Photos of the highly modified MH-47 Chinooks of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, or 160th SOAR, the famous Night Stalkers, are almost always worthy of attention. Illustrating this point well is a passage from Weapon of Choice: U.S. Army Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan, an officially approved account of Army Special Operations soldiers and their actions in that conflict. So, to clear some of the bigger mountains in the areas where they operated in Afghanistan, MH-47s would jettison fuel, lightening their loads to improve high-altitude performance. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eric Coffer The MH-47G takes off from the flight deck of USS Hershel “Woody” Williams. The ability to rapidly dump fuel via a set of elongated pipes is just another tool in its special operations toolbox.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 14, 2021 23:26 UTC