500 Fan, this looks great! Thanks very much for sharing with us!

This is a good build. But what came of this prototype? And what was the AHIP program?

What happened to the prototype?

It went on to be used in many other test programmes by Hughes and McDonnell Douglas. It was converted into quite a few different configurations for test work. The airframe was registered in the experimental class and so was only used for test work until it appears it was retired in 1997. I believe the airframe is currently stored at the MD facility at Mesa, Arizona. 

What was AHIP?

It was the U.S. Army competition held in 1980/81 to select an interim, upgraded, scout helicopter that would be compatible with the AH-64A Apache. The competition was between the Hughes OH-6A and the Bell OH-58A Kiowa. Bell won the competition and today, the U.S. Army still flies the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior.

500 Fan.

Thanks for all the generous comments in relation to this model. I was messing around with my camera and have a few more low-quality photos of the OH-6D. I had a Verlinden base plate and I had it mounted in a picture frame. I decided to do a little "What if" diorama.

The fictional scene depicts the OH-6D parked on the ramp outside the prototype hangar at the Hughes Plant at Culver City in August 1981. All the proposed weapons options are laid out in front of the helicopter and it is cordoned off. The helicopter is set up for an inspection by a visiting delegation from the U.S. Army before the decision is made to select the winning A.H.I.P. design. Two executives from Hughes Helicopters are seen approaching the OH-6D to inspect everything before the Army Selection Committee arrive.