Unmasking The S-92 Mystery Helicopter In Syria Which Was Spotted Again Near Raqqa

Updated Jul 5, 2020 7:15 PM EDT

A new video has surfaced that shows the same unmarked, gray S-92 Helibus that we identified last March in northern Syria, but this time it was seen supposedly flying over or very near the Islamic State’s defacto capital of al Raqqa. Similar helicopters were originally spotted in Djibouti in 2015, adding to the mystery of who owns and operates them, especially considering the type is not officially in the Pentagon’s active inventory.

The video, which was posted on social media, cuts to V-22 Ospreys, which are also known to be highly active in the region . The Ospreys ferry US special operations forces, US Marines, and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters, which are primarily made up of Kurds, around eastern Syria to battle zones and forward operating bases . With the offensive to rout ISIS from al Raqqa finally underway, it only makes sense that the Ospreys are now flying along the outskirts of the the besieged city. As to the exact mission of the shadowy S-92, we still don’t know.

After our last posting pinpointing the aircraft in Northern Syria, near the Syrian-Turkish border, numerous reports came in with photographic evidence showing the same aircraft, or another with the identical configuration and paint job, flying around the southeast United States. In particular, the aircraft was spotted at Lafayette Regional Airport in Louisiana in early March, and a couple weeks later at Raleigh-Durham International, North Carolina.

In both sightings, there were no discernible markings on the aircraft, but it turns out that an identical S-92 was photographed around the same time with a registration temporarily applied . That registration number is N992SK . This same number was worn by a blue and white S-92 that operated out of Malta from around 2012, while the US was still embroiled in the Libyan conflict, before it was spotted without the tail number in Erbil, Iraq in 2015.

Since then the helicopter appears to have been repainted in the gray tactical scheme we recognize today. Before and after the paint job, the aircraft’s registration was and still is assigned to Leasing Source LLC, which once had its address in Helena, Montana, but is now listed in New Iberia, Louisiana.

The company shares its address and an office building with a hangar and helipad attached with Helicopter Management LLC. The building is set near Acadiana Regional Airport in Louisiana, and right by a large Halliburton campus and the home of Bristow Helicopters US—a major S-92 operator.

Both of these companies—Helicopter Management LLC and Leasing Source LLC—and roughly a dozen others are owned by PHI Inc. we discovered through a SEC filing from 2010. PHI Inc., which is a well established helicopter services provider, describes itself on its website as “the total helicopter company,” and details its history and current operations as follows:

“PHI, Inc. is one of the world’s leading helicopter services companies. Known industry wide for the relentless pursuit of safe, reliable helicopter transportation, PHI offers services to the offshore Oil and Gas, onshore mining, International, Air Medical, and Technical Services industries. The Company’s core business consists of offshore operations in the energy basins around the world. The highly skilled staff of pilots and maintenance technicians gives the company great depth in all areas of operation. The PHI team is composed of highly skilled, dedicated, hardworking and loyal employees. PHI has a long history of operating in the Global Marketplace. In addition to operations in the United States, the company has operated in 43 foreign countries and continues to operate for customers across the globe. PHI helicopters fly 250 miles into the Gulf of Mexico and to locations 200 miles offshore in international waters. PHI’s Headquarters are in Lafayette, Louisiana USA. PHI provides service to the Healthcare industry through its Air Medical Group. Since its inception in 1981, PHI Air Medical Group has grown from one medically equipped helicopter to over 60 helicopters with state of the art medical interiors designed. The current customer list spans the United States and includes many premier health care organizations. The company is considered to be an industry leader in maintenance, technology, and overall operations. The overhaul and maintenance facility based in Lafayette, Louisiana is considered by many to be the premier facility in the world because of its technology and experienced staff. PHI employees conduct routine maintenance and repair work; completely overhaul engines and airframes; operate a state-of-the-art painting facility; study and engineer new parts and lubricants; research new procedures and develop new techniques. As the offshore oil and gas industry moves further out into the Gulf of Mexico, the air medical industry gets more advanced and as international arenas open, PHI plans to be able to meet the needs of customers in any location. PHI provides customers with the safest, most reliable helicopter transportation in the world. As the industry progresses into the 21st century, PHI is primed for any challenge.”

“PHI, Inc. is one of the world’s leading helicopter services companies. Known industry wide for the relentless pursuit of safe, reliable helicopter transportation, PHI offers services to the offshore Oil and Gas, onshore mining, International, Air Medical, and Technical Services industries.

The Company’s core business consists of offshore operations in the energy basins around the world. The highly skilled staff of pilots and maintenance technicians gives the company great depth in all areas of operation. The PHI team is composed of highly skilled, dedicated, hardworking and loyal employees.

PHI has a long history of operating in the Global Marketplace. In addition to operations in the United States, the company has operated in 43 foreign countries and continues to operate for customers across the globe. PHI helicopters fly 250 miles into the Gulf of Mexico and to locations 200 miles offshore in international waters. PHI’s Headquarters are in Lafayette, Louisiana USA.

PHI provides service to the Healthcare industry through its Air Medical Group. Since its inception in 1981, PHI Air Medical Group has grown from one medically equipped helicopter to over 60 helicopters with state of the art medical interiors designed. The current customer list spans the United States and includes many premier health care organizations.

The company is considered to be an industry leader in maintenance, technology, and overall operations. The overhaul and maintenance facility based in Lafayette, Louisiana is considered by many to be the premier facility in the world because of its technology and experienced staff. PHI employees conduct routine maintenance and repair work; completely overhaul engines and airframes; operate a state-of-the-art painting facility; study and engineer new parts and lubricants; research new procedures and develop new techniques.

As the offshore oil and gas industry moves further out into the Gulf of Mexico, the air medical industry gets more advanced and as international arenas open, PHI plans to be able to meet the needs of customers in any location. PHI provides customers with the safest, most reliable helicopter transportation in the world. As the industry progresses into the 21st century, PHI is primed for any challenge.”

Considering one of its handful of S-92 helicopters is flying in a chaotic and excessively dangerous war zone, the “primed for any challenge” mantra seems to be quite accurate. Also note that the company’s major maintenance facility is at the same airport where the gray S-92 was recently spotted. Apparently employees at the airport were told not to photograph it when it arrived according to one spotter.

A PHI helicopters S-92 with the exact same configuration as seen on the gray example., PHI Inc public website

But just because we know who owns the helicopter, or helicopters, we still don’t know exactly who is using them, or even flying them. It could very well be that PHI Inc. leases these helicopters to an agency or to the military, and those governmental institutions fly and operate them. On the other hand, PHI Inc. could be providing “end-to-end” services with the lease, which would include maintenance and crews, including pilots.

Considering the massive helicopter capacity of the US military, contracting out a single or handful of S-92s sounds odd. But for an intelligence agency or the State Department, or even for another country’s military that has far less helicopter capacity than the US military does, outsourcing such a capability set may make more sense than not. Maybe the US government contracted the helicopter on behalf of the SDF, which have zero airlift capabilities of their own—not even for their most elite commanders.

Even through the mysterious S-92 may seem a little less mysterious now, it still hasn’t given up all its secrets. But considering that the battle for Raqqa has just begun, and what comes after could be more perilous than what came before, it won’t likely be the last we will see of the shadowy chopper.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

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更新于美国东部时间2020年7月5日晚上7:15

一段新视频显示，一架未加标识的灰色S-92直升机出现在叙利亚北部，与我们去年3月在叙利亚北部发现的那架相同。但这一次，它似乎在伊斯兰国的实际首都拉卡上空或附近飞行。类似的直升机最早于2015年在吉布提被发现，这更加深了人们对这些直升机所有者和运营者的疑惑，尤其考虑到该型号直升机并未正式列入五角大楼的现役装备清单。

这段发布在社交媒体上的视频切换到了V-22“鱼鹰”倾转旋翼机，这种飞机在该地区也十分活跃。“鱼鹰”负责将美国特种作战部队、美国海军陆战队以及主要由库尔德人组成的叙利亚民主力量（SDF）战士运送到叙利亚东部的战区和前沿作战基地。随着将ISIS从拉卡驱逐出去的攻势终于展开，“鱼鹰”出现在这座被围困城市的郊区也就不足为奇了。至于神秘的S-92的确切任务，我们仍然不得而知。

在我们上次发布消息，指出这架飞机出现在叙利亚北部靠近叙土边境的地区之后，我们收到了大量报告，并附有照片证据，显示同一架飞机，或者另一架配置和涂装完全相同的飞机，在美国东南部上空飞行。尤其值得一提的是，这架飞机于3月初在路易斯安那州拉斐特地区机场被发现，几周后又出现在北卡罗来纳州罗利-达勒姆国际机场。

两次目击事件中，飞机上都没有明显的标记，但后来发现，几乎在同一时间，一架相同的S-92被拍到，当时它临时挂着一个注册号，号码是N992SK。这个号码也曾被一架蓝白相间的S-92使用，该机从2012年左右开始在马耳他运营，当时美国仍在利比亚冲突中。2015年，这架飞机在伊拉克埃尔比勒被发现时，尾号已经丢失。

此后，这架直升机似乎被重新喷涂成了我们今天所见的灰色战术涂装。在重新喷漆前后，这架飞机的注册信息一直都属于 Leasing Source LLC 公司，该公司最初的地址位于蒙大拿州海伦娜市，但现在登记的地址是路易斯安那州新伊比利亚市。

该公司与直升机管理有限公司共用一个地址和一栋办公楼，该办公楼附带机库和直升机停机坪。该建筑位于路易斯安那州阿卡迪亚纳地区机场附近，紧邻哈里伯顿公司的大型园区和布里斯托直升机美国公司（一家主要的S-92直升机运营商）的所在地。

我们从一份2010年的美国证券交易委员会文件中发现，这两家公司——Helicopter Management LLC和Leasing Source LLC——以及其他大约十几家公司都隶属于PHI Inc.。PHI Inc.是一家成熟的直升机服务提供商，在其网站上自称“全方位直升机公司”，并详细介绍了其历史和当前运营情况如下：

PHI公司是世界领先的直升机服务公司之一。PHI以其对安全可靠的直升机运输的不懈追求而闻名业界，为海上油气、陆上采矿、国际、航空医疗和技术服务等行业提供服务。公司的核心业务是在全球能源盆地开展海上作业。公司拥有技术精湛的飞行员和维修技师团队，这使其在所有运营领域都具备强大的实力。PHI团队由技术精湛、敬业奉献、勤奋忠诚的员工组成。PHI在全球市场拥有悠久的运营历史。除了在美国开展业务外，公司还在43个国家开展业务，并持续为全球客户提供服务。PHI直升机的飞行范围可达墨西哥湾250英里，以及国际水域200英里外的地点。PHI总部位于美国路易斯安那州拉斐特市。PHI通过其航空医疗集团为医疗保健行业提供服务。自1981年成立以来，PHI航空医疗集团已从一家医疗机构发展成为一家…… PHI 为超过 60 架直升机配备了最先进的医疗内饰。其现有客户遍布美国，其中包括众多顶尖医疗机构。公司在维护、技术和整体运营方面被公认为行业领导者。位于路易斯安那州拉斐特的维修和大修中心，凭借其先进的技术和经验丰富的员工，被许多人誉为世界一流的设施。PHI 的员工负责日常维护和修理工作；对发动机和机身进行全面大修；运营最先进的喷漆车间；研究和开发新的零部件和润滑油；研究新的流程并开发新技术。随着海上油气行业向墨西哥湾的进一步拓展，航空医疗行业也在不断发展，随着国际市场的开放，PHI 计划满足任何地区客户的需求。PHI 为客户提供世界上最安全、最可靠的直升机运输服务。随着行业迈入 21 世纪，PHI 已做好充分准备迎接任何挑战。

“PHI公司是世界领先的直升机服务公司之一。PHI公司以不懈追求安全可靠的直升机运输而闻名于业内，为海上石油天然气、陆上采矿、国际、航空医疗和技术服务行业提供服务。

公司的核心业务是在全球能源盆地开展海上作业。公司拥有技术精湛的引航员和维护技术人员团队，这使其在各个作业领域都具备强大的实力。PHI团队由一群技术精湛、敬业奉献、勤奋努力且忠诚的员工组成。

PHI在全球市场拥有悠久的运营历史。除美国本土外，该公司还在43个国家开展业务，并持续为全球客户提供服务。PHI直升机可飞越墨西哥湾250英里，并抵达国际水域200英里外的地点。PHI总部位于美国路易斯安那州拉斐特市。

PHI 通过其航空医疗集团为医疗保健行业提供服务。自 1981 年成立以来，PHI 航空医疗集团已从最初的一架配备医疗设备的直升机发展到拥有 60 多架配备最先进医疗内饰的直升机。其现有客户遍布美国各地，其中包括众多顶尖医疗机构。

该公司在维护、技术和整体运营方面被公认为行业领导者。位于路易斯安那州拉斐特的维修和大修中心，凭借其先进的技术和经验丰富的员工，被许多人誉为世界一流的设施。PHI 的员工负责日常维护和修理工作；对发动机和机身进行全面大修；运营最先进的喷漆车间；研究和开发新零件和润滑油；探索新工艺并开发新技术。

随着海上油气产业向墨西哥湾深处推进，航空医疗产业日趋成熟，国际舞台也日益开放，PHI计划满足全球各地客户的需求。PHI致力于为客户提供全球最安全、最可靠的直升机运输服务。迈入21世纪，PHI已做好充分准备迎接任何挑战。

考虑到该公司为数不多的几架S-92直升机之一正在混乱且极其危险的战区执行任务，“随时应对任何挑战”的口号似乎相当贴切。另需注意的是，该公司的主要维修设施就位于最近发现这架灰色S-92直升机的同一机场。据一位目击者称，机场工作人员似乎被告知不要在直升机抵达时拍照。

一架PHI S-92直升机，其配置与灰色样机完全相同。（PHI公司官方网站）

但即便我们知道直升机的所有者是谁，我们仍然不清楚究竟是谁在使用它们，甚至是谁在驾驶它们。PHI公司很可能将这些直升机租赁给某个政府机构或军方，由这些政府机构负责飞行和运营。另一方面，PHI公司也可能通过租赁提供“端到端”服务，包括维护和机组人员（包括飞行员）。

考虑到美军庞大的直升机运力，外包一架或几架S-92直升机听起来有些奇怪。但对于情报机构、国务院，甚至是直升机运力远逊于美军的其他国家军队而言，外包这种能力或许更有意义。也许美国政府是代表叙利亚民主军（SDF）签订了直升机合同，因为叙利亚民主军自身没有任何空运能力——即使是最精锐的指挥官也无法使用。

尽管神秘的S-92如今似乎不再那么神秘，但它仍然没有完全揭开所有秘密。考虑到拉卡之战才刚刚开始，而接下来的局势可能比之前更加危险，我们恐怕还会再次见到这架神秘的直升机。

联系作者：Tyler@thedrive.com

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