View source for OH-58D (China)

{{About
| about = attack helicopter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the other version
| link = OH-58D
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=oh_58d_china
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the helicopter, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the helicopter in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
The ROCA purchased 39 [[OH-58D|OH-58D Kiowa Warriors]], known as the OH-58D戰搜直升機 (lit: combat reconnaissance helicopter), from the US in 1992 (26 purchased alongside a fleet of [[AH-1W (China)|AH-1Ws]]) and 1999 (13 helicopters assembled by AIDC), and deployed them in the only two helicopter companies in the ROCA and Army Aviation Training Command. Although two helicopters have crashed during their service since 1992 (in 2001 and 2020), the ROCA will likely continue to operate the OH-58D for a number of years, thanks to up to 12 years worth of spare parts bought from the US.

Introduced in [[Update "Sons of Attila"]], the ROCA OH-58D performs identically with its American counterpart, only lacking the option to equip the 30 mm grenade launcher or 7.62 mm Minigun. It has small dimensions, AIM-92 Stinger missiles, and countermeasure pods, aiding its survival in combat and somewhat mitigating the lack of armour. It also has a mast-mounted camera, allowing it to make good use of terrain or treetops to conceal itself, while the four AGM-114K Hellfire II missiles will make light work of any enemy ground vehicle.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Heli-Flight}}
<!-- ''Describe how the helicopter behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.'' -->
The OH-58D is a reasonably nimble machine, fully researched it will be able to fly at a reasonable straight-line speed of up to 220 km/h in neutral flight and climb up to 7 m/s. While this is completely sufficient for use without notable shortcomings, it pales in comparison to the opposition at its BR, both within its own tech tree and outside. Though in turn this means when freshly bought, players may find its performance lacking.

One point of note is the Kiowa Warrior's ability fly evasive or performative manoeuvres. While it can make some impressive turns and even fly upside down, its flight model fails to compare against what players might have become used to on the first Z-9 model or any of its successors. All in all the OH-58D is a very average machine in terms of flight performance, by no means bad, but also nothing outstanding.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max speed<br>(km/h at 1,000 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres)
|-
! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 215 || 203 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}}
|-
! Upgraded
|247.1||229.6
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Heli-Armour}}
<!-- ''Examine the survivability of the helicopter. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical systems.'' -->
Due to its nature of being an observation helicopter, there are very little need for extra protection other than the flak jacket for the pilots; this also means flying into the main combat area equals to kamikaze and should only be considered in dire situation.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Heli-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Heli-Offensive}}
<!-- ''Describe the offensive armament of the helicopter, if any. Describe how effective the cannons and machine guns are in battle, also what ammunition belts or drums are better to use. If there is no offensive weaponry, delete this subsection.'' -->

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* A choice between three presets:
** 36 x countermeasures
** 36 x countermeasures + Flak jackets
** 36 x countermeasures + Flak jackets + IRCM

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Heli-Suspended}}
<!-- ''Describe the helicopter's suspended armament: additional cannons under the winglets, any bombs, and rockets. Since any helicopter is essentially only a platform for suspended weaponry, this section is significant and deserves your special attention. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.'' -->
The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

{{Navigation-Start|Default weapon presets}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}

* 1 x 12.7 mm GAU-19 machine gun (550 rpg)
* 4 x ATAS (AIM-92) missiles
* 2 x AGM-114K Hellfire II missiles
* 4 x AGM-114K Hellfire II missiles
* 14 x APKWS II (M151) missiles
* 14 x APKWS II (M282) missiles
* 14 x Hydra-70 M247 rockets
{{Navigation-End}}

== Usage in battles ==
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in a helicopter, the features of using the helicopter in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
''Describe the tactics of playing in a helicopter, the features of using the helicopter in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->

'''Pros:'''

* Small profile and agile, good for switching locations to hit enemies
* Mast mount cameras for minimal visibility to enemies
* Access to AIM-92 for self-defense against aircraft
* Powerful AGM-114K with good range
* Laser-guided rockets for precise hit on enemies

'''Cons:'''

* No extra protection
* Slower than PLAGF Aviation Corps counterparts
* Relatively low payload weight

== History ==
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the helicopter in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the helicopter in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->

;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=oh_58d_china Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|Vy3fyYWNToA|'''OH-58 Kiowa Warrior Ultimate Review''' - ''Bob Dickinson''}}

== See also ==
<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
* ''reference to the series of the helicopter;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->

;Related development

* [[OH-58D]]

== External links ==
<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.'' -->

* [[wt:en/news/8452-development-oh-58d-headwatch-en|[Devblog] OH-58D: Headwatch]]

{{AirManufacturer Bell}}
{{China helicopters}}