Sikorsky H-5

R-5 / H-5
A Sikorsky HO3S-1 of Helicopter Utility Squadron 1 (HU-1) takes off from USS New Jersey
General information
Type	Helicopter
Manufacturer	Sikorsky Aircraft
Primary users	United States Air Force United States Navy United States Coast Guard United States Marine Corps
Number built	over 300
History
Manufactured	1944–1951
Introduction date	February 1945
First flight	18 August 1943 (1943-08-18)
Retired	1957
Developed from	Sikorsky R-4
Variants	Westland WS-51 Dragonfly

The Sikorsky H-5 (initially designated R-5^[a] and also known as S-48, S-51 and by company designation VS-327^[1]) is a helicopter built by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation.

It was used by the United States Air Force, and its predecessor, the United States Army Air Forces, as well as the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard (with the designations HO2S and HO3S). It was also used by the United States Post Office Department.^[2] The civilian version, under the designation S-51, was the first helicopter to be operated commercially, commencing in 1946.

In December 1946, an agreement was signed between the British company Westland Aircraft and Sikorsky to produce a British version of the H-5, to be manufactured under license in Britain as the Westland-Sikorsky WS-51 Dragonfly. By the time production ceased in 1951, more than 300 examples of all types of the H-5 had been built.

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