“My wingman was about 1 mile out my right in perfect position when I grabbed the shot with a zoom lens.”
The stunning photo in this post depicts an AH-64D Longbow Apache with the 1-211th ARB (Army National Guard) returning to base in Salt Lake City after completing a training mission.
The 211th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion (ARB) is an Apache National Guard unit based out of West Jordan, Utah, that has performed the Attack and Scout mission for over 40 years and during three recent deployments: Operation Desert Spring (2001-02) in Kuwait, and OEF V (2004-05) and OEF XII (2012-13) in Afghanistan.
The photo was taken by Rob Williams during a night mission over Utah.
Here’s what Rob wrote to The Aviationist in an email:
“The moonshot represented a rare “target of opportunity”, so we took the shot! We were fortunate in having the timing work out so well. To get the scale right, the camera was positioned about a mile away from the inbound bird.”
The Supermoon on Nov. 14 was the closest a Full Moon has been to Earth since Jan. 26, 1948.
“My wingman was about 1 mile out my right in perfect position when I grabbed the shot with a zoom lens.”
Although the landing was successful and nobody was hurt, the attack chopper had to be moved away from the field and, two days later, the disabled Army helicopter was rescued by a CH-47 that lifted the AH-64 a carried it for 16 miles to the Baytown Airport.
With a 26,000-lb sling load capacity on the central hook the Chinook is capable to lift and carry other aircraft: for instance, in August 2013, a CH-47F Chinook helicopter transported a U.S. Air Force A-7K Corsair II to the Goldstar Museum at Camp Dodge, in Johnston, Iowa.
The paratrooper manages to open the reserve parachute shortly before hitting the ground.
This video was filmed during the Anakonda-16 exercise in Poland. It shows a Polish paratrooper reacting to a problem with his parachute after a jump from 400-500 mt from a C-130 Hercules: the main chute fails and the Polish Army paratrooper has to deploy the reserve canopy that saves his life.
The mishap occurred during an airdrop operation that involved U.S. paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division, British soldiers from the 16th Assault Brigade and Polish Army military from the 6th Airborne Brigade who jumped over Torun, to simulate the take over of a bridge over the Vistula river.
The stunning photographs in this post show some of the 24 AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters that the 2-6 Cavalry Squadron, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade received from the National Guard as part of the Aviation Restructure Initiative in an effort to cut costs in U.S. Army Aviation and to fill the mission capability gap left by the retirement of the OH-58D Kiowa Reconnaissance Helicopter.
The helicopters, that will be complemented by eight RQ-7B Shadow v2 unmanned aerial vehicles, will primarily be used for reconnaissance purposes, even though their impressive firepower will be useful to support ground troops.
“[…] The sensor package on the AH-64D provides greatly enhance optical clarity and subsequently better situational awareness for the aircrews and the ground force commander,” said Maj. Jacob Johnston, Executive Officer, 2-6 Cav. Rgt. in a story by U.S. Army Sgt. Daniel Kyle Johnson.
“The Apache is capable of deploying with a single nose mounted 30mm M230E1 Chain Gun, AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank missiles, and Hydra 70 general-purpose unguided 70mm rockets,” said Johnston. “These weapon systems, combined with the Target Acquisition Data System and the Fire Control Radar, make the Apache an extremely adept fighter.”
The 2-6 Cavalry has started training on the new airframes recently and full mission capability is expected by summer 2017, with support in live-fire exercises in Fall 2016.
“We are able to train with the 30mm chain-gun and 70mm rockets here on the island,” said Johnston. “This capability will ensure we’re ready to fight with a trained and prepared force throughout the Pacific as needed.”
AH-64E Apache Guardians arrived at Wheeler Army Airfield.
Taken on Jan. 6, 2016, the following pictures show four AH-64E Apache Guardians assigned to 16th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), Washington, preparing for take off from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH), Hawaii and then flying in formation and landing at Wheeler Army Airfield, to train with 2-6 Cavalry, 25th CAB.
During their six-month deployment at Wheeler, 16th CAB aircrews will not only take part in several exercises, including Lightning Force and RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific), but will also fill the void of attack/reconnaissance coverage for the 25th Infantry Division after the retirement of the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior.
16th CAB has been the first U.S. Army unit to field the AH-64E when it started operations with the type in 2014. Currently, the U.S. Army plans to procure a total of 690 Guardians, with 634 being remanufactured AH-64Ds and the remainder new-build helicopters.
Image credit: Sgt. Daniel K. Johnson, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade / U.S. Army
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