1958


Gyrodyne DSN / QH-50 DASH







The Gyrodyne DASH (Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter) was a drone helicopter part of the US Navy Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) program. Instead of building new frigates, the FRAM upgrade allowed World War II-era destroyers, which had little room for a new flight deck, to remain useful in modern naval warfare adding to them a stand-off weapon to attack out to the edge of the sonars range. the QH-50 was retired by the US Navy frontline ships in 1969 and a handful of QH-50Ds ramain with the US Army for testing/ drone use at White Sands until 1997. The shipborne variant remain in Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force service until 1977



  Derivatives & Versions of DSN / QH-50 DASH


ModelYearHistory
DSN-1 / QH-50A

1958
1958 Powered by a single 72 HP Porsche engine, the DNS-1 was the droned version of Gyrodynes optimized XRON-1 Rotorcycle which had a 20 rotor diameter ...
DSN-2 / QH-50B

1958
1958 After initial success with the 9 DNS-1 prototypes, the Navy ordered three Aircraft [N-200 to N-202] under Contract NOas 59-0219-c, Amendment 1. ...
DSN-3 / QH-50C

1960
1960 This was the initial production version of the DASH helicopter featuring a single Boeing T50-BO-8 gas-turbine engine and the ability to carry two ...
QH-50D

1966
1966 This was the definitive production version with a more modern Boeing T50-BO-12 engine, rated at 330 BHP. Tail section removed from the earlier C ...
QH-50D Nite Panther

1968
1968 Experimental targeting and spotting drone for USMC. Three conversion from QH-50D during Apr68.
QH-50E

1969
1969 The Navy asked Gyrodyne to develop an Allison powered YQH-50E when Boeing ceased building its 365 shp model 550-1 turbo-shaft engine (military de ...

  List of Operators of DSN / QH-50 DASH


Years Model Org
1960/70 usa US Navy
1966/77 japan Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force



  Global Distribution of DSN / QH-50 DASH



9qh-50a
3qh-50b
381qh-50c
392qh-50d





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