In the Army Aviation field, there are many different types of helicopters. There are two helicopters that go head to head as favorites. One is the AH-64 Apache and the other is the UH-60 Blackhawk. Ordinary people might say they are just helicopters, that they are both the same, but that is not the case. They both have two turbo jet engines, four main rotor blades and three main landing wheels instead of landing skids. But the reality is that as similar as they are they are also very different and serve different roles.
As you look at the helicopters you can say they both have the same main rotor blade. But the reality is that the main rotor blades are not the same. On the UH-60 Black Hawk they are bigger to provide more power for lift, and they also use nitrogen for balancing. On the AH-64 the main rotor blades are smaller and more aerodynamically designed for noise reduction and they do not use nitrogen. So as you can see although they both have four main rotor blades they are not the same.
Both of these helicopters also have three main landing gear wheels and can taxi forward and accomplish run on landings, but they cannot both taxi backwards. The Black Hawk, due to its design it cannot back up on the ground, on the other hand the AH-64 can not only back up it can also turn in either direction as it backs up making it versatile for any take off environment.
The Apache and the Black Hawk can both fly at night. The only difference is that Black Hawk pilots need to wear night vision goggles that are not part of the helicopter. These goggles don’t have any special characteristics. Of course the goggles are much better grade than the ones ground troop’s use, but none the less they are just goggles. The Apache has a full integrated ...
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...e Black Hawk’s were used for transport of troops and equipment. The Apache helicopter was used to destroy enemy tanks, bunkers and other strategic equipment such as radars and enemy fighting positions as well as provide aerial cover for the convoys and troops.
So as you can see these helicopters are very similar they both have two engines, they both have Main Rotor blades, and they both have wheels instead of landing skids. But they are two very different helicopters all together. The Black Hawk is great for transport but the Apache is a mean monster ready to destroy anything in its path. It has been told by the Iraqi people that during the war when they saw an Apache flying around or towards them, they ran and looked for cover because they knew destruction was coming. The Apache installs fear in the enemy they don’t even have to shoot just their presence is enough.
The Night Stalkers start their history with Operation Eagle Claw. This Operation was to be the rescue of the 66 hostages from the Iranian U.S. embassy. The mission was simple get the 8 navy RH-53D (Sea Stallion) helicopters to Desert One (FARP) refuel and load a 120 man assault team proceeds to the U.S. embassy, extract the 66 hostages and get back on the helicopters and extract through Tehran. This lead to the Holloway commission which reviewed Operation Eagle Claw and made it a lessons learned experience. Some additional factors were training, intelligence, pilots, aircrew, helicopters, and weather. So they decided to make a small unit of dedicated personnel and equipment to make sure the mistakes would not happen again.
The 123rd Aviation Battalion was comprised of multiple airframes of which included the OH-23 Raven, OH-6 Cayuse, UH-1 Huey, AH-1 Cobra, and even at one point an attachment of CH-47 Chinooks. According to the Resume of the 123rd Aviation Battalion the A Company and B Company delivered over 1,400 tons of cargo, destroyed 575 structures, killed over 700 enemy combatants, and provided medical evacuation to 114 people. All of these accomplishments took place in 1968, prior to receiving an attachment of CH-47 Chinooks. The scout aircraft provided intelligence by either flying over...
...in technology and tactics have made Special Forces units more reliable. For example, the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan and the incident with the Somali pirates of the coast of Somalia show the capabilities of today’s Special Forces. The author asserts that, in the future the United States will shift away from major combat operations. These large engagements have proven to be costly in lives and treasure. For that reason, she infers that the US Military will choose the “go small, go long” model for future engagements in the Middle East. Special operation forces are uniquely suited for this model. Their conspicuous nature and low cost make them politically and strategically ideal. The author also suggests that future large scale operations may look like the conflicts in Libya and Somalia rather than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This paper will briefly discuss or attempt to discuss the evolution of Aerial Reconnaissance. I will talk about what reconnaissance is exactly and why it is important to every aspect of conflicts; before, during and after. Early methods of reconnaissance will be discussed and then lead to how aerial reconnaissance came about. I will talk about what platforms were used for aerial reconnaissance and what their missions were in the beginning. World War I forces aircraft technology to start advancing out of necessity, reconnaissance starts moving further and further out front as capabilities improve. During World War II cameras are being used on aircraft as that technology improves. During World War II we see aerial reconnaissance mainly
The Weapons that the United States soldiers used was the M-16, which is a “gas operated, magazine-fed rifle that fired a .223 caliber round. It could also fire 700-900 rounds per minute while in fully auto mode. The M-16 also had a secondary attachment called the m-203 which could fire a grenade up to 400m with a 5m casualty radius” (Meyerson). The U.S. Soldiers also used the M-60 light machine gun that could be mounted on tanks and helicopters and used as an artillery weapon. They also used the “105 mm Howitzer that shot explosive shrapnel bombs that have a fire rate of 3 to 8 rounds a minute” (History.com). The Howitzer was also used like the M 60 machine gun by being mounted to tanks and helicopters. The U.S. Soldiers used the M-79 40mm also known as the thumper which looked like a sawed of shotgun. It could fire up to 300 meters and fired a 6.5, pound grenade. The M-72 is a BBMM light anti-tank weapon that weighed 5.2 pounds. It was also used as a bunker buster and fired a 1 kg rocket that could travel 300 meters. (173dairborne)” “The US army used many different types of helicopters like the HU-1A. It had a T53-6-5 motor, which put out 700horse power and could hold up to 8,500 pound...
new way of military occupation with not as many soldiers but there are many Predator drone
If one had to choose a single event in history that had the greatest impact on airmobile assault, without question it would have to be Operation Chopper. On December 11, 1962, the United States aircraft carrier, USNS Card, docked in Saigon with 32 U.S. Army CH-21 helicopters and 400 men in support of Operation Chopper (Tolson, 1973). Approximately 12 days later, these same CH-21 helicopters airlifted over a 1,000 South Vietnamese paratroopers to a suspected Viet Cong
Helicopters were first used as an ambulance in the sky during the Korean War (1950-53) (2). But it wasn’t until the late 70’s and early 80’s that helicopters were used in civilian pre hospital care (3). They were introduced to transport people living in remote communities deep in the outback to hospital, to receive the care that they needed but lacked in their rural community. Helicopters are also perhaps more importantly used for transporting patients who have suffered severe trauma or are seriously ill to hospital as they provide a quicker method of transport than the conventional road ambulance. This speed i...
This plan turned out to become the largest helicopter evacuation in American history and lasted less than forty eight hours. It consisted of sixteen Sikorsky CH-53 “Sea Stallions”, sixteen Boeing CH-46 “Frogs”, four Bell AH-1J “Snakes”, and two Bell UH-1E “Hueys” and became officially designated as Provisional Marine Air Group Thirty-nine (MAG-39), with other assets from 3rd Air Division, nineteen different Wings, and three Squadrons. Operation Frequent Wind was the last official American Operation in the Vietnam War.
In 1957, the army began developing a new fighting force based on the helicopter. ...
The Vietnam War both demonstrated the excellence of air defenders, and helped America learn lessons in order to evolve into an era with even better air defense than ever thought possible. The American military did not shoot down a single aircraft with air defense weapons during the Vietnam War. There were many operations which air defenders made a difference in Vietnam. Several of these operations occurred on Route 9. The events on Route 9 proved very difficult and brutal, however Sergeant Stout and other air defenders demonstrated the excellence still expected of air defenders today. The success of the North Vietnamese forced the United States (U.S.) to become better equipped as well. During operation
First of all, Black Hawk Down is a film by Ridley Scott that tells the story of an ill-fated U.S. military raid that went catastrophically wrong when optimistic plans were met with unexpected guerilla resistance. Operation Gothic Serpent took place on October 3, 1993 in Mogadishu, Somalia. The mission was supposed to be a textbook style raid in order to apprehend lieutenants loyal to General Muhammed Farrah Aideed, a powerful warlord who had appointed himself president of Somalia after overthrowing it’s current president, and murdering many high level government officials. In all, 18 Americans lost their lives, 70 more were wounded, and approximately 3,000 Somalis were killed. Days after the disastrous events of the raid, the U.N. task force orchestrated by then President Bill Clinton, pulled out all of U.S. troops from Somalia, ultimately disbanding the task force, and ending the mission in failure. The conflict was a controversial matter fueled by the media, and openly displayed how gravely underestimated U.S. intelligence reports were of General Aideed’s power. The events left a stain on President Clinton’s foreign policy, and ended up being a critical fail...
Out of all three of these, the biggest concern is children less independent. Being less independent means that the child won’t be able to do daily tasks functions such as upholding a job, selecting classes for their future, and many more functions that you will have to do throughout life. “In toddlerhood, a helicopter parent might constantly shadow the child, always playing with and directing his behavior, allowing zero alone time.” (Dunnewold 3) As many people would agree it is not the best idea to be or have any ideas of becoming a helicopter
Laura Padilla Walker, Larry J Nelson (2012). Black Hawk Down? Establishing helicopter parenting as a distinct construct from other forms of parental control during emerging adulthood. Journal of Adolescence.
Tice, Brian P. (1991). Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – The Force Multiplier of the 1990s. Airpower Journal.