Free Republic

The effectiveness of a countermeasure system for the U.S. Army Chinook helicopter to defeat guided missiles was proven in battle, BAE Systems said. BAE said its Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures system has proved its worth in defeating infrared-guided missiles on the battlefield. ATIRCM uses lasers to protect the Chinook from missile attacks. A common missile warning system tells the system to emit a high-energy laser beam to defeat the infrared system on the incoming missile. Jim Crouch, general manager for protection solutions at BAE Systems, said ATIRCM is the best countermeasure system available for combat helicopters . "ATIRCM was put...

Dorset man smuggling parts to Iran, says US By Patrick Sawer A British pensioner is at the centre of a worldwide police hunt after being accused by United States authorities of smuggling military parts to Iran. Brian Woodford, 77, who owns a 17th century manor house and 100-acre estate in Dorset, has been charged in his absence with selling millions of pounds worth of US military and civilian aircraft parts to the Islamic regime in Tehran. His wife Laura was arrested after arriving at San Francisco on a flight from Hong Kong with two catalogues from a Chinese company that...

AL TAQADDUM — Though they are a flock of merely eight, the Army’s CH-47 Chinooks move thousands of pounds of gear and scores of personnel daily. Despite their small number of aircraft, the 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment has handled a large workload since beginning operations in August. With greater capacity, the Army’s Chinooks have spared the Marine Corps’ aircraft approximately 28,000 passengers and almost 2 million pounds of cargo. “They just needed something to fill the gaps until they could get another stateside unit into the rotation,” said Capt. Nelson Gray, a Milan, Ohio native. Gray said the battalion’s...

Chinooks Keep Trucks, Personnel off Perilous Roads The 4th Infantry Division’s Combat Aviation Battalion saves lives by transporting soldiers and equipment. By U.S. Army Spc. Creighton Holub 4th Infantry Division CAMP TAJI, Iraq, July 21, 2006 -- CH-47 Chinook pilots with the 4th Infantry Division’s Combat Aviation Battalion move an average of 40 pallets of equipment and supplies throughout Baghdad every night. They’ve also kept an estimated 3,000 trucks and more than 7,000 soldiers off the roads of Baghdad since their arrival. “We’re preserving democracy one pallet at a time,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Phillip Lopez, a Chinook...

My buddy, a Chinook pilot, posted some of the videos he shot while serving in Iraq. This is one HUGE formation of Chinooks and Blackhawks landing

<p>FALLUJAH, Iraq — The U.S. military grounded all daytime operations by CH-47 Chinook helicopters Monday after Iraqi insurgents downed one the day before, killing 16 soldiers and wounding 20 others.</p> <p>Fox News has confirmed that Chinook operations will be limited to night flights only.</p>

(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Army reportedly is grounding all Chinook helicopters in Iraq during daylight hours, following a deadly attack on a Chinook over the weekend. Press reports on Monday said the Chinooks will fly only at night to avoid becoming targets for America's enemies in Iraq. Fifteen U.S. soldiers died over the weekend when a missile hit a helicopter that was carrying them on the first leg of their journey back to America for some rest and relaxation. Another 16 soldiers were injured, some critically, and they were airlifted to a U.S. military hospital in Germany on Monday. President...