Helicopter Airways of Hinsdale, Illinois, and registered to Midwest Truxton International of Burr Ridge, Illinois. "Based on interviews with witnesses and the surviving pilots, there was no indication of any mechanical failure," said SGT. Steve Comer of the Indiana State Police. NTSB Accident Report #CHI02FA189 *13 March 2011 Sikorsky S-58ET, N33602, suffered an engine failure, descended and veered off the side of an office building in El Segundo, California, while lifting an external air conditioning unit from the roof. The commercial pilot was seriously injured, the helicopter was substantially damaged and consumed by a post-impact fire. The helicopter was registered to Heli Flight, Inc., and operated by Aris Helicopters.

Aircraft on display

;Canada * 130761 - H34C in storage at the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwn, Alberta. ;Chile * Naval 52 – SH-34J on static display at Viña del Mar Airport in Viña del Mar, Viña del Mar, Valparaíso. This airframe was the second of two received by the

and was exhibited for the first time after restoration at Exponaval 2014. It was previously on display at Alberto Widmer High School. ;France * HSS-1, No. 182, is on display at the Base d'aéronautique navale d'Hyères, the military part of the Toulon–Hyères Airport in France. Serving until 1977 with 31F squadron, it was one of the last operational H-34's in

. Now restored, No. 182 is displayed in the typical navy blue color of the French navy's helicopters of this time period. ;Germany * 80+73 – SH-34G on static display at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Bavaria. * 81+09 – H-34 GIII on static display at the Hubschraubermuseum Bückeburg in Bückeburg, Bückeburg, Lower Saxony. * 58-0356 – S-58C on static display at the Auto & Technik Museum Sinsheim in Sinsheim, Sinsheim, Baden-Württemberg. Indonesia * UH-34-Sikorsky

H-3402 - UH-34 on static display at Dirgantara Mandala Museum in Yogyakarta. * H-3404 - S-58T on static display outside Dirgantara Mandala Museum in Yogyakarta. * H-3415 - S-58T on static display in front of Atang Senjaya Airport, Atang Senjaya airbase in Bogor. ;Netherlands * A former Royal Netherlands Navy SH-34J Seabat bearing the markings of number 134 operating from Valkenburg naval air station is on display with folded rotor blades and tail in the newly opened "Nationaal Militair Museum" situated at the former airbase of Soesterberg. Previously the aircraft was displayed in the National Air Force museum at Kamp Zeist which has since closed down. ;Thailand * H4k-64/30 – Type 4A on static display at the Royal Thai Air Force Museum in Bangkok, Bangkok, Bangkok. * Unknown ID – Type 4 on static display at the Royal Thai Air Force Museum in Bangkok, Bangkok. ;Philippines * VillamorMuseumjf0803 40

153131 – UH-34D on static display at the Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum in Villamor Air Base, Pasay. ;United States * 138460 – UH-34D on static display at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. * 143937 – UH-34D on static display at the Estrella Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles, California. * 143939 – H-34A on static display at the USS Midway Museum in San Diego, California. * 145694 – UH-34J on static display at the Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum in Horsham, Pennsylvania. This airframe was built in October 1958 and restored in April 1995. * 145717 – LH-34D on static display at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. * 147171 – UH-34D on static display in the Vietnam display next to at the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. * 147191 – VH-34D is on static display at the New River Aviation Memorial at the front gate of Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina. This airframe was the last flying US Marine Corps H-34 in 1973. * 148002 – SH-34J on static display at the Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum in Pueblo, Colorado. * 148764 – UH-34D on static display at Fort Worth NAS near Fort Worth, Texas. * 148768 – UH-34D on static display at the Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia. * 148963 – HH-34J on static display at the Pacific Aviation Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. * 150213 – UH-34D on static display at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison, Texas. * 150219 – UH-34D on static display at the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum in San Diego, California. * 150227 – UH-34D on static display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida. * 150255 – UH-34D on static display at the Wings and Rotors Air Museum in Murrieta, California. * 150553 – UH-34D on static display at the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda, California. This airframe entered service in August 1963 and was donated to the museum in 2003 by the Pima Air and Space Museum. * 150570 – UH-34D on static display at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia. * 154895 – UH-34D on static display at the Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, California. * 53-4477 – CH-34G on static display at the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum in Edwards, California. * 53-4526 – CH-34A in storage at the United States Army Aviation Museum near Daleville, Alabama. * 53-4544 – CH-34C on static display at the Camp San Luis Obispo Museum and Historical Site in San Luis Obispo, California. * 54-0914 – CH-34C on static display at the Russell Military Museum in Zion, Illinois. * 55-4496 – CH-34C in storage at the Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina. This airframe was previously on display at the Florence Air & Missile Museum in Florence, South Carolina. * 56-4320 – VH-34C on static display at the United States Army Aviation Museum near Daleville, Alabama. * 57-1684 – VH-34C on static display at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. * 57-1698 – CH-34A on static display at the Allegheny Arms & Armor Museum in Smethport, Pennsylvania. This airframe was previously on display at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York, New York. * 57-1705 – CH-34C on static display at Travis AFB near Fairfield, California. * 57-1708 – CH-34C on static display at the Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa, California. * 57-1725 – VH-34C on static display at the U.S. Army Transportation Museum near Newport News, Virginia.

Specifications (H-34 Choctaw)

Notable appearances in media

Notes

Bibliography

* Apostolo, Giorgio. ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Helicopters.'' New York: Bonanza Books, 1984. . * Duke, R.A. ''Helicopter Operations in Algeria'' [Translated French]. Washington, DC: Dept. of the Army, 1959. * * Fails, William R. ''Marines & Helicopters, 1962–1973''. Darby, Pennsylvania: Diane Publishing, 1995. . * Griffin, John A. ''Canadian Military Aircraft Serials & Photographs 1920–1968''. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Queen's Printer, Publication No. 69-2, 1969. * Gunston, Bill. ''An Illustrated Guide To the Israeli Air Force''. London: Salamander Books, 1982. . * Leuliette, Pierre. ''St. Michael and the Dragon: Memoirs of a Paratrooper'', New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1964. * Mesko, Jim: ''Airmobile: The Helicopter War in Vietnam''. Carollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1984. . * Riley, David. "French Helicopter Operations in Algeria." ''Marine Corps Gazette'', February 1958, pp. 21–26. * Shrader, Charles R. ''The First Helicopter War: Logistics and Mobility in Algeria, 1954–1962''. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, 1999. . * Spenser, Jay P. ''Whirlybirds: A History of the U.S. Helicopter Pioneers''. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press, 1998. .

External links

HELIS.com Sikorsky S-58/H-34/HSS-1/HUS-1 Database
{{Authority control 1950s United States military utility aircraft, H-34, Sikorsky United States military helicopters 1950s United States helicopters Sikorsky aircraft, H-034 Single-engined piston helicopters Twin-turbine helicopters Aircraft first flown in 1954