Attack helicopters, primarily Boeing's AH-64 Apaches, are playing a major role in providing direct support to NATO-led ground forces fighting the Taliban and other opposing militant forces in southern Afghanistan.
This revealing video, made available to Ares by the Royal Netherlands Air Force, provides a graphic impression of what a typical counter-insurgency engagement looks like from the perspective of the Apache cockpit.
Dutch Apache pilot about to launch on a mission in southern Afghanistan. Photo: Netherlands MoD You will hear the Dutch AH-64D Apache crew communicate with U.S. forces on the ground to locate a quala-type farmhouse in which what they say are Taliban fighters are apparently staging an ambush.
You can see the impacts of firing by the ground troops in the fields surrounding the quala.
As the aircraft commander in the front seat is trying to zoom in on the farmhouse, the pilot flying in the back seat aggressively maneuvers the helicopter to get in a better position to strike.
Ready to launch. The Dutch Apaches in Afghanistan operate out of Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan province which is just north of Kandahar. Photo: Netherlands MoD Then the Apache opens fire with its 30-mm. swiveling gun, which is pointed by the head movements of one of the crew members. The impact of the rounds on the Taliban is clearly visible in the video.
At the very end several of the alleged Taliban can be seen attempting to escape by running away from the farmhouse. The source of the video did not say if and how the attack was prosecuted further -- we'll have to leave that to your imagination.
See the Q&A feature in the March issue of Defense Technology International (DTI) for more on Dutch helicopter operations in Afghanistan.
