The Nov. 15 collision of two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters in Iraq resulted in 17 deaths-the largest single-incident toll so far in the Iraqi war. Such occurrences bring doubts about the safety and viability of helicopter operations in Iraq.
Over the course of the conflict, helicopters have crashed for a variety of reasons. A tandem rotor Marine CH-46 Sea Knight crashed on March 20 from mechanical failure, killing 12 in the first coalition loss of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Brownout conditions, created when sand and dust are blown into the air by the wind or helicopter’s own downwash, caused other crashes. The pilots lose orientation and land with too much lateral velocity, flipping or otherwise damaging the helicopter.
Measures should be taken to reduce the risk to helicopters and flight crews.
The brownout problem is being addressed. The Army already trains in desert conditions-the National Training Center is located in the Mojave Desert. The Navy and Coast Guard often operate in disorienting conditions such as flying at night over water, and have flight systems that can deal with brownout.
Moving these systems from the small Navy and Coast Guard fleets-a few hundred helicopters-into the 1,500-helicopter Blackhawk fleet is an expensive task, according to Dr. Robert King, associate professor of aerospace engineering at Mississippi State. However, one of the Army’s high priorities is to institute a program to develop and implement brownout aids.
Older helicopter designs, such as the CH-46, should be replaced as soon as possible. The last CH-46 was produced in 1971, making the newest airframes 32 years old. The oldest Sea Knights are over 40.
Helicopters are complex machines and when such complexity is compounded with age, the risk of failure increases greatly. King flew CH-46s during his service in the Navy. He feels that the CH-46 should be retired and replaced.
Not all crashes that occur are accidents. Iraqi guerillas have brought down helicopters using rocket-propelled grenades. Such a weapon may have been the cause of the Nov. 15 collision.
The Iraqis have also used shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles. A missile of this type was used to shoot down an Army CH-47 Chinook, a tandem rotor design like the Sea Knight, killing 15 soldiers.
Hostile fire is currently the largest threat to aircrews operating in Iraq. Because ground convoys are equally, if not more, susceptible to insurgent attacks, helicopter operations must continue. However, several options exist for increasing the survivability of the helicopters.
Tailoring flight plans to deal with the hostile environment is one option. The Army announced Monday that it is implementing lower, faster flight profiles to give the guerillas less time to set up a shot. The flight plans will also change on a regular basis to prevent ambushes along known flight paths.
Better intelligence is also needed. Army Brig. Gen. Mark Hertling announced both the changes in flight tactics and “searches of areas where we think fires maybe coming from.” If the location and users of the weapons can be determined, then either the weapons can be destroyed or the ambushers can be avoided.
Currently, the military is implementing good plans for increasing the safety of helicopter operations in Iraq. Some equipment modifications and replacements are still needed, though.
Because of continued insurgence in Iraq, operations will remain risky until combatants are pacified or the United States withdraws.
Nathan Alday is a senior aerospace engineering major. He can be reached at [email protected].