Some sad news from the weekend: Four Air Commandos died over the weekend when their U-28 special mission single engine turboprop went down in Djibouti Saturday.
The planes based on the Pilatus PC-12, often operating in civilian livery, are flown by Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) on missions to remote airstrips around the world where the pretense of a large C-130 in USAF markings won’t be too welcome by the locals. In addition to hauling special operators on clandestine missions to small airfields, the planes can provide over-watch and reconnaissance for SOF teams using a suite of drop down cameras, infrared sensors and other spy gear. I went for a ride from England to Belgium a couple of years ago in a PC-12 equipped with FLIR cameras a couple of years ago and we were reading names painted on ships steaming in the English channel from dozens of miles away using the infrared camera.
The U-28s often fly to small airstrips from a country’s bigger “hub” airport that will have a larger spec ops detachment nearby that is supported by a big AFSOC Dash-8 twin turboprop, again sometimes in civilian colors. (An AFSOC Dash-8 famously ran out of gas and made an emergency landing in the Malian desert a couple of years ago.) Think of it as a hub and spoke system for special ops missions.
The Air Force doesn’t yet know what caused the crash on Saturday. All the service will say is that the airmen died while returning from a mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Keep in mind that this could mean they were operating anywhere from the jungles and plains of central Africa, the Sahara Desert, Somalia or Yemen.
{ 55 comments… read them below or add one }
Single engine prop plane crashes? That's a shocker!
Prop planes are lighter and safer than jets. Most of them can actually glide unlike most jets. Prop plane point is beyond moot…
Maybe the civilian model with a couple of parachutists- but the way the military likes to load up – I doubt they have a great glide ratio.
Not every plane needs to be a B-36 with "6 turning & 4 burning" fly.
The turboprops on these particular aircraft are some of the most reliable engines ever built. It's highly unlikely that it was a powerplant issue.
what about cocaine or heroine? (or a fight about cocaine/heroine)?
Uh, context?….
Dude, do you even personally know anyone in the military?
Sad news indeed to read four more heroes have died. I hope their families will be okay over the next couple of years.
heroes, schmeroes… these "people" are paid mercenaries… by my TAX dollars!!!
good point.
it's not an exaggeration to say that the majority (say, over 90%) of US military operations abroad are blatant war crimes, often committed along with mafia family members known as the NATO. Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya are some of the most current examples. Covert sabotage and subversive operations are currently under way in Syria and Iran.
Do you even care about defense technology or are you just here to *****?
Of course I do. But that doesn't mean I must support war crimes or war criminals by remaining silent.
The US and NATO have committed war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Vietnam, Korea, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bolivia, Columbia, Grenada, …. (the list is long). You want to pretend that nothing happened???? Does "morality" mean anything to you?
God bless the families, memorials are not the place to discuss the war crimes, have a little tact,
But now that you bring it up:
Did you have a better idea on how to keep your freedoms?
I love “people” that are quick to cast judgement on our troops, have not a clue as to what goes on in the field, and just sit their in their comfy computer chairs and make off the cuff accusations because they saw some propaganda film.
This ain’t Hollywood Leer … how much have you paid for our, heck your own, freedom?
How many other armies would use spend billions to use smart weapons to avoid injuring the children of the men that try to kill ours? let me check the record on 911 .. did they take precautions to avoid civilian casualties… oh yeah, … not so much! Go ahead Google recent bombing on civilian targets, then Google smart bomb and start calculating who the “bad guy” is here.
If you had to choose one nation to rule the world .. who would you choose?
… please move there! I CHOOSE THE UNITED STATES!
Thanks to all our service men!
Shame, hopefully it isn't an issue that will repeat itself in the future.
"in USAF markings won’t be too welcome by the locals"
What?
What don't you understand about it? A giant C-130 covered in USAF markings are much more noticeable to locals.
Never heard "Yankee go home before?" Folks been shouting it for a century.
To requote the original:
"on missions to remote airstrips around the world where the pretense of a large C-130 in USAF markings won’t be too welcome by the locals."
Why is it a pretense for a C-130 to wear USAF markings? It is a pretense if the C-130 is pretending to be something else.
Either way, the USAF isn't welcome in all corners of the globe, and a PC-12 is less obtrusive. However, one wonders if this blurs the lines when it comes to clandestine activity and overt military activity…
PRESENCE.
Presence.
"Pretence" is obviously a typo.
Because the AF goes all sorts of places where the local government is friendly but the local population is hostile.
"….all sorts of places where the local government is friendly but the local population is hostile"
Or vice versa :-)
Regards & all,
Thomas L. Nielsen
Luxembourg
Not so much- Most Iranians love/like the US- but try landing a SOC plane in Tehran.
Because the drones are sure to follow?
Isn't the U-28 usually blacked (http://tinyurl.com/7weqhm6) out or is that the civilian version depicted above?
The hills remind me of California, but it could be anywhere with a remotely Mediterranean climate…
Edit: It's an air force photo apparently. Trying to figure out where it was taken…
http://www.americanspecialops.com/photos/usaf/U-2…
A couple of years ago…
My condolences to the crew and passengers. Wounder what happened?
passengers?… this isn't US Airways!!!
What’s your problem man? Four Air Force personnel died in the line of duty, end of story. Show a little respect for their sacrifice.
It’s one thing to debate why they are there, but quite another to call them mercenaries.
Just because they died in a crash doesn't make it a sacrifice. It might be. But if they were in the process of committing a war crime, like many US soldiers were/are/have been doing in Iraq and Afghanistan, then it's not sacrifice, but a well-deserved price to pay for their crimes.
You guys need to find a new website to bash the military. Pass by and keep on going!
It was a sacrifice how dare you say it was not, that could of been your son or your husband or your father. Every member on that plane had families before you go bashing them think about how you'd feel if someone said that about your family member. The four soldiers families do read these and I happen to be one of those family members; that was my Fiance up there and he was a wonderful man!
If you are flying the aircraft, you are a pilot/copilot. If you are operating instrumentation, you are crew If you are none of the above, you are passengers.
Shot down or sabotage to crash?
Insider Mole around base or Unit?
It's a little paranoid to suggest that every death is somehow an enemy-combatant related death. It isn't impossible that this incident was sabotage related, but aircraft come down of their own accord. Accidents happen even here in CONUS, where sabotage is even less likely.
The only certainty is that a box of American flags (American made, or Chinese made?) has just been opened, and that someone is folding them into neat triangles for delivery to heartbroken families.
Dog tags are made locally so a noaaintl database or something isn’t created. You can buy dog tags from sites like what is cited. All you need to know is his information.LAST NAMEFIRST NAME MIDDLE INITIALSSN (XXX-XX-XXXX)BLOOD TYPE (ie O POS)RELIGION (ie ROMAN CATHOLIC)
http://www.pnj.com/article/20120221/NEWS12/202210…
After a weekend crash killed four Hurlburt Field airmen in Africa, the base community is focused on helping family, friends and fellow airmen grieve.
A memorial service is being planned in the coming days for Capt. Ryan Hall, 30, Capt. Nicholas Whitlock, 29, 1st Lt. Justin Wilkens, 26, and Senior Airman Julian Scholten, 26.
The bodies of the men were treated with military honors when they arrived early Tuesday at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
"Memorial services help our team at Hurlburt and the families work their way through the grieving process," said Hurlburt Field Col. Jim Slife, commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing. "It's the beginning of closure in dealing with your own grief."
The U-28A aircraft the airmen were aboard crashed Saturday near Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa.
I deployed and worked with Ryan and Nick and instructed Justin when he first entered U-28 training. This is a sad event and they will be greatly missed. My heart goes out to all four's family. These brave young men paid the ultimate sacrifice and it could of been any one of us who deploy.
Thank you; it's nice to see one person not bashing them. It's a shame reading some of these comments that was my family and friends up there.
Thanks Anonymous,
This is what I was looking for exaclty latestnew technology
RIP. You will not be forgotten.
If the U-28a is based on a PC-12, it is a single engine turbo-prop aircraft.
Reminds me of the MC12
RIP
If anybody is interested, we have a website up (still under construction – will hopefully have more info on it soon) that has a link to donate to a memorial fund for the fallen. You can find it at U28heroes.com.
forgive me for my jaded mindset, but the site looks a little shaky. I would take down the paypal link until you maybe get some content up and some way for people to validate where the $ is going. maybe a .mil email address and a phone or DSN?
RIP brothers. Your sacrifice will be remembered.
Praying for the families and the AF community with a heart of gratitude for their sacrifice.
Seven Marines died as the result of a helicopter collision last night.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/73206.h…
RIP
A Beechcraft King Air has 2 engines and is made in the US. Obviously they wouldn't want to use anything like that for this kind of mission.
The whole purpose of many AFSOC aircraft is to be inconspicuous, which is why they fly many foriegn types (even some Russian ones). So, this whole "but it's made in the U.S and is therefore better!" attitude would actually inhibit them completing their primary mission.
Also, the spec op guys needed a plane that can land on soft and unimproved strips. I'm not sure if the King Air is rated for that. As far as criticising it for being single engine, the PT-6 turboprop is the safest engine in the world. It's so safe that the Navy and Air Force entrust thousands of their most inexperienced pilots to train on a plane equiped with only one of them (the T-6) every year. To date there has never been a total engine failure in the T-6 that was caused by an actual mechanical failure (although there have been ones due to maintenence or pilot error). This incident is a great tragedy, but don't use it as an excuse to argue about something that you are completely unknowledgable on.
Reminds me of when I saw an AFSOC plane do a somersault while landing on a dirt runway outside our VSP. Thank God no one was hurt in that accident.
RIP to the 4 Airmen who weren't so lucky :(
I'm not bashing, just stating the obvious.
Show me one military that hasn't committed a war crime at one point or another and I'll sign up for their military. I don't know about you, but we actually have a pretty good record. Not saying we haven't blown it and killed civilians or that kind of stuff, but as a general rule we are the good guys.
As for our wars being war crimes, maybe we ought to wait until Pearl Harbor II, then start attacking. Oh wait, we did: it's called 9/11….