The crew of a US Army Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior reconnaissance helicopter shot down south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad on 2 July have described the moment they were rescued by the pilots of a Boeing AH-64A Apache attack helicopter.
Chief warrant officers Mark Burrows and Steven Cianfrini were attempting to find an alternative route for an army convoy after locating an improvised explosive device when their aircraft came under sustained attack from heavy machine guns and small arms fire.
The pilots were forced to conduct an emergency landing close to the enemy combatants and hid in a canal until the Apache attempted to rescue them. The AH-64’s gunner gave up his seat for the injured Cianfrini and flew the 10min to Baghdad on the aircraft’s starboard wing, while the other downed crew member rode on the other side.
Noting that the OH-58 crew had trained for the possibility of an Apache extraction prior to their deployment, Burrows told CNN the rescue was “a pretty wild ride”.
The downed Kiowa was subsequently destroyed by two 225kg (500lb) laser-guided bombs released by a US Air Force Fairchild A-10 ground-attack aircraft.
The British Army earlier this year attempted a similar rescue in southern Afghanistan using two Apaches, while the Italian army has trained to conduct similar emergency missions with its AgustaWestland A129C Mangusta attack helicopters.
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Source: Flight International
