How U.S. Military Helicopters Received Their Native American Names – SlashGear

Helicopters were nimble and could drop in on an unsuspecting enemy, similar to the guerilla-style tactics deployed by Great Plains tribes during the American-Indian Wars fought throughout the 1800s. So Howze decided the next helicopter would bear the name of the Sioux to honor of those Native Americans who defeated the 7th Calvary Regiment led by General George Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. 

That led to the naming og the H-13 Sioux, made famous by the TV show, “M.A.S.H.”

In 1969, Army Regulation 70-28 was created to give names to military equipment. Each name had to met five requirements: it had to be creative but respectful, project confidence, accurately describe the item’s attributes, espouse its tactical value, and epitomize the subject for which it was named if for a person or group. Furthermore, the regulation specifically required aircraft to be named using “Indian terms and names of American Indian tribes and chiefs.”

The Bureau of Indian Affairs provided the names. Although that regulation has since lapsed, the military still has a number of aircraft that adhere to this naming convention. Additionally, since 1875 as many as 32 Native Americans have earned the Medal of Honor during the Indian Wars, World War II, and the Korean War.