Looks like low hanging fruit for someone with a rifle.
When I was in the navy we had a short range anti- aircraft missile called a Sea-Cat. One of the best training aids for the operator was skeet shooting, also worked well for the wardroom on a Sunday afternoon.
Now where is my Mossberg 690?
How is it done currently? Itās either by boat or like this AFAIK.
Bean counting wise, it would probably be better that the guys in your picture tried to use their rocket propelled grenades against a few individuals grunts in jetpacks compared to them downing a $50 million dollar chopper with an 8 man assault team plus the air crew on board? Better yet, have the chopper turn whatever those guys are standing on into swiss cheese from a distance then have the jetpack people swoop in to finish up. But our current tactics of letting our 3rd world enemies die of malnutrition, childhood diseases, violence from internal conflicts, AIDS, malaria & now covid19 seems to be working okay too.
Only if the tyrant XO actually allowed a Sunday into the calendar at sea.
In which case nobody would ever go to war ā¦ might get shot. There are tactics to deal with āsomeone with a rifleā.
The speed of the boarding is a big plus and a swarm of these blokes could arrive from all directions. If resistance is expected, the vessel they took off from would have guns on aim continuously and a supporting helicopter could do likewise from a safer distance. I like the concept. All my boardings were done from a bouncing boat and the reception wasnāt always red carpet treatment.
Why is everybody always picking on the South?
If it was the South then surely inbreeding would have been mentioned.
My training only extends to land based ops, but the doctrine is basically never to send a bird into a hot LZ. If there is any chance of enemy presence, you use a second helicopter with enough firepower to keep heads down while extraction takes place, and again thatās not something you do with opposing infantry covering the LZ.
According to my sources, fast roping onto the deck is not something you would consider with any kind of meaningful opposition, because you are likely to lose the bird as well as the assault team. In such cases the preferred approach is by fast launch from astern in the murkiest conditions you can get. When dealing with pirates without hostage cover, you want to use the threat of superior firepower to make them surrender before any boarding attempts.
Sexy as it is, I donāt see the jet suit concept bridging any gaps in present operational doctrine. They suffer from the same limitation as the helicopter in that they move in soft, predictable ways, making them easy to hit. I canāt really see any great advantages to offset the short range and high potential for operator injury, except for maybe low unit cost and some risk mitigation through not having all your eggs in one basket. IMHO, the sum of vulnerability and high skill floor will keep these from seeing any combat use unless other factors change significantly.
History would seem to support you.
This is not something that I know much about. Posted it because I thought the jet packs were cool.
That said operations that are candidates for fast-roping from a helo require a vessel (or land-base) that can support a helo. A similar operation done by jet pack doesnāt have that requirement.
Thatās shown in the video, the operation is launched by craft too small to support helo ops.
Iāve no idea if itās practical but seems that any craft that has room to stow a jet pack would have VTOL capabilities, albeit in a limited way.
The jet packs may prove to be useful to pilots some day. Not sure how the danger factor even with much training would equate to climbing jacobs ladders in rough seas. Rough seas = higher wind speeds so more dangerous conditions for flyers as well.
Jacobs ladders the āEnemy puts outā? I hated them even from the friendlies going alongside on the hip. Pidgeon holes in the notch were better, but not by much, at least they didnānt sway. I was younger then.
Iāve seen some young fit pilots. But I would guess the majority were big around the middle, up in the years & likely had a hard time breathing while tieing their shoes. Climbing a ladder or stepping off an elevated landing platform is nearly too much for them. If had to predict the future of piloting I would say remotely via a 360 degree Zoom cameras, not jetpacks.
Imagine how much faster the ship could clear customs if ICE had these!
Perhaps not related to this issue, but then again, it may be. I became friends with former seal guy that retired a little before 2010 ā¦Badass dude. His son and mine were wrestling at the same high school. He worked after retiring for one of those spooky private outfits that were looking into combating piracy. He knew I had a maritime background. He asked me what would be the best approach to an affected vesselā¦ I told him at night, around or after watch change and from astern. They donāt look behind them near as often as aheadā¦
Those things must have a nice heat signature. Thereād be some very active dodge-ball maneuvers going on if heat-seeking gear was deployed.
Why donāt the jets melt a big hole in the RIB? Looks like 2 jets per hand. Swing down for lift, swing out to descend, fore and aft is all in the wrist? Kind of restricts self defense or offensive arms use, if your hands are busy. Imagine trying to blast an enemy combatant with one jet? Youād spin like a top.
Their SOP when we worked with them was a swarm of small boats from astern at night at about 0300, an hour before watch change.
Jet packs ARE cool. An assault under cover of darkness is what must be contemplated. Easy target for a rifle in day time.