DVIDS – News – Task Force Phoenix lights up at Fort Sill while qualifying as an air rifle shooter

FORT SILL, Okla. – The pilots and crew chiefs of Task Force Phoenix improved their skills as air rifle shooters in Fort Sill in late March and early April 2021 in preparation for an overseas mission.

Door gunners attacked ground targets from the air using M240H machine guns fired from UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters.

James Dorsey, chief warrant officer 2 of the UH-60 Black Hawk pilot, with C Company, 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, Washington National Guard, said conducting a training event that focused on crew leaders improved air rifle proficiency and skills be good for the cohesion of the units.

“The challenging part is that we are operating the aircraft with the primary focus on keeping the gun in the deployment zone so the crew chiefs can attack the targets,” said Dorsey. “It’s a different way of flying. As National Guard pilots, we mainly fly missions over our state without weapons. Air rifles are outside of our normal range of use. This training strengthens confidence in our ability to use our weapon systems safely and to achieve our goals. “

Air rifle validation requires flight crews to complete multiple training tables, including classroom instruction, simulator training, and day and night live fire with the M240 machine gun.

“You can shoot on the ground all day, but it’s a completely different dynamic shooting from a moving airplane,” said Staff Sgt. Kevin Novak, crew chief and standardization instructor at C Company, 1-140. “You don’t use the sights. You look at the target and walk around it.

“Aerial shooting is very important because you learn to defend the aircraft,” added Novak. “This is a weapon used to suppress areas. When we become engaged by a ground force, we lower our heads so we can evade. “

Task Force Phoenix has been training for an upcoming 9-month mission to provide aerospace support to Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve in the Middle East. The task force is led by the California Army National Guard’s 40th Combat Aviation Brigade and consists of more than 1,100 soldiers from nine states.

At Fort Sill, flight crews of C Company, 1-140th, Washington National Guard; One Company, 1st Battalion, 207th General Support Aviation Battalion, Alaska National Guard; and B Company, 1st Battalion, 171st Aviation Regiment (GSAB), Iowa National Guard and Minnesota National Guard, participated in air rifle training.

The units traveled on the ground and in the air from North Fort Hood, Texas to the Henry Post Army Airfield in Fort Sill, Oklahoma to shoot the air rifle.

The 166th Aviation Brigade, First Army West Division, based in Fort Hood, Texas, facilitated and assessed the training.

“While the air rifle shooting was being carried out, the marksman from the 166th Aviation Brigade and three 1st class standardization instructors were on site to support training, provide mentoring, and they flew into the plane to observe crew coordination through each air rifle shooting table . Said Captain Michael Harper, chief of future aviation mobilizations for the 166th Aviation Brigade. “For a Black Hawk and a Chinook, the only defensive weapons the plane has are M240Hs. The process of air rifle shooting tables is to build an understanding of the functions of the weapon at different stages, including day and night operations. The building process within the aerial shot tables provides a solid foundation for the rated and unrated crew members to band together within an aircraft and as a flight. This ensures that they are ready to defend themselves and the passengers they are carrying, regardless of the time of day or the mission they are performing during the deployment. “

In early April, Task Force Phoenix flight crews successfully completed air rifle qualifications and returned to North Fort Hood for a culminating training event as the final step in validating their deployment.

Recording date:	04/11/2021
Release Date:	04/11/2021 10:37 PM
Story ID:	393580
Place:	FORT SILL, OK, US

Web views:	7th
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