^True and besides they already had "experience" with it.
MH-47E Chinook recovery
In spring 2002 a civilian Mi-26 was leased to recover two U.S. Army MH-47E Chinook helicopters from a mountain in Afghanistan. The Chinooks were being operated by 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and had been employed in Operation Anaconda, an effort in early March to drive al Qaeda and Taliban fighters out of the Shahi-Kot Valley and surrounding mountains. The Chinooks ended up stranded on the slopes above Sirkhankel at an altitude of 8,500 feet (2,600 m) and 10,300 feet (3,100 m). The Chinook stranded at 10,300 feet was deemed too badly damaged to recover, but the other one at 8,500 feet was repairable. With all fuel, rotors and non-essential equipment removed the Chinook was estimated to weigh 26,500 pounds (12,000 kg), too much for the Army's heavy lift helicopter, the Chinook, which could only lift 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg) at 8,500 feet (2,600 m). An Mi-26 was located through Skylink Aviation in Toronto, which had connections with a Russian company called Sportsflite that operated three civilian versions of the Mi-26 called Heavycopters. One of the aircraft was in Tajikistan doing construction and firefighting work. The aircraft was leased for the recovery of the Chinook for $300,000. The Chinook was snatched with a hook and flown to Kabul, then later to Bagram Air Force Base in Parvan, Afghanistan for shipment to Fort Campbell in Kentucky for repairs.
Six months later a second Army CH-47 that had made a hard landing 100 miles north of Bagram at an altitude of 4,000 feet (1,200 m) was recovered by another Heavycopter operated by Sportsflite at a cost of $350,000.
Ok, Chinook it is able to lift a stripped Chinook. But it is able to do that in Afghanistan mountains and transport it 100 or more kilometers...Originally Posted by T.S.C.Plage
Shouldn't a Chinook be able to lift a "stripped" Chinook?
I know the ones shown in the pic are older models but if the weight has increased the power has, too.
Somehow I do not think so... Thats the reason they use Mi-26. Because it do that work better than any other heli in the world...
Last edited by Holycrusader; 10-16-2009 at 02:33 AM.
I've seen the Mi-26 up close, truly a monster... and a beautiful one at that.
'3 SCOTS thwart Taliban to recover US Chinook'
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/De...rUsChinook.htm
TJ
According to the sun there was 4 American air crew, 20 SAS and 30 Afghan troops on the helicopter and 120 British soldiers from 3 Scots went to help them.
http://tiny.cc/hucOH
Jocks recover US helicopter under enemy fire 22 October 2009
The US Army Chinook extracted from the Upper Sangin Valley.
WHEN A US Army Chinook helicopter suffered a hard landing on difficult ground in the notorious Upper Sangin Valley, British soldiers from 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (known as 3 SCOTS) were mobilised to secure the landing zone.
A number of UK and Afghan troops had been on the troop-carrying aircraft. Although it was badly damaged, no-one was injured.
In a bid to secure the area, recover the airframe and to prevent it falling into Taliban hands, 120 men of Alpha (Grenadier) Company 3 SCOTS were flown to the desert site.
Meanwhile, as a specialist US recovery team prepared to extract the Chinook, insurgents began to mass.
US attack helicopters and A-10 jets responded with strikes, killing and injuring several insurgents, suppressing further attacks. One badly injured insurgent was treated by 3 SCOTS medics and evacuated by helicopter to an ISAF medical facility.
The helicopter was eventually extracted beneath another helicopter and slowly lifted away to the safety of Kandahar Airfield.
Lance Corporal Aaron Graham, 20 from Kirkcaldy, and a Section Second-In-Command in 1 Platoon, 3 SCOTS said:
"This was unlike any other job we have done out here. Once again we produced the goods and were pleased to keep the insurgents firmly on the back foot."
http://army.mod.uk
Who owns the Mi-26s in theatre?
Vertical-T
http://www.vertical-t.ru/eng/
I was hoping it was someone in the coalition...guess you have to rent if you have to rent.
It is owned and operated by a Russian company and crew.
The Dutch (Joint Support Detachement) have it under contract and it is based in Uruzghan province/Kandahar.
Mainly used for logistics fom Kandahar to Uruzghan.
That's pretty cool. I saw a thread on this in the General Discussion section and someone impulsively closed it. Once again, that's awesome.
Some more pictures from the Chinook rescue operation 14.10.09
Last edited by natomission; 01-05-2010 at 09:59 AM.
Evacuation of Cougar (NLD Royal AF) 18.12.09
Last edited by natomission; 01-05-2010 at 10:12 AM.
Great pictures, thanks.
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