Gyrodyne DSN

Crew: none
Length: 3.9 m (12 ft 11 in)
Height: 3 m (9 ft 8 in)
Empty: 537 kg (1172 lb)
Loaded: 991 kg (2181 lb)
Maximum takeoff: 1046 kg (2303 lb)
Powerplant: 1 Boeing T-50-BO-8A turboshaft, 255 hp

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The Gyrodyne DSN (QH-50) was a remotely controlled drone helicopter with a contra-rotating coaxial rotor built by the Gyrodyne Company of America at St. James, Long Island, New York. It was designed to operate as an anti-submarine weapon delivery system from the deck of a destroyer. The vehicles were popularly called DASH - from "Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter".

The manned Gyrodyne XRON-1 Rotorcycle program of the mid-1950s provided prototype work for the DASH, and ultimately the Rotorcycle was modified to produce the initial drone version, the DSN-1/QH-50A The DSN-1 was powered by a Porsche YO-95-6 72 hp piston engine and carried one MK-46 homing torpedo. The next developmental version was the DSN-2/QH-50B that was powered by two Porsche YO-95-6 engines and also carried one MK-43 homing torpedo. Serial production of the DASH began with the third version, the DSN-3/QH-50C, in which a 255 hp Boeing T50-BO-4 turboshaft engine replaced the piston engines and the payload was increased to two MK-44 torpedoes. Three hundred and seventy eight QH-50C were produced before production ended in January 1966.

An improved QH-50D production follow-on model incorporated many improvements gained from the service use of the QH-50C and was produced until August 1969. A number of these were produced for the Japanese Self-Defense Force. An improved and lighter Boeing T50-BO-12 365 hp engine powered the drone.