[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

I assume you mean that the 21st Interceptor Regiment took part in the Bay of Pigs 1962 action and later inducted the MiG-21bis.

Yes sir, the regiment was a part of the of the Brigada de Aviación de la Guardia Playa Girón (Girón Beach Guard Aviation Brigade). After the Cuban Revolution in which Fidel Castro's rebels seized power after ousting Cuban government, the brigade was formed in 1959 with the remnants of the erstwhile Fuerza Aerea Ejercito de Cuba (FAEC) - Cuban Army Air Force.

In April 1961 the Brigade received their baptism of fire at Playa Girón, when with 11 pilots and nine planes (Douglas A-26 Invader, T-33 and Hawker Sea Fury) in poor condition and without parts, they carried out more than 60 combat missions, in which they shot down atleast two A-26s, and sank several ships and barges of Brigade 2506 that was invading the Bay of Pigs (Brigade 2506 was a CIA-sponsored group of Cuban exiles formed in 1960 to attempt the military overthrow of the Cuban government headed by Fidel Castro). It was then that the Brigade was honored with the title of “Bay of Pigs” Guard Brigade,

Since 1961, it began to fly Soviet origin fighters like the MiG-17 , MiG-19 , MiG-21 , MiG-23 and MiG-29.

[skanchan95]

1:72 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21M Fishbed-J Type 88 "Badal"(Clouds), Indian Air Force
This superb piece of art is by fellow bhpian and Aircraft Scale Modeler Extraordinaire - basuroy. It now stands as the centerpiece of my aircraft scale model collection. He was patient enough to listen and gracious enough to honour some very specific requests to be done on this model. The attention to detail, colour, IAF markings, stencils are all spot on and flawless. I can't be thankful enough for the magnificent work he did on this model. Thanks so much Basuroy. If you wish to see his other works, this is the link to his instagram page.

The model is armed with 2 X drop tanks and 2 X UV-16 rocket pods.

Type 88 MiG-21M "Badal"
The MiG-21M(nicknamed "Badal" in IAF service and designated as the Type 88) was the from the family of third generation variants of the legendary MiG-21 family. It was an all-weather interceptor, strike and reconnaissance aircraft with an internal gun and missile/bomb/rocket (on four wing pylons) armament and was considered a multi-role version of the MiG-21.Compared to second generation of MiG-21s (MiG-21PF/FL/PFM etc), the MiG-21M had a larger spine(dorsal fairing above the fuselage), two pylons on each wing. It had a RP-21MA radar and a built in GSh-23L cannon in the belly. However, it continued to be powered by the MiG-21FL's R11F-300 engines(which was being license manufactured in India for the MiG-21FL).
While the production of Type 77 MiG 21FLs was going on in India, the Indian Government in the early 1970s signed an agreement with the Soviet Union for the manufacture of the MiG 21M in India. The IAF also received 36 R-13 powered, direct supply MiG 21MFs (Type 96) - Tail number C1474 to C1509 and the Indian Manufactured MiG 21Ms eventually totaled up to 162 (C1531 to C1691).

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 15.0 m (49 ft 2.5 in) (with pitot)
Wingspan: 7.154 m (23 ft 5.66 in)
Height: 4.125 m (13 ft 6.41 in)
Wing area: 23.0 m2 (247.3 sq ft)
Empty weight: 5,339 kg (11,770 lb)
Gross weight: 8,725 kg (19,235 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Tumansky R11F2S-300 , 38.74 kN (8,710 lbf) thrust dry, 60.54 kN (13,610 lbf) with afterburner

Performance
Maximum speed: 2,237 km/h (1,468 mph, 1,276 kn)
Maximum speed: Mach 2.05
Landing speed: 270 km/h
Range: 1,210 km (751 mi, 653 nmi) (internal fuel)
Service ceiling: 17,800 m (58,400 ft)
Rate of climb: 225 m/s (44,280 ft/min)

Armament
1x internal 23 mm GSh-23 cannon with 250 rounds
4x K-13A/M
2 x 500 kg (1,102 lb) bombs
2 X UV-16/32 Rocket Pods, 2 X S-24 Rockets

MiG-21M Tail Mo. C1624
MiG-21M C1624 was built in the year 1978 and was the first example in the batch of 18 MiG-21Ms manufactured by HAL during the FY 1978-79. C1624 is now on display at the General Thimmaiah Museum in Madikeri, Coorg. It remains the only IAF aircraft I have seen closeup from a hand's distance away( in 2021) and thus this very special MiG-21 (for me) was the subject of this project by Basuroy.

C1624 at Gen. Thimmaiah Museum in Madikeri, Coorg. Note how well basuroy has replicated this MiG-21M - the size and location of the IAF roundels, finflash and the Tail no. on the scale model - All perfect.






























C1624 with its PC counterpart


Close up shots - Look at the magnificent attention to detail - rivets and near perfect panel lines - something which you rarely get to see in diecast models.










With the book - Legacy of a Legend.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21M Fishbed-J Type 88 "Badal"(Clouds), Indian Air Force
This superb piece of art is by fellow bhpian and Aircraft Scale Modeler

Spectacular model! no doubt the king/queen of your collection.
I was reading the post on my phone and I thought for a moment some model manufacturer has finally made an iconic Indian Air Force Mig-21.

Its looks great in flight mode where you can see all the details on the underside also. Why did you go with this particular weapons layout?

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Spectacular model! no doubt the king/queen of your collection.

It sure is, thanks to basuroy

Originally Posted by Foxbat

I was reading the post on my phone and I thought for a moment some model manufacturer has finally made an iconic Indian Air Force Mig-21.

Yes, at first glance it is easy to mistake it for a diecast model.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Why did you go with this particular weapons layout?

I have always liked the look of the MiG-21 with drop tanks mounted on it's wings . I still remember the visuals during the Kargil War where MiG-21s were armed with R-60s and wing drop tanks( MiG-21bis) for CAP/Escort missions and wing Drop tanks & Rocket Pods (MiG-21M) for strike missions. Those visuals have influenced the way I want my MiG-21s to look in my display cabinet. In fact both my HM MiG-21s have the drop tank+ K-13 loadout instead of 4 X K-13s.


Besides that, there is something I find very appealing about a MiG-21 in a shallow dive firing rockets at a target.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21M Fishbed-J Type 88 "Badal"(Clouds), Indian Air Force
This superb piece of art is by fellow bhpian and Aircraft Scale Modeler Extraordinaire - basuroy. It now stands as the centerpiece of my aircraft scale model collection.

Hearty congratulations to both you and BHPian @basuroy. A truly historic aircraft straight from Indian aviation history. Basuroy's artistic skill and your superlative photographic skills brings this model to life in a most detailed and beautiful way even showing up the rough ruggedness of the MiG-21 as it was in real life and the colour matching is perfect. You and Basuroy clearly used a scale model brand far more detailed than HobbyMaster even - the quality and details down to the rivets shows. Deservedly this piece is now the queen of your skies.

I'm off Team BHP for a few months but after your PM I simply had to come to this page and admire your work. Thank you for your PM. May your IAF MiG-21 fleet grow.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Hearty congratulations to both you and BHPian @basuroy. A truly historic aircraft straight from Indian aviation history. Basuroy's artistic skill and your superlative photographic skills brings this model to life in a most detailed and beautiful way even showing up the rough ruggedness of the MiG-21 as it was in real life and the colour matching is perfect. You and Basuroy clearly used a scale model brand far more detailed than HobbyMaster even - the quality and details down to the rivets shows. Deservedly this piece is now the queen of your skies.

I'm off Team BHP for a few months but after your PM I simply had to come to this page and admire your work. Thank you for your PM. May your IAF MiG-21 fleet grow.

Thank you Sir. Each of basuroy's creations are masterpieces.

The HM MiG-21 do not even come close to the MiG-21 built by Basu Roy and to be very honest, look bloated and out of shape, if compared side by side.

Best wishes for you health.

[skanchan95]

Keytag - MiG-21bis Indian Air Force
IT is good to see Indian entrepreneurs getting into the field aviation merchandise. Earlier it was patches and now Keytags made from genuine decommissioned aircraft.

These Keytags were made by Indian companies like Woodwings & EagleOneAviation from the skins of retired/scrapped IAF MiG-21bis.

[skanchan95]

Keytag - Avions de Transport Regional (ATR) ATR 72-500/212A VT-JCM(Aviationtag)
Aviationtag's second keytag from an Indian carrier - Jet Airways (ATR 72-500 VT-JCM)

Airframe Specifications
Registration : VT-JCM
Serial number : 793
Type : 72-212A
First flight date : 28/05/2008
Test registration: F-WWEN
Engines : 2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127F Turboprop
Status: Scrapped

VT-JCM was delivered brand new to Jet Airways in June 2008. After Jet Airways shutdown in 2019, she was re-possessed by the lessor and registered as M-ABMD. Despite plans for its transfer to Voepass in Brazil, the aircraft's journey took a different path, ultimately leading to its grounding in Toulouse and subsequent storage as M-ABMD.

In 2023, after years of service and storage, the ATR 72-500 was eventually scrapped, marking the end of its aviation journey.

Having flown on Jet Airways ATR-72s from Diu, Keshod, Rajkot, Mumbai, Bangalore and Mangalore, these keytags will forever be special to me. 9W was my favorite airline. VT-JCM seems to have been based in Bangalore and there are strong chances that I would have flown on it in the Mangalore-Bangalore sector.

No. 277 & No. 583 of 2000 tags made from skin of the scrapped VT-JCM/M-ABMD























VT-JCM in better days


Sad sight

[skanchan95]

1:72 Shenyang F-6A, S/N 1015, No.11 Squadron "Arrows", Pakistan Air Force (Panzerkampf)

The Shenyang F-6 (NATO reporting name: Farmer) was the export version of the Chinese-built Shenyang J-6 which was the license manufactured version of the Soviet MiG-19 'Farmer', the world's first mass-produced supersonic aircraft.

It was manufactured by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) of China. The J-6 or F-6 was built principally to meet the requirements of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF). About 3,000 J-6s were delivered to various countries worldwide. The J-6 is also exported to various countries including Albania, Cambodia, Iran, Iraq, Burma, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, North Korea and Pakistan.

The F-6 was armed with three 30mm Type 30-1 cannons, which could fire munitions at the rate of 70 rounds per gun (wing guns) and 55 rounds per gun (fuselage gun). The aircraft has six hardpoints with three on each wing.

It can carry a payload of up to 250kg. The J-6 is fitted with PL-2 and PL-5 air-to-air missiles (AAM), anti-runway bombs, two unguided rocket launchers, and two 500l drop tanks.

The F-6 was powered by two Liming Wopen-6A (Tumansky RD-9B) afterburning turbojet engines.

The F-6 & the PAF
Between 1965–1980, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) received 260 F-6 fighters which went on to serve with 10 PAF squadrons at various times. During their service, Pakistani F-6s also underwent many modifications at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex to improve its capabilities in the interceptor and close air support roles. These modifications included installation of Martin-Baker ejection seats, gun cameras, western avionics, AIM-9B/J/P missiles, French 68mm SNEB rockets, underbelly gondola-style fuel tanks and a special ground power unit, to quickly start the engines and shorten scramble time.
When the 1971 War broke out, the PAF had operationalized three F-6 squadrons which were the No. 11, No. 23 & No. 25 Squadrons. The F-6s of these squadrons collectively flew 945 sorties out of which 834 were combat ones.

No. 11 Squadron's F-6s shot down one IAF Su-7 in the 1971 war. On 7 December 1971, Flight Lt. Atiq Sufi of the No. 11 Squadron shot down an Su-7 near Samba. Its pilot Sqdn Ldr Jiwa Singh of No. 26 Sqdn was killed in action.

Moreover, the F-6 flew 184 Ground Attack sorties where their 3 x 30 mm guns and 57 mm S-5 rockets were particularly effective against Indian armour, military vehicles, bunkers, and troop concentrations. Their Close Air Support missions at Shakargarh were the most successful.

At the end of the war, the PAF had lost two F-6s to ground fire while losing one F-6 to an Indian Su-7. An F-6 was also lost to friendly fire.

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 14.64 m (48 ft 0 in) (variants with nose pitot probe)
12.54 m (41.1 ft) (variants without nose pitot probe)
Wingspan: 9 m (29 ft 6 in)
Height: 3.885 m (12 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 25.16 m2 (270.8 sq ft)
Empty weight: 5,172 kg (11,402 lb) to 5,447 kg (12,009 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 7,560 kg (16,667 lb) clean
8,662 kg (19,096 lb) with drop tanks
8,832 kg (19,471 lb) with drop tanks and rocket pods
Fuel capacity: 1,735–1,800 kg (3,825–3,968 lb) internal
2,796 kg (6,164 lb) with drop tanks
Powerplant: 2 × Wopen WP-6A afterburning turbojet engines, 25.5 kN (5,730 lbf) thrust each dry, 31.8 kN (7,160 lbf) with afterburner

Performance
Maximum speed: 1,540 km/h (960 mph, 830 kn)
Maximum speed: Mach 1.3
Range: 1,400 km (870 mi, 760 nmi)
Combat range: 640 km (400 mi, 350 nmi)
Ferry range: 2,200 km (1,400 mi, 1,200 nmi) with drop tanks
Endurance: 1 hour 43 minutes clean
2 hours 38 minutes with drop tanks
Service ceiling: 15,800 m (51,800 ft) at military power
17,500–17,900 m (57,400–58,700 ft) with full afterburner
Rate of climb: 180 m/s (35,000 ft/min)
Take-off run: 900 m (3,000 ft) at full military power
515 m (1,690 ft) with full afterburner
Landing run: 610 m (2,000 ft) with brake parachute
890 m (2,920 ft) without brake parachute

Armament
3x 30 mm NR-30 cannons (70 rounds per gun for wing guns, 55 rounds for fuselage gun)
Up to 250 kg (550 lb) of unguided bombs or rocket pods or PL-2/PL-5 (Chinese versions of Soviet K-13 (NATO AA-2 'Atoll') and AIM-9 (for Pakistani F-6s only) air-to-air missiles on 4 underwing pylons

























The two Wing root Cannons:


Third cannon under the nose


The F-6 was well suited to the role of Close Air Support as its powerful 3x30-mm cannon were ideal for strafing of convoys and rolling stock during armed recce, while two pods holding 8x57-mm rockets each, offered the option of firing a salvo in the midst of an armour concentration.





















with the Hobbymaster PAF F-16C Block 52

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 Shenyang F-6A, S/N 1015, No.11 Squadron "Arrows", Pakistan Air Force (Panzerkampf)

The Shenyang F-6 (NATO reporting name: Farmer) was the export version of the Chinese-built Shenyang J-6 which was the license manufactured version of the Soviet MiG-19 'Farmer', the world's first mass-produced supersonic aircraft.

Thanks for sharing. At first glance I did not think it looked like a Mig 19 much. It seem a bit beefier and shorter. If anything it looks a bit like the American F86 Sabre.

Jeroen

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 Shenyang F-6A, S/N 1015, No.11 Squadron "Arrows", Pakistan Air Force (Panzerkampf)

Great model with lots of detail! The green livery is quite striking and brings out the panel detailing well. The drop tanks and weapons are also wonderfully detailed.

One of the lesser know stories of this aircraft: In 1967 Chinese J-6s shotdown two US Navy A-6 Intruders when they violated Chinese Air Space.

Here is a recreation of this event:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CDyLOuHMJQ

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 Shenyang F-6A, S/N 1015, No.11 Squadron "Arrows", Pakistan Air Force (Panzerkampf)

Hearty congratulations Sandesh. You are a true blue blood scale model aficionado. Your love for scale models stretches beyond roundels and nationalism. God bless you. You know I have simply not yet reached the stage where I can get my love for all things aviation to transcend my hesitation on buying models with Pakistan or China markings. Somewhat hypocritical of me considering most of these models are built in some Chinese factory!!

The F-6 really laid the foundation of the modern Chinese fighter aircraft industry. Those NR-30 cannons had twice the kinetic energy of a DEFA or Aden 30mm cannon.

Congratulations again.

I need to get my act together again on scale models.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Great model with lots of detail! The green livery is quite striking and brings out the panel detailing well. The drop tanks and weapons are also wonderfully detailed.

Thank you. Yes, Panzerkampf as a brand have improved a lot and they engage a lot with colectors on social media seeking suggestions for improvement. No flimsy attachments, flawless paint work and there's a sense of good weight on the model and a good router stand. The photos of the next Panzerkampf model I post will further prove that point.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Hearty congratulations Sandesh. You are a true blue blood scale model aficionado. Your love for scale models stretches beyond roundels and nationalism. God bless you.

Thank you Sir. These models, regardless of the roundels/finflashes, represent military history that I have read about in good detail and later worked on getting F-6 mods made for the virtual world(for a PC flight sim). So, it is prized acquisition for me. I have a Indo-Pak models section on my display cabinet and this F-6A goes right into it.

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

The F-6 really laid the foundation of the modern Chinese fighter aircraft industry. Those NR-30 cannons had twice the kinetic energy of a DEFA or Aden 30mm cannon.

Yeah, imagine being at the receiving end of a volley fired from those three cannons. It was enough to shred lightly armoured vehicles and cause damage to tanks too. It was a very stable rocket platform too and ended up destroying many tanks using rockets. The F-6 did remarkably well as a multi-role platform in the 1971 war.

[skanchan95]

1:72 Sikorsky MH-60L Black Hawk "DAP" 91-26363 "Gunslinger", 160th SOAR "Night Stalkers", Operation Gothic Serpent, Mogadishu, Somalia, 1993

The MH-60L Black Hawk was thee Special operations variant of the Black Hawk and operated by the U.S. Army's 160th SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment - "Night Stalkers") Equipped with many systems used for special operations, including FLIR, color weather map, auxiliary fuel system, and laser rangefinder/designator. A total of 37 MH-60Ls were built and some 10 had received an in-flight refueling probe by 2003.

The Direct Action Penetrator (DAP) is a further special operations modification of the baseline MH-60L, operated by the U.S. Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. The DAP is configured as a gunship, with no troop-carrying capacity. The DAP is equipped with ESSS or ETS stub wings, each capable of carrying configurations of the M230 Chain Gun 30 mm automatic cannon, 19-shot Hydra 70 rocket pod, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missiles, GAU-19 gun pods, and M134 minigun pods, M134D miniguns are used as door guns

160th SOAR
The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), abbreviated as 160th SOAR (A), is a special operations force of the United States Army that provides helicopter aviation support for special operations forces. Its missions have included attack, assault, and reconnaissance, and these missions are usually conducted at night, at high speeds, low altitudes, and on short notice. The MH-60 series of helicopters are a highly modified version of the standard US Army Black Hawk, they are flown exclusively by the 160th SOAR. The primary mission of the MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters were designed to provide medium and utility helicopter support to special operations forces such as Navy Seals, Delta Force, and 75th Army Ranger, across a wide range of environmental conditions.

Battle of Mogadishu/Black Hawk Down Incident
The Battle of Mogadishu, also known as the Black Hawk Down incident, occurred on October 3-4, 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia. Part of Operation Gothic Serpent, it aimed to capture warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid's lieutenants. The mission turned disastrous when Somali militia shot down two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters, leading to intense urban combat. Eighteen U.S. soldiers and hundreds of Somalis died. The battle's graphic media coverage shocked the American public, prompting a U.S. withdrawal from Somalia and influencing future military policies. The events were later depicted in Mark Bowden's book "Black Hawk Down" and a subsequent film adaptation.

Super 66 91-26363
MH-60L Blackhawk 91-26363 "Gunslinger" was Super 66 and flown by CWO3(Chief Warrant Officer 3) Stan Wood & CWO4 Gary Fuller on that fateful day of October 3, 1993. It carried Chalk 3- a blocking force of US Army Rangers that was to set up a perimeter around the target building. After fast-roping the Rangers at their designated site, Super 66 went into a holding pattern some distance away from the building along with Super 64, Super 65 & Super 67. Super 61 and Super 62 provided Sniper cover for the troops below. Super 63 was the C&C bird with ground and air commanders on board. Super 68 was the designated CSAR( Combat Search & Rescue) bird with Para Rescue Jumpers on board





Super 61 'Thunderstruck' flown by CWO4 Cliff "Elvis" Wolcott and CWO3 Donovan "Bull" Briley.
Super 62 'Black Widow' flown by CWO3 Mike Goffena & Capt Jim Yacone
Super 63 'Grim Reaper' - C & C bird
Super 64 'Venom' flown by CWO3 Mike Durant, CWO4 Ray Frank
Super 65 'Heavy Metal' flown by Capt Gary Izzo, Cpt Richard Williams
Super 66 'Gunslinger' flown by CWO3 Stan Wood & CWO4 Gary Fuller
Super 67 'Texas Express' flown by CWO3 Jeff Niklaus & CWO2 Sam Shamp
Super 68 'Razors Edge' flown by CWO3 Dan Jollota and Maj Herb Rodriguez

Five of the Eight Black Hawks were hit that day.

Super 61 was the first to be shot down. In a low and slow orbit over the city, it got hit in it's tail rotor by an RPG. After a few seconds of struggle, trying to stabilize the aircraft, Wolcott came on the radio to state - Six-One Going Down. All accounts state that the the pilots did an incredibly brave thing of lowering the nose during the fatal flatspin that saved the two Delta snipers and crew chiefs in the back. Both the pilots were killed on the spot and two of the crew (Staff Sgt. Ray Dowdy and Staff Sgt. Charlie Warren) were severely wounded. Two Delta snipers, Staff Sergeant Daniel Busch and Sergeant Jim Smith, survived the crash and began defending the crash site. The crash site became the site of the heroic last stand of Delta Staff Sgt Daniel Busch. Busch was hit multiple times yet kept on fighting, A MH-6 Little Bird, callsign Star 41, quickly flew down to the Black Hawk crash site and landed under fire. The pilot, CWO3 Karl Maier, steadied the controls in his left hand and fired a machine gun with his right, while the copilot, CWO4 Keith Jones, dashed into the alley and helped the two Delta snipers, one of them mortally wounded, into the back of their helicopter. Daniel Busch was awarded for his actions on the day of October 3rd, 1993, with a Purple Heart (posthumous) and Silver Star (posthumous). The crew of Super 61 - CWO4 Cliff Wolcott & CWO3 Donovan Briley were posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Air Medal and Purple Heart. CWO4 Keith Jones later acted in the movie Black Hawk Down and re-enacted his actions in the movie that day.

Super 68 - the CSAR bird came into a hover over the wreckage of Super 61 to drop Pararescue Jumpers into the wreckage. While the last two men were rappelling, an RPG hit the Black Hawk, nearly severing the main rotor blades. Super 68, piloted by CW3 Dan Jollota and Maj. Herb Rodriguez, limped back to base. After landing, they immediately kitted up the only remaining spare Black Hawk in the base and flew back into battle. They were later involved in evacuating the crew of Super 62 after crash land near Mogadishu port.

Super 64 was called in to take the place of Super 61 to provide sniper cover for the ground troops. Soon, it too got hit in the tail rotor. The hit damaged the Black Hawk but it was still flyable. As Super 64 was flying back to base, the tail rotor assembly disintegrated and the helicopter began to lurch forward and spin violently. The Black Hawk crashed but all onboard survived with various degrees on injuries.

Super 62 volunteered to drop two Delta snipers - Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart into the crash shite of Super 64 to defend it until ground forces arrive - a request that was denied twice, before the situation got desperate around the crash site of Super 64. MH-6 callsign Star 41, which had earlier landed near Super 61 crash site and re3scued two delta snipers tried to land near the crash site of Super 64 but had to leave because of intense ground fire. Super 62 was granted permission to insert Shughart & Gordon. After 10 minutes of Super 62 giving fire support to the Delta snipers, an RPG slammed into the cockpit, ripping straight through the engine and knocking the copilot unconscious. Despite the damage, Super 62, piloted by CWO Mike Goffena and Captain James Yacone, was able to vacate the area and make a crash landing a safe distance away from the battle near the port of Mogadishu.

With no fire support and the Delta snipers running out of ammo, the crash site of Super 64 was overrun. Shughart & Gordon died heroically trying to defend the crash site, while except CWO4 Mike Durant(who was captured and released after 11 days in captivity), all crew of Super 64 (CWO4 Raymond Frank, SSG Thomas J. Field and SSG William D. Cleveland) were killed - they were posthumously awarded Silver Star, Air Medal and Bronze Star, their bodies multitailed and paraded on the streets. Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart were awarded with a Purple Heart (posthumous) and Silver Star (posthumous)

Super 66 was called in at about 20:00 hours to resupply the Rangers at the objective area. Some of the Rangers were completely out of ammunition and were fighting hand to hand with the Somali militia men. (Also not depicted in the movie). Stan and Gary brought their aircraft in so that they were hovering over the top of the Olympic Hotel with the cargo doors hanging out over the front door. In this way they were able to drop the ammo, water and medical supplies to the men inside. Stan's left gunner fired 1600 rounds of minigun ammo in 30 seconds. He probably killed between 8 to 12 Somali militia men. As Stan pulled out of the objective area, he headed to the airfield because his right gunner had been wounded, as had the two Rangers in the back who were throwing out the supplies. Once he landed, he discovered that he'd been hit by about 40-50 rounds and his transmission leaking oil like a sieve. Super 66 was done for the night. CWO3 Stand Wood was warded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions that day. He had, during Operation Desert Storm, led a rescue of U.S. forces deep inside Iraq, earning a Silver Star for his gallantry and airmanship under fire. Wood later served as flight lead and mission commander with the 160th SOAR. He led hundreds of combat missions in Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq, spearheading the employment of decisive tactical overwatch capabilities.
Wood has fought in every major conflict and many other classified operations, including 12 deployments to Iraq. He retired with more than 7,000 flight hours, including 1,700 combat hours. Upon retirement, Wood was one of the most decorated chief warrant officers in the U.S. Army.

Years later, I found this video in which CWO4 Stan Wood spoke about his experiences that day along with Lt Col Richard Williams (pilot of Super 65)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze4s_hZbm6M

CWO3 Stan Wood

The pilots of the 160th SOAR were a closely knit group. They had flown with each other a lot and during previous operations in Panama and Desert Storm. The Black Hawk Down incident was a saga of sacrifice, valor, courage under fire. Read The book by Mark Bowden many years ago was a surreal experience. It made you close to live urban combat. I had seen the movie earlier and it was extremely good ( one of my favorite war movies) but believe me when I say that it isn’t even close to the experience of reading this book.

MH-60L General characteristics
Crew: 2 pilots + 2 crew chiefs/gunners
Capacity: 3,190 lb (1,450 kg) of cargo internally, including 11 seated troops or 6 stretchers, or 9,000 lb (4,100 kg) of cargo externally
Length: 64 ft 10 in (19.76 m) including rotors
Fuselage length: 50 ft 1 in (15.27 m)
Width: 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m)
Height: 16 ft 10 in (5.13 m)
Empty weight: 12,511 lb (5,675 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 22,000 lb (9,979 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric T700-GE-701C/D turboshaft engines, 1,902 shp (1,418 kW) each
Main rotor diameter: 53 ft 8 in (16.36 m)
Main rotor area: 2,260 sq ft (210 m2)
Blade section: root: Sikorsky SC2110; tip: Sikorsky SSC-A09

Performance
Maximum speed: 159 kn (183 mph, 294 km/h)
Cruise speed: 152 kn (175 mph, 282 km/h) maximum range at 18,000 lb
Never exceed speed: 193 kn (222 mph, 357 km/h)
Combat range: 320 nmi (370 mi, 590 km)
Ferry range: 1,199 nmi (1,380 mi, 2,221 km) with ESSS stub wings and external tanks
Service ceiling: 19,000 ft (5,800 m)
Rate of climb: 1,646 ft/min (8.36 m/s)
Disk loading: 7.19 lb/sq ft (35.1 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.192 shp/lb (0.316 kW/kg)

Armament
Guns:
2 × 7.62 mm (0.30 in) M240 machine guns or
2 × 7.62 mm (0.30 in) M134 minigun[ or
2 × 12.7 mm (0.50 in) GAU-19 gatling guns
Hardpoints: 4, 2 per ESSS stub wings , with provisions to carry combinations of:
Rockets: 70 mm (2.75 in) Hydra 70 unguided rockets in either a 7 tube (M260) or 19 tube (M261) pod.
Missiles: Up to 4x AGM-114 Hellfire laser guided air-to-ground missiles or 2x AIM-92 Stinger heat seeking air-to-air missiles per hardpoint. The Hellfire launcher rails can also be equipped with M260 (7 tube) Hydra pods.
Other: 7.62 mm (0.30 in), 12.7 mm (0.50 in), 20 mm (0.787 in), or 30 mm (1.18 in) M230 gun pods

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

1:72 Sikorsky MH-60L Black Hawk "DAP" 91-26363 "Gunslinger", 160th SOAR "Night Stalkers", Operation Gothic Serpent, Mogadishu, Somalia, 1993

Another sixer to the boundary by Sandesh. Congrats. A winner. A beauty. And as always excellent photographs.