The Model 385 was designed and built under a United States Army research contract to prove a concept known as hot-cycle propulsion.

Two General Electric YT64-GE-6 turbojets were used as gas generators, the jet efflux was ducted to nozzles at the blade tips.

To keep costs to a minimum the cockpit with two side-by-side seats of an OH-6A was used and the landing gear was from a Sikorsky H-34.

The tests were satisfactory and the company was confident that the hot-cycle system would be widely used, although the XV-9A was noisy and had a high fuel consumption.

The company was unable to mitigate the problems and the development by Hughes of pressure-jet systems did not proceed.