Operation Eagle Claw was supposed to disengage 52 diplomats held during the Iran Hostage Crisis . Its failure not only shamed President Carter ’s administration and paved the means for Reagan ’s successful 1980 presidential running play , it also instigated the formation of the Army ’s Special Operations Command , and the development of this diminutive powerhouse : the MH-6 Little Bird .
The MH-6 is a heavily modified version of the McDonnell Douglas MD369 , a tripping watching chopper that has served since Vietnam . The MH-6 is fit out with a 30 mm M230 chaingun or a twosome of .50 cal GAU-19s ( or , sometimes , a brace of M134 miniguns ) , 14 Hydra 70 rockets , and two AGM-114 Hellfire direct projectile ( for anti - cooler ops ) .
amazingly , all that firepower does niggling to hinder the agility and focal ratio of the MH-6 . Even with a full full complement of pilot , co - pilot , and six fully - equip extra forces troops , the MH-6 maintains a top speed of 175 miles per hour and a combat compass of 267 nautical mile . The US Army ’s elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment employs the MH-6 primarily for scout troop insertion and quick attack delegacy , though it can also be utilized in force transport , pinch evacuation , aerial observation , and convoy escort roles .
Since entering service in the other eighties , the US military has flow MH-6s in a all-encompassing regalia of combat scenario , from Grenada and Nicaragua to Iraq and Afghanistan . It famously even helped extract Delta Force soldiers from the urban center of Mogadishu during the “ Black Hawk Down ” incident . [ Wiki – Military – Janes ]
Top Image : IHS / Patrick Allen
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