I can't imagine the effort it takes now to keep these aircraft in a fully mission capable status and flying. Even just for a proficiency sortie.
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The Great, Constantly Changing Picture Gallery, Troisième partie: la vengeance!
- Thread starter SynixMan
- Start date
GroundPounder
Well-Known Member
We just hired a guy from that community, he said they were extremely labour intensive.
I'd like to crawl around one, never had the chance.
Looks like AI
December 1990 pic of AF Reserve HH-3E - after receiving hasty modifications of EO/FLIR, Gen 1 Trimble GPS, SATCOM, and IRCM, and new paint redesignated MH-3E - deployed to Saudi Arabia. These were the "OG" Jolly from SEA.
Additional crewmen were carried on combat sorties to act as observers and lookouts. Each lookout carried M8 flare pistol with plenty of ammo do be used for countermeasures against IR missiles in lieu of dedicated flare pods. Crude but effective. Defensive weapons were constrained to M60 pinnacle mounted machine guns. Crews operated with newly introduced ANVIS 6 at the time.
These helos were fully seaworthy and routinely conducted SAREX in Red Sea and Persian Gulf.
Honestly even today, super cool looking.
Additional crewmen were carried on combat sorties to act as observers and lookouts. Each lookout carried M8 flare pistol with plenty of ammo do be used for countermeasures against IR missiles in lieu of dedicated flare pods. Crude but effective. Defensive weapons were constrained to M60 pinnacle mounted machine guns. Crews operated with newly introduced ANVIS 6 at the time.
These helos were fully seaworthy and routinely conducted SAREX in Red Sea and Persian Gulf.
Honestly even today, super cool looking.
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*Needs citation.
I’m willing to accept “crude” without further research.
With that, I cannot argue.
Airman lights self on fire, jumps out…
Fun fact. AF HH-53 (Super Jolly) crews in SEA (from bases in Thailand) routinely transited enroute to SAR cases above 10,000 MSL, safe from ground fire and under protection from EW/jamming platforms.
Crews were required to wear backpack parachutes. These were shed as part of FENCE IN and descent to target.
