US Army AH-64 Apaches in anti-seaborne infiltration mission

[KDR]

US Army AH-64 Apaches based in South Korea have an unusual mission -
dealing with North Korean seaborne infiltration forces. The Apaches
practiced anti-ship tactics with Navy P-3s and destroyers in Exercise
Foal Eagle this year. Their potential targets would be Gongbang class
hovercraft, Nampo class assault boats or semi-submersible infiltration
craft.

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=13283&archive=true

South Koreans are toying with the idea of using new night-capable KO-1
air-controller in finding NK infiltration craft. KO-1 might be used as
AN-2 interceptor too.

http://www.koreaaero.com/english/cyberpr/sub2/sub12.php?part=sub12_3

P.S. Note that even the Stars and Stripes cannot get it right - it
says "Air Force P-3 Orion planes".

[John Hairell]

On 29 Jul 2003 10:23:14 GMT, Juergen Nieveler
> wrote:

(KDR) wrote:
>
>> semi-submersible infiltration craft.
>
>What is a "semi-submersible"? A boat that goes down but doesn't come
>back up again?
>
>IMHO, either a boat is submersed, meaning that it's completely below
>the surface, or it's on the surface :-)


Not so - if you have a boat specifically designed to let water into
flotation bladders so that it's not completely above nor completely
below the water, you have a semi-submersible. Of course such a
capability means that it could also be floating fully on the surface
or at some other times be fully submerged.

Covert ops people might find a use for such a vehicle.

I didn't see the begining of this thread. Is it about the use of
AH-64s versus covert seaborne infiltrators? Little Birds were doing
that nearly 20 years ago.

John Hairell )

[KDR]

A detailed report on the concept of AH-64 operation against seaborne
infiltration is here.

http://www-cgsc.army.mil/milrev/English/MarApr98/tilelli.htm
www.korea.army.mil/pao/news/AntiSOF.html
http://www.fas.org/man/eprint/anti-sof.htm



John Hairell > wrote in message >...
> On 29 Jul 2003 10:23:14 GMT, Juergen Nieveler
> > wrote:
>
> (KDR) wrote:
> >
> >> semi-submersible infiltration craft.
> >
> >What is a "semi-submersible"? A boat that goes down but doesn't come
> >back up again?
> >
> >IMHO, either a boat is submersed, meaning that it's completely below
> >the surface, or it's on the surface :-)
>
>
> Not so - if you have a boat specifically designed to let water into
> flotation bladders so that it's not completely above nor completely
> below the water, you have a semi-submersible. Of course such a
> capability means that it could also be floating fully on the surface
> or at some other times be fully submerged.
>
> Covert ops people might find a use for such a vehicle.
>
> I didn't see the begining of this thread. Is it about the use of
> AH-64s versus covert seaborne infiltrators? Little Birds were doing
> that nearly 20 years ago.
>
> John Hairell )