World Record: Largest Helicopter Formation Flight By US Army
on Apr 04, 2022 • Updated Jan 15, 2025
Do you remember when the United States of America set the world record for forming the largest helicopter formation flight in recorded history?
It happened on Apr. 15, 2016, when 32 helicopters from 1st Squadron 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade flew one last flight over Fort Bragg and Fayetteville, North Carolina before retiring the vehicles.
The event set the Guinness World Record for the largest formation of helicopter aircraft in the skies at once. The helicopter used to set the record was the old OH-58 that was manufactured by Bell Helicopters and has been in continuous use by the U.S. Army since 1969.
This specific group of helicopters were part of the U.S. Army OH-58 Kiowa Warrior family which is an aircraft that consists of a single-engine and single-rotor and is used by the military for observation, utility, and direct fire support.
The helicopters were first introduced in 1969 as a type of light attack helicopter developed out of the Bell Model 206 JetRanger/LongRanger multi-role helicopter platform. This aircraft first flew on December 8, 1962, and there have been more than 7,300 built since then.
According to the military, the helicopters played a major role in armed reconnaissance, artillery observation, and cavalry formations involving infantry fighting vehicles. Now that they have retired, they have been being replaced with the newer OH-58D.
