Category Archives: Helicopters

These images will bring you aboard a rescue chopper during a SAR training mission at sea

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Last month, Sardinia Island, Italy, was hit by a tornado, dubbed “Cleopatra” that cost the life of 16 people including 4 children.

Aircraft, helicopters and personnel belonging to all the Italian Armed Forces and Corps joined the relief efforts throughout the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.

Among the units called to support the rescue operations there was also the 670^ Squadriglia, based at Decimomannu airbase, with its AB-212 helicopter.

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The 670^ Squadriglia is tasked with Search And Rescue and its crews daily train to undertake these missions in the mountains or (considered the location of the base on an island), more frequently, at sea.

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In Summer 2013, The Aviationist was invited to take part in a training mission in the Gulf of Cagliari. Alessandro Caglieri and Gian Luca Onnis boarded the AB.212 helicopter and shot the images and footage of the helicopter winching ops.

Launch:

Recovery:

Image credit: Gian Luca Onnis and Alessandro Caglieri

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[Photo] HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter during an anti-piracy boarding exercise

Counterpiracy
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The picture in this post shows a U.S. Air Force HH-60G performing a simulated anti-piracy mission with the HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen involved in Operation Ocean Shield, in the Indian Ocean.

The exercise involved a RHIB (rigid-hulled inflatable boat) and two Pave Hawk choppers used to carry Pararescue jumpers and the team that boarded the ship seized by the pirates, took control of it and then evacuated a wounded pirate.

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Image credit: NATO

 

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Video of Syrian Helicopter surving a surface-to-air missile hit becomes a controversial commercial

Mi-8 helicopter AD
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Footage from the Syrian Air War, showing a Syrian Mi-8 helicopter hit by a surface to air missile was turned into a commercial by a Ukrainian company.

In order to showcase the resilience of their products, Motor Sich, a large aircraft and helicopter engine manufacturer has created a controversial advertising campaign based on the scene of a Hip helicopter (one those aircraft equipped with their engines) surving the direct hit of an IR guided missile in Syria.

Not all Assad’s choppers were so lucky.

The slogan at the end of the commercial is related to the Syrian war: the “Motorsich Akbar” (with Akbar meaning Great in Arabic) hits off the “Allah Akbar” that can be heard repeated endlessly by the rebels in most, if not all, war videos coming from Syria.

Post by Andriy Pryymachenko.

H/T to Andriy Pryymachenko for the heads-up

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Stunning GoPro video shows Marines helicopter underwater escape training

helo dunker
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U.S. Marines must be ready to face any emergency situation and be capable to egress a helicopter, upside down, underwater.

For underwater escape training, a system dubbed “helo dunker” is used.

It consists of a mock up helicopter that is plunged into a pool, and then flipped over as a real aircraft would do upon impact with the water.

U.S. Marines are required to test their ability to fight their way clear of restraint and harness to surface and this is what this particular exercise looks like.


H/T to Business Insider’s Geoffrey Ingersoll for the heads up

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Polish made Black Hawk helicopters in the Colombian Army. Featuring advanced avionics.

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Sikorsky Aircraft has announced (a bit late) that it has passed another two S-70i Black Hawk helicopters to the Colombian Army.

The S-70i version of Black Hawk is being produced in PZL Mielec works in Poland. Beside Colombians the Polish made choppers are used by Saudi Arabia, Armed Forces of Brunei and Mexican Police. What is more the Mielec works also supplies parts for the Black Hawks that are to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The latest two choppers differ from the earlier deliveries. They have new avionics system.

The helicopters have been taken on charge on Aug. 13, 2013 in Sikorsky West Palm Beach factory in Florida. Later they flew a 30 hour trip t0 Tolemaida AB in Colombia, covering a distance of approximately 5,560 km.

The peculiar feature of the chopper is the HTAWS (Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning System) that was developed by Sikorsky in collaboration with Sandel Avionics.

It is similar to TAWS that is present in the fixed-wing aircraft, but at the same time it is adapted to the peculiar features of helicopter flying. The HTAWS works together with the GPS and INS (Inertial Navigation System) navigation systems, digital maps, radar altimeter, heading indicator and air data computer. This allows the HTAWS to provide very accurate data about the position of the chopper, along with e.g. positions of the electric power transmission lines, roads, terrain etc. Voice alerts are provided to warn the pilots.

The system features four sensitivity modes — Normal, Low, Tactical, and Obstacles Only. The last one reduces the number of false alerts in low altitude operations.

Colombia uses seven S-70i along with 96 UH-60L choppers that make it one of the largest Black Hawk Operators.

Jacek Siminski for TheAviationist

Image Credit: Sikorsky

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