Military Helicopter Operations

Various angles of military helicopters preparing for missions, highlighting design and operational readiness of aviation units.

UH-60 Black Hawks taxi out for a mission over northern Iraq

Japan Self-Defense Force Gen. Yuichi Togashi, 2nd Division Commanding Officer, boards an MV-22B Ospreys assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing during Resolute Dragon 22 at Shikaribetsu Maneuver Area, Hokkaido, Japan, Oct. 6, 2022. Resolute Dragon 22 is a bilateral exercise to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the U.S.-Japan Alliance by exercising integrated command and control, targeting, combined arms, and maneuver across multiple domains.

Miscellaneous - Coast Guard Operations - 26-HK-434-94. Hurricane Katrina

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Hawaii (July 30, 2022) U.S. Marines with 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment secure an airfield during an amphibious raid for a multinational littoral operations exercise as part of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 at Pyramid Rock Beach, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, July 30, 2022. Twenty-six nations, 38 ships, three submarines, more than 170 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 29 to Aug. 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2022 is the 28th exercise in the series that began in 1971.

Office of the Deputy Secretary - DEPUTY SECRETARY THEODORE KASSINGER FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW

Propulsion technicians with the 75th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron replace one of their C-130Hs broken props for a new one at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, October 20, 2022. The Airmen of the 75th EAS come from the Connecticut Air National Guard to support the 449th Air Expeditionary Group by providing reliable intra-theater airlift operations across a 12-country area of responsibility.

An Air National Guard C-130 Hercules is marshaled into position on the flight line ramp in front of the Entebbe Airport control tower building. The airport was used as a staging/distribution point for relief supplies destined in support of the Rwandan humanitarian relief effort. Subject Operation/Series: SUPPORT HOPE Base: Entebbe Country: Uganda (UGA)

An AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter flies over some M1-A1 tanks during a flight demonstration by pilot CW02 Carl U. Fox at the official introduction ceremony on Hood Army Airfield which received the first Longbow rotorcraft. Base: Fort Hood State: Texas (TX) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 363, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, lands at Naval Base Guam, April 24, 2022. 1st MAW serves as the Aviation Combat Element of the III Marine Expeditionary Force headquartered on the island of Okinawa, Japan and provides support to the Indo-Pacific area.

U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, conduct flight operations during Resolute Dragon 22 at Yausubetsu Maneuver Area, Hokkaido, Japan, Oct. 13, 2022. Resolute Dragon 22 is an annual bilateral exercise designed to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the U.S.-Japan Alliance by exercising integrated command and control, targeting, combined arms, and maneuver across multiple domains.

050908-A-1832H-016. Subject Operation/Series: JOINT TASK FORCE (JTF) KATRINA Base: New Orleans State: Louisiana (LA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

U.S. Marines with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 363 prepare an MV-22B Osprey for stowage at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, March 30, 2023. VMM-363 will serve as the Aviation Combat Element for the upcoming iteration of Marine Rotational Force-Darwin.

Miscellaneous - Coast Guard Operations - 26-HK-434-167. Hurricane Katrina

DF-ST-86-11915. Base: Kassel Country: West Germany (FRG)

Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class Gabriella Demers, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5, directs an MH-60S Nighthawk at Naval Air Station Fallon. Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 is the offensive air and strike component of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 10 and the George H.W. Bush CSG. The squadrons of CVW-7 are Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 143, VFA-103, VFA-86, VFA-136, Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140, Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5, and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 46.

A U.S. Army UH 60 Blackhawk with the 3rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, is set up to view, September 24, 2022, at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. The helicopter was part of a static display set up by the 1st CAB at the Frontiers in Flight Airshow.

Providers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division conduct a UH-60 jump on Fort Bragg, NC, March 30, 2022. The jump serves to bring awareness to the Army's SHARP program.

021002-D-9880W-003. Base: Pentagon State: District Of Columbia (DC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A U.S. Air Force Junior ROTC cadet poses for a photo next to a 210th Rescue Squadron HH-60 Pave Hawk before an orientation flight at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, June 10, 2022. The cadets had the opportunity to tour a number of units and facilities across the installation, highlighting many career fields.

041213-F-1740G-002. Base: Clark Airfield Country: Philippines (PHL)

U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, conduct flight operations during Resolute Dragon 22 at Yausubetsu Maneuver Area, Hokkaido, Japan, Oct. 13, 2022. Resolute Dragon 22 is an annual bilateral exercise designed to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the U.S.-Japan Alliance by exercising integrated command and control, targeting, combined arms, and maneuver across multiple domains.

060131-A-9157N-025. Subject Operation/Series: NEW HORIZON Base: Soto Cano State: Comayagua Country: Dominican Republic (DOM)

U.S. Marine Infantrymen with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, provide ground security during the Marine Air-Ground Task Force demonstration of the 2022 Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Air Show at MCAS Miramar, San Diego, California, Sept. 24, 2022. The MAGTF Demo displays the coordinated use of close-air support, artillery and infantry forces, and provides a visual representation of how the Marine Corps operates. The theme for the 2022 MCAS Miramar Air Show, Marines Fight, Evolve and Win, reflects the Marine Corps ongoing modernization efforts to prepare for future conflicts.

Cadets in the Wisconsin Challenge Academy visit the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area on Feb. 8, 2024, on the cantonment area at Fort McCoy, Wis. The Challenge Academy, a Fort McCoy tenant organization, offers youth the opportunity to change the direction of their lives and develop the strength of character and life skills necessary to become successful, responsible citizens. The program begins with a 5 1/2-month residential phase, followed by a one-year, post-residential phase. Army

Twp US Marine Corps (USMC) CH-46 Sea Knight Helicopter assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron Two Six Five (HMM-265) lands during a simulated troop insertion exercise, at Camp Butler, Okinawa, Japan. (Substandard image). State: Okinawa Country: Japan (JPN)

Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 151st Security and Support Aviation Battalion, South Carolina National Guard, and South Carolina first responders conduct training for their South Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team mission, Feb. 17, 2012. The specialized responders are participating in the Global Guardian Exercise at the Combat Readiness Training Center, Savannah, Ga. The Global Guardian Exercise is an Air National Guard-sponsored training exercise emphasizing full spectrum operations with the focus of the exercise to provide a requirements based training event, utilizing mission essential task lists and master sequence of events lists.

A U.S. Marine with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 152 conducts an air delivered ground refueling (ADGR) on multiple aircraft at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan, Oct. 25, 2022. VMGR-152 conducted ADGR to train toward rapid-refueling in austere environments for aircraft that cannot be refueled in flight, allowing them to stay in the fight.

Arabian Sea, December 12, 2012 - An MH-60S Sea Hawk picks up stores from the flight deck of the Military Sealift Command fast combat support ship USNS Bridge (T-AOE 10) during a replenishment-at-sea with aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis.

KUBINKA, RUSSIA - May, 15, 2021: attack helicopters Mil Mi-28, STRIZHI Aerobatic Team 30TH Anniversary Event KUBINKA, RUSSIA - May, 15, 2021: attack helicopters Mil Mi-28, STRIZHI Aerobatic Team 30TH Anniversary Event. Copyright: xZoonar.com/AlexanderxStrelax 18311277

DF-ST-89-02043. Base: Arlington State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

DA-SC-88-03530. Base: Fort Belvoir State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Alaska Army National Guard aviators help transfer boxes filled with gifts, backpacks, hygiene supplies, and books for children in Scammon Bay from an HH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during Operation Santa Claus Nov. 16, 2022. Operation Santa Claus is the Alaska National Guards yearly community relations and support program that provides gifts to children in remote communities across the state. Santa, Mrs. Claus, and more than a dozen helper elves flew to Bethel from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson via a 176th Wing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and transferred to two Alaska Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopters to deliver tidings of good cheer to children in Scammon Bay. (Alaska National Guard photo by 1st Lt. Balinda ONeal)

A HH-60M Blackhawk helicopter is prepared for a night mission by Soldiers assigned to 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division during exercise Combined Resolve XI in Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, Dec. 5, 2018.CBRXI gives the U.S. Armys regionally allocated forces in Europe the opportunity to execute a combat training center rotation with a joint, multinational environment demonstrating their integration into U.S. Army Europe operations.

Chief of the NASA Astronaut office, Steve Lindsey, left, and interpreter Paul Kharmats wait at the Arkalyk airport in Kazakhstan as Russian helicopters are refueled, Friday, April 19, 2008. Arkalyk was used as one of the helicopter staging areas for the landing of the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft carrying Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson, Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko and South Korean spaceflight participant So-yeon Yi. The Soyuz made a ballistic landing, touching down more then 400 kilometers short of the intended target in central Kazakhstan.

Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, LA, September 8, 2005 -- A chinook helicopter transports sand bags to protect an area where the levee broke due to Hurricane Katrina. Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to Pima County, Arizona's border area with Mexico, where he joined U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel for meetings, tours, flights, inspections

An AH-64 Apache helicopter with 1st Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment (Attack Reconnaissance), 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, provides security over Georgian Special Operations Forces as they clear a building during Noble Partner 22 at Tbilisi, Georgia, Sept. 7, 2022. The Noble Partner 22 exercise consists of 2,400 military personnel from 21 countries and is designed to enhance Georgian, regional ally, partner, and U.S. forces' readiness.

DN-ST-89-11354. Base: San Diego State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to Pima County, Arizona's border area with Mexico, where he joined U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel for meetings, tours, flights, inspections

030831-F-6701P-023. Subject Operation/Series: JTF LIBERIA Base: Lungi Country: Sierra Leone (SLE)

An educator with 9th Marine Corps District, poses for a photo in front of an CH-53E during an Educators Workshop at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., May 18, 2022. The Educators' Workshop program provides selected educators, coaches, directors and influential community members with an experiential opportunity to see how the Marine Corps transforms young men and women into Marines. The program is designed to demystify recruit and officer candidate training, foster stronger relationships among recruiting personnel and the communities they serve, and increase advocacy among influencers who help shape decisions of young men and women.

221003-N-OC394-1101 SAN FRANCISCO (Oct. 3, 2022) Local first responders board a UH-1Y Huey during a fly out from the United States Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco in support of San Francisco Fleet Week (SFFW) 2022. SFFW is an opportunity for the American public to meet their Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard teams and experience America's sea services. During Fleet Week, service members participate in various community service events, showcase capabilities and equipment to the community, and enjoy the hospitality of the city and its surrounding areas. (U.S Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd class Aranza Valdez)

President Bush arrives on the south lawn after a night at Camp David

The start of Operation Total Force Impact took place in Sao Paulo, in the Anhangabau Valley, reinforcing the commitment to public safety and preserving order! In Sao Paulo, the operation focuses on combating vehicle theft and robbery, drug trafficking and environmental crimes, in addition to intensifying traffic control. The official launch took place today at 3 pm in the Anhangabau Valley, with 424 police officers and 203 vehicles.

Two members of the U.S. Navy hold their hats and lean into the rotor wash of a VH-3D "Sea King" helicopter, known as "Marine One" when the President is aboard, as it lands on March 23, 2015, at Camp David in Thurmont, Maryland, carrying U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, and Afghan CEO Abdullah Abdullah for a series of U.S.-Afghan dialogues about security, regional outreach, and economic transition following U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan since 2001.

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Alpha Co., 2-10 Assault Helicopter Battalion return home to their families on Fort Drum, Ny Sep. 7, 2022. VooDoo Soldiers spent almost a year in Iraq defending the nation.

060524-N-9543M-007. Base: USS Kearsarge (LHD 3)

An air-to-air left side view of a Marine CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter flying near the Jefferson Memorial. Base: Washington State: District Of Columbia (DC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Arrival Ceremonies for Urho Kekkonen, President of Finland, 11:00 AM. Arrival ceremonies for Urho Kekkonen, President of Finland. United States Marine Corps helicopter. South Lawn, White House, Washington, D.C.

DF-ST-89-02050. Base: Washington State: District Of Columbia (DC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

DM-SN-89-11237. Base: Marine Corps Base, Quantico State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Herat, Afghanistan - 07 June 2014: Aerial view of an A129 'MANGUSTA' helicopter of the Italian Army with anti-tank functions, Masjid i Jami Mosque in Herat, Afghanistan.

An AH-64D Apache, UH-60 Blackhawk and CH-47 Chinook from the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division fly over Founders Field at Fort Carson, Colorado April 14, 2022. On Thursday the public witnessed the might and unity amongst the Ivy Division during the State of the Mountain Post Address.

A delegation from the Kingdom of Morocco toured Orem City Fire Department, Station 33, and Mountainstar Healthcares Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, Utah, Nov. 30, 2022. Firefighters and hospital staff demonstrated the full emergency response process from when a person is first extracted from a vehicle to when the person is triaged and treated at the hospital. The Utah National Guards State Partnership Program with Morocco allows for cross-exchange training and collaboration between military personnel and civilian agencies.

Departure ceremony for Sukarno, President of Indonesia, 3:40PM. President John F. Kennedy walks away from a United States Marine Corps helicopter (carrying President of Indonesia, Ahmed Sukarno) on the South Lawn, White House, Washington, D.C.

Soldiers assigned to the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) attend the Washington Nationals' Army Day game on June 16, 2022 in Washington, D.C. The pre-game featured The United States Army Band, H Co. Color Guard, The U.S. Army Drill Team, and the U.S. Army Golden Knights. Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. James C. McConville threw the first pitch and Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Joseph M. Martin, commanding general Joint Task Force-National Capital Region/U.S. Army Military District of Washington Maj. Gen. Allan M. Pepin were also in attendance.

Hurricane Gustav, Baton Rouge, LA, August 31, 2008 A medical evacuation takes place on the campus of Louisiana State University Track as the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (in background) has been transformed into the Medical Special Needs Shelter (MSNS). The team unloading the patient is the Disaster medical Assistance Team (DMAT-1) from Boston supported by a US Army Blackhawk crew, demonstrates the teamwork and cooperation, state and federal as preparations for hurricane Gustav take place. Barry Bahler/FEMA.. Photographs Relating to Disasters and Emergency Management Programs, Activities, and Officials

Undersecretary of the Army, Hon. Gabe Camarillo, arrives at Fort Riley, Kansas, via an UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, to tour the Sexual Harassment Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Fusion Directorate on Oct. 25, 2022. Camarillo met with program leaders and during a tour and orientation of the Fusion Directorate facility.

Eighth Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Bill Burleson served as the keynote speaker Sept. 22, 2022, at DX Korea 2022 in Goyang, South Korea. The Defense & Security Expo Korea is a week-long land forces exposition where the latest combat equipment is displayed. The expo is at the Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX). Burleson discussed what the future looks like for land forces and what is required to be successful in future ground combat operations. He stressed the never-ending need to maintain readiness through training. The general and staff got to tour the expo. The event also featured a variety of Eighth Army assets to include UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, a AH-64 Apache, Bradley Fighting Vehicle, a Stryker and Paladin 155mm Howitzer. The expo continues through Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022.

Jason Kaye/ Northwest GuardianA flight of five UH-60 Black Hawks from the 4th Squadron, 6th Air Cavalry flies over Qwest Field in Seattle prior to the kick off of the NFC Championship.

Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn III looks at the homes and terrain surrounding Kabul, Afghanistan during an aerial tour on a Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, Sept. 9, 2009. Deputy Secretary Lynn made his first trip to southwest asia after being confirmed as the Deputy Secretary of Defense.

A Marine Helicopter Squadron 1 (HMX-1) VH-3D Sea King helicopter prepares to take off from the south lawn of the White House. Base: Washington State: District Of Columbia (DC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A beautiful blonde model poses with a vintage WWII aircraft

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