Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Are Chinook Helicopters Safe?

Soldiers with the 101st Division Special Troops Battalion, 101st Airborne Division watch as two Chinook helicopters fly in to take them back to Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. Spc. Mary L. Gonzalez, CJTF-101 Public Affairs

How Safe Is A Chinook Helicopter? -- Popular Mechanics

Big helos, a vital part of the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan, can thwart high-tech threats. But cruder weapons, like the RPGs that destroyed a Chinook and killed more than a dozen Navy SEALs, can evade current defensive systems and take them down. And the Army's effort to install new defenses is lagging.

The shooting down of a CH-47 Chinook by a Taliban-launched rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) did more than kill 30 Americans, including 17 Navy SEALs. It also highlighted an important vulnerability of U.S. helicopters flying in Afghanistan. Army helicopters have defensive systems that can help protect against guided missiles, but those systems are not effective against cruder, unguided threats like RPGs. New defenses are on the way, but the most advanced system is already behind schedule.

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My Comment: All it takes is one lucky shot in .... something that no preventive measures can stop even with all the best counter-measures and safeguards built in.

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