Piasecki HUP-3 Retriever

Piasecki Helicopter Corporation · USA · first flew 1952 · helicopter

The HUP-3 was the final production mark of the Piasecki Retriever series, incorporating improvements over the HUP-1 and HUP-2 including an autopilot and updated equipment. It continued the same compact tandem-rotor design suited to small-deck shipboard operations.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, rotary
E — Engines	1 × piston, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	12.4 m fuselage
T — Tail	No tailplane

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Spot it by:

Final production Retriever variant
Tandem overlapping rotors, no tail rotor
Compact shipboard helicopter with rescue hoist

Identical in external configuration to the HUP-1 and HUP-2; the compact tandem-rotor layout, rounded fuselage with underslung rescue hatch, and retractable undercarriage are consistent across all marks.

Specifications

The Piasecki HUP-3 Retriever has a length of 12.4 m (41 ft).
It has a wingspan of 10.5 m (34 ft).
Its maximum speed is 169 km/h (105 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The HUP-3 entered service as an incremental improvement to the Retriever family, serving in the plane-guard and utility roles aboard US Navy ships. By the mid-1950s the Retriever family was the standard light shipboard helicopter of the US Navy.

Variants

Represents the final development of the HUP line; the Army H-25 Army Mule was the land-based equivalent. No further variants were produced before the design was replaced by turbine-powered helicopters.

Where you'll see it

Served with the US Navy into the early 1960s; the French Navy also operated HUP Retrievers from their aircraft carriers and cruisers.

Related aircraft

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