Helicopter.

Helicopter casualities

Posted by: Albert

Helicopters - Hazardous to your Health? Like most military guys, I love Helo's. They get you where you are going fast, in a much more interesting way than driving or walking.

But they are very dangerous. A great many of our casualties are due to helo crashes, both from enemy fire and accidents.

Has anyone ever studied this issue in depth? I think that a careful assessment might result in a much more conservative use of helo's in combat. And we would end up doing a lot more walking and driving.
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Colonel Craig USMC replies: I also love helicopters. But they are hazardous to your health. I have not studied this issue in depth but have always suspected we use helicopters in places where they should not be used.

The web page below has some interesting numbers

http://www.vhpa.org/heliloss.pdf

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This page says that helo crew deaths accounted for 10% of all Vietnam deaths.

http://www.mrfa.org/vnstats.htm

Helicopter crew deaths accounted for 10% of ALL Vietnam deaths. Helicopter losses during Lam Son 719 (a mere two months) accounted for 10% of all helicopter losses from 1961-1975.

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This page tracks USMC Helo deaths

http://www.popasmoke.com/kia/
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I think because Helicopters are fast and fun and we have them, therefor we use them. There are probably many times where it would be best if the infantry walked in, widely distributed, instead of flying in. That was true in Vietnam, where machine guns took out lots of helos, and would be especially true fighting an enemy that had hand held missiles.
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Colonel Craig USMC
309 494 8639