The Meanest looking "Chook" you have ever seen..

[BigMike]

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a3/Micksphotos/mh47g7ta.jpg

[R22DRIVER]

Awsome Picture BigMike!

Im Sure it will have SaSLess foaming at the mouth! :ok:

[Ian Corrigible]

It's easy to see why the FARE aircraft are called Fat Cows...! :E

I/C

[SASless]

http://www.chinook-helicopter.com/chinook/images/64_13149.jpg

Four ACH-47A's were produced....named "Easy Money, Stump Jumper, Birth Control, and Cost of Living". Easy Money is the sole survivor...the other three were lost in combat operations in Vietnam.

Armament consisted of five .50 Caliber Browning M-2's MG's, two 20mm cannon, 2.75 inch Rockets, and a 40mm Grenade Launcher.

[g-mady]

Couldn't agree more...First picture is awsome!
MADY

[SASless]

http://www.chinook-helicopter.com/news/Afghanistan/Cobra_b.jpg

[BigMike]

Is this a new self defence mod?

[albatross]

SASless and BigMike
Would you be so kind as to let me steal those photos in order to post them here?
Thanks
Albatross

Fine Scale Modeler Helicopter forum

http://www.finescale.com/FSM/CS/forums/601144/ShowPost.aspx

[BigMike]

albatross, photo is from a thread on the 160th SOAR on militaryphotos.net

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=40746&page=4&highlight=160th

There is a some great footage of the SF guys driving an inflatable into the back of it, while they hover in water. Its on a video link posted there.

[BigMike]

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/3537/zodiaclaunch0wh.jpg

[SASless]

Best we ever did was pull water skiers at Lake Tolocco....smack dab in front of the Base Commander who was not amused. Very short, succinct briefing by the Multi-engine Branch commander (a full Colonel) who was even less amused. Hand Salute...about turn...back to work sitting a lot lower in the seat.

[Thomas coupling]

http://onfinite.com/libraries/834916/240.jpg

[SASless]

Pretty darned good camo that....even Bloggs looks fuzzy!

[Droopy]

I wonder why they bothered with the chocks...

[Robbo Jock]

TC,

What's the drainpipe strapped to the side of the beast ? Early version of SkyShout ? Outside loo ?

Ta.

[SASless]

I just dig the shiny white aiming points on the flight suit....that would come in real handy in an E&E situation! I guess you stop...call a time out and then start de-rigging yer pickle suit for the neo-tactical look.

[Thud_and_Blunder]

Pull up a sand-bag, swing the lantern...

The drainpipes were the ejection chute for the M134 (dodgy arms-market purchase; GE man spent some time at the FOB helping to get them working). The det's 5 RAF Regiment gunners became the port-side operators for all ops after these were fitted, the other position shown here being manned by the No.2 crewman.

After the first night's tasking it was abundantly clear to all concerned that the IRR desert cam paint glowed in the dark. Our excellent JNCO engineers were given the task of nipping down to the local souk and obtaining all the dark paint they could get their hands on. I can't remember exactly how much they found, but it wasn't enough for a full repaint even when the stuff was fully thinned-down. Hence the stripe effect. While they were painting ZA712 'R' one of the lads kicked the paint bucket while they were doing the cabin roof - that aircraft ended up with a mixed pattern with WW2-style broad stripes as well as the small dashes.

SASless - looking at the scenery, I'd say this shot was taken post-GW1 during the operation to assist the Kurds in Turkey/ NW Iraq. You can rest assured that Mk14s with kneepads were never worn on Op Jena tasking.

As an afternote, one of these aircraft was still in this paintscheme several months later when it went over to do its share of tasking in N Ireland. The cam was surprisingly effective there too, although the dept of the MoD then carrying out the Wessex paintscheme trials (Light Dove Grey Walters seemed particularly unpopular with the customers...) were deeply unimpressed. It seems local initiative on the part of our Gulf groundcrew was seen to undermine their all-embracing remit to decide UK Armed Forces paint jobs. Still, these aircraft weren't the first to use non-approved schemes - anyone from the AAC care to recount the 'thinking' behind the change from black/green to light grey/grass green? Scientific selection didn't exactly come into it...

[Blind Bob]

Sorry Thud and Blunder, but the selection of paint schemes on Army aircraft was very scientific!
The RAF boffins came over to Hildesheim, Germany in 1983/4 with lots of Motorola cameras and tape recorders and a couple of Pumas. We painted some aircraft (lynx & gazelle) in the light grey and green, and left others in the black/dark green. They all had camera mount fitted to the skids and the recorder inside. The aircraft then flew pre-selected routes and heights against each other until either was seen. The tapes would then be played back to confirm what gave the opposition away! After 2 weeks fun and games the light grey/light green was the best all-round in the low level environment. The black /dark green was great against the tree line, but most were detected when breaking the skyline or crossing light coloured fields.
PS. The Pumas would have been best painted light grey for the altitudes they were flying at! Only joking, they did a great job and we all missed each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Thud_and_Blunder]

Hi Bob,

Good to hear from someone directly involved. The trial, as you say, involved a choice between the 2 schemes. It was the way the new scheme was devised which wasn't exactly scientific; STANOC (which IIRC stood for Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Night Observation and Countersurveillance) suggested a blend of green tones very similar to what adorns the Harrier and Chinook fleet these days. Similar trials using the RAF's route-recce Gazelle (used for several years by 7 and 18 Sqns) wearing that scheme showed it to be a better all round cam cover than the stripes. Not of course that the RAF would ever stoop so low as to blame all low-flying complaints about green Chicken-Legs on the AAC...

Word on the street when I taught at Wallop in the mid-80s was that the Brigadier wanted grey and green to match the new urban-centric doctrine, but it had to be different from the Crab colours!

[pumaboy]

Hi Big Mike

This has to be the coolest Chook I have ever seen.

And I'm a big Chook fanatic!!!!::

:)