McDonnell XH-20 Little Henry

XH-20 Little Henry

Role	Experimental ramjet-rotor powered helicopter
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	McDonnell Aircraft
First flight	29 August 1947
Primary user	United States Air Force
Number built	2

The McDonnell XH-20 Little Henry was a 1940s American experimental lightweight helicopter designed and built by McDonnell Aircraft.^[1]

Development

The McDonnell Model 38 was a lightweight experimental helicopter sponsored by the United States Army Air Force to test the concept of using small ramjets at the tips of the rotor blades.^[1] As a functional helicopter it was of simple open-frame steel-tube construction.^[1] Allocated the military designation XH-20 the first of two first flew on the 29 August 1947.^[1]

Although the XH-20 flew successfully the ramjets were noisy and burnt a large amount of fuel and plans to build a larger two-seat XH-29 were abandoned.

Variants

XH-20: McDonnell Model 38 experimental lightweight helicopter, two built.^[2]
XH-29: McDonnell Model 79 a proposed two-seat development, cancelled.^[3]

Operator

United States

United States Air Force

Aircraft on display

XH-20 at the NMUSAF

46-689 the first XH-20 is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force

Specifications

Data from ^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m)
Height: 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Empty weight: 290 lb (132 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × McDonnell Ramjets
Main rotor diameter: 20 ft (6.1 m)

Performance

Maximum speed: 50 mph (80 km/h; 43 kn)

References

Citations

1 2 3 4 5 "XH-20 Little Henry Research Helicopter". Boeing. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
↑ Andrade 1979, p. 119
↑ Andrade 1979, p. 121

Bibliography

Andrade, John (1979). U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Midland Counties Publications. ISBN 0-904597-22-9.

External links

Media related to McDonnell XH-20 at Wikimedia Commons

McDonnell and McDonnell Douglas military aircraft and spacecraft

Fighters

USAAF / US Air Force	XP-67 XF-85 XF-88 F-101 F-110 F-4 F-15 F-15E YF-23

US Navy / USMC	FH F2H F3H F-4 F/A-18 F/A-18E/F

Export	F-4J(UK) / F-4K / F-4M CF-18 / CF-188

Licensed	F-15J

Attack

US Navy / USMC	A-4M AV-8B A-12

Export	A-4G

Trainers

US Navy	T-45

Transports

US Air Force	Model 119 C-9 KC-10 YC-15 C-17

US Navy	C-9

Licensed	Model 188

Helicopters

US Army / US Air Force	XH-20 AH-64

US Navy	XHJH XHCH XHRH

Export	Defender

Drones (UAVs)

US Air Force	ADM-20

US Navy	KDH

Experimental

US Army / US Air Force	XV-1 X-36 F-15 STOL/MTD Bird of Prey

Spacecraft

NASA	Mercury Gemini Skylab

US Air Force	Blue Gemini

United States helicopter designations, Army/Air Force and Tri-Service systems

Numerical sequence used by USAAC/USAAF/USAF 1941–present; US Army 1948–1956 and 1962–present; US Navy 1962–present

Main sequence
(1941–1962)

Prefix R-, 1941–1948	R-1 R-2 R-3 R-4 R-5 R-6 R-7 R-8 R-9 R-10 R-11 R-12 R-13 R-14 R-15 R-16

Prefix H-, 1948–1962	H-5 H-6 H-9 H-10 H-11 H-12 H-13/J H-15 H-16 H-17 H-18 H-19 H-20 H-21 H-22 H-23 H-24 H-25 H-26 H-27 H-28 H-29 H-30 H-31 H-32 H-33 H-34 H-35 H-36¹ H-37 H-38¹ H-39 H-40 H-41 H-42 H-43 H-44¹ H-45¹

Main joint sequence
(1962–present)

1962 redesignations	OH-13/UH-13J UH-19 CH-21 OH-23 UH-25 CH-34 CH-37 HH-43

New designations	CH-46/HH-46/UH-46 CH-47 UH-48 XH-49 QH-50 XH-51 HH-52 CH-53/HH-53/MH-53/CH-53E/CH-53K CH-54 TH-55 AH-56 TH-57 OH-58 XH-59 UH-60/SH-60/HH-60/HH-60J YUH-61 XCH-62 YAH-63 AH-64 HH-65 RAH-66 TH-67 MH-68 H-69¹ ARH-70 VH-71 UH-72 H-73 to H-89¹ MH-90 H-91¹ VH-92

1962 redesignations
reusing old numbers

¹ Not assigned

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