Combat Search & Rescue (CSAR) Part 1: USAF Super Jolly Green Giant HH-53Ds

An USAF F-105 Thunderchief "Thud" fighter-bomber pilot is shot down over Vietnam on an Airborne Forward Air Controlled (AFAC) strike mission. The call goes out to a pair of USAF HH-53D Jolly Green Giant, long-range, armored rescue helicopters armed with 3 x 7.62mm mini-Gatling guns on both sides and rear ramp with two Pararescue (PJs) on-board ready to winch down through vegetation to render medical assistance if the downed airman or aircrew below need it. These are the same kinds of excellent Sikorsky helicopters used for many daring raids and special missions by the Israeli Defense Force today and were highly successful making the 1970 Son Tay Prison Camp a legend:

http://www.combatreform.org/sontay.htm

However, even these armored and armed helicopters are not invincible if misused by dumbass marines to land themselves onto open beaches at Koh Tang island in 1975:

http://www.combatreform.org/kohtang.htm

Other misuse was taking Navy minesweeping RH-53Ds and putting dumbass marine pilots in them that screwed up the 1980 Iranian hostage rescue mission:

http://www.combatreform.org/c130.htm

After the USMC-created Iranian fiasco, specialized MH-53J Pave Low III helicopters were created with night/adverse weather penetration aids flown by REAL special operations aviators--not marine chest-beating, clowns. When USAF pilot Captain Scott OGrady was shot down over Bosnia in 1995, the resentful Navy and marine corps endangered dozens of lives insisting they fly a daylight mission to rescue him when night-qualified USAF MH-53Js and crews were ready immediately that night to do the job correctly. Fortunately, the CH-53E Super Stallion is a fast and sturdy helicopter and even though the marines tried hard to fuck it up by landing next to a fence so one choppers ramp couldnt even go down, OGrady was brought home--thanks to Divine Providence.

http://www.combatreform.org/pathfind.htm

As good as the H-53 series is, it loses 10% of its lifting power through the tail-rotor and Frank Piaseckis H-47 Chinook is more efficient and the star performer in thin-air Afghanistan. The USAF is replacing its MH-53Js for the CSAR mission with the HH-47 Super Chinook which will have a wider interior fuselage capable of rolling-off tracked fighting vehicles like a reduced-size M113 Mini-Gavin so PJs can land away from the threat and swoop in by cross-country, armored maneuver to rescue downed aircrew.

http://www.combatreform.org/USARMYAVATONDIGEST/superchinook.htm

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• usaf
• ch-53
• hh-53
• jolly
• green
• giant
• helicopters
• f-105
• thunderchief
• vietnam
• a-1
• skyraiders
• fighter-bomber
• csar
• minigun

[fushheads]

Suspected truck park. I quote an old air force song "We've got suspected VC trees. Treebuster oh Treebuster!"

[catch22af]

jolly 1 and jolly 2

[Stickman53fe]

Minor detail; These were USAF HH-53Cs, not Ds in the video. The USAF never had the D model, but modified it's remaining fleet of CH/HH-53Bs and Cs to the MH-53H/J and eventually M status. The MH-53H was originally designed for CSAR, but eventually became a SOF platform that performed well during it's secondary mission in CSAR.

[stiffler2785]

this is great! im gonna be taking my PAST for pararescue jumper in 3 months.

[yourass117]

This is great! I've been searching for this for like 2 years!

[locosurf13]

hooyah green feet

[QIQrrr]

Great upload! Thanks.