Shatterpoint Ridge: A CH-47F Chinook Combat Airlift Action
In the annals of modern military aviation, few aircraft have maintained enduring relevance like the Boeing CH-47 Chinook. Originally fielded during the Vietnam War, it has since evolved into a digitally enhanced heavy-lift helicopter critical to both conventional and special operations forces. The mission at Shatterpoint Ridge—a high-risk combat airlift and extraction simulation—demonstrates not only the aircraft’s technical sophistication but also the precision, resilience, and coordination of the crew that operates it. Viewed from the cockpit and cabin of CH-47F Ghostrider 31, this mission encapsulates the multi-domain challenges and tactical applications of rotary-wing aviation in high-threat environments. 1. Pre-Mission Briefing – 0340L, FOB Granite Ridge, Kunar Province In the humming confines of the Tactical Operations Center, the crew of CH-47F Chinook “Ghostrider 31” gathered for their op-brief. The team had been handpicked for a high-risk nighttime air assault into...
