Don't worry, these U.S. Marines will not to be flattened by a giant CH-53E Super Stallion Helicopter

June 3, 2012 Helicopters

David Cenciotti

The following impressive images show, the U.S. Marines from the Maritime Raid Force, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, fast-roping from a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter, belonging from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron VMM-261 (Reinforced).

They were taken on May 14, in Jordan, during Exercise Eager Lion 12 a major strategic theater cooperation exercise, including 19 countries and more than 12,000 participants, focusing on irregular warfare, special operations, counterinsurgency and crisis response.

Fast-Rope Insertion Estraction System is a technique used for descending from a helicopter in places where the chopper can’t land or where it doesn’t need to for deploying troops quickly.

This technique was developed by the British during the Falklands War.

Photo by Cpl. Michael Petersheim, 24th MEU

Largest U.S. exercise in Middle East furtively taking place in Jordan. Involving 19 countries and 12,000 military (theaviationist.com)

About David Cenciotti

David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.

Stephen says:

June 3, 2012 at 10:24 PM

I think if I was Assad I’d be wetting myself by now, this is a real step up from 2011 and my feeling is the U.S. & NATO are getting the training right to get the hit right, they will know what they are up against to a very high degree, so when they go in it will be straighter harder and more accurate than Libya..
I;m surprised there hasn’t been more marketing though, as what a great way to promote defection within the Syrian forces, it could end like Egypt where the millitary just say no, we are too scared, or is that dreaming too high…