The DASH program was developed by the Navy to extend the anti-submarine capability of older, smaller destroyers that were too small to operate conventional manned helicopters. The QH-50 first flew in 1960 and began fleet deployment in 1962. The drone used a co-axial, counter-rotating twin-rotor design powered by a single turboshaft engine, allowing it to remain compact while delivering significant lifting power. The DASH program remained in service until 1970, with 755 airframes built.
Aircraft Specifications
Physical Description
Small, unmanned helicopter with two co-axial, counter-rotating two-bladed main rotors and no cockpit or crew compartment, controlled remotely from a ship.
Crew: None (remotely operated)
Length: 12 ft 11 in
Rotor span: 20 ft
Height: 9 ft 8 in
Weight (empty / max takeoff): 1,154 lbs / 2,285 lbs
Powerplant: One Boeing T50-BO-8A turboshaft engine, 300 horsepower, driving two co-axial main rotors
Maximum speed: 92 mph
Range: 82 miles
Service ceiling: 16,400 ft
Weapons
Armament: Two Mark 44 torpedoes, or one Mark 46 torpedo. Originally designed with the capability to carry a nuclear depth bomb.
Key Accomplishments
Was the world’s first unmanned helicopter to enter operational service — a pioneering achievement in what would later be called drone or unmanned aerial vehicle technology.
Was the first rotorcraft ever deployed with nuclear armament, designed to carry a nuclear depth bomb against submarine threats.
Some QH-50s were adapted during the Vietnam War to spot naval gunfire over the horizon using onboard television cameras — an early example of remote-sensing technology supporting combat operations decades before modern drone warfare.
Build Date
1967
Manufacturer
Gyrodyne Company of America
Dates of Service
1967 – 1970
Country of Origin
United States
Inventory Number
Bureau #DS-1289
Credit
Owned by the Museum.
Display Status
This drone was built in 1967 and entered service that year, remaining in service until 1970 as part of the Navy’s DASH program aboard destroyer-class ships. The Museum received the aircraft in 2013.
Status: On display.
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