Extreme measures for an emergency extraction. When MEDEVAC isn’t available, getting wounded personnel out can require unconventional methods. Apache helicopters aren’t designed to carry troops, but in rare emergencies, personnel have been carried on their stub wings.

A well-known case occurred during Operation Glacier at Jugroom Fort, Afghanistan, in January 2007, when British Apache crews carried Royal Marines on their stub wings to recover the body of Lance Corporal Mathew Ford.

When I was serving with 1-227 AVN in Iraq in 2007 one of our attack weapons teams was supporting SEALs operating in Sadr City. During the SEALs extraction one of their vehicles hit a mine and several operators were injured. Our team was asked if they could perform an unconventional MEDEVAC of one of their wounded. After inquiring about the status of dedicated DUSTOFF assets and being denied permission to do it, from our unit, the team took it upon themselves given the urgency of the situation to land in a confined area and load the wounded SEAL because of his condition into the from seat of the aircraft. Then with co-pilot gunner strapped to the side of the aircraft and seated on the EFAB, the pilot took off covered by the wingman and flew the injured operator to a hospital located in the Green Zone. Upon returning the Camp Taji at the end of the mission, they were berated for not waiting on conventional MEDEVAC and were in the dog house until the special operators called to thank the unit for saving the life of their operator. Even after that, what they did was downplayed and within our Brigade our Battalion was looked upon as being a bunch of cowboys.

Done by the 🇫🇷 under fire during a night operation in Sahel 2019. Gazelle LOH shot down by LMG. Helo on fire. Crew heav wounded. On board sniper also wounded clipped them on a Tiger AH and himself clung on one wing. Safely evac a few km away.

In case anyone was wondering, the person riding outside is clipped in with a full harness. Plus the forward airspeed pushes you into the wing/airframe nook. You aint going ANYWHERE.

It’s called a “Spur Ride”.

I got to ride out on the bush hook after I was wounded. It was wild flying down the back side of the Himalayas outside of the aircraft.

Proposition for Polish medical air rescue

@AH64Adorni mi vida por el gordo dijiste

Someone needs to start a business where, with massive computer-aided assistance, suburban dads can pay to spend an hour piloting an Apache through a live-fire course.

RAF Apache pilot got the Victoria Cross for doing a MEDEVAC under fire in Afghanistan. The book "Apache" describes it in detail.

Soon unmanned drones will be going into harms way to evacuate the wounded. Got to love technology.

That’s older or somewhere we don’t want to share exhaust technology.

Didn’t troops do the same on Cobras?

They are literally designed to carry people on the stub wings. The design is attachment points for the soldiers so they can hook on to them.

Air lifted by an Apache well fuck me that's badass as fuck hell yeah brother

AH-1 Cobras did this on a few occasions in Vietnam Tom Yarborough (a covey FAC) details one of the instances in his awesome book "Da Nang Diary"

Makes me want to go out and get wounded just so I can take that ride! 😅

Called a spur ride.

I KNEW the "do not step" was a lie!

The French did the same in Mali in 2017 A Gazelle was shot down, three soldiers where on board, the pilot, the copilot and a sniper. The sniper secured his comrades and attached them on the structure of a Tiger attack helicopter and he clung on it, all under fire

This is the guy at the bar that you're like "no fucking way they did that you'll full of it" then he pulls out his phone and shows the recording

A couple of bungee cords 👍👏👏👏

Great way to utilize awesome equipment

was that not a test/proof of concept? How were the other 12 visible troops on the ground going to exfil?

There is a clip on spot specifically for this purpose

That looks like Basra

Thats amazing

Hold on!!

VA still denies hearing loss and tinnitus.

They have also been used for special forces insertion 👌🇺🇸

Thats the electronics sponson, not the wing....

Still better that hitching a ride on an Ah-1

Ju-87 Stuka wasn’t either but don’t tell Hans Ulrich Rudel.

Thanx for sharing these vids.