HITRON History Series: Coast Guard PA1 JD Lawrence (Ret)
Publicada en 7 de noviembre de 2021 7 de noviembre de 2021 por Admin
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter is seen on the Coast Guard Cutter Waesche's flight deck Jan. 24, 2015.
The MH-65 is operated by an elite crew from the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) who specialize in airborne use of force and drug-interdiction missions.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Luke Pinneo.
In this documentary series the Coast Guard spoke with JD Lawrence, Aviation Maintenance Technician Petty Officer 1st Class, USCG HITRON (Ret). JD Lawrence retired with over 26 years of military service and was one of the original ten members to stand up Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON). He was one of the first two gunners at HITRON.
Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron operations started as an experiment in 1998 to halt the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. Drug trafficking organizations primarily used "go-fast" boats, high-speed smuggling vessels capable of traveling over twice the speed of Coast Guard cutters. The Coast Guard needed a way to counter the threat.
In late 1998, six Coast Guard pilots and four enlisted aircrew members developed tactics and procedures to utilize armed helicopters operating aboard Coast Guard cutters to answer the call.
HITRON helicopters operate in known smuggling vectors and rely on expertly trained aircrews and precision marksmen to disable go-fast drug smuggling vessels in the event suspects refuse to comply with verbal and visual warnings for law enforcement boardings under international maritime law. This series focuses on the founding members, pioneers, and stakeholders who have played an essential part in HITRON's history.
In this documentary series, the U.S. Coast Guard spoke with JD Lawrence, Aviation Maintenance Technician Petty Officer 1st Class, USCG (Ret).
Lawrence retired with over 26 years of military service and was one of the original ten members to stand up Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron. He was one of the first two gunners at HITRON.
Interview and editing by: Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Adam Stanton.
The HITRON began operating with rented helicopters MH-90 Enforcer, USCG designation for the MD900 Explorer which were later replaced by the type MD902 (made by MD Helicopters). The MH-90s gave way to Italian aircraft MH-68A Mako, or Stingray, (Agusta A109 Power).
Currently the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron aircrews fly eight MH-65 Dolphin.
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Esta entrada fue publicada en Aviation Space, Coast Guard, HITRON y etiquetado Aircrew, Anti-drug, Anti-drug Helicopter, Anti-drug Missions, Aviation Maintenance Technician, AW109, Coast Guard Aircrew, Coast Guard Anti-drug, Coast Guard HITRON, Coast Guard news, Counter-drug, Counter-narcotics, Go-fast, Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron, HITRON, HITRON Gunners, HITRON Helicopters, HITRON history, HITRON Video, HITRON-10, MH-65 Dolphin, MH-65 HITRON, MH-65E Dolphin, MH-68A Mako, MH-90 Enforcer, Narcotics, Smuggling, USCG. Guarda el permalink.
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