AH-1 Cobra Rockets and Guns run

This is a video I took while sitting on top of OP Left at 29 Palms, California in the Quackenbush impact area on February 2, 2008.. This video is not the best quality because it was taken from a digital camera. What you will see is mortar fire suppressing a notional anti aircraft enemy target. To the right you you will see a glowing mark, that is the artillery illumination mark that I called in I believe. (I forget I called so many in that day). The Cobra then comes in and the FAC (Forward Air Controller) tells the pilot from the mark, where the target is. The pilot once cleared "hot" first attacks with his 20mm machine gun, then follows up with a barrage of rockets (you will see them fired the second time it comes around and the impacts will be on the lower mid left). The pilot is cleared for an immediate re-attack and comes in and does his run again. The pilot then egresses and is covered by mortar suppression. The 81mm mortar platoon is 2/23 Weapons Company, and the firing artillery battery is 5/14 November battery (my unit), both reserve units. Hope you enjoy, any Marines feel free to correct any inaccuracies.

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[Matthew Wilkins]

Artillery or motors is usually used to mark the target...the target can be lased too among other things.

[reest2002]

TACP school?

[Matthew Wilkins]

Negative. It was just a mini CAX for us reservists. lol

[heven729]

Its just dust that's kicked up by the rounds hitting the target. The rockets they're using probably are inert training ones, probably the reason you just see dust but no explosion.

[ABOM420]

and is that a smoke rounds that their launching??

I dont see a flash but i can hear a slight pop so im not sure, never really called artillery in lmfao.

[ABOM420]

lmfao how come reservists are the only ones i see online or meet.

one of my friends has an old friend in sec. ops and he doesnt do shit.

all the warriors out there are completley unheard from.

well now thinking i guess its up to you guys that lucked out with a workin camera, and civilians to get them heard.

[ABOM420]

well in WW2 theyed light fuel dumps on fire if they didnt have smoke to mark for bombing runs so it seems likley theyd do generally the same thing for choppers sense no laser just like back then

[KingofKeys85]

Yeah i remember that day...

it was cold as fuck but it was a good shoot...

Oorah...

[UH1Huey3113]

Semper Fi, bro. Glad to know we got this kind of firepower on our side. I'm a fellow reservist out of NAS Atlanta with MALS-42, MAG-42. Stay safe.