 Aviation Story, DCS-253-1 Charlie-67 Vietnam, AFBR-MACV-5-2-67 Army, recorded at 3 and 3 quarters. Scene 9, ARAs wild. Try to aim towards the... Just a little right of the finger as we go in. 1, 2, 3, last round, slash. Over. Before the Vietnam conflict, infantry soldiers have always been called upon to march into war. But now with the new concept of air mobility, units of the 1st Cavalry Division Air Mobile at An K and other infantry units in Vietnam are airlifted into battle by helicopters. The coordination involved in this new concept is more complex than meets the eye. Putting this 1st Cav infantry unit into a landing zone or LZ involves various elements. Among these are artillery, armed Chinooks, and aerial rocket artillery or ARA. The first step is to find enemy activity. This is the job of the aerial scouts. They fly at low level in a Bell OH-13, searching areas for Viet Cong activities. After the selection of the landing zone, the coordination and planning is completed. When the operation is to begin, the LZ is prepared by a combination of ordnance. Each phase of the assault is coordinated by the battalion commander and the S-3 officer and artillery liaison officer from a command and control helicopter. According to the timetable set up by the S-3 and battalion commander, if needed there will be an airstrike by the armed Chinooks. The Chinooks strike lasts approximately 5 minutes. Due to its nondiscriminatory nature, the armed Chinook is rarely used when Allied forces or friendly Vietnamese are in the area. Immediately following the Chinook comes the artillery barrage. Artillery is fired for about 5 minutes, but the most important phase of the operation commences just prior to the lifting of the artillery. The lift ships carrying the infantry units are preparing to move into the area. Moving in front of the flight leader of the lift ships are two aerial rocket artillery ships or ARAs. Each ship is equipped with 48 rockets. The ARAs move into the landing zone immediately after the last round. The ARAs move into the landing zone immediately after the last artillery round has exploded. The ARAs are in constant communication with the artillery so that they know the last round has exploded before they make their assault. In their strike, the ARAs use only half of their rockets and then fly support in case of any heavy enemy resistance around the LZ. Now that the LZ has been severely pounded and softened by the artillery and air strikes of many different kinds, the infantry units enter the LZ with the secure knowledge that the initial landing will be secure from the sights of the elusive enemy's weapons. Such a concept of air mobility tactics would fail without the coordination, the planning, and timing, all of which play an important role in securing landing zones for the men of the 1st Cavalry Division Air Mobile. Reporting for the MACB Office of Information, this is Army Specialist Mike Baker. Reporting for the U.S. Army Special Photographic Detachment Pacific, this is Army Specialist Mike Baker.