The importance of chopper mobility in Afghanistan

Stars and Stripes:

There are few good roads in southern Afghanistan. The dirt tracks that meander through the desert are easily mined, and by the time U.S. and other NATO troops lumber out in heavily armored convoys to their destination, the insurgents have often melted away.

U.S. helicopters have become key to fighting the Taliban, restoring the element of surprise with less risk to troops, U.S. commanders say.

"When we fly out, they can’t stay ahead of us," said Col. Paul Bricker, the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade commander. "You can’t drive to this fight. You have to fly."

With 21,000 American troops pouring into the region, where U.S. and NATO officials hope to turn the tide against an increasingly lethal insurgency, a larger American helicopter force is providing U.S. and allied forces with more range and greater flexibility than they’ve ever had during the 8-year-old war.

Task Force Pegasus — as the 82nd CAB is known — started operations May 15, roughly tripling the number of U.S. helicopters in southern Afghanistan to well over 100 aircraft. These include CH-47 Chinook and UH-60 Black Hawk transport helicopters, plus AH-64 Apaches and OH-58 Kiowas for reconnaissance and attack.

Those copters can mean the difference between life and death.

One recent night, CH-47 Chinook helicopters from the 82nd CAB inserted nearly 450 U.S. and Canadian soldiers into landing zones in the Zhari and Panjwayi districts of southern Afghanistan’s Kandahar province.

Forty-eight hours later, the Chinooks returned to the landing zones, picking up the Canadians as scheduled. The American troops had intended to walk out to a nearby base. But with reports of Taliban fighters planting bombs and planning ambushes along the way, a U.S. officer telephoned the aviators and asked for immediate extraction, as well.

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The value of a robust helicopter fleet was highlighted earlier this month when Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt, the outgoing chief of the British army general staff, was forced to take a U.S. Black Hawk to visit U.K. troops in Helmand province because a British helicopter was not available.

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The choppers have to be frustrating for the Taliban who have based their current strategy on impeding ground mobility by implanting IEDs. When the Marine Osprey's get into the theater, the speed of movement will go up considerably. When combined with better UAV coverage this mobility could make a difference.