On 10 July 1980, the Army decided that the NTSH would be a competitive modification program based on developments in the commercial helicopter industry, particularly Hughes Helicopters development of the Hughes 500D which provided significant improvements over the OH-6.
O 10 de xullo de 1980 o Exército decidiu que o NTSH sería un programa de modificación competitivo baseado nos desenvolvementos da industria de helicópteros comerciais, en particular no desenvolvemento de Hughes Helicopters do Hughes 500D que proporcionou importantes melloras sobre o OH-6.