In 1988, a U.S. Air Force C-5 Galaxy transport plane discreetly flew U.S. Army special operators and a pair of MH-47D Chinooks from the 160th SOAR to the African country of Chad in order to steal a Libyan Hind Helicopter.
Known as Operation Mount Hope III,
The U.S. government was eager to get its hands on one of the Soviet’s then most advanced helicopter designs.
After a series of dry runs, the tier operators and aviators landed in Chad, flew nearly 500 miles to the an enemy airbase in the desert and simply stole the helo while avoiding enemy ground and air forces, and to top it off, flew through a sand storm back to friendly lines.
It was a major achievement that involved complex mission planning and long-distance staging and operational movements. It also proved that the unit could perform heavy-lift operations under unusual and demanding conditions.
In all, the Americans spent less than 70 hours on the African soil, coming back home with a substantial commie prize and making this mission one of the first of many successful missions in the history of the 160th. #ballsdeep #soar #nsdq #stayzero #zerofoxtrot