Mark Tyson
Member
The Washington Post November 18, 2003
Low-Tech Grenades A Danger to Helicopters
By Renae Merle
For the hundreds of U.S. helicopters ferrying troops and supplies around Iraq, one of the most persistent dangers is also an old one: rocket-propelled grenades.
The low-tech weapons have been mentioned as possible culprits in three helicopter crashes this month, including Saturday's collision of two Black Hawks -- the deadliest single incident for U.S. forces so far. On Nov. 2, a CH-47 Chinook was brought down by a surface-to-air missile, killing 16 soldiers headed for a short-term break, followed a few days later by the loss of a UH-60 Black Hawk. The Pentagon said the causes of all three crashes are still unclear. The second incident involving a Black Hawk may not have been enemy fire, but mechanical fire, a spokesman said.
But in the wake of the first incident, acting secretary of the Army R.L. Brownlee ordered all helicopters in Iraq and Afghanistan to be equipped with the "most effective defensive systems we have in development or procurement," according to a memo released by Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.). "Affordability is not the constraint for such a plan -- only what is doable considering technology production, acquisition and application." Handwritten at the bottom of the memo is Brownlee's reminder that "Like other force protection measures, this is URGENT!"
Army helicopters already have anti-missile systems, which warn pilots of incoming heat-seeking missiles. On some helicopters such a warning automatically triggers the launching of flares meant to confuse the incoming missile and send it off course. Others are equipped with laser-based technology that jams or interrupts the missiles' electrical system. The Army is developing a plan to upgrade those defenses, a spokesman said.
"I can't say that these helicopters are safe in the air, but they are going to be safer," Durbin said.
It's unclear, however, how much such measures will help, military experts said. Helicopters, used to ferry troops, attack targets and provide surveillance, are inherently at risk, said Christopher Hellman, director of a military-spending oversight project at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. "The things that we like about helicopters, that they can go slow and hover, are what makes them vulnerable," said Hellman.
In addition, the high-tech equipment aboard helicopters is not effective against shoulder-fired grenades, which don't rely on electronic tracking or a heating seeking system, military experts said. "To the extent that they work, our jammers work better against more sophisticated equipment than what the Iraqis have," said Hellman.
Rocket-propelled grenades are not very accurate, have a short range and can be pushed off course by a stiff wind, military experts said, but they are also cheap and readily available, making them a persistent threat. Given enough opportunities, an attacker could beat the odds and hit a helicopter, they said.
"I am not sure we have a real defense mechanism" against rocket-propelled grenades, Durbin said. "That's just a reality that has to be faced."
The Army faced similar problems during Vietnam, when 10 percent of the 1,236 helicopters lost to ground fire were taken down by rocket-propelled grenades, said Steven J. Zaloga, a weapons expert at Teal Group Corp., a defense research firm. "This just highlights the fact that a problem that plagued helicopters during Vietnam is still around," he said.
During the height of the war in Iraq in March, about 30 Apache helicopters were forced to cut short their first large-scale strike after facing intense antiaircraft fire, including the launching rocket propelled-grenades. One of the Apaches went down.
The only protection against rocket-propelled grenades is tactical, said John E. Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org. When on assault missions the helicopters must maintain the advantage of surprise to ensure that they can avoid an ambush, he said. "You have to make sure that a helicopter does not get within a few hundred feet of where a [rocket-propelled grenade] can come from," said Pike.
Low-Tech Grenades A Danger to Helicopters
By Renae Merle
For the hundreds of U.S. helicopters ferrying troops and supplies around Iraq, one of the most persistent dangers is also an old one: rocket-propelled grenades.
The low-tech weapons have been mentioned as possible culprits in three helicopter crashes this month, including Saturday's collision of two Black Hawks -- the deadliest single incident for U.S. forces so far. On Nov. 2, a CH-47 Chinook was brought down by a surface-to-air missile, killing 16 soldiers headed for a short-term break, followed a few days later by the loss of a UH-60 Black Hawk. The Pentagon said the causes of all three crashes are still unclear. The second incident involving a Black Hawk may not have been enemy fire, but mechanical fire, a spokesman said.
But in the wake of the first incident, acting secretary of the Army R.L. Brownlee ordered all helicopters in Iraq and Afghanistan to be equipped with the "most effective defensive systems we have in development or procurement," according to a memo released by Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.). "Affordability is not the constraint for such a plan -- only what is doable considering technology production, acquisition and application." Handwritten at the bottom of the memo is Brownlee's reminder that "Like other force protection measures, this is URGENT!"
Army helicopters already have anti-missile systems, which warn pilots of incoming heat-seeking missiles. On some helicopters such a warning automatically triggers the launching of flares meant to confuse the incoming missile and send it off course. Others are equipped with laser-based technology that jams or interrupts the missiles' electrical system. The Army is developing a plan to upgrade those defenses, a spokesman said.
"I can't say that these helicopters are safe in the air, but they are going to be safer," Durbin said.
It's unclear, however, how much such measures will help, military experts said. Helicopters, used to ferry troops, attack targets and provide surveillance, are inherently at risk, said Christopher Hellman, director of a military-spending oversight project at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. "The things that we like about helicopters, that they can go slow and hover, are what makes them vulnerable," said Hellman.
In addition, the high-tech equipment aboard helicopters is not effective against shoulder-fired grenades, which don't rely on electronic tracking or a heating seeking system, military experts said. "To the extent that they work, our jammers work better against more sophisticated equipment than what the Iraqis have," said Hellman.
Rocket-propelled grenades are not very accurate, have a short range and can be pushed off course by a stiff wind, military experts said, but they are also cheap and readily available, making them a persistent threat. Given enough opportunities, an attacker could beat the odds and hit a helicopter, they said.
"I am not sure we have a real defense mechanism" against rocket-propelled grenades, Durbin said. "That's just a reality that has to be faced."
The Army faced similar problems during Vietnam, when 10 percent of the 1,236 helicopters lost to ground fire were taken down by rocket-propelled grenades, said Steven J. Zaloga, a weapons expert at Teal Group Corp., a defense research firm. "This just highlights the fact that a problem that plagued helicopters during Vietnam is still around," he said.
During the height of the war in Iraq in March, about 30 Apache helicopters were forced to cut short their first large-scale strike after facing intense antiaircraft fire, including the launching rocket propelled-grenades. One of the Apaches went down.
The only protection against rocket-propelled grenades is tactical, said John E. Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org. When on assault missions the helicopters must maintain the advantage of surprise to ensure that they can avoid an ambush, he said. "You have to make sure that a helicopter does not get within a few hundred feet of where a [rocket-propelled grenade] can come from," said Pike.