This Video Of A CH-47 Extracting Soldiers Off A Ridge Reminds Us Why The Chinook Rules

Updated Feb 6, 2019 4:03 AM EST

The H-47 Chinook is one incredible flying machine. As it closes in on the start of its seventh decade of service, the “Hooker” has never been more capable and the U.S. Army is slated to keep upgrading and operating the type for decades to come. But nowhere has the Chinook been more highly valued than on the harsh battlefield of Afghanistan.

The Chinook’s ability to carry large numbers of troops and materiel into ‘hot and high’ locations, and despite is ungainly fame, its ability to access personnel in precarious places, have been a godsend to troops fighting in America’s longest war. Case in point, this awesome FLIR footage from an AH-64 Apache’s TADS targeting system showing a Chinook plopping its butt on a narrow ridge-line to extract a large group of soldiers. The maneuver is called a “pinnacle landing” and it has proved to be an invaluable tactic during the 17 years of war in Southwest Asia.

The video was taken during an operation in 2012. In it the Apache crew gives some play-by-play, noting in far more colorful terms that the angle of the Chinook’s rear blades could be hazardous to the troops approaching the helicopter unless they duck. This is especially true considering the CH-47 is basically balancing on its rear gear and it could porpoise up or down at any given moment. Even the helicopter’s ramp looks like it is only partially opened due to the steep angle of the helicopter.

It looked like nearly 30 troops and their gear would end up boarding the CH-47. The Apache crew also repeatedly says that they need to hurry, so it seems that this exfiltration occurred during a fairly hostile situation.

Pinnacle landings aren’t all that rare in the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan. Pictures of these maneuvers have gone viral on the net and there are videos of them occurring under various combat circumstances.

Special operations and counter-terror units also leverage the tactic to quickly load and unload onto building rooftops.

One of the most iconic pictures from the war in Afghanistan is of a CH-47 making a pinnacle landing on a disheveled rooftop high up in the mountains to pick up some prisoners. Here is the pilot’s account of that image. , DoD

The maneuver was also used 50 years ago in Vietnam, a war in which the Chinook originally received it reputation for a being fast, resilient, surprisingly maneuverable and incredibly useful.

Chinook executing a pinnacle landing at an outpost in Vietnam., Public Domain

A maritime variation of the maneuver called the “Delta Queen” is used to rapidly recover special operations teams in small boats.

For highly experienced CH-47 pilots, pinnacle landings aren’t that challenging under ideal circumstances, but the higher you get, and add in wind, the darkness of night, the threat of enemy action, and especially the angle of the surface in relation to the Chinook’s rear blades , things can get very dicey fast.

So once again, here’s to the mighty and ultra versatile Chinook. Whether it be extracting troops off a ragged ridge-line, hauling away super-sized cargo , coughing-up Humvees from its cargo hold , whisking special operators in and out of hostile territory , Boeing’s legendary design continues to be more valuable than ever.

The U.S. Army is currently putting its Hooker fleet through an elaborate and l ong roadmap of upgrades , and the latest version of the tandem-rotor icon, the CH-47F, is in competition to supply Germany and Israel with their next heavy-lift multi-mission helicopters.

But still, Afghanistan will be remembered as the Chinook’s war, for both bitter and sweet reasons. Make sure to read all about its exploits Afghanistan in this special guest feature by Ed Darack, author of

The Final Mission Of Extortion 17.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

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更新于美国东部时间2019年2月6日凌晨4:03。

H-47“支奴干”是一款性能卓越的飞行器。随着它即将迈入服役的第七十个十年，“胡克”的性能从未如此强大，美国陆军也计划在未来几十年内继续对其进行升级和使用。然而，在阿富汗的残酷战场上，“支奴干”的价值更是无与伦比。

奇努克直升机能够将大量部队和物资运送到“炎热高海拔”地区，尽管它名声不佳，但其在险峻地带开展人员救援的能力，对于参与美国历时最长战争的部队来说，无疑是天赐之物。例如，这段由AH-64阿帕奇武装直升机的TADS目标指示系统拍摄的精彩FLIR视频，就展现了一架奇努克直升机在狭窄的山脊线上降落，成功撤离了一大批士兵。这种机动被称为“山脊着陆”，在西南亚长达17年的战争中，它已被证明是一种极其宝贵的战术。

这段视频拍摄于2012年的一次行动中。视频中，阿帕奇机组人员对行动过程进行了详细的解说，他们用更为生动的语言指出，奇努克直升机的后旋翼角度可能对接近直升机的士兵构成危险，除非他们蹲下躲避。考虑到CH-47基本上是靠后起落架保持平衡，随时可能上下颠簸，这一点尤其危险。由于直升机倾斜角度过大，甚至连坡道看起来都只打开了一部分。

看起来将有近30名士兵及其装备登上了CH-47直升机。阿帕奇机组人员也反复表示他们需要抓紧时间，因此这次撤离行动似乎是在相当敌对的情况下进行的。

在阿富汗的山区地形中，高空着陆并不罕见。这些行动的照片在网上疯传，还有在各种战斗情况下进行此类行动的视频。

特种作战部队和反恐部队也利用这种战术快速装卸建筑物屋顶上的物资。

阿富汗战争中最具标志性的照片之一，是一架CH-47直升机在山顶一处破败的屋顶上进行高空降落，接走一些战俘。以下是飞行员对这张照片的描述。（美国国防部）

50年前，越南战争中也曾使用过这种战术，而奇努克直升机正是在那场战争中赢得了速度快、韧性强、机动性好、用途广泛的美誉。

一架奇努克直升机在越南前哨基地执行了一次高空着陆。（公共领域）

该战术的一种海上变体被称为“三角洲女王”，用于快速回收乘坐小型船只的特种作战小组。

对于经验丰富的 CH-47 飞行员来说，在理想情况下进行高空着陆并不算太难，但是高度越高，再加上风、夜色、敌方行动的威胁，尤其是地面与奇努克直升机后旋翼的角度，情况就会很快变得非常危险。

所以，再次向强大而用途广泛的奇努克直升机致敬。无论是从崎岖的山脊线上撤离部队，运输超大型货物，从货舱中卸下悍马军车，还是将特种作战人员快速送入和撤离敌对领土，波音公司的这款传奇设计都比以往任何时候都更具价值。

美国陆军目前正在对其胡克直升机机队进行一项复杂而漫长的升级计划，而最新版本的串列旋翼标志性直升机 CH-47F 正在参与竞争，以向德国和以色列供应其下一代重型多用途直升机。

但无论如何，阿富汗战争仍将被人们铭记为奇努克直升机的战争，其中既有苦涩的，也有甜蜜的。请务必阅读埃德·达拉克（Ed Darack）撰写的这篇特邀文章，了解奇努克直升机在阿富汗的英勇事迹。埃德·达拉克是《奇努克直升机》一书的作者。

勒索17的最终任务。

联系作者：Tyler@thedrive.com

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