Gyrodyne QH-50 DASH – Photos & Video

Gyrodyne QH-50 DASH
Country	USA
Role	ASW drone
First flight	1959
Built	755

The Gyrodyne QH-50 DASH (Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter) is a small, drone helicopter built by Gyrodyne Company of America for use as a long-range anti-submarine weapon on ships that would otherwise be too small to operate a full-sized helicopter. It remained in production until 1969. Several are still used today for various land-based roles.

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The Gyrodyne QH-50 DASH (Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter) was a small, unmanned helicopter developed by Gyrodyne Company of America in the late 1950s for the United States Navy. It was designed to carry a single torpedo or other payload and operate from the decks of destroyers and frigates as a guided weapon system. The QH-50 was the first operational drone helicopter and the first rotary-wing aircraft to be used in combat by the US Navy.
The QH-50 was controlled remotely by an operator on board the ship using a radio link and a television camera mounted on the drone. The operator could direct the QH-50 to search for, locate, and attack enemy submarines with its acoustic homing torpedo. The QH-50 could also perform reconnaissance, surveillance, target designation, and electronic warfare missions. The QH-50 had a range of about 30 miles (48 km) and a speed of up to 80 knots (150 km/h). It could fly at altitudes of up to 12,000 feet (3,660 m) and hover for up to two hours.
The QH-50 was first deployed in 1962 and saw extensive service during the Vietnam War, where it was used to attack North Vietnamese coastal targets and patrol boats. The QH-50 also participated in the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Dominican Republic intervention, and the Iran-Iraq War. The QH-50 was retired from active service in 1979, but some were used for testing and training purposes until the early 1990s. The QH-50 was a pioneering example of a drone helicopter and paved the way for later developments in unmanned aerial vehicles.