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Old 1st Sep 2004, 12:03
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RobboRider
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Queensland Australia
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One of the problems with the UH1H as I recall from my days as a grunt (infantryman) in the early 1980s was that they couldn't carry a full infantry section (Aust section = 10 men when at full strength). They carried about 8 fully kitted out troops. So you had to have a helo and a half to carry a section or three to carry two sections.

That proved a logistic problem especially when you wanted the two sections to be landed at different places. The sort of excercise that had the potential for stuff ups etc. Dopey digger getting off at the wrong stop, half the section there and under strength due to delays in the second helicopter etc.

When we got blackhawks the whole section could be lifted in each machine and solved the problem.

Now we go back to the same problem but on the next scale up. Now we can fit 1.8 sections not 2 sections in each helicopter and have to have a second to load the last two blokes.

I'm not saing they aren't a better machine from a pilots, or store carriers perspective but I wonder if the old problem has been missed by some too-young-to-know type person.
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