Chopper downed in Afg.

[Gargamel]

The CH-47 is "officially" the fastest helicopter in the U.S. inventory. Who knows what the fastest is unofficially.

Hard to believe a Chinook is faster than an Apache, Cobra, or Little Bird....

But I may be confusing quickness\maneuverability with outright speed...

Then of course there's the Osprey....

[Denny]

Hard to believe a Chinook is faster than an Apache, Cobra, or Little Bird....

But I may be confusing quickness\maneuverability with outright speed...

Then of course there's the Osprey....

Little Bird has the most manuverability. I could have sworn the 53's (like Sea Stallions) were the fastest.

[DieselSmoke]

—Sept. 2, 2006: British Nimrod aircraft crashes near Kandahar in the south, killing 14 crew members.


I remember this one, i helped carry the body bags.

[JP135]

Rest In well-earned Peace, warriors. Godspeed.

[Justa4Banger]

Hard to believe a Chinook is faster than an Apache, Cobra, or Little Bird....

But I may be confusing quickness\maneuverability with outright speed...

Then of course there's the Osprey....

As a former Night Stalker i hope the above report of it being the 160th is not true... I have alot of hours in those chinooks.. Truely a very SAD day.

i know one of the fastest UNofficial helicopters was a huey with turbine engines mounted on the side. it was experimental of course, and its on display at Ft Eustis, VA.

Yes Chinnok is much faster than a little Byrd or a hawk.. Little byrds are like Miatas.. Agile as hell but not great on the top end.
Hawks are all around good, but have difficulties in High altitude conditions like the enviroment in Afghanistan..

Hooks, maybe Large but they can move with a fury when need be. obviously not nearly as agile as anything else smaller, but they can carry a ton of stuff in one movement..

I'm curious about the report about the unit being the 160th. i have heard a conflicting report... I guess i will have to wait and see like everyone else, as i am no longer with that community...

NSDQ!

[Geor!]

Inside job.

RIP to all who perished.

[KBScobravert]

You probably aren't far off....
A big loss for the fine warriors of the SEAL community....

Your 100% correct, I may be 100 miles from there and yes I see your point.

I got the news when I came into the office this evening. I hope they pound that region into dust.

[KungFuHamster]

RIP SEAL team 6

We need to get the fuck out of Afghanistan/Iraq. We had no business there to begin with...bin laden has been in pakistan since the beginning and iran not iraq was training all the terrorists and we've known that for years now.

[Denny]

RIP SEAL team 6

We need to get the fuck out of Afghanistan/Iraq. We had no business there to begin with...bin laden has been in pakistan since the beginning and iran not iraq was training all the terrorists and we've known that for years now.

Wrong

[stevo]

RIP SEAL team 6

We need to get the fuck out of Afghanistan/Iraq. We had no business there to begin with...bin laden has been in pakistan since the beginning and iran not iraq was training all the terrorists and we've known that for years now.

So much fail in that post.

Stevo

[talisman]

Chinooks are much more maneuverable than most people give them credit for. It just isn't often you see them utilizing that aspect of their engineering.

[Denny]

I didn't want to hear this, but Alex Jones said something was going to be staged about SEAL Team 6 just after their mission with Osama. I just blew it off at the time, but now I have to go back and dig up the broadcast.

Does anyone else happen to have it or remember when it was? There are so many videos that he puts out each day and I can't remember exactly what it was he said.

[talisman]

None of the Seals killed were a part of the team that raided Bin Ladens compound.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Insurgents shot down a U.S. military helicopter during fighting in eastern Afghanistan, killing 30 Americans, most of them belonging to the same elite unit as the Navy SEALs who killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, U.S. officials said Saturday. It was the deadliest single loss for American forces in the decade-old war against the Taliban.

The downing, in which seven Afghan commandos were also killed, was a stinging blow to the lauded, tight-knit SEAL Team 6, months after its crowning achievement. It was also a heavy setback for the U.S.-led coalition as it begins to draw down thousands of combat troops fighting what has become an increasingly costly and unpopular war.

None of the 22 SEAL personnel killed in the crash were part of the team that killed bin Laden in a May raid in Pakistan, but they belonged to the same unit. Their deployment in the raid in which the helicopter crashed would suggest that the target was a high-ranking insurgent figure.
Special operations forces, including the SEALs and others, have been at the forefront in the stepped up strategy of taking out key insurgent leaders in targeted raids, and they will be relied on even more as regular troops pull out.

The strike is also likely to boost the morale of the Taliban in a key province that controls a strategic approach to the capital Kabul. The Taliban claimed they downed the helicopter with a rocket while it was taking part in a raid on a house where insurgents were gathered in the province of Wardak overnight. Wreckage of the craft was strewn across the crash site, a Taliban spokesman said.

A senior U.S. administration official in Washington said it appeared the craft had been shot down. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the crash is still being investigated.

"Their deaths are a reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices made by the men and women of our military and their families, including all who have served in Afghanistan," President Barack Obama said in a statement, adding that his thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who perished.
The U.S.-led coalition said in a statement that 30 American service members, a civilian interpreter and seven Afghan commandos were killed when their CH-47 Chinook crashed in the early hours Saturday. A current U.S. official and a former U.S. official said the Americans included 22 SEALs, three Air Force air controllers and a dog handler and his dog. The two spoke on condition of anonymity because military officials were still notifying the families of the dead.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced the number of people killed in the crash and the presence of special operations troops before any other public figure. He also offered his condolences to the American and Afghan troops killed in the crash.

The deaths bring to 365 the number of coalition troops killed this year in Afghanistan and 42 this month.

The overnight raid took place in the Tangi Joy Zarin area of Wardak's Sayd Abad district, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Kabul. Forested peaks in the region give the insurgency good cover and the Taliban have continued to use it as a base despite repeated NATO assaults.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement that the helicopter was involved in an assault on a house where insurgent fighters were gathering. During the battle, the fighters shot down the helicopter with a rocket, he said.

An American official in Brussels said the helicopter was a twin-rotor Chinook, a large troop and cargo transporter.

The casualties are believed to be largest loss of life in the history of SEAL Team Six, officially called the Navy Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU. The team is considered the best of the best among the already elite SEALs, which numbers 3,000 personnel.

NPR and ABC News first reported that those aboard were believed to be Navy SEALs. The AP withheld the report at the request of their sources until they believed the majority of families of those lost had been notified.

The death toll surpasses the previous worst single day loss of life for the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001 — the June 28, 2005 downing of a military helicopter in eastern Kunar province.

In that incident, 16 Navy SEALs and Army special operations troops were killed when their craft was shot down while on a mission to rescue four SEALs under attack by the Taliban. Three of the SEALs being rescued were also killed and the fourth wounded.

[Denny]

Thank God. I would hate for that wacko to be right.

[Denny]

Aaaaaaaaaand there goes Jones already.