Helicopter Combat on Your Tabletop

FOGN Michael Peck has a review of Hind Commander, a minis wargame that focuses on helicopter combat.

an excerpt:

As expected in a helicopter warfare simulation, victory in “Hind Commander” tends to center on exploiting the technical characteristics of your equipment. Helicopters are rated for speed, ceiling, sensor effectiveness, range and tracking capability, plus electronic countermeasures and armor. The helicopters hunt, while anti-aircraft weapons hunt them. Naturally, helicopters are far more mobile than the plodding ground-bound troops and armor, which are treated more abstractly. There are fixed-wing aircraft, but they are also treated in less detail. The whirlybirds are the stars of this show.

An interesting feature of “Hind Commander” is that for a given battle, players have a certain number of points to spend on various configurations of “strike groups.” A regular strike group will have a balanced mix of, say, a dozen heavy and light helicopters. On the other hand, a special forces group will have fewer but more high-tech choppers, while a reserve group will have more but older equipment. In addition, players can buy stratagem cards that offer bonuses such as elite helicopter crews or enhanced jamming. So there’s a fair amount of unpredictability on the tabletop battlefield.

Sounds intriguing... I'm curious how big the "minis helicopter-centric wargaming" market is.

By: Brant

Syrian Rebels Claim Helicopters Destroyed

FSA (or someone affiliated with them) are claiming they destroyed 5 choppers on the ground in a raid. The Syrian government, predictably, denied it.

Syrian rebels said they destroyed five helicopters in a raid on a military airport between the northern cities of Aleppo and Idlib on Wednesday, while state television said the attack was repelled.
Abu Mossab, a rebel who said he took part in the attack, told AFP via Skype that rebels shelled Taftanaz military airport with two tanks captured from the army and destroyed five helicopters.
"We destroyed five helicopters as well as buildings in the airport," Abu Mossab said, although the facility remained in army hands after the raid in which the rebels lost two men before pulling back.
"The regime's MiG planes continue to bomb houses in Taftanaz, which has been emptied of its inhabitants," the rebel added.
Syrian state television said the military repelled the attack with the airport suffering "no material damage."
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights earlier reported fierce fighting near the airport and helicopter raids on the nearby town of Taftanaz.

Now, the Syrian government has lost a lot more equipment than they're admitting to, so it's not a surprise they brushed it off. But their army is down more than a brigade's worth of tanks/BMPs, so it's not like you expect them to man up about this one.

By: Brant

Restationing of Aviation Units to Ft Lewis

The Army is relocating the last of the units that will make up the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade.

The Department of the Army announced today the planned relocation of two aviation units to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.: 1st Battalion, 229th Air Cavalry Squadron will relocate from Fort Hood, Texas, and convert to an Attack/Reconnaissance Battalion; and Company D, 123rd Aviation Regiment will relocate from Fort Wainwright, Alaska. These force structure actions represent a net increase of 531 military and zero civilian authorizations for the Army at Joint Base Lewis-McChord; a decrease of 402 military and zero civilian authorizations at Fort Hood; and a decrease of 129 military and zero civilian authorizations at Fort Wainwright. These actions will be completed by Oct. 15, 2012.

These force structure actions represent the final phase of the activation of the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade at Joint Base Lewis-McChord to meet the Army’s broader strategic and operational requirements. These actions incorporate the Army Force Generation Model and Army Transformation initiatives, both of which are required to achieve the Army’s goal of rebalancing the force. Overall, these unit relocations will help the Army meet the increased demand placed on its aviation assets and provide combatant commanders with flexible, trained and highly-mobile forces to execute operations worldwide. The Army is transforming to provide a more relevant organization to meet its worldwide strategic and operational requirements.

By: Brant

Syria Lashed Out At US "Interference" - And Accepts Russian Choppers for Delivery

Syria tells the US to stop interfering.

The rebel pullout came as Syria lashed out at the United States after Washington warned of possible mass killings in Haffa.
Syria's foreign ministry said the remarks by a State Department spokeswoman warning that President Bashar Assad's forces could commit massacres in Haffa coincided with stepped-up attacks by rebels in the area. The ministry's statement was reported Wednesday by the state-run news agency, SANA.
"The U.S. administration is continuing its blatant interference in the internal affairs of Syria, its open support for the terrorists, covering up the terrorists' crimes," the statement said.
Haffa is one of several areas where Syrian government forces are battling rebels for control. It is particularly important, because the town is about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from Assad's hometown of Kardaha in Latakia province along the Mediterranean coast. Latakia is the heartland of the Alawite minority to which Assad and the ruling elite belong, although there is a mix of religious groups.

But Russian interference? We don't mind so much.

"There's no doubt that the onslaught continues, the use of heavy artillery and the like," Clinton told a discussion with Israeli President Shimon Peres hosted by the Brookings Institution.
Washington had pressed Moscow, a longstanding ally of Damascus, to stop what Clinton called "continued arms shipments to Syria."
"They have from time to time said that we shouldn't worry, that everything they're shipping is unrelated to their actions internally. That's patently untrue," the top US diplomat insisted.
"We are concerned about the latest information we have that there are attack helicopters on the way from Russia to Syria, which will escalate the conflict quite dramatically," Clinton added.

By: Brant

UK In Action: Apache Badass

An Army Air Corps pilot stands in front of his Apache attack helicopter in Afghanistan. This image was a winner in the Army's 2011 Photographic Competition.

img from UK MoD

By: Widow 6-7

Monday Video: Apaches Attack

Starting off with a rotary BANG



By: Brant

UK In Action: Loading the Sea King

Photograph shows a Royal Navy Sea King Mk4 helicopter being loaded onto a Royal Air Force C17 transport plane for its journey back to the United Kingdom. The Royal Navy’s Commando Sea King helicopters completed their final mission in Afghanistan on 30th September 2011 and are now returning to the UK to prepare for further contingency operations and convert to the newer and more capable Merlin helicopter. The helicopters, crews and engineers of 845 and 846 Naval Air Squadrons who are normally based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in Somerset, have been deploying to Afghanistan in support of Operation Herrick since 2007. With the venerable Sea King MK4 due to be withdrawn from military service in 2016, the Royal Navy has withdrawn its small number of Commando Sea King MK4 helicopters from Camp Bastion in Afghanistan to be returned to the UK.

img from UK MoD

By: Widow 6-7

UK In Action: Helicopter Traffic

Photograph shows Royal Air Force Chinook Mk2 helicopters from 1310 Flight taking off from Camp Bastion airfield in Helmand, Afghanistan. The Joint Helicopter Force (AFGHANISTAN) or JHF (A) is a deployed tri-Service unit from the Joint Helicopter Command. Its primary purpose is to facilitate tactical mobility, reconnaissance and Aviation Fires support to the UK task force in Helmand Province and to the multi-national force of Regional Command (South).

img from UK MoD

By: Widow 6-7

UK In Action: Boarding the Chinook

Photograph shows soldiers from 20 Armoured Brigade boarding a Royal Air Force Chinook Mk 2 helicopter from 1310 flight at Camp Bastion passenger handling facility. The Joint Helicopter Force (AFGHANISTAN) or JHF (A) is a deployed tri-Service unit from the Joint Helicopter Command. Its primary purpose is to facilitate tactical mobility, reconnaissance and Aviation Fires support to the UK task force in Helmand Province and to the multi-national force of Regional Command (South).

img from UK MoD

By: Widow 6-7

UK In Action: Carrier Operations, Day & Night

Royal Air Force Chinook and Army Air Corps Apache helicopters are pictured practicing deck landings onboard the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. Two Apache helicopters from 664 Squadron, Army Air Corps embarked for a two week training package, to enable pilots and ground crews to acclimatise to working in a maritime environment. They were joined by a Chinook from 7 Squadron, Royal Air Force which flew out to the ship for a few hours deck landing practice.

Pictured through an image intensifier, An Army Air Corps Apache attack helicopter lifts off from the deck of HMS Illustrious during night flying operations. Two Apache helicopters from 664 Squadron, Army Air Corps have also embarked for a two week training package, to enable pilots and ground crews to acclimatise to working in a maritime environment. They were joined by a Chinook from 7 Squadron, Royal Air Force which flew out to the ship for a few hours deck landing practice.

img from UK MoD

By: Widow 6-7

UK In Action: Night Carrier Ops

Pictured through an image intensifier, a Royal Air Force Chinook helicopter from No.7 Squadron lifts off from the deck of HMS Illustrious during night flying operations with Apache helicopters in the foreground. Two Apache helicopters from 664 Squadron, Army Air Corps have also embarked for a two week training package, to enable pilots and ground crews to acclimatise to working in a maritime environment. They were joined by a Chinook from 7 Squadron, Royal Air Force which flew out to the ship for a few hours deck landing practice. the flying continued well into the night as well.

img from UK MoD

By: Widow 6-7

Anniversary: Battle of la Drang

Today marks the anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley.

The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major battle between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) (referred to by U.S. fighting units as the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) during the Vietnam War).

The two-part battle took place between November 14 and November 18, 1965, at two landing zones (LZs) northwest of Plei Me in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam (approximately 35 miles south-west of Pleiku). The battle derives its name from the Drang River which runs through the valley northwest of Plei Me, in which the engagement took place. "Ia" means "river" in the local Montagnard language.

Representing the American forces were elements of the 1st Battalion and 2nd Battalion of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, and the 5th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army. The North Vietnamese forces included the 66th and 1st battalion/33rd Regiments of the NVA as well National Liberation Front (NLF) (known world wide as the Viet Cong) of the H15 Battalion. The battle involved close air support by U.S. bombers, including B-52 bombers from Guam.

The US Army's history of Vietnam includes an excellent chapter on the fight that manages to be clinical and descriptive at the same time.

At 1017, after a brief delay resulting from the too hasty positioning of the artillery pieces at FALCON, the preparatory fires began. Thirteen minutes later the leading elements of Company B lifted off the Plei Me airstrip with a thunderous roar in a storm of red dust. With volleys of artillery fire slamming into the objective area, the sixteen Hueys-four platoons of four each-filed southwestward across the midmorning sky at two thousand feet. Two kilometers out, they dropped to treetop level. The aerial rocket artillery gunships meanwhile worked X RAY over for thirty seconds, expending half of their loads, then circled nearby, available on call. The 229th's escort gunships came next, rockets and machine guns blazing, immediately ahead of the lift ships. As the lead helicopters braked for the assault landing, their door gunners and some of the infantrymen fired into the trees and tall grass.

Lunging from the ships, the men of Company B, Colonel Moore among them, charged into the trees, snap-firing at likely enemy positions. By 1048 the helicopters were already returning to Plei Me for the rest of Company B and advance contingents of Company A.

Relatively flat and open as seen from above, X-RAY took on a different appearance when viewed by the infantryman on the ground. Ringed by sparse scrub brush with occasional trees ranging upward to a hundred feet, the landing zone was covered with hazel-colored, willowy elephant grass as high as five feet, ideal for the concealment of crawling soldiers. Interspersed throughout were anthills, some considerably taller than a standing man, all excellent as crew-served weapons positions. Along the western and northeastern edges of the landing zone the trees were especially thick and extended up the slopes of Chu Pong peak, which was 542 meters high and whose thick vegetation offered good concealment for enemy troops. A dry creek bed with waist-high banks ran along the western edge of the landing zone.

Captain Herren watched with satisfaction as his 1st Platoon leader, 2d Lt. Alan E. Deveny, went about the business of securing the landing zone. In line with orders from Colonel Moore, Herren was using a new technique. Rather than attempt a 360-degree perimeter coverage of the entire area as in previous operations, Herren concealed most of his force in a clump of trees and tall grass near the center of the landing zone as a reaction striking force, while Deveny's squads struck out in different directions, reconnoitering the terrain fifty to a hundred meters from the western side of X-RAY. A sound technique, it allowed Captain Herren to conserve his forces while he retained a flexible option, which, in view of the 30-minute turnaround flight time for the rest of the battalion, appeared prudent.

As Lieutenant Deveny's soldiers pressed the search, Herren became fully convinced that if there was to be a fight the proximity of X-RAY to the enemy haven across the Cambodian border made X-RAY the likely site. Yet the leading elements of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, had landed successfully and were thus far unopposed.

Where was the enemy?

And of course, we can't post this without including mention of the book: We were Soldiers Once...And Young: Ia Drang - The Battle That Changed The War In Vietnam by Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway

Interesting story behind the guy on the cover of the book, too...

By: Brant

UK In Action: SAR at sea

A Royal Navy Search and Rescue (SAR) aircrewman is winched into the cabin of a Seaking helicopter during training off the North Cornwall coast. SAR crews practice their skills daily, as they are often called to real incidents. Recent call outs involved rescuing injured people from various sized sailing and fishing vessels, medical evacuations from the Scilly Isles and road traffic casualty airlifts. 771 Naval Air Squadron, based at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose (HMS Seahawk), near Helston, Cornwall, is tasked primarily with military and civilian Search and Rescue across a wide operating area that spans the Cornish Peninsula, Isles of Scilly, the Western English Channel, and the Southwest Approaches.

A Royal Navy Search and Rescue (SAR) aircrewman is winched into the cabin of a Seaking helicopter during training off the North Cornwall coast. The crew practice their skills daily, as they are often called to real incidents. Recent call outs involved rescuing injured people from various sized sailing and fishing vessels, medical evacuations from the Scilly Isles and road traffic casualty airlifts. 771 Naval Air Squadron, based at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose (HMS Seahawk), near Helston, Cornwall, is tasked primarily with military and civilian Search and Rescue across a wide operating area that spans the Cornish Peninsula, Isles of Scilly, the Western English Channel, and the Southwest Approaches.

img from UK MoD

By: Widow 6-7

Afghanistan Blazing a Trail for Female Muslims

Afghanistan is training women as military pilots in the US.

For women in Afghanistan, said Masooma Hussaini, it's not like "it was in Taliban times." Her sisters are in school, women work in offices and, by next year, Hussaini and three other young women could be among their country's first females piloting military helicopters.
Their training in the U.S. is significant. The Afghan military has a small but growing female rank, yet the skies are almost an exclusive province for men, except for one Afghan woman trained in the Soviet era.
Afghanistan remains a male-dominated culture — Afghan President Harmid Karzai spoke out as recently as last fall about women in his country still being oppressed. Hussaini, a second lieutenant, acknowledges that some Afghan men think "it's not good" that women are breaking new ground in the military, but she and her colleagues said Wednesday that they weren't joining the Afghan Air Force for themselves.
"We're going to open the door for ladies in Afghanistan," second Lt. Sourya Saleh said. "It's a big deal for us to open this door for the others. That these other ladies who have the dream and think they can't do it, we want to show them."
The four women, all in their 20s, arrived at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio last week to continue their training. They'll stay in Texas until they master English — the international language for aviation — and are scheduled to transfer to Alabama early next year for actual hands-on piloting.
By September 2012, the women could have their wings.

By: Brant

Canadian CH-148 Cyclone At Paris Air Show

It has been a long time coming but the CH-148 Cyclone multi-mission helicopter will soon come into service with the Canadian Forces.

On static display at Le Bourget, one of Canada's incoming fleet of Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopters is making the type's debut public appearance a long way from its future home.

To replace the Canadian armed forces' almost 50-year-old Sikorsky H-3 Sea Kings in providing an anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capability, and in delivering search and rescue and utility transport tasks, the new type is derived from the airframer's S-92.

Changes embodied for the maritime variant include the integration of marinised General Electric CT7-8 engines, a 360° maritime search radar, passive and active acoustics, a forward-looking infrared sensor and self-defence equipment. Shipborne operations will be supported by the use of a deck haul-down and handling system, and by an automatic blade and tail-fold function.

Ottawa will eventually receive 28 of the new aircraft via a delayed procurement. The first of these arrived at its Shearwater air base in Nova Scotia on 13 May, and should be accepted for use within the next several months in an initial operating capability standard. The first Canadian technicians are now receiving ground-based instruction at the site, while aircrews will enter flight training soon.

By: Shelldrake

USAction! Air Assault

U.S. Army soldiers with 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Focused Targeting Force, board a CH-47 Chinook helicopter in Khowst province, Afghanistan, on March 29, 2011. DoD photo by Pfc. Donald Watkins, U.S. Army. (Released)

Photo from US DoD

By: Brant

Just *Who* Is Shooting?

I love this headline: U.N. and French helicopters attack Gbagbo forces...

Here's the start of the accompanying article

U.N. and French helicopters attacked forces loyal to Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo overnight into Monday, damaging the presidential residence in Abidjan and destroying heavy weapons that U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon ordered silenced.
Gbagbo refused to step down after his rival Alassane Ouattara won last November's presidential election, according to results certified by the United Nations, reigniting a civil war that has claimed more than a thousand lives and uprooted a million people.
Helicopter attacks a week ago on Gbagbo's heavy weapons by the United Nations and France appeared to bring Gbagbo's forces to the point of surrender, but they used a lull in fighting to regroup before taking more ground in Abidjan.

So here's my question: who is providing the "UN" helicopters? The UN does not - AFAIK - own any of their own armed helicopters; they get them all from their member nations. So who provided these?

By: Brant

Libya Shot Down *Something* - Not Sure What...

The Libyan government says they shot down 2 helicopters. Great. Who did they belong to?

Libyan government forces shot down two U.S.-built helicopters being used by rebel forces in the east of the country, the deputy foreign minister said early on Sunday.
Khaled Kaim also slammed the international community for allowing rebel forces to operate aircraft despite the existence of a no-fly zone over the country following U.N. Security Council resolution 1973.
"A clear violation was committed by the rebels to resolution 1973 relating to the no-fly zone. The rebels used two Chinook helicopters and they were shot down" near the eastern oil facilities of Brega, he said. "We have a question for the allied forces — is this resolution made for the Libyan government only or everyone in Libya?"
The report could not be confirmed with the rebels, but journalists in the area did describe seeing at least one helicopter apparently fighting for the rebels in the area Saturday, though it lacked the distinctive double rotor design of Chinook and appeared to be a Russian built model.
Most aircraft used by the Libyans, whether government or rebel forces, are Russian made, however, but the Directory of World Air Forces from 2008 says Libya had 20 Chinooks, which are used primarily for transport and heavy lifting, in service.
While the Libyan government forces still possess most of the military aircraft in the country, a few were taken by the rebels when some air force units defected in the east of the country following popular uprisings against Moammar Gadhafi's four decades of rule.
NATO, which enforces the no-fly zone said it has been has been applying it to both sides and on Saturday intercepted a rebel MiG-23 fighter jet and forced it back to the airport.

By: Brant

Force Structure Changes for US Army Aviation

The US Army has announced changes in stationing of 2 combat aviation brigades.

The Department of Defense announced today the stationing of two Army combat aviation brigades. The 16th Combat Aviation Brigade will be split-based and established at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and Fort Wainwright, Alaska, using existing aviation units not currently assigned to a combat aviation brigade. A new brigade will be activated at Fort Carson, Colo.

The 16th CAB stationing action realigns existing assets resulting in an increase of approximately 1,400 new soldiers and 44 helicopters at JBLM. This action for the split-based CAB at JBLM will begin in fiscal 2012 and is expected to be completed by fiscal 2014.

The Army recognizes Alaska as a strategic location and will continue to maintain a significant aviation presence there. This stationing increases the invaluable medical evacuation strength in Alaska by three additional aircraft in fiscal 2013. It also validates the Army’s commitment and support to the aviation infrastructure through military construction programmed for replacement and upgrade of the aviation facilities.

The new combat aviation brigade activation at Fort Carson, Colo., will result in a total growth in Army forces and equipment by approximately 2,700 soldiers and 113 helicopters. Fort Carson establishes the new brigade beginning fiscal 2013 and is expected to be completed by fiscal 2014.

The activation of these brigades will increase the capabilities of the active component of the U.S. Army and increase dwell time for aviation units between deployments in support of overseas contingency operations. These combined force structure actions represent integrated changes that support the Army’s transformation requirements.

By: Brant

Monday Video: Afghan Para-Rescue

This Monday's video is sort of an "after the BANG" video... watch life with the pararescue birds in Afghanistan.



By: Brant