Machine gun fire from military helicopters flying over downtown Miami Fl. (Just a Drill!)

You Tube ^ | 1/21/13

[Red Steel]

First one is a UH-60 followed by 2 OH-58s over interstate 395.

[spodefly]

I did a YouTube search and found several videos of military training in Miami over the past few years involving Blackhawks and “gunfire” ... from May 8, 2012, April 18, 2011. Also, on the 25th of this month in LA, and in Chicago Aptil 17, 2012.

This isn’t new. It is a little disconcerting though ...

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

A large-scale drill centered around an indoor arena one week before a Super Bowl played in a closed-roof stadium would suggest they’re preparing for New Orleans. I imagine they’d train differently for a situation in an open-air stadium.

I’m not predicting an attack. That’s just my best guess as to what they’re training for.

[steve86]

Really not that much unusual about it -- drills over populated areas have been going on forever -- EXCEPT for the apparent sound of automatic weapons fire. Since there were no flashes, and evidently no empty casings, was the sound even coming from the helos? Was it an automatic air-gun training weapon as one comment suggests? Whether blanks or airgun, if the sounds were coming from the choppers they have the same oppressive effect on the civilian population. I am surprised no drivers freaked out and wrapped cars around each other on that highway, which makes me suspicious the reports were not from the Apaches.

[steve86]

Blackhawk, not Apache.

[DakotaRed]

I find it very curious that we can hear the gunfire very distinctly, but not the helicopters themselves. I crewed the OH-6 and later the OH-58 in the late 60’s and early 70’s and helicopters are not the quietest aircraft around.

[Chode]

nothing like hot brass down the back of your shirt while having a night on the town...

[Chode]

ping...

[Terry Mross]

What this shows is the local police will be with the army against the people.

[Lee N. Field]

So who's paranoid?

The highest comment when I saw it first was from one Mr. Raymond Wilson:

ll say this much for you people....i was in the army for 8 years and my job was being a blackhawk helicopter gunner. never in my career did we EVER go into a populated city for any type of gun related training. i was stationed in savannah GA so u can guess that it was nothng but city. wed have to fly out a good ways to an aerial gunnery range to get qualified. if they are using blank fire over the city, its because they are preparing to fire on city dwellers.the army trains how it fights.

Interesting.

If they're shooting blanks, they're probably raining brass shell casings down on the populace. That could cause some damage, all by itself.

Also, it would be interesting to examine one of the shell cases. Blank cartridges that I've seen have the case mouth crimped closed.

[yldstrk]

that is absolutely not right

[rolling_stone]

Is this what Biden said to buy a couple of boxes of shotgun shells for -big skeet?

[deks]

I don't see this "exercise" being reported by media outside the Miami area, and the link below is the only media I've found that mentions the sound of gunfire from helicopters . . .

Miami residents up on the balconies overlooking downtown Miami have been making amateur videos and posting them on YouTube. Tuesday night one of these videos showed the military helicopters flying over 395, right by the Miami Herald Building.

The amateur footage, shot by Atlanta resident Josh Epperson, also captured the sound of blank rounds being fired. In town for work, Epperson admitted he had no idea what was happening when he filmed the footage. "I heard the machine gun fire and then I hit the deck," he said. "I didn't know what to expect, and it was one of the loudest things I'd ever heard."

http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/21009669615084/military-conducts-training-exercises-in-miami/

[Rebelbase]

I believe the current generation of choppers are much quieter than the old Hueys.

[deks]

Coming to your neighborhood soon? (Video at link)

Black Hawks Used In Military Training Exercise In Miami

January 25, 2013

Thursday night’s training took place near the Stephen P. Clark Center in Miami and a nearby Metrorail station where troops could be seen rappelling from the military choppers onto the Metrorail station platform.

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/01/25/blackhawks-used-in-military-training-exercise-in-miami/

[DakotaRed]

I didn’t crew Huey’s and the 58’s are fairly loud and judging whenever Blackhawks fly over my house, they make a good degree of noise as well.

[Moonman62]

I find it very curious that we can hear the gunfire very distinctly, but not the helicopters themselves.

Being Miami it could have been real machine gun fire not from the helicopters. Mogadishu on the Bay.

(I'm exaggerating a little.)