But for your average HSM/HSC sortie, the question is - defend against what? These guys are operating in a permissive environment close to mom 99% of the time.
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Sidearms for Naval Aviators
- Thread starter acwildcat
- Start date
And for those of us flying in Iraq, there was no issue with giving us M-11s and M-4s to fly with.
@Brett327 Point taken.
I guess what I am trying to convey, specifically for the Navy helo community - that the mission should in some ways change - nothing would be better for our community thant to see a picture in the news media of a US Navy MH-60 limping back from a mission, fuselage ridden with bullet holes, and CNN there to tell the story of how Navy did something spectatcular with its littoral/"from the sea" capability.
Whether it be evacuating an embassy, rescuing a downed fellow aviator, etc. Man would that drive funding for the helo community or what!
Glory matters.
I guess what I am trying to convey, specifically for the Navy helo community - that the mission should in some ways change - nothing would be better for our community thant to see a picture in the news media of a US Navy MH-60 limping back from a mission, fuselage ridden with bullet holes, and CNN there to tell the story of how Navy did something spectatcular with its littoral/"from the sea" capability.
Whether it be evacuating an embassy, rescuing a downed fellow aviator, etc. Man would that drive funding for the helo community or what!
Glory matters.
Not how it works.
FormerRecruitingGuru
Making Recruiting Great Again
MH-60Rs are in high demand, and given the limits of the overall budget, the community is continuing to get a lot of money because of the capability it brings. The community isn't in a shooting war right now, but don't think for a second that they (along with Sierras) are not in the middle of many of the naval-based news stories you see on the news. You might be surprised.
Bullet ridden aircraft also result in investigations in my community...I'm just sayin'.
Even if we say we're in a War At Sea environment and the USN helos are doing their core overwater missions of ASW and SUW then why bother with a sidearm? If you get zapped overwater odds are you're going swimming in which case all the cool M4s sink to the bottom with the wreckage of your helo and your M11 is just dead weight as you try and inflate your lobes.
Good point. You may need to shoot a scuba tank in the mouth of a giant shark as it charges your precarious position on a sinking boat. But you'd need an M1 for that and not some new tangled black rifle.
If history tells us anything, it's that countless times combatants have regretted bringing a weapon to combat. It's time we take this lesson to heart and avoid bringing weapons to combat in case they make us drown. Or more susceptible to lightning.
Is it a good idea to fly with a sidearm in a combat situation? Sure, why not. An M4 stowed on the seat when flying blue water? What's the point?
If you're truly operating blue water I struggle to find a situation where you could actually use a sidearm but am curious to hear specific reasons you think otherwise.
Now that you're specifying blue water...
Still no. I'd rather have a weapon if I'm fighting a war.
Still no. I'd rather have a weapon if I'm fighting a war.
I guess "overwater" wasn't strong enough. If theres a chance you could crash on land then having an M11 and and M4 is a good idea.
You still haven't said why you'd want a weapon if blue water. What do you imagine someone using this weapon for when floating in the middle of the ocean?