CH-21 Shawnee

🇺🇸United States
Boeing-Vertol
1953 – Present
Overview
CH-21 Shawnee
The CH-21 Shawnee, also known as the 'Flying Banana', is a tandem rotor helicopter developed from the Piasecki HRP-1. It was used by the US Army and other forces for troop transport and utility missions.
Specifications

General

Crew3
Engines1
Range Km426 km
Max Speed Kmh204 km/h
Weight Max Kg6,895 kg
Cabin Capacity20
Service Ceiling M2,880 m
Main Rotor Diameter M13.41 m
Research Notes

Development Context

CH-21 Shawnee is best understood as a tandem-rotor transport helicopter, with context that a short specification block cannot capture. The CH-21 Shawnee came from Piasecki’s tandem-rotor helicopter line and offered the U.S. military a larger troop and casualty transport than early single-rotor helicopters. This section connects the equipment to doctrine, technology, operational pressure, and historical consequence.

Design and Tradeoffs

The design choices behind CH-21 Shawnee explain why it filled its particular role. Its tandem rotors, bent fuselage profile, piston engine, and troop/litter capacity made it useful for transport, though limited by hot-and-high performance and piston-era power. This section connects the equipment to doctrine, technology, operational pressure, and historical consequence.

Service and Legacy

The service record and historical afterlife of CH-21 Shawnee make the page more useful for comparison and research. The CH-21 helped normalize rotary-wing troop movement and medical evacuation before turbine helicopters such as the UH-1 became dominant. This section connects the equipment to doctrine, technology, operational pressure, and historical consequence.

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