 Okay, move out. Here's Stan Bishop, your host for this issue of the Big Picture. Army aircraft plays an essential role on today's battlefield in close support of our fighting men. But aircraft is, of course, vulnerable to enemy ground fire. To learn about the risks involved when helicopters fly combat missions, the U.S. Army Combat Development Command is testing aircraft survivability under simulated battlefield conditions. This and other stories on today's program of your Army report. When army aircraft fly combat missions, what are their chances of survival? Does terrain, altitude, speed, or tactics affect their survivability? To answer these questions, army aircraft was subjected to combat conditions on this simulated battlefield at Hunter League at Military Reservation in California. Here the U.S. Army Combat Development Command conducted the Army aircraft survivability experiment. Data was recorded by a measurement system, one unit of which was mounted in the aircraft and included a tape recorder while portable units were located with troop positions on the ground. By pressing buttons, the ground troops and air crews could automatically record when events took place. A combat action trial began with the air crew briefing. The flight leaders specified the flight path, altitude, and speed and informed the crews that they will encounter enemy resistance somewhere along the way. A number of army aircraft took part in the testing. The CH-47 Chinook flew troop lifts and supply missions. The Mohawk flew infrared and photo reconnaissance. And the Iroquois performed escort and troop lift support missions. The aircraft flew from below treetop level to higher altitudes. In camouflage ground position, the simulated enemy troops were on red alert. They were not told when the trials began. The interaction between the aircraft and the ground troops was automatically recorded on tape for later study. Drone targets represented army aircraft for the next phase using live gun fire. They were picked up and towed targets in the course in front of five gun positions. As the target approached each position, it was fired upon. The gun muzzle blast was sensed by a microphone and recorded. Distance impulses were also recorded for later analysis. On recovery of the target, the number and location of hits were noted. A courier delivered the information gathered in the field test at the computer laboratory. Electronically, the hits and misses around the target were recorded. Provide information about survival probabilities for army aircraft in a wide range of combat situations. The valuable results of these tests give military planners a yardstick for measuring the hazards involved in combat missions. Fort Gulick in the Panama Canal Zone, army special forces instructors are conducting a distinctive type of parachute training known as halo, meaning high altitude, low opening. Jumpers are being trained to descend upon the enemy from an altitude high enough to avoid detection either by radar or the human eye or ear. Class of highly qualified parachute, this has been hand-picked with a special halo training. The new type jumpsuits equipped with oxygen supply and altimeters are explained to the students. They also learn methods of parachute rigging for the new shoot design. Throughout the five-week intensive training course, proper exit from the aircraft and landing position is stressed. From the top of an ordinary table, trainees are taught the special body position required because of the equipment load. Proper control of the parachute enables them to regulate the rate of descent and erection of drift. This is not a swimming party. It is more of the exacting training subject to body control and maneuver during free fall. The density of the water simulates the effect of a solid mass of moving air when parachute. With the jumping fundamentals thoroughly understood, the students make dizzying leaps from the practice tower. The fall is broken by a safety rig attached to the trainees. Instructors make notes from the students' performance and indicate improvement. This mock-up of an aircraft doorway stresses proper exit and body control. To jump to 4,000 feet, the students exhibit good form as they drop from the aircraft. They free fall for five seconds before their shoots open. Other jumpers follow, exercising control of their body and parachute as they move toward the drop zone. On the ground of the drop zone, instructors study the descent techniques of the students. They observe that each man is getting maximum results from his special-purpose parachute. Finally, the jumpers' land is prescribed for 15,000 feet. Here, these qualified paratroopers use the specially designed halo equipment, wearing up to 80 pounds per man combat gear. Should the jumper fail to open his main shoot, an altimeter with an automatic timing device opens the reserve shoot at 4,000 feet. These special warfare paratroopers utilize maximum free fall to avoid detection by the enemy. For landing accuracy, body control in the free fall is vital. Our soldiers in South Vietnam are there to help the people maintain their independence by carrying the action to the enemy. The search and destroy tactics developed by our forces in Vietnam means just what it says. To search out the enemy, no matter how difficult the terrain, to engage him in battle and in the end, to destroy him. The fertile plain of the Mekong River Delta is the scene of intensive search and destroy operations by Allied forces. The heavy annual rainfall in the Delta makes it one of the world's great rice-growing areas and therefore an area which must be kept from enemy control. The broad plain looks peaceful, but the Viet Cong use this deceptively serene appearance to their advantage with the help of camouflage. Operation kickoff, a typical search and destroy mission mounted by the 173rd Airborne Brigade and attached unit, is directed against an enemy concentration some 35 miles southwest of Saigon. Beginning last year, Allied forces have mounted continual search and destroy operations in order to find the Viet Cong, no matter how well-hidden in the local terrain and meet him in combat on his own terms. This flat open country provides a haven for the enemy, enabling him to remain undetected for long periods until ready to strike. As the Allied force pushes forward, one unit engages a hardcore, well dug-in Viet Cong battalion. A call is made for artillery and air support, as American wounded are rushed from the front lines by helicopters to field dispensaries in the rear. The rapid evacuation of casualties in the face of enemy fire is made possible by smooth cooperation between medical and combat units. Then the troops move ahead through the rice paddies, often in knee-deep water and mud, in order to avoid possible enemy ambush along the hard-ground paths of the dykes. Security groups cover the flanks as the men advance cautiously, always on the alert with the slightly built Viet Cong who can easily hide in the surrounding grass. Farmhouses near the area are searched and the identification papers of all males inspect. The local people are questioned by unit leaders. A thorough search of this particular farmhouse yields a variety of weapons and equipment, and a denial of ownership. Further questioning reveals that the small boats found nearby were used by the Viet Cong for transport on the adjoining waterway. Also discovered are two live US 106 millimeter shells adapted for use as mine. A demolition expert prepares to dispose of a high explosive round. Women and children are taken to safety, and all the troops stand clear as the shells are exploded. Suspected VC are rounded up. The enemy's familiarity with the local countryside and his closeness to the soil works in his favor, in both maneuver and in the ability to quickly assume a false identity, such as that of a farmer. Because of the evidence found, these suspects will be transferred to a central point for further interrogation. They are bound and blindfolded, depending their transport to headquarters intelligence. Men of the 173rd Airborne Brigade making the arrest supply the reason for suspicion, the place of capture and any other pertinent data. The information gained from the interrogation of these enemy suspects is of invaluable worth in knowing where to look for Viet Cong during the next search and destroy mission, thereby saving American lives on some future battlefields. The central highland, the plateau area of Vietnam, varies in elevation from 600 to 1600 feet, with a few peaks rising much higher. Here is covered with bamboo and tropical forest, interspersed with fog. Although a unit on foot usually moves at a very slow rate, while the rolling open area is suitable for the rapid movement of armored warfare. However, both types of terrain must be denied the enemy. An estimated 600,000 mountain yards live in the central highlands in Vietnam. They are primitive tribal people living in relative isolation from the rest of the country. They speak their own language and maintain their own cultural traditions and ways of life. The mountain yards view strangers with suspicion and distrust, because they fear a threat to their ancestral land. United States Army special forces have succeeded in establishing friendly relationships with many of the tribesmen and enlisting their aid in the common fight against the communist intruders into the area. In the highlands between Placue and the Cambodian border, the combat seasoned men of the first cavalry division supported by the Vietnamese strike troop take part in a search and destroy mission called Matador. The division is coordinating reconnaissance by both ground and air units for maximum effectiveness. The division's recon helicopters make daily flights to locate the enemy and their missions are paralleled by a fast-moving armed jeep operating on the ground to keep in constant touch with choppers overhead. When Viet Cong present is suspected, a ground observer radios division headquarters for the choppers to bring in the troops to attack an enemy position. While troops are loading, the pilots receive a last-minute briefing before takeoff. This new air and ground team concept has already proved valuable in the Vietnam fight, where the prompt delineation of a target area may spell the difference between success and failure. Area screens from aerial observation by adverse terrain features such as the jungle canopy are covered by the highly mobile ground reconnaissance team. Working together day after day, the jeeps and copters continue their relentless pursuit of enemy forces. But very little direct contact is made with the always elusive Viet Cong. Well-armed soldiers establish perimeter defense positions around the possible helicopter landing area and also provide protective cover for local, friendly farmers. The high degree of coordination between the air and ground units provides a continuous harassment of enemy forces in the area and keeps them off-ballot. Returning to their base of operations, the copter pilots land on a plateau of the central highland. One of the first things the soldier thinks of upon coming back is mail from home. Perhaps there is even time for a quick reply. Between missions, men of the 1st Cavalry Division do a little preventive maintenance on their weapons. An effective item of ordnance issued the troops is the Springfield Automatic Grenade Launcher, which fires 40mm grenade. And as before, a new mission is assigned and after refueling, the reconnaissance aircraft takes off. For yet another, the continuous ground air coordinated search and destroy thrusts directed at a well-hidden enemy. The so-called Iron Triangle to the north of Saigon, like so much of Vietnam, enjoys a warm climate and heavy rainfall, favoring the rapid growth of vegetation, most of which is rice cultivation, two crops a year. It is also the location of many rubber plantations. Members of the 101st Airborne Division are briefed at the command post outside the city of Ben Cot in the Iron Triangle area. Word has been received that Viet Cong forces are entrenched in one of the big rubber plantations to the west. The mission of the unit is to land by helicopter and sweep the plantations of any hostile forces. Air observation of such rubber plantations is difficult, so the Viet Cong use these areas as assembly points for men and supplies. However, by the time friendly informants point out enemy hiding places, the gorillas have already fled. The plantations are found to be honeycombs with tunnels and dugouts and are a prime target of our search and destroy mission. The maze of underground passageways are scoured, but only a few items, like this propaganda poster, are discovered. The tools also search nearby fields and thick patches of wood, which sometimes yield frightened families hiding from the Viet Cong. They are escorted to a safe central collection point. The men continue to advance slowly, realizing there may be die-hard snipers still in the area. Later, sniper fire is encountered and mortar rounds are directed at the gorilla positions. The mortar barrage neutralizes the sniper fire and contact with the VC is not established. While troops continue the search, other soldiers secure the roads and bridges in the area. Jeep crews load gerry cans with fresh water at a shallow river pour. The water will be boiled for purification and then cooled before use. The men of 101st Airborne Division pause on the tropical heat to refresh themselves before continuing their search and destroy cycle. During a lull in the operation, the battalion chaplain arrives by Jeep and conducts open air services for the men of the unit. The combat soldier realizes the need for spiritual as well as physical strength to stay in the fields, jungles, and rice paddies of strife-torn Vietnam. But whatever the area, in a country of varied and difficult terrain, the search and destroy operation is one way to gain and maintain an advantage over a tenacious enemy. We can be justly proud of our soldiers serving in Vietnam who are continuing the magnificent tradition of the United States Army. Now this is Sergeant Major Stan Bishop bringing to a close this issue of Your Army Report.