Thread: Employment Opportunities

I ran into a professional photographer, Sjoerd Hilckmann, over here. He has been engaged by the Dutch government to make a pictorial account of the operations here. I met him due to the fact he wanted to photograph my helicopter...and....scab a ride in it. He gave me a host of really great quality photos to download.

All these photos have been taken between Tarin Kowt, Kandahar, and one in Kabul...enjoy Sjoerd's photos...of my backyard:

A C17 having unloaded on the TK airstrip at what we call Thr30...the top end:







They are big 'mothers'.....six Bushmasters at a time...or two Abrams...or..I have seen 2 x Blackhawks loaded in one:









A Dutch Apache flying relatively high over Uruzgan...there is another one close at hand...they only fly in 2's.



This is a C130 coming in hard and low, flying tactically on it's landing approach on TK:



Apaches making approaches on the weapons range at TK:











The 'business end' of an Apache. These shots were taken on the rotary wing ramp down at Kandahar:







A Dutch C130 landing on my airstrip:

This shot is of the rotary wing LZ inside FOB Ripley, which is the US SF Base right alongside Kamp Holland and Camp Russell at TK.

Just in the foreground you can see a AME helo.

Ripley is where the Pavehawk AME & escort Apache were supposed to depart from on the day SIG McCarthy was killed. AME from here would have had him into surgery in 20 mins. Ask your local Federal member why the ADF does not have the certainty of dedicated AME at TK?













CH47s are great......but....why are they so small?

One of these fellas will lift more than 5 x Chinooks can.....

only 1 word
Awesome

cheers

Great shots.

Umm, what is that on the ground over on the right side???

Originally Posted by BBC

This is a C130 coming in hard and low, flying tactically on it's landing approach on TK:

Originally Posted by p38arover

Great shots.

Umm, what is that on the ground over on the right side???

Ron,

That'd be a Dutch G-Wagen. I'm currently in the act of getting some comparitive photos between them and the ADF Landies here.

Cheers,

BBC

A C17 from the USAF Air Mobility Command landing on the airstrip I maintain at Tarin Kowt. This is the only dirt strip in the world that currently has C17's landing on it:



C17's taking off. 200tonne of Aircraft, capable of carrying 200tonne....powerful.

Of all the noisy neighbours I have....this one takes the cake.

This is the Dutch 155mm Panzer Howitzer...it can throw a lot of lead a long way. Maximum effective range is 40km...in the Tarin Kowt valley it is a real deal maker.....read about it here:

http://http://www.army-technology.com/projects/pzh2000/

I do know, that when it fires, it shakes my accommodation container and is guaranteed to wake me any time of day or night. When it is firing you can stand behind and see the round in the air...which impresses the 'Bejesus' out of me.













To this day...I am still struggling to find any reason why I would want to be a Gun Bunny!

The Dutch military fly F16s in support of ground operations in Afghanistan. These are based out of Kandahar Air Field (KAF), which is where the Mi26 we have under contract to them is located as well.

KAF is one busy strip, open 24/7, with an extraordinary range of aircraft flying in and out both military and commercial.



Can you see how low to the ground these birds are flying. That road is where we have to drive to access our helicopter ramp....here is why we have to look both left and right before proceeding.





This bloke has just put the hammer down.........