The only way to travel across bandit country
IT IS probably the Army's safest form of transport in Northern
Ireland.
The thumping sound of the huge twin rotor blades can be heard miles
away, but the troop-carrying Chinook helicopter is ideal for shifting
soldiers across a dangerous province.
The threat of landmine attacks by the IRA meant the military
authorities were virtually forced to introduce this method of movement.
It is simply too dangerous to travel by road in places like South
Armagh and over in the far west out towards Fermanagh and Tyrone, where
the provisionals bombed a military bus, killing eight soldiers, in 1985.
Several helicopters have been hit with heavy machine guns and missile
attacks, including one in Crossmaglen a few weeks ago, but the Chinooks
have not been touched.
They are generally used to fly soldiers to RAF Aldergrove on the first
leg of the trip home to mainland Britain.
The Army's main flight base in Northern Ireland is right beside
Belfast International Airport.
Soldiers with their tell-tale short hair and English and Scottish
accents are allowed to slip in through a side door at the terminal
building before checking in.
A former senior Army commander in Northern Ireland once said: ''If the
IRA ever took one of those out and killed everybody on board, then the
Government would have internment in by the morning.''
It is the high-speed Gazelles and noisy Wessex helicopters, all fitted
out with anti-missile defences, which are used for round-the-clock
military operations in Northern Ireland.
The pilots must fly low and fast across the countryside to avoid
coming into the terrorists' sight and range. Several have been hit over
the years, with many forced to make emergency landings.
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