A U.S. military helicopter crashed in the eastern Mediterranean
The U.S. issued a flight notice regarding a search-and-rescue operation between Cyprus and Lebanon. Many internet users took to social media to track flights in this area. They followed the progress of multiple Navy P-8 Poseidon aircrafts. The Air Force also had a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in the area, departing towards another location. The use of this aircraft suggests the possibility of an aeromedical evacuation which could be related to this event, or to an unrelated event.
From the Air Force Times:
Flight tracker @EISNspotter posted Saturday on X, formerly known as Twitter, that air traffic control in Cyprus had called in military support around midnight Saturday for a helicopter that went down about 30 nautical miles from the island’s southern coast.
Planespotters on social media flagged multiple Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance planes patrolling the water south of Cyprus on Saturday, as well as an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III airlifter — used in aeromedical evacuations — departing the area.
The military is investigating the cause of the mishap.
It’s unclear whether the aircraft was training as part of routine operations in Europe, or if it was over the Mediterranean Sea as part of a deterrent force that has arrived in the region in recent weeks.
The Air Force Times has the rest of the story here.
Not a whole lot to be gleaned from “…the rest of the story here.”, but that’s to be expected. Not a squid or a Naval/Marine Aviator, but going by what I’ve seen in Naval Aviation Documentaries, there is an assload of various aircraft in a formation of Two (2) Carrier Groups. And night flight ops can tend to be kinda sorta dangerous. Also seeing snippets of C17 aircraft transporting a (suppressed) number of casualties out of the ME that have been wounded by the attacks on our troops that are there.
And so it begins…
Wonder if our Beloved AW1Ed has gotten a call of late, being as his particular skilz sets would come in handy for this operation? Nothing like a good SONAR/Sub Hunting Man that can double as a Rescue Swimmer.
Very bad news once again. Playing this as a routine training mission, right. The helo’s type and mission are of course known, just unreported.
I’d go in a heartbeat but for those damned Flight Surgeons.
Is it normal “training” to do in flight refueling “training” when the Fleet is in a “War Zone” steaming status?
Fox is reporting five (5) confirmed dead. RIP, Gentlemen.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/5-us-service-members-killed-military-aircraft-crash-eastern-mediterranean-sea-training-mission
KoB:
Aircrews need to continually exercise all of their “high end” skill sets in order to maintain proficiency, whether in a peacetime training environment or in actual combat/contingency operations.
Aerial refueling needs to be practiced at every opportunity.
Yeah, Roger that, Mick. Train like you’re gonna have to fight…in all kinds of weather, conditions, and so on. Practice does make perfect…usually. Too little info to go on from all of the articles. Five (5) “crew members”…pilot, co-pilot, crew chief (?), door gunners (? they still have those?). Or on that platform would it be just two (2) “crew members” (pilot/co-pilot) and three (3) Operators. Pucker factor for all concerned has got to be high in an aerial re-fueling op…100 things can happen and 96 of them aren’t good. Maybe I just take exception to using the term “routine training”. To me, I always considered that whatever I was doing, I did it as if my life, or the lives of my Team/Crew Members’ lives depended on me doing my part right. Somebody or something went sideways and 5 Warriors cashed that check.
Steaming toward a War Zone is not as “routine” as steaming toward a port call at Pearl.
May God’s grace and comfort cover these troops families and friends.
MH-60.
Not training.
Refueling mishap on mission.
More details here.
Ugh.
>> Special Operations troops killed in helicopter ‘mishap’ over Mediterranean, officials say <<
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/11/12/military-helicopter-crash-mediterranean-5-killed/
Hmm. Not so sure about all that. Maybe we will find out in 25 years when the records are declassified, or in 4 years when somebody hacks them.
5JC,
Or when the 5 names are released.
Likely by tomorrow evening.
Damn paywall.. RIP brave warriors
Training and exercises can be just as deadly as warfare.
RIP gents.
And may God grant healing and the Peace of Christ, Thy Son, to the friends and family of the fallen.
Amen.
Shack.
During my career as a Marine Aviator, I lost more friends and colleagues in training mishaps than were ever lost in actual combat operations.
Update, Special Forces, 5 dead
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-military/2023/11/12/five-army-special-operations-soldiers-killed-in-helicopter-crash/
AZtoVA,
“special operations soldiers”
“Special Operations forces”
IMHO – I read this as Special Ops, and NOT as Special Forces.
We’ll know more, likely tomorrow.
RIPx5
Special Forces are Special Ops- not all Special Ops are Sf. Anyway, if it was a 160th Aircraft the crew would be classified as SOF Soldiers…
Wouldn’t read too much into the C17. There are routine medevacs of patients for all sorts of things that can’t be treated in theater…
Having done helo dunker training….nope. Just NOPE. Doing an egress from an flipped helo in CONTROLLED conditions with safety monitors is a nightmare. Can not and DO not want to imagine having to use that training in a real life scenario.
God bless those lost and Lord, give comfort to the families.
I didn’t even like learning to do Eskimo rolls in a kayak. That dunker training would be a hell no, I’ll take the zero.
Its…a waking nightmare. And you have to do like 6 different evolutions in it; No gear, with a rifle, with rifle and black out goggles….you KNOW there is a rescue diver/swimmer that will snatch you with the first sign of distress and the pool is only like 10 feet deep…but NAH. Never again
Those of us still able to comment on these pages are fortunate. Many of us went to war, almost all of us engaged in dangerous training exercises. One of my earlier experiences in the Army was getting to JRTC as a PV2 with just under a year in and finding out that two Rakkasans from 1st BN had been crushed by a tank a few days prior. Training is dangerous, combat infinitely more so, and “routine” missions are often far from routine.
Rest in peace to the five lost SMs, and may their families find some solace in knowing they served during a time where many refuse to.
Sad.
RIP.
Meanwhile, in other news, the Nordstream pipeline bombers have fessed up.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senior-ukrainian-official-coordinated-nord-stream-pipeline-attack-report
https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3241226/ukraine-officer-had-key-role-nord-stream-sabotage-reports