MobBoss
Off-Topic Overlord
FriendlyFire said:I download the video with the short clip of WP being deployed from the helicopter. It cant be hellfireround given there slow decent and almost gental trajectory.
EDIT: yeap I had the hellfire conflused with dumbfire hydra missle pods which is why your post was so confusing.
I throught that hellfire missles were expensive and normally reserved for high priority targets ?
It is in fact a flare that was dropped from the helicopter (?) correctlty identified. By this time its position has already changed as it fires the first cluster of WP (?) followed by a second and a third. At no time was the helicopter illumated by its own flare.
Unforunity the video footage is low resolution:
images are at 200% optimised jpg 60%
EDIT: hmm why are my attachments not showing ?
Ok, now that I see these pictures I dont think it was a helicopter at all. See the three specific puffs of smoke and then a smaller puff of smoke below those three in the 2nd picture? Thats most likely three illumination rounds going off in quick succession. In general, anything that falls gently and slowly to the ground is an illum round, not a missle or bomb falling into the target. Anything slow and gentle will allow the enemy to get out of the way, but illum rounds by nature must be slow and gentle as to provide the maximum amount of illumination before the round hits the ground. Also, I dont think this was WP either. If this were WP burning as it was falling, it would be creating a virtual crapload of smoke as it came down. So much so that it would obsure the individual contrails...but that is not the case here - you can still see the contrails.
Most likely this is three illum rounds being fired from a mortar crew or arty battery somewhere.
BIG EDIT: Ok, I found out what this was by doing a bit of research. It is indeed artillery and NOT a helicopter. The round being used is this: the M825 155mm Arty round. Here is a description with a picture in the link that is very close to what FF has posted here. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/smoke.htm So basically, what you are seeing are small wedges of felt burning WP as they fall down slowly. They would certainly provide illumination as they fell. I would have thought more smoke would have been produced on the way down, but the example photo from globalsecurity is pretty close to what you see here. Smoke is being used in conjunction with 155mm HE rounds to kill and disorient the enemy just prior to the gound troops going in. Also, if it were meant to use WP as an inciendary device vs people its not a very effective one. A lot of the WP is burned up on the way down. If the intent was to use WP as a burning agent vs people the other WP round would have been used, as it puts WP directly on the target upon impact (which in turn isnt a very efficient incendiary device either). But that does not look like the case here.
Once again, this is certainly not a helicopter "spraying" WP all over the place.
But... I know I'm right and I can't wait for the future. 
