Helowriter,

From what I have heard from Fort Rucker, the reason that the Army is
retiring the OH-58s is that they are worn out. In peace time the life
of these birds could be stretched out. But since 2001, OH-58s have
been logging more hours than a New York taxi cab. Add to this
attrition from battle damage and metal fatigue on 20 year old airframes
and you start running out of flying helicopters.

Comparing the OH-58 (based on the 206B) to the Bell Model 407 is like
comparing a 2005 VW Bug to a 1955 VW Bug. They may look similar, but
they are very different. Other than fasteners, there is probably less
than 5% commonality of parts.

Take care,

CTR