Sikorsky UH-34 model airplane helicopter. During the Korean War, the U.S. Navy expanded its use of helicopters in its antisubmarine warfare program. The S-58 was designed for that mission. Introduced in 1954, it was able to carry increasingly sophisticated sonar equipment.
The Marines felt that they would be useful for transporting troops from ship to shore and the corps soon had its own model, designated the UH-34D. It was used mainly for assault missions. The Army's primary use for the S-58 was as a troop and supply transport, the first Army CH-34 (S-58) flew in March 1955. In 1957 Sikorsky Aircraft developed an armament system for the CH-34, which gave even greater combat and strike capability to the helicopter. By 1958 the Army's CH-34s were on duty throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Of all Sikorsky 5-58 models built in the first four years of production, the Army versions had been the most widely used, and had accumulated more than half of the total hours flown by all S-58s.
In Vietnam, the important role of the helicopter in war was well defined. S-58 missions included armed assaults, troop transport, casualty evacuation, and artillery spotting. In 1961 a Marine UH-34D was used in the recovery of astronaut Alan Shepard following his splashdown in Freedom 7. This event marked recovery. In all, more than five hundred UH-34s were built for the Marines.
Mahogany Wood. Scale: 1/48. Rotorspan 14 1/4 inches, Length 12 1/2 inches.
