Photo By Matt Denny | Sgt. Bobby D. Leverett, a crew chief with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262,...... read more read more
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OKINAWA, Japan - “Lock and load left gun, Tiger 1-1 left gun hot, Tiger 1-2 left gun hot, open fire left gun ... cease fire left gun, left gun cold, left gun clear.”
The Internal Communication System on board the CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter was clogged with chatter during live-fire drills at Firing Range W-174 over the East China Sea, as part of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262’s ground threat-reaction training on Okinawa June 22.
The squadron, which is part of Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, conducted the live-fire training evolution while airborne in two CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters. The goal of the exercise was to enhance proficiency in combat effectiveness.
During the training, all crew chiefs gained more experience firing the XM-218, .50-caliber machine gun, and one of them earned flight hours towards his Aerial Gunner Qualification.
“In order to make sure you can be in the air by yourself and operate the XM-218 in a combat situation, you have to earn the AGQ,” said Cpl. Brent E. Warnhoff, a crew chief with HMM-262. “If we don’t know what we’re doing up there, we are no help to anyone in combat.”
Crew chiefs have many tasks before, during and after a flight.
“With all the tasks we have to do, the most important one is understanding the on-board weapons and protecting the flight crew from ground threats,” said Warnhoff.
Before flying and firing, the machine gun needs to be cleaned and properly lubricated.
The flight crew spends close to an hour preparing the weapon system prior to mounting them in the helicopters.
“We have to know the weapon inside and out, just like any weapon operator in the Marine Corps,” said Warnhoff. “We clean and inspect the gun to make sure it works properly and fires smooth and fast.”
During the evolution, flight crews practiced ground threat reaction drills, which simulated response to small-arms fire. Marines also layed down suppressive fire and pilots practiced evading techniques.
“Today was successful, we had only one gun malfunction and had to troubleshoot it mid-flight,” said Sgt. Bobby D. Leverett, a crew chief with HMM-262. “Identifying problems and fixing them is what training is all about.”
The drills are designed for crew chiefs and pilots to feel what it is like to respond to live fire in combat situations.
“It makes us as pilots feel safe knowing our crew chiefs are proficient in the on-board weapons, so that we can focus on flying,” said Capt. Michael S. Tyson, a pilot with HMM-262.
Although the crew chiefs are proficient and understand the weapons, the pilots have to give clearance before any Marine opens fire. Before the flight, pilots brief the crew chiefs on appropriate times to engage targets with weapon systems.
“During pre-flight meetings, the pilot discusses firing clearances with the crew members to allow for quick reaction times,” said Capt. Burr Ferguson, Jr., a pilot with HMM-262. “If I waited to give clearances when being fired upon, by the time the (firing) clearance is given the threat could be out of range or could have caused life-threatening damage.”
The two flight crews performed more than seven different scenarios during the three-hour evolution and fired more than 4,000 rounds.
“Drills like this are critical to build muscle memory, decrease reaction times and gain experiance in live-fire combat situations,” said Ferguson. “The training gained today was incredibly valuable and can only be gained by going out and getting dirty.”
| Date Taken: | 07.08.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.07.2011 18:47 |
| Story ID: | 73402 |
| Location: | OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 240 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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