A Bell Jet Ranger 206B helicopter begins to hover as test pilots put it through a government acceptance inspection Dec. 4 at Kirkuk Regional Air Base, Iraq. A total of five Jet Rangers arrived here on board a C-17 Globemaster III, Dec. 3. The rotary aircraft were shipped over from the United States, where they were converted, from multiple sources such as commercial use, to military application to be used as trainers for the Iraqi Air Force. They will later be joined by five other Jet Rangers from Taji, Iraq, to help establish the Iraqi Air Force Squadron 2. According to the Security and Training Management Organization the arrival of the aircraft is another step forward for rebuilding the Iraqi Air Force and training their next generation rotary pilots. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Andrew Leonhard)
U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Andrew Leonhard
2008-12-04
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