Bell XH-15

XR-15/XH-15

Role	Four-seat utility helicopter
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Bell Helicopter
First flight	1948
Status	Canceled
Primary user	United States Air Force
Number built	3

The Bell XH-15 (Bell Model 54) was an American two-seat utility helicopter designed and built by Bell Helicopter, to meet a requirement for a liaison and utility helicopter for the United States Army and United States Air Force.

Development

The Model 54 was a conventional pod-and-boom four-seat helicopter with wheeled, fixed tricycle landing gear, powered by a single 275 hp Continental XO-470-5 piston engine located in the rear cabin, driving a single two-bladed rotor. The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) ordered three in February 1946 as the XR-15. The first flight was made in March 1948 with the new designation XH-15, but no orders were forthcoming following evaluation by the United States Air Force (USAF) and the project ended in 1950.

Variants

XR-15: Military designation for three Model 54s ordered for evaluation.^[1]
XH-15: XR-15 redesignated before delivery.^[1]

Operators

United States

United States Air Force

Specifications

Data from Bell Aircraft since 1935^[2]

General characteristics

Crew: two
Capacity: two passengers
Length: 44 ft 9 in (13.64 m) (overall length)
Height: 8 ft 1+1⁄2 in (2.48 m)
Max takeoff weight: 2,800 lb (1,270 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Continental XO-470-5 piston engine, 275 hp (205 kW)
Main rotor diameter: 37 ft 4 in (11.38 m)

Performance

Maximum speed: 105 mph (169 km/h, 91 kn)
Range: 200 mi (320 km, 170 nmi)
Service ceiling: 20,000 ft (6,100 m) (absolute ceiling)

References

Notes

^ ^a ^b Andrade 1979, p. 162
^ Pelletier 1992, p. 93.

Bibliography

Andrade, John (1979). U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Midland Counties Publications. ISBN 0-904597-22-9.
Pelletier, Alain J. (1992). Bell Aircraft since 1935. Annapolis, Maryland, US: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-056-8.

Bell Aircraft and Bell Helicopter/Bell Textron aircraft
Manufacturer designations	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31¹ 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 (I) 39 (II) 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 J 48 49 50 51 52 53 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70–100¹ 101 102 103 104 105 106 107¹ 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131–199¹ 200 201 202¹ 203¹ 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213¹ 214 214ST 215¹ 216 217¹ 218¹ 219¹ 220¹ 221¹ 222 223–229¹ 230 231–248¹ 249 250–300¹ 301 302–308¹ 309 310–359¹ 360 361–399¹ 400 401–405¹ 406 407 408¹ 409 410¹ 411¹ 412 413¹ 414¹ 415¹ 416¹ 417 418–426¹ 427 428¹ 429 430 431–439¹ 440 441¹ 442¹ 443¹ 444¹ 445 446¹ 447¹ 448¹ 449 550–504¹ 505 506–524¹ 525 526–532¹ 533 534–539¹ 540 541–547¹ 548 549–575¹ 576 577–582¹ 583 846–598¹ 599 600–608¹ 609 610–645¹ 646 647–679¹ 680 681–910¹ 911 912–917¹ 918 D-188 D-255 D-292
Fighter aircraft	YFM-1 P-39 XFL P-45 P-59 P-63 P-76 XP-77 XP-83 P-400
Target drones	PQM-56
Attack helicopters	207 Bell AH-1 Singles Twins AH-1Z 309 YAH-63 360
Observation and utility helicopters	H-13 H-13J UH-1 UH-1N UH-1Y TH-57 OH-58 TH-67 ARH-70
Commercial helicopters	47 47J 204 205 206 210 212 214 214ST 222 230 407 412 427 429 430 505 525
Tiltrotors	V-22 V-247 V-280 AW609 TR918 QTR
UAVs	MQ-8C
Non-production helicopters	400 417 440
Experimental aircraft	ATV 201 533 D-188 D-255 D-292 FCX-001 L-39 LLRV/LLTV X-1 X-2 X-5 X-14 X-16 X-22 XF-109 XP-52 XV-3 XV-15
Names	Airabonita Airacobra Airacomet Airacuda Arapaho BigLifter Caribou Cobra Creek Eagle Eye Fire Scout GlobalRanger Huey HueyCobra Invictus Iroquois JetRanger Jet Ranger X Kingcobra KingCobra Kiowa LongRanger Osprey Quad TiltRotor Ranger Sea Cobra Sea Ranger Sioux Sioux Scout SuperCobra Super Huey Super Transporter Twin Huey TwinRanger Valor Venom Vigilant Viper Zulu Cobra
¹ Unknown/not assigned

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

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

Army/Air Force 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-16
Prefix H-, 1948–1962	H-5 H-6 H-9 H-10 H-11 H-12 H-13 H-13J 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

Tri-Service sequence
(1962–present)

1962 redesignations	H-13 H-13F H-13J H-19 H-21 H-23 H-25 H-34 H-37 H-43
New designations	H-46 H-47 H-48 H-49 H-50 H-51 H-52 H-53 CH-53/E/K HH-53/MH-53 H-54 H-55 H-56 H-57 H-58 H-59 H-60 UH-60 SH-60 HH-60 MH-60 H-61 H-62 H-63 H-64 H-65 H-66² RAH-66 TH-66 H-67 H-68 H-69¹ H-70 H-71 H-72 H-73
Alternate sequence	H-1 AH-1/J/T/W/Z UH-1/N/Y H-2 H-2G H-3 CH-3/HH-3 SH-3 H-4 H-5 H-6 AH-6 MH-6 OH-6
Non-sequential	H-90 H-92 CH-92/VH-92 H-101 H-139

¹ Not assigned • ² Assigned to multiple types