1 00:00:01,067 --> 00:00:04,404 [Narrator] It's a heavily-armed killing machine. 2 00:00:05,004 --> 00:00:08,141 This slim, lethal design 3 00:00:08,842 --> 00:00:12,245 would revolutionize air-to-ground support. 4 00:00:12,245 --> 00:00:14,714 When it goes off, you can feel that gun. 5 00:00:15,448 --> 00:00:17,617 [Narrator] Flying straight off the production line 6 00:00:18,051 --> 00:00:20,987 and into the jungles of Vietnam. 7 00:00:20,987 --> 00:00:22,756 It's designed to get into the fight 8 00:00:22,756 --> 00:00:24,657 and stay in the fight as long as possible. 9 00:00:25,558 --> 00:00:27,594 [Narrator] Performing daring rescues 10 00:00:28,895 --> 00:00:31,264 in the heart of enemy territory. 11 00:00:31,264 --> 00:00:32,899 [Grover] The adrenaline starts pumping 12 00:00:32,899 --> 00:00:34,601 because we know we're in trouble. 13 00:00:34,601 --> 00:00:35,802 We can feel it. 14 00:00:36,403 --> 00:00:39,906 [Narrator] And flown by ground-breaking female pilots. 15 00:00:40,407 --> 00:00:42,609 I wanna fly the baddest thing out there. 16 00:00:43,877 --> 00:00:45,512 For me, that was Cobras. 17 00:00:45,512 --> 00:00:48,047 [Narrator] In lifesaving fights to the death. 18 00:00:48,348 --> 00:00:50,116 [Payton] In this last gasp, 19 00:00:50,116 --> 00:00:52,685 the Cobra is still suppressing the targets. 20 00:00:52,685 --> 00:00:57,624 [Narrator] This is the AH-1 Cobra. 21 00:01:01,895 --> 00:01:06,232 [music] 22 00:01:13,940 --> 00:01:16,176 [Narrator] August, 2004, 23 00:01:16,176 --> 00:01:20,079 an AH-1 Super Cobra helicopter gunship 24 00:01:20,079 --> 00:01:23,650 races through the skies above Najaf, Iraq, 25 00:01:24,818 --> 00:01:28,221 Responding to an urgent call from a squad of marines. 26 00:01:28,221 --> 00:01:30,256 [distorted explosions] 27 00:01:30,256 --> 00:01:32,292 In the front gunner seat, 28 00:01:33,359 --> 00:01:38,131 the US Marine's first-ever black, female combat pilot, 29 00:01:38,131 --> 00:01:41,301 Vernice "Flygirl" Armour. 30 00:01:43,236 --> 00:01:45,171 I get a call from the ground control. 31 00:01:46,439 --> 00:01:49,609 You can hear the desperation in this guy's voice. 32 00:01:50,176 --> 00:01:52,245 "We have Marines and soldiers pinned down 33 00:01:52,245 --> 00:01:53,646 and they need your help." 34 00:01:53,646 --> 00:01:56,216 [Narrator] 11th expeditionary force marines 35 00:01:56,216 --> 00:01:58,885 are caught up in a bitter civil war. 36 00:02:00,987 --> 00:02:03,289 It begins a year earlier 37 00:02:03,289 --> 00:02:06,025 when the United States-led coalition forces 38 00:02:06,759 --> 00:02:10,196 launch a shock-and-awe bombing campaign in Iraq. 39 00:02:11,097 --> 00:02:13,166 It's an assault that succeeds 40 00:02:13,166 --> 00:02:16,336 in overthrowing leader Saddam Hussein. 41 00:02:17,270 --> 00:02:19,973 The big phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom 42 00:02:19,973 --> 00:02:21,508 is over. 43 00:02:21,875 --> 00:02:23,710 Saddam has been captured, 44 00:02:23,710 --> 00:02:28,314 but our problems in Iraq are only just beginning. 45 00:02:29,048 --> 00:02:33,453 [Narrator] Saddam's capture provokes a violent backlash 46 00:02:33,453 --> 00:02:35,488 from his loyalist followers. 47 00:02:35,488 --> 00:02:37,957 Insurgents who have been disarmed by the Americans 48 00:02:37,957 --> 00:02:41,294 and have got no real future, they take up arms. 49 00:02:42,195 --> 00:02:43,663 [Narrator] Now in Najaf, 50 00:02:43,663 --> 00:02:46,466 occupying forces made up of US Marines 51 00:02:46,466 --> 00:02:49,802 and Iraqi security forces are trapped, 52 00:02:50,503 --> 00:02:53,306 engaged in fierce close combat. 53 00:02:54,374 --> 00:02:55,775 They're battling followers 54 00:02:55,775 --> 00:02:59,445 of radical Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, 55 00:03:00,313 --> 00:03:03,016 who preaches loyalty to Saddam Hussein, 56 00:03:03,483 --> 00:03:05,985 fierce opposition to Western ideas, 57 00:03:06,486 --> 00:03:09,122 and encourages them to fight to the death. 58 00:03:09,122 --> 00:03:12,258 [Paul] American Marines found themselves pinned down 59 00:03:14,394 --> 00:03:16,963 by quite fanatical defenders 60 00:03:16,963 --> 00:03:20,600 because it suddenly became not just a sort of an uprising, 61 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:24,070 but it became political and then it became religious. 62 00:03:25,138 --> 00:03:28,241 [Narrator] Speeding to rescue the Marines from the mob, 63 00:03:29,008 --> 00:03:31,711 Armour is flying a Super Cobra. 64 00:03:33,212 --> 00:03:36,683 Top speed, 310 miles per hour. 65 00:03:37,250 --> 00:03:40,353 It's fast, highly maneuverable, 66 00:03:40,987 --> 00:03:42,655 and bristling with weaponry 67 00:03:42,655 --> 00:03:45,358 and computerized targeting systems 68 00:03:45,358 --> 00:03:47,527 to fire on enemy ground units 69 00:03:47,527 --> 00:03:49,629 with pinpoint accuracy. 70 00:03:50,730 --> 00:03:54,934 This helicopter has serious bite. 71 00:03:56,369 --> 00:03:59,672 The Cobra, it excels at air-to-ground missions. 72 00:03:59,672 --> 00:04:01,207 The best thing the Cobra can do 73 00:04:01,207 --> 00:04:03,109 is chew up an enemy strong point. 74 00:04:04,143 --> 00:04:07,780 [Narrator] But Armour isn't flying in, all guns blazing. 75 00:04:08,648 --> 00:04:11,117 Diverted from another strike mission, 76 00:04:11,117 --> 00:04:13,753 her Cobra is running low on gas. 77 00:04:13,753 --> 00:04:15,722 We'd been out for a little over an hour, 78 00:04:15,722 --> 00:04:19,459 which meant we only had 20 minutes of fuel left 79 00:04:19,459 --> 00:04:24,130 and we only had one missile left on our aircraft. 80 00:04:24,864 --> 00:04:27,300 [Narrator] Closing fast on the troops' location, 81 00:04:27,734 --> 00:04:30,603 Armour gets nightmare news from the ground. 82 00:04:31,237 --> 00:04:33,272 Even more desperate than the first. 83 00:04:33,573 --> 00:04:35,074 "We're pinned down. 84 00:04:35,074 --> 00:04:37,677 We don't have any ammunition to shoot back with. 85 00:04:37,677 --> 00:04:39,646 We don't even have any green smoke 86 00:04:39,646 --> 00:04:41,514 to mark our position." 87 00:04:42,315 --> 00:04:43,816 They were in bad shape. 88 00:04:44,484 --> 00:04:46,052 [Narrator] Out of marker flares, 89 00:04:46,052 --> 00:04:49,889 the units on the ground come up with an ingenious plan 90 00:04:49,889 --> 00:04:53,226 to help the Cobra crew track them down, 91 00:04:53,626 --> 00:04:56,863 signaling by reflecting sunlight off a mirror. 92 00:04:57,697 --> 00:05:00,933 I was scanning down, looking for any sign of our friendly forces. 93 00:05:02,435 --> 00:05:04,871 And then I see a small glint. 94 00:05:04,871 --> 00:05:06,105 "Contact. I see you." 95 00:05:06,472 --> 00:05:08,875 [Narrator] Armour also sees the enemy. 96 00:05:09,909 --> 00:05:13,880 The marines are under constant fire from a nearby tower. 97 00:05:14,547 --> 00:05:17,684 Her Cobra needs to eliminate it now. 98 00:05:19,118 --> 00:05:21,320 But the enemy have spotted them. 99 00:05:23,089 --> 00:05:24,757 "Break right, break right!" I quickly yell out. 100 00:05:24,757 --> 00:05:27,193 Why? Because, now, small arms fire 101 00:05:27,193 --> 00:05:29,062 is coming out of that tower, 102 00:05:29,562 --> 00:05:31,564 trying to take us out of the sky. 103 00:05:32,899 --> 00:05:35,301 [Narrator] As the Cobra banks out of the line of fire, 104 00:05:36,069 --> 00:05:40,039 Armour prepares to unleash her last missile 105 00:05:40,039 --> 00:05:41,441 at the enemy building. 106 00:05:42,241 --> 00:05:44,911 Looking down at the target, finger on the trigger, 107 00:05:44,911 --> 00:05:48,581 ready to pull, waiting to come in range, 108 00:05:49,182 --> 00:05:52,652 waiting for that phrase, "permission to engage." 109 00:05:53,252 --> 00:05:54,687 We got the permission. 110 00:05:56,389 --> 00:05:57,790 [Narrator] She's good to go, 111 00:05:59,192 --> 00:06:00,560 I pull the trigger. 112 00:06:01,894 --> 00:06:03,429 Nothing happened. 113 00:06:04,931 --> 00:06:09,135 [Narrator] As her co-pilot begins evasive maneuvers, 114 00:06:09,135 --> 00:06:12,071 Armour has just moments to try and troubleshoot 115 00:06:12,071 --> 00:06:14,273 the missile system. 116 00:06:14,273 --> 00:06:16,275 We're flying dead towards this target, 117 00:06:16,275 --> 00:06:18,044 resetting circuit breakers. 118 00:06:18,044 --> 00:06:19,645 I'm scoping. 119 00:06:19,645 --> 00:06:21,948 [Narrator] The system reboot should have solved 120 00:06:21,948 --> 00:06:23,416 her firing problem, 121 00:06:23,416 --> 00:06:25,985 but there's only one way to find out. 122 00:06:25,985 --> 00:06:28,855 We don't have time to come around for a re-attack 123 00:06:28,855 --> 00:06:30,690 because we don't have enough fuel. 124 00:06:30,690 --> 00:06:33,459 And in a few precious moments, 125 00:06:33,459 --> 00:06:35,261 we'll be too close to the target 126 00:06:35,261 --> 00:06:38,431 for the missile to be able to come off and strike. 127 00:06:39,265 --> 00:06:40,566 [Narrator] Armour locks on 128 00:06:40,566 --> 00:06:42,769 with her rebooted targeting system 129 00:06:42,769 --> 00:06:45,071 and engages her weapons. 130 00:06:45,071 --> 00:06:46,806 But if this doesn't work, 131 00:06:46,806 --> 00:06:49,642 the Marines on the ground are doomed. 132 00:06:49,642 --> 00:06:51,344 I pull the trigger. 133 00:06:51,911 --> 00:06:54,514 [imitating missile swish] The missile comes off the rail. 134 00:06:56,182 --> 00:06:57,717 Impacts the target. 135 00:07:00,253 --> 00:07:01,788 [Narrator] Direct hit. 136 00:07:01,788 --> 00:07:05,391 The tower and the hostile insurgents inside 137 00:07:05,391 --> 00:07:07,160 are obliterated. 138 00:07:10,830 --> 00:07:15,501 The 11th Expeditionary force Marines can retreat to safety 139 00:07:16,602 --> 00:07:20,173 and Armour speeds back to base in her Cobra. 140 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:23,075 When we go back in the ready room, 141 00:07:23,075 --> 00:07:27,079 the officer of the day told us that it was a good mission 142 00:07:27,079 --> 00:07:29,415 and the Marines and soldiers will be coming home that night. 143 00:07:29,415 --> 00:07:30,783 It was amazing. 144 00:07:31,284 --> 00:07:33,686 [Narrator] After completing her tour of duty, 145 00:07:33,686 --> 00:07:35,688 Armour receives a welcome reminder 146 00:07:35,688 --> 00:07:37,089 of the mission 147 00:07:37,089 --> 00:07:40,259 from an 11th expeditionary force Marine, 148 00:07:40,259 --> 00:07:44,964 one of dozens rescued by the Cobra's awesome firepower. 149 00:07:44,964 --> 00:07:47,066 I'm in the hospital for a routine doctor's appointment. 150 00:07:47,066 --> 00:07:49,235 I'm talking to the Marine in front of me. 151 00:07:49,235 --> 00:07:51,370 And I say, "Hey, Marine, why you here? What's going on?" 152 00:07:51,370 --> 00:07:52,505 And he says, "Well, ma'am, 153 00:07:52,505 --> 00:07:54,207 I have some shrapnel in my left leg." 154 00:07:54,207 --> 00:07:56,576 I said, "Whoa, shrapnel? Were you recently deployed?" 155 00:07:56,576 --> 00:07:58,978 He said, "Yes, ma'am, Iraq, 11th MEU." 156 00:07:58,978 --> 00:08:01,347 I said, "Whoa, wait a minute. I was on the 11th MEU. 157 00:08:01,347 --> 00:08:03,249 I was your Cobra air support. 158 00:08:03,883 --> 00:08:06,986 And then he just stopped and he looked at me. 159 00:08:08,487 --> 00:08:12,225 He said, "Ma'am, you saved my life." 160 00:08:15,761 --> 00:08:18,464 [Narrator] It's an impressive show of air dominance 161 00:08:18,464 --> 00:08:20,099 from an assault helicopter 162 00:08:20,099 --> 00:08:23,035 which debuted four decades earlier, 163 00:08:24,003 --> 00:08:27,607 designed for a very different combat environment. 164 00:08:29,942 --> 00:08:31,644 In 1964, 165 00:08:31,644 --> 00:08:33,946 communist forces ramp up violence 166 00:08:33,946 --> 00:08:37,483 against US and South Vietnamese targets, 167 00:08:37,483 --> 00:08:41,254 prompting the US to go to war in Vietnam. 168 00:08:42,855 --> 00:08:46,959 Faced with deploying 100,000 troops in dense jungle, 169 00:08:46,959 --> 00:08:49,762 the military decides to use helicopters, 170 00:08:50,663 --> 00:08:52,365 but there's a problem. 171 00:08:52,765 --> 00:08:55,468 They're moving whole battalions around, 172 00:08:55,468 --> 00:08:57,236 jumping from place to place. 173 00:08:57,837 --> 00:08:59,705 They thought chaps in the doorways with guns 174 00:08:59,705 --> 00:09:00,973 would be sufficient 175 00:09:00,973 --> 00:09:02,909 to protect them on the landing zones. 176 00:09:05,244 --> 00:09:07,280 They quickly found that wasn't the case. 177 00:09:09,081 --> 00:09:12,852 They were flying into combat assault scenarios 178 00:09:12,852 --> 00:09:16,188 whereby, because they're slow, because they're large, 179 00:09:16,188 --> 00:09:19,625 they were easily being targeted by enemy fire. 180 00:09:20,526 --> 00:09:22,561 They were going into landing zones, 181 00:09:22,561 --> 00:09:24,463 being shot to ribbons. 182 00:09:24,463 --> 00:09:28,200 [Narrator] In response to this emerging new combat environment, 183 00:09:28,768 --> 00:09:32,838 US General William Westmoreland puts out a request 184 00:09:32,838 --> 00:09:37,510 for new, faster, more heavily armed gunships. 185 00:09:37,944 --> 00:09:40,980 They needed a dedicated attack helicopter 186 00:09:41,547 --> 00:09:43,282 that would fill their requirements 187 00:09:43,282 --> 00:09:44,617 for close air support. 188 00:09:45,985 --> 00:09:48,020 [Narrator] Though the US Army already has 189 00:09:48,020 --> 00:09:50,489 helicopter gunships in the pipeline, 190 00:09:51,090 --> 00:09:53,292 nothing is quite ready for deployment. 191 00:09:54,260 --> 00:09:57,997 But the Bell company presents an ingenious interim solution. 192 00:09:58,631 --> 00:10:01,033 They use prototype ideas 193 00:10:01,033 --> 00:10:03,836 to update their Huey troop carrier. 194 00:10:06,973 --> 00:10:08,874 They add armor plating 195 00:10:08,874 --> 00:10:12,979 and shrink the cockpit down to just 36-inch wide. 196 00:10:13,879 --> 00:10:16,849 Completing its deadly makeover, 197 00:10:16,849 --> 00:10:21,120 a multi-angle gatling gun turret with grenade launcher. 198 00:10:23,322 --> 00:10:24,857 This is the world's first 199 00:10:24,857 --> 00:10:27,727 dedicated armed attack helicopter, 200 00:10:27,727 --> 00:10:30,029 the Bell Huey Cobra. 201 00:10:30,930 --> 00:10:33,065 It's designed to go into combat. 202 00:10:33,065 --> 00:10:36,002 Most helicopters are designed to avoid combat, 203 00:10:36,002 --> 00:10:37,403 but this one is actually designed 204 00:10:37,403 --> 00:10:39,472 to get into the fight and stay in the fight 205 00:10:39,472 --> 00:10:40,906 as long as possible. 206 00:10:40,906 --> 00:10:44,944 The Cobra is muscular and agile. 207 00:10:45,644 --> 00:10:47,847 It's an aircraft that closes with the enemy 208 00:10:47,847 --> 00:10:52,718 and overpowers the enemy with overwhelming firepower. 209 00:10:53,486 --> 00:10:56,355 On August 29th, 1967, 210 00:10:56,355 --> 00:10:59,825 just 24 months after its first flight, 211 00:10:59,825 --> 00:11:03,229 the first Cobras arrive in Vietnam. 212 00:11:04,697 --> 00:11:07,867 Now these new helicopters 213 00:11:07,867 --> 00:11:12,138 are about to be tested in the heat of battle. 214 00:11:16,501 --> 00:11:20,705 December 30th, 1969, Vietnam, 215 00:11:20,705 --> 00:11:23,842 a Cobra gunship is out on patrol. 216 00:11:24,609 --> 00:11:28,113 At the controls, pilot Grover Wright. 217 00:11:28,747 --> 00:11:30,382 [Grover] I'm sitting in the back seat 218 00:11:30,382 --> 00:11:31,683 of my Cobra gunship 219 00:11:31,683 --> 00:11:34,719 and we are flying large circles 220 00:11:34,719 --> 00:11:37,789 at around 1,000 to maybe 1,200 feet 221 00:11:37,789 --> 00:11:39,157 above the ground. 222 00:11:39,157 --> 00:11:41,893 [Narrator] He's flying protection detail, 223 00:11:41,893 --> 00:11:44,396 covering vulnerable scout aircraft 224 00:11:44,396 --> 00:11:47,799 seeking out enemy troops and supply routes. 225 00:11:48,466 --> 00:11:51,403 The jungle's full of people with machine guns 226 00:11:51,403 --> 00:11:52,837 and evil intentions. 227 00:11:53,505 --> 00:11:54,839 [Patrick] There's a need there 228 00:11:54,839 --> 00:11:56,875 for being able to identify targets 229 00:11:56,875 --> 00:11:58,543 on the ground and fire back. 230 00:11:59,077 --> 00:12:02,214 [Narrator] Wright has only been deployed on protection detail 231 00:12:02,214 --> 00:12:03,748 a few months, 232 00:12:03,748 --> 00:12:07,252 but he's determined to capture every moment of his experience 233 00:12:07,252 --> 00:12:10,322 by taking a camera into the cockpit. 234 00:12:13,258 --> 00:12:15,427 [Grover] I've always been a camera bug. 235 00:12:15,427 --> 00:12:18,597 I've taken photos of everywhere and everything 236 00:12:18,597 --> 00:12:20,398 that we've ever done. 237 00:12:20,665 --> 00:12:22,067 And so it was only natural 238 00:12:22,067 --> 00:12:24,669 to take a 35-millimeter film camera 239 00:12:24,669 --> 00:12:28,740 and a Super 8 movie camera into Vietnam. 240 00:12:30,008 --> 00:12:32,777 [Narrator] But this is not a sightseeing tour. 241 00:12:33,144 --> 00:12:37,249 Cruising above the jungle, wright receives urgent news. 242 00:12:37,249 --> 00:12:39,684 We get a radio call and the radio call says, 243 00:12:39,684 --> 00:12:43,054 "We have a scout aircraft that has been shot down." 244 00:12:44,589 --> 00:12:46,491 [Narrator] This is an emergency. 245 00:12:47,058 --> 00:12:50,061 Injured crew are trapped in enemy territory 246 00:12:50,862 --> 00:12:54,499 and communist forces are closing in fast. 247 00:12:56,034 --> 00:12:58,136 The only thing that becomes important 248 00:12:58,136 --> 00:13:00,739 in your entire life is getting to the scene, 249 00:13:00,739 --> 00:13:04,309 and getting that crew out of that aircraft, 250 00:13:04,309 --> 00:13:07,012 and safely and as quickly as possible. 251 00:13:07,846 --> 00:13:09,814 [Narrator] Racing to the crash zone, 252 00:13:09,814 --> 00:13:12,050 the Cobra team scan the brush 253 00:13:12,050 --> 00:13:14,853 for signs of the stricken plane. 254 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:17,789 We accidentally saw the thing. 255 00:13:17,789 --> 00:13:19,791 It was just a miracle. 256 00:13:19,791 --> 00:13:22,294 It was just a little bit of a white paint 257 00:13:22,294 --> 00:13:23,495 that we could see. 258 00:13:23,495 --> 00:13:25,830 [Narrator] As Wright swings the Cobra around 259 00:13:25,830 --> 00:13:27,732 over the wreck, 260 00:13:27,732 --> 00:13:30,735 his gunner spots something terrifying. 261 00:13:31,236 --> 00:13:33,872 Just a couple hundred yards from the stricken crew, 262 00:13:33,872 --> 00:13:36,508 enemy troops are rapidly assembling 263 00:13:36,508 --> 00:13:39,210 a 12.7-millimeter machine gun. 264 00:13:39,744 --> 00:13:42,747 It sends a real shiver up your spine 265 00:13:42,747 --> 00:13:46,618 because they are extremely large rounds 266 00:13:46,618 --> 00:13:48,553 with a lot of firepower 267 00:13:48,553 --> 00:13:50,555 and they cause a lot of damage. 268 00:13:50,555 --> 00:13:52,891 [Narrator] Other US aircraft are on the way 269 00:13:52,891 --> 00:13:54,392 to the crash site. 270 00:13:54,392 --> 00:13:57,962 Wright needs to take the gun out fast. 271 00:13:58,797 --> 00:14:00,732 [Grover] it was frightening. It was absolutely frightening. 272 00:14:00,732 --> 00:14:04,269 The adrenaline starts pumping because I've got to get that gun 273 00:14:04,269 --> 00:14:07,472 before that gun gets me or gets anybody that's coming. 274 00:14:07,472 --> 00:14:10,108 [Narrator] Pushing the engine to its limit, 275 00:14:10,108 --> 00:14:12,344 Wright pulls back hard on the stick, 276 00:14:12,344 --> 00:14:15,046 throwing the Cobra into a rapid climb. 277 00:14:15,780 --> 00:14:18,383 [Grover] Two Gs are forcing you down into the seat. 278 00:14:18,383 --> 00:14:21,453 Looking at the sky, you can see all of that. 279 00:14:21,453 --> 00:14:22,887 That's all you can see. 280 00:14:23,254 --> 00:14:25,290 [Narrator] Turning a tight 60-degrees, 281 00:14:25,290 --> 00:14:27,859 Wright points the Cobra's nose down 282 00:14:27,859 --> 00:14:29,327 towards the enemy. 283 00:14:29,327 --> 00:14:31,496 I fired off two pairs of rockets. 284 00:14:36,101 --> 00:14:38,103 [Narrator] Direct hit. 285 00:14:38,103 --> 00:14:40,572 The whole area turned into a cloud of dust. 286 00:14:40,839 --> 00:14:42,874 We had neutralized the gun. 287 00:14:44,776 --> 00:14:46,644 [Narrator] Wright banks away, 288 00:14:46,644 --> 00:14:48,613 unknowingly steering his Cobra 289 00:14:48,613 --> 00:14:53,151 straight into the sights of a hidden second gun. 290 00:14:54,619 --> 00:14:56,488 The machine gun opens up on us 291 00:14:56,488 --> 00:15:00,925 and starts putting bullet holes in our rotor blades, 292 00:15:00,925 --> 00:15:04,095 in our transmission, our engine. 293 00:15:04,095 --> 00:15:05,930 Our tail boom gets hit. 294 00:15:05,930 --> 00:15:08,400 Our wing stub gets a round through it. 295 00:15:09,801 --> 00:15:12,170 [Narrator] Smoke fills the cockpit. 296 00:15:12,170 --> 00:15:15,507 Wright's Cobra is now in serious trouble. 297 00:15:17,575 --> 00:15:18,910 You can feel it. 298 00:15:19,577 --> 00:15:25,116 The sound of crunching metal coming from behind 299 00:15:25,550 --> 00:15:28,787 says that the engine, the transmission, or both, 300 00:15:28,787 --> 00:15:30,355 are grinding up. 301 00:15:30,355 --> 00:15:33,291 [Narrator] Wright is deep in enemy territory. 302 00:15:34,526 --> 00:15:37,262 We're riding this thing as far as we could. 303 00:15:37,762 --> 00:15:39,097 It's all jungle. 304 00:15:39,831 --> 00:15:41,065 You look down 305 00:15:41,065 --> 00:15:43,668 and you know it all belongs to Charlie, 306 00:15:43,668 --> 00:15:45,603 I mean, North Vietnamese. 307 00:15:46,704 --> 00:15:50,475 To stay alive, he must limp the damaged gunship 308 00:15:50,475 --> 00:15:53,244 to the nearest fire support base. 309 00:15:53,678 --> 00:15:54,979 [Grover] You're sitting there, 310 00:15:54,979 --> 00:15:57,315 wondering just when everything's going to quit. 311 00:15:58,783 --> 00:16:02,687 [Narrator] Engines screaming, Wright finally reaches safety. 312 00:16:03,455 --> 00:16:07,158 We set it down, we reach over, we shut off the engine. 313 00:16:07,692 --> 00:16:10,328 We shut off all the electronic, we shut off the radios. 314 00:16:10,328 --> 00:16:12,764 We jump out and the smoke stops. 315 00:16:13,498 --> 00:16:15,600 So I'm feeling pretty good at that point. 316 00:16:16,701 --> 00:16:18,970 [Narrator] Wright's camera captures the evidence 317 00:16:18,970 --> 00:16:21,206 of just how lucky they've been. 318 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:24,476 But this Cobra can't fly again. 319 00:16:25,477 --> 00:16:29,013 With time running out for the stricken spotter plane crew, 320 00:16:29,013 --> 00:16:31,950 he urgently needs a new ride. 321 00:16:31,950 --> 00:16:33,852 I look over at the flight line 322 00:16:33,852 --> 00:16:36,187 and we see a Cobra that is air-worthy. 323 00:16:36,721 --> 00:16:38,590 So let's get in that Cobra. 324 00:16:38,590 --> 00:16:41,092 That'll be Cobra number two for the day. 325 00:16:42,327 --> 00:16:44,329 [Narrator] Despite his lucky escape, 326 00:16:44,329 --> 00:16:46,965 Wright heads back into the danger zone 327 00:16:46,965 --> 00:16:48,867 to resume the rescue, 328 00:16:49,634 --> 00:16:53,004 joining four other Cobras to circle the crash area 329 00:16:53,738 --> 00:16:57,208 and rain down a protective barrage of bullets 330 00:16:57,208 --> 00:16:59,544 around the stranded crew. 331 00:17:00,778 --> 00:17:06,651 It's an organized, chaotic, unbelievable show of force. 332 00:17:07,719 --> 00:17:10,421 [Narrator] Wright, once again, becomes the target 333 00:17:10,421 --> 00:17:12,790 as the enemy attempts to blast him 334 00:17:12,790 --> 00:17:14,058 out of the sky. 335 00:17:14,959 --> 00:17:17,462 We were bullet magnets that day 336 00:17:17,996 --> 00:17:20,231 because we not only put a bunch of holes 337 00:17:20,231 --> 00:17:21,900 in the first Cobra, 338 00:17:22,433 --> 00:17:25,603 but we got a whole bunch of holes in the second Cobra. 339 00:17:26,905 --> 00:17:28,873 [Narrator] Under a hail of bullets, 340 00:17:28,873 --> 00:17:31,276 Wright pumps the trigger, 341 00:17:31,276 --> 00:17:33,878 driving communist forces back, 342 00:17:33,878 --> 00:17:39,617 allowing a Huey troop carrier in to pick up the only survivor. 343 00:17:40,351 --> 00:17:41,920 The enemy disengaged. 344 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:44,589 They didn't even wanna fight anymore. They withdrew. 345 00:17:45,790 --> 00:17:49,060 We had a superior force and we had all the firepower. 346 00:17:49,060 --> 00:17:50,528 [Narrator] Job well done, 347 00:17:50,528 --> 00:17:53,565 Wright can finally return to base. 348 00:17:58,636 --> 00:17:59,971 [Narrator] A day later, 349 00:17:59,971 --> 00:18:02,273 the crew helps to recover the bodies 350 00:18:02,273 --> 00:18:05,410 of the two men killed in the crash. 351 00:18:06,444 --> 00:18:07,912 [Grover] It's more than just duty. 352 00:18:07,912 --> 00:18:10,181 It's also a certain amount of pride 353 00:18:10,748 --> 00:18:13,718 that we never left anybody out there alone. 354 00:18:14,385 --> 00:18:17,522 We take care of each other. We have each other's back. 355 00:18:18,690 --> 00:18:21,059 [Narrator] Though, Wright and his co-pilots 356 00:18:21,059 --> 00:18:23,728 defied death twice in 24 hours, 357 00:18:24,495 --> 00:18:26,798 many aren't so lucky. 358 00:18:27,665 --> 00:18:30,468 Almost 30% of Cobras deployed to Vietnam 359 00:18:30,468 --> 00:18:34,238 are lost, most to enemy fire, 360 00:18:35,173 --> 00:18:38,710 but some will be blown out of the sky 361 00:18:38,710 --> 00:18:40,778 by their own weaponry. 362 00:18:42,731 --> 00:18:46,101 January 30th, 1972, 363 00:18:46,101 --> 00:18:48,403 a Cobra helicopter patrols the border 364 00:18:48,403 --> 00:18:50,439 between Vietnam and Laos. 365 00:18:52,708 --> 00:18:58,046 It's paired with a smaller Loach scout helicopter 366 00:18:58,046 --> 00:19:01,283 to form a hunter-killer team. 367 00:19:03,585 --> 00:19:06,021 The hunter would try to figure out 368 00:19:06,021 --> 00:19:07,789 where enemy positions were. 369 00:19:07,789 --> 00:19:10,325 If the enemy made the mistake of revealing himself 370 00:19:10,325 --> 00:19:12,194 by opening fire at the aircraft, 371 00:19:12,194 --> 00:19:14,696 the position would be marked and logged, 372 00:19:14,696 --> 00:19:18,333 and then the killer Cobra would move in. 373 00:19:19,301 --> 00:19:22,738 Taking on this crucial killer role in the pilot seat 374 00:19:22,738 --> 00:19:26,208 and on his second tour of duty in Vietnam 375 00:19:26,208 --> 00:19:28,043 is Hugh Mills. 376 00:19:28,577 --> 00:19:30,245 [Hugh] My job was to watch the scout 377 00:19:30,245 --> 00:19:31,513 a hundred percent of the time. 378 00:19:31,513 --> 00:19:33,048 I never took my eyes off of him. 379 00:19:33,582 --> 00:19:36,118 [Narrator] As the Loach hunts the enemy, 380 00:19:37,385 --> 00:19:40,822 Mills and his gunner circle their Cobra above, 381 00:19:40,822 --> 00:19:42,357 waiting to pounce. 382 00:19:42,824 --> 00:19:46,361 Suddenly, they get an urgent radio call 383 00:19:46,361 --> 00:19:49,364 from a nearby OV-10 scout plane. 384 00:19:50,265 --> 00:19:54,202 He says, "I've got an anti-aircraft gun 385 00:19:54,202 --> 00:19:55,537 that's shooting at me 386 00:19:55,537 --> 00:19:57,405 on the side of a mountain over here 387 00:19:57,405 --> 00:19:59,374 and I need somebody to address it." 388 00:20:00,609 --> 00:20:03,345 [Narrator] It's the opportunity he's been waiting for. 389 00:20:03,345 --> 00:20:06,782 The cobra speeds towards this fresh target. 390 00:20:07,616 --> 00:20:10,385 [Hugh] As I move toward the Laotian border, 391 00:20:10,385 --> 00:20:13,855 I can see the OV-10 circling at about 5,000 feet 392 00:20:13,855 --> 00:20:15,357 out ahead of me 393 00:20:15,357 --> 00:20:17,259 [Narrator] The aircraft is under fire 394 00:20:17,259 --> 00:20:20,662 from a 14.5-millimeter heavy machine gun, 395 00:20:20,662 --> 00:20:23,665 concealed somewhere on the mountain below. 396 00:20:24,166 --> 00:20:27,869 [Paul] The Vietcong in Vietnam were really good at hiding. 397 00:20:29,371 --> 00:20:31,206 They were using cover. 398 00:20:31,206 --> 00:20:34,242 They were brilliant guerrilla fighters. 399 00:20:35,844 --> 00:20:37,746 [Narrator] Banking 'round the mountain, 400 00:20:37,746 --> 00:20:40,749 Mills spots the machine gun's location. 401 00:20:42,951 --> 00:20:44,486 I'm circling, 402 00:20:44,486 --> 00:20:46,421 and I can see the circular pit 403 00:20:46,421 --> 00:20:48,223 in the side of the mountain. 404 00:20:48,590 --> 00:20:50,492 And in the center, it's a built-up area, 405 00:20:50,492 --> 00:20:53,295 and that's where the 14.5 sat. 406 00:20:53,895 --> 00:20:56,531 [Narrator] The Cobra is armed with flechette rockets 407 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:01,603 and turret-mounted, dual rotary cannons. 408 00:21:02,504 --> 00:21:03,872 The aircraft didn't even have to be lined up 409 00:21:03,872 --> 00:21:06,274 on the target to engage, using that weapon, 410 00:21:06,274 --> 00:21:07,876 by virtue of the turret. 411 00:21:09,611 --> 00:21:11,913 When it goes off, you can feel that gun. 412 00:21:12,781 --> 00:21:14,883 [Narrator] It's more than enough firepower 413 00:21:14,883 --> 00:21:17,886 to obliterate the enemy machine gun, 414 00:21:17,886 --> 00:21:19,888 but it's a small target. 415 00:21:20,488 --> 00:21:22,624 To maximize his chance of hitting it, 416 00:21:22,624 --> 00:21:25,360 Mills needs the Loach to mark the gun 417 00:21:25,360 --> 00:21:27,395 with white phosphorous flares. 418 00:21:27,963 --> 00:21:32,234 [Hugh] They burst in the area of the enemy gun 419 00:21:33,034 --> 00:21:35,036 and I can see the smoke. 420 00:21:36,037 --> 00:21:40,675 [Narrator] Target locked in, Mills primes his weapons. 421 00:21:41,076 --> 00:21:45,213 I'm in the gun mode position on the armament panel 422 00:21:45,213 --> 00:21:48,884 and I trigger my thumb switch. 423 00:21:50,185 --> 00:21:52,320 [Narrator] Flying just above the trees, 424 00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:54,422 Mills opens fire. 425 00:21:54,923 --> 00:21:59,060 I give the enemy position a long burst of 20-millimeter. 426 00:22:00,161 --> 00:22:03,098 And I can see them impacting on the gun position. 427 00:22:03,632 --> 00:22:05,700 [Narrator] Swinging 'round for another approach, 428 00:22:05,700 --> 00:22:10,105 Mills prepares to unleash even more firepower. 429 00:22:10,105 --> 00:22:11,640 [Hugh] I approach in the dive. 430 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:14,976 I've reached out and flip over to wing store position 431 00:22:14,976 --> 00:22:17,879 and I fired one round of flechette rocket. 432 00:22:19,614 --> 00:22:21,983 IT flew straight and true. 433 00:22:21,983 --> 00:22:24,119 It popped right on the target. 434 00:22:24,486 --> 00:22:27,522 [Narrator] Now, he needs to finish the job. 435 00:22:27,522 --> 00:22:30,792 I slow the aircraft up and then roll it over 436 00:22:30,792 --> 00:22:32,227 on the left side 437 00:22:32,227 --> 00:22:34,896 so that I result in a dive 438 00:22:34,896 --> 00:22:36,564 of about 60 degrees. 439 00:22:37,499 --> 00:22:40,135 [Narrator] But as Mills fires a second rocket, 440 00:22:40,135 --> 00:22:41,736 disaster strikes. 441 00:22:41,736 --> 00:22:43,471 [explosive sweeping] [booming] 442 00:22:43,471 --> 00:22:47,409 The burning rocket is jammed in the firing tube. 443 00:22:48,143 --> 00:22:50,078 At that point in time, 444 00:22:50,779 --> 00:22:53,548 I knew I was in serious, serious trouble. 445 00:22:53,548 --> 00:22:55,583 [Narrator] Seconds later, 446 00:22:56,384 --> 00:22:58,586 the rocket explodes, 447 00:22:59,521 --> 00:23:03,491 setting off a catastrophic chain reaction. 448 00:23:04,426 --> 00:23:07,162 That burning sets off the rocket motors 449 00:23:07,162 --> 00:23:10,065 of the other five and they explode. 450 00:23:10,065 --> 00:23:13,969 [Narrator] Shrapnel shreds the Cobra's tail rotor. 451 00:23:14,469 --> 00:23:16,538 [Hugh] And I lose everything in the aircraft 452 00:23:16,538 --> 00:23:18,340 aft of the exhaust. 453 00:23:18,340 --> 00:23:20,241 The entire tail leaves the aircraft. 454 00:23:21,009 --> 00:23:23,912 [Narrator] The Cobra spirals out of the sky. 455 00:23:23,912 --> 00:23:25,914 I can honestly tell you it's the most terrifying thing 456 00:23:25,914 --> 00:23:27,215 I've ever experienced. 457 00:23:27,682 --> 00:23:29,484 And I'm trying to keep the aircraft 458 00:23:29,484 --> 00:23:31,453 from rolling over on its back. 459 00:23:31,453 --> 00:23:34,656 If it does this, then we're dead. 460 00:23:36,458 --> 00:23:38,026 [Narrator] Mills and his gunner 461 00:23:38,026 --> 00:23:42,731 spiral almost 5,000 feet towards the jungle below. 462 00:23:42,731 --> 00:23:47,068 As I fall it simply becomes, to me a sea of turning green. 463 00:23:47,068 --> 00:23:50,672 I can't see any relationship to the horizon 464 00:23:50,672 --> 00:23:52,240 because I have no horizon. 465 00:23:52,507 --> 00:23:54,109 [Narrator] Seconds later, 466 00:23:54,109 --> 00:23:56,111 he smashes into the treetops. 467 00:23:56,111 --> 00:23:58,513 [metallic crashing] 468 00:23:59,748 --> 00:24:02,517 We had another 150 feet to go 469 00:24:02,517 --> 00:24:04,953 because we were in triple canopy jungle. 470 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:09,657 And as the aircraft settles into the trees, 471 00:24:09,657 --> 00:24:11,960 I settle into darkness. 472 00:24:13,995 --> 00:24:16,464 [Narrator] Coming 'round, Mills discovers 473 00:24:16,464 --> 00:24:18,299 he can't move his leg, 474 00:24:18,299 --> 00:24:22,871 and his gunner, John Bryant, is in serious trouble. 475 00:24:23,338 --> 00:24:25,774 He has a broken back. 476 00:24:26,207 --> 00:24:27,642 [Hugh] I can drag myself, 477 00:24:27,642 --> 00:24:29,210 but John's not going anywhere. 478 00:24:29,210 --> 00:24:33,081 Somebody else is gonna have to get John out of this aircraft. 479 00:24:34,783 --> 00:24:39,687 As the realization begins to hit me 480 00:24:39,687 --> 00:24:42,290 that we're in a very, very bad position, 481 00:24:42,290 --> 00:24:44,025 our only option is to wait, 482 00:24:44,759 --> 00:24:47,662 [Narrator] It's a delay that could prove deadly. 483 00:24:47,662 --> 00:24:50,098 [Narrator] The enemy is closing in fast. 484 00:24:51,232 --> 00:24:52,767 I hunker down, 485 00:24:52,767 --> 00:24:55,603 waiting for what I suspect will be the ultimate assault 486 00:24:55,603 --> 00:24:56,971 by enemy troops. 487 00:24:56,971 --> 00:24:58,907 And they would've taken us easily 488 00:24:58,907 --> 00:25:01,376 in the condition that we were both in. 489 00:25:01,376 --> 00:25:03,078 And I wait, and I wait, 490 00:25:03,078 --> 00:25:07,115 And then I hear the sound of an approaching Huey. 491 00:25:08,983 --> 00:25:11,052 [Narrator] The Loach scout helicopter 492 00:25:11,052 --> 00:25:12,487 has raised the alarm, 493 00:25:12,854 --> 00:25:15,657 sending a ranger team to their rescue. 494 00:25:15,657 --> 00:25:18,560 When they hear that there's an aircraft down, 495 00:25:19,127 --> 00:25:22,263 three of our rangers geared up very quickly. 496 00:25:22,263 --> 00:25:24,365 Two riflemen and a medic 497 00:25:24,899 --> 00:25:28,670 loaded the Huey and head out to get us back. 498 00:25:29,370 --> 00:25:30,738 [Narrator] Hovering overhead, 499 00:25:30,738 --> 00:25:33,541 the riflemen repel down from the Huey 500 00:25:33,541 --> 00:25:34,909 with the medic. 501 00:25:35,376 --> 00:25:38,746 The medic had never repelled from a helicopter before. 502 00:25:39,214 --> 00:25:42,484 So as his crew is headed out to where we are, 503 00:25:42,484 --> 00:25:44,853 they're trying to tell him how you repel. 504 00:25:45,453 --> 00:25:46,955 [Narrator] Against the clock, 505 00:25:46,955 --> 00:25:50,191 they begin the dangerous task of freeing the crew 506 00:25:50,191 --> 00:25:52,026 from the stricken Cobra. 507 00:25:52,360 --> 00:25:55,396 They, then, begin to hoist me up. 508 00:25:55,864 --> 00:25:57,799 And as I near the bottom of the aircraft, 509 00:25:57,799 --> 00:26:00,702 I look straight up and I see the flight engineer 510 00:26:00,702 --> 00:26:03,238 leaning out, and he's maneuvering the hoist. 511 00:26:03,705 --> 00:26:07,041 And between his legs is another head. 512 00:26:08,576 --> 00:26:10,378 It's an Air Force combat photographer 513 00:26:10,378 --> 00:26:13,615 with a single-lens reflex camera. 514 00:26:15,049 --> 00:26:18,853 [Narrator] Mills' lucky escape is captured for posterity, 515 00:26:18,853 --> 00:26:22,657 and both he and his gunner have emerged alive. 516 00:26:23,691 --> 00:26:25,693 We were both rescued. We were both treated. 517 00:26:25,693 --> 00:26:27,962 John was immediately evacuated. 518 00:26:28,897 --> 00:26:30,999 [Narrator] Despite his injuries, 519 00:26:31,399 --> 00:26:34,169 Mills is determined to fight on. 520 00:26:35,036 --> 00:26:37,205 My leg was not broken, it was fractured. 521 00:26:37,472 --> 00:26:39,207 I put a brace on it. 522 00:26:39,908 --> 00:26:42,944 Four days later, I was flying combat operations again. 523 00:26:49,017 --> 00:26:52,554 [Narrator] Forty years later, with local help, 524 00:26:52,554 --> 00:26:55,557 Mills sets off to complete his mission 525 00:26:55,990 --> 00:26:58,493 by recovering the remains of the Cobra 526 00:26:58,493 --> 00:27:00,128 that almost killed him. 527 00:27:00,528 --> 00:27:02,697 [Mills] I knew the grid coordinates. 528 00:27:03,898 --> 00:27:06,868 But the Vietnamese guide knew exactly where this was. 529 00:27:06,868 --> 00:27:08,703 It had been heavily scavenged 530 00:27:08,703 --> 00:27:12,106 and this was, literally, the largest piece. 531 00:27:17,979 --> 00:27:21,216 [Narrator] Despite clocking more than a million flying hours 532 00:27:21,216 --> 00:27:22,684 in Vietnam, 533 00:27:22,684 --> 00:27:24,652 the Cobra fleet cannot prevent 534 00:27:24,652 --> 00:27:28,823 the eventual US withdrawal in 1973. 535 00:27:29,524 --> 00:27:32,627 But they leave a lasting legacy. 536 00:27:33,661 --> 00:27:37,465 The Cobra became ubiquitous all over Vietnam. 537 00:27:37,465 --> 00:27:39,567 It changed the face of the war. 538 00:27:39,567 --> 00:27:41,703 It changed what they could do. 539 00:27:42,303 --> 00:27:43,538 [Narrator] Ten years later, 540 00:27:43,538 --> 00:27:45,573 the Cobra gets a new look 541 00:27:45,573 --> 00:27:48,042 and faces a new challenge. 542 00:27:48,042 --> 00:27:52,046 In Grenada liberating US civilians trapped 543 00:27:52,046 --> 00:27:56,050 in the midst of a deadly communist coup. 544 00:27:59,262 --> 00:28:02,265 October 25th, 1983, 545 00:28:03,533 --> 00:28:05,635 the Caribbean Sea. 546 00:28:06,770 --> 00:28:10,940 On the deck of the USS Guam, crew rapidly prep 547 00:28:10,940 --> 00:28:15,945 four US Marine Cobra helicopters for a vital mission. 548 00:28:17,314 --> 00:28:20,850 In the pilot seat of one, Payton Dehart. 549 00:28:21,384 --> 00:28:27,190 This is his first combat mission and he's using brand-new tech. 550 00:28:27,857 --> 00:28:30,260 I take off over the bow of the ship. 551 00:28:30,260 --> 00:28:31,695 It's still dark. 552 00:28:31,695 --> 00:28:33,630 We do have night vision goggles on. 553 00:28:33,630 --> 00:28:35,932 It's the Marine Corps' first assault 554 00:28:35,932 --> 00:28:37,667 with night vision goggles. 555 00:28:38,134 --> 00:28:40,937 [Narrator] This is Operation Urgent Fury, 556 00:28:41,438 --> 00:28:46,976 a US-led mission to put down an armed uprising, 557 00:28:47,610 --> 00:28:52,248 as communist forces attempt to take over the island of Grenada. 558 00:28:53,550 --> 00:28:58,254 Operation Urgent Fury is really the first major combat operation 559 00:28:58,254 --> 00:29:00,623 since the Vietnam War. 560 00:29:01,324 --> 00:29:04,627 The Reagan administration decides to intervene 561 00:29:04,627 --> 00:29:07,063 during a political coup. 562 00:29:07,731 --> 00:29:09,399 [Narrator] As the coup unfolds, 563 00:29:09,399 --> 00:29:13,103 a no fly zone is imposed over the whole island. 564 00:29:13,103 --> 00:29:16,740 Now almost 1,000 US citizens are trapped 565 00:29:16,740 --> 00:29:19,609 in a volatile and dangerous situation, 566 00:29:20,243 --> 00:29:23,513 most of them, first-year medical students. 567 00:29:23,847 --> 00:29:26,716 Time to call in the Marines. 568 00:29:28,051 --> 00:29:31,688 They get a message, "Go to Grenada, rescue people," 569 00:29:31,688 --> 00:29:33,556 which is what the Marines are trained to do. 570 00:29:33,990 --> 00:29:35,492 [Patrick] The eyes of the world are watching 571 00:29:35,492 --> 00:29:36,726 and they need to perform, 572 00:29:36,726 --> 00:29:38,628 so there's a lot of risks for the US 573 00:29:38,628 --> 00:29:40,730 in this invasion of Grenada. 574 00:29:42,899 --> 00:29:45,135 [Narrator] Front and center in this operation, 575 00:29:45,135 --> 00:29:47,337 the Sea Cobra, 576 00:29:47,337 --> 00:29:49,406 the AH-1T, 577 00:29:49,406 --> 00:29:51,408 bigger and stronger, 578 00:29:51,408 --> 00:29:53,777 it has corrosion resistant parts 579 00:29:53,777 --> 00:29:57,180 to operate at sea and attack in any weather. 580 00:29:58,815 --> 00:30:00,717 [Mike] It was designed for shipboard use. 581 00:30:00,717 --> 00:30:03,186 It had Marine-ization, that's to say, 582 00:30:03,186 --> 00:30:05,422 magnesium components taken out, replaced with aluminum, 583 00:30:05,422 --> 00:30:06,990 because saltwater doesn't really work 584 00:30:06,990 --> 00:30:08,792 with that sort of thing. 585 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:13,630 [Narrator] Dehart is headed for the north-east of the island. 586 00:30:14,063 --> 00:30:17,467 He's escorting helicopters loaded with ground troops. 587 00:30:18,668 --> 00:30:20,103 Tasked with taking control 588 00:30:20,103 --> 00:30:22,439 of the island's major airport, 589 00:30:23,406 --> 00:30:25,008 Pearls airfield. 590 00:30:25,608 --> 00:30:29,879 Once they capture this, the airlift rescue can begin. 591 00:30:29,879 --> 00:30:31,981 When the Marine Corps owns Pearls, 592 00:30:31,981 --> 00:30:34,184 we have unlimited access 593 00:30:34,184 --> 00:30:39,322 to land as many troops and supplies as possible. 594 00:30:40,924 --> 00:30:42,725 [Narrator] But taking Pearls airfield 595 00:30:42,725 --> 00:30:44,494 isn't going to be easy. 596 00:30:45,528 --> 00:30:48,131 The ground troops are heading into an area 597 00:30:48,131 --> 00:30:50,633 surrounded by Soviet weaponry 598 00:30:50,633 --> 00:30:53,169 manned by trained Cuban soldiers. 599 00:30:54,003 --> 00:30:56,706 [Paul] The Cubans had provided large stocks 600 00:30:56,706 --> 00:30:59,742 of Kalashnikov AK 47s, RPGs, 601 00:30:59,742 --> 00:31:01,611 rocket-propelled grenade launchers. 602 00:31:01,611 --> 00:31:05,648 So America was suddenly facing what's basically a militia. 603 00:31:05,648 --> 00:31:07,350 [Narrator] Entering the danger zone 604 00:31:07,350 --> 00:31:08,785 around the airfield, 605 00:31:09,319 --> 00:31:11,921 the ground troops begin their approach. 606 00:31:12,789 --> 00:31:15,358 Dehart pulls his Cobra ahead 607 00:31:15,358 --> 00:31:19,028 to search for any enemy guns waiting in ambush. 608 00:31:19,929 --> 00:31:22,732 I fly north around Pearls airfield. 609 00:31:22,732 --> 00:31:27,504 There is a triple-A site there and it is smoking at the bottom. 610 00:31:27,504 --> 00:31:29,205 it is firing at us. 611 00:31:29,205 --> 00:31:31,641 [Narrator] But Dehart is banking hard. 612 00:31:32,275 --> 00:31:35,578 He has no time to target his Cobra's guns. 613 00:31:36,212 --> 00:31:39,883 Unfortunately, I'm looking at it through my rotor disc, 614 00:31:39,883 --> 00:31:43,219 so I actually can't shoot as we do that first pass, 615 00:31:43,219 --> 00:31:45,755 but we can see that he means business. 616 00:31:46,256 --> 00:31:47,757 [Narrator] Swinging 'round, 617 00:31:47,757 --> 00:31:50,226 Dehart points the AH-1 Cobra's nose 618 00:31:50,226 --> 00:31:53,363 straight at the anti-aircraft gun 619 00:31:53,363 --> 00:31:55,098 and opens fire, 620 00:31:55,465 --> 00:31:57,867 but catastrophe strikes. 621 00:31:58,301 --> 00:32:02,505 The 20-millimeter gun in front of my AH-1 jams. 622 00:32:06,676 --> 00:32:08,378 [Narrator] Dehart is in trouble. 623 00:32:09,112 --> 00:32:12,081 He needs to take out the anti-aircraft weapon 624 00:32:12,081 --> 00:32:15,485 before it blasts him out of the skies. 625 00:32:17,353 --> 00:32:21,357 Luckily, his Cobra is carrying more than just bullets. 626 00:32:21,357 --> 00:32:25,929 I've got 54 2-and-3/4-inch rockets under the wings, 627 00:32:25,929 --> 00:32:28,064 and start firing those. 628 00:32:29,165 --> 00:32:32,602 [Narrator] Missiles pound the anti-aircraft gun. 629 00:32:35,505 --> 00:32:38,942 After a number of passes, there is no more smoke 630 00:32:38,942 --> 00:32:40,877 coming from the barrels. 631 00:32:41,844 --> 00:32:44,614 [Narrator] Dehart has destroyed the gun, 632 00:32:44,614 --> 00:32:46,716 but his job isn't over yet. 633 00:32:47,216 --> 00:32:49,152 The infantry battalion is attempting 634 00:32:49,152 --> 00:32:50,987 to take over the airfield, 635 00:32:50,987 --> 00:32:53,356 but with no cover, they are vulnerable. 636 00:32:53,356 --> 00:32:56,025 [Payton] We are ahead of them, scouting the area, 637 00:32:56,025 --> 00:32:57,393 making sure that it's safe. 638 00:32:57,393 --> 00:33:00,330 If I see something, it's gonna be addressed. 639 00:33:00,830 --> 00:33:02,432 [Narrator] Now, out in the open, 640 00:33:02,432 --> 00:33:05,969 the troops are sitting ducks for any potential enemy. 641 00:33:05,969 --> 00:33:08,171 I am overhead to make sure 642 00:33:08,171 --> 00:33:12,208 that we can instantly return fire 643 00:33:12,208 --> 00:33:14,744 onto a machine gun position. 644 00:33:14,744 --> 00:33:17,080 This is a Caribbean island. 645 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:20,216 It is a good, green forest out there, 646 00:33:20,216 --> 00:33:22,952 so there's a lot of places for bad guys to hide. 647 00:33:22,952 --> 00:33:25,688 And it's my job to find them. 648 00:33:26,589 --> 00:33:29,892 [Narrator] Miraculously, they find it deserted. 649 00:33:31,861 --> 00:33:34,664 As Dehart circles his Cobra overhead, 650 00:33:34,664 --> 00:33:37,166 the ground troops go to work. 651 00:33:37,166 --> 00:33:40,403 The infantry guys take over Pearls. 652 00:33:40,403 --> 00:33:42,472 They maneuver it 653 00:33:42,472 --> 00:33:45,274 to make it part of our defensive position. 654 00:33:45,274 --> 00:33:48,378 And by the first half hour of them being there, 655 00:33:48,378 --> 00:33:51,848 they have the airfield secure. 656 00:33:52,815 --> 00:33:56,552 [Narrator] Mission accomplished and running low on gas, 657 00:33:56,552 --> 00:34:00,623 Dehart turns his Cobra back towards the USS Guam. 658 00:34:03,226 --> 00:34:06,362 But the ship is not where he left it. 659 00:34:06,963 --> 00:34:08,398 I'm going back to the last point 660 00:34:08,398 --> 00:34:11,634 I knew it was at and it's not there. 661 00:34:11,634 --> 00:34:13,269 It's just water. 662 00:34:13,736 --> 00:34:15,204 I don't know any other place 663 00:34:15,204 --> 00:34:18,508 I can go on land to get fuel. 664 00:34:19,442 --> 00:34:21,377 [Narrator] Operating under battle conditions, 665 00:34:21,377 --> 00:34:24,747 the USS Guam has turned off its locator signal. 666 00:34:25,114 --> 00:34:27,583 Dehart will have to find it by eye. 667 00:34:28,685 --> 00:34:31,220 And he's almost out of fuel. 668 00:34:32,188 --> 00:34:35,191 It's us looking out the aircraft windows 669 00:34:35,191 --> 00:34:38,027 and saying to ourselves, 670 00:34:38,027 --> 00:34:41,330 "Well, if the ship isn't here, where would I be?" 671 00:34:41,330 --> 00:34:44,267 And that is on the other side of the island. 672 00:34:46,335 --> 00:34:48,237 [Narrator] Ship located, 673 00:34:48,237 --> 00:34:51,207 Dehart gets his helicopter back on deck. 674 00:34:52,275 --> 00:34:54,077 [Narrator] But other Marine Cobras 675 00:34:54,077 --> 00:34:55,978 haven't been so lucky. 676 00:34:56,813 --> 00:34:58,381 Two have been shot down 677 00:34:58,381 --> 00:35:01,117 trying to rescue the US citizens. 678 00:35:02,118 --> 00:35:04,153 I am hearing 679 00:35:04,153 --> 00:35:06,622 that our aircraft are not coming back. 680 00:35:07,356 --> 00:35:09,258 [Narrator] It's a major setback. 681 00:35:09,258 --> 00:35:13,162 Dehart is now one of only two Cobra teams 682 00:35:13,162 --> 00:35:16,866 left to help rescue hundreds of terrified students. 683 00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:20,536 He has no choice but to get straight back 684 00:35:20,536 --> 00:35:22,138 into action. 685 00:35:22,505 --> 00:35:24,006 [Payton] We have taken losses, 686 00:35:24,006 --> 00:35:26,776 but it's a military operation. 687 00:35:26,776 --> 00:35:28,010 We're the Marine Corps. 688 00:35:28,010 --> 00:35:30,279 We're going to work through that. 689 00:35:30,279 --> 00:35:32,915 We have two Cobras, 690 00:35:32,915 --> 00:35:34,984 and the mission is first, 691 00:35:34,984 --> 00:35:37,520 and we're making the mission work. 692 00:35:38,221 --> 00:35:40,123 [Narrator] Single handedly taking on the job 693 00:35:40,123 --> 00:35:41,424 of the downed Cobras, 694 00:35:41,424 --> 00:35:43,493 Dehart destroys a barracks 695 00:35:43,493 --> 00:35:46,529 suspected to be full of Cuban soldiers 696 00:35:47,430 --> 00:35:51,167 so that ground troops can evacuate the medical students. 697 00:35:52,401 --> 00:35:54,170 [Payton] The students are grateful. 698 00:35:54,537 --> 00:35:57,607 There's later pictures that show 699 00:35:57,607 --> 00:36:00,343 some guys kissing the ground or something like that. 700 00:36:00,343 --> 00:36:01,878 They'd been rescued. 701 00:36:01,878 --> 00:36:03,946 All I know is we've been successful 702 00:36:03,946 --> 00:36:08,184 and the guys on the ground are grateful for the support. 703 00:36:09,385 --> 00:36:12,789 [Narrator] The following day, 14 more Cobras arrive. 704 00:36:13,990 --> 00:36:16,292 With this overwhelming firepower, 705 00:36:16,292 --> 00:36:19,529 US troops claim control of Grenada. 706 00:36:20,797 --> 00:36:22,632 But it comes at a heavy cost. 707 00:36:23,099 --> 00:36:26,369 The US military suffers 19 killed 708 00:36:26,369 --> 00:36:30,106 and 116 wounded in action. 709 00:36:31,073 --> 00:36:34,243 Three of the dead are Cobra Marines. 710 00:36:36,546 --> 00:36:38,447 [Paul] The aftermath of the campaign in Grenada 711 00:36:38,447 --> 00:36:42,151 is that some form of democracy is restored. 712 00:36:45,888 --> 00:36:48,791 [Narrator] As the Cobra enters a new millennium, 713 00:36:49,792 --> 00:36:52,862 it faces a deadly new combat environment, 714 00:36:53,462 --> 00:36:54,730 Iraq, 715 00:36:56,098 --> 00:36:58,401 protecting troops under fire, 716 00:37:00,336 --> 00:37:03,639 and taking out ruthless enemy insurgents. 717 00:37:07,001 --> 00:37:11,806 [Narrator] 2004, Iraq, US forces have toppled 718 00:37:11,806 --> 00:37:17,645 Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. 719 00:37:17,645 --> 00:37:20,448 that leads to a grueling occupation. 720 00:37:20,448 --> 00:37:24,218 The US military now faces a violent struggle 721 00:37:24,218 --> 00:37:26,087 to maintain control. 722 00:37:26,688 --> 00:37:31,125 America was faced with having groups of people 723 00:37:31,125 --> 00:37:33,161 that they didn't really understand. 724 00:37:33,761 --> 00:37:37,632 They didn't understand just how Iraq functioned. 725 00:37:37,632 --> 00:37:42,303 And that meant widespread fighting, uprisings, 726 00:37:42,303 --> 00:37:45,707 against the American aggressor, as they were seen. 727 00:37:50,211 --> 00:37:52,013 [Narrator] Desperate to keep the peace, 728 00:37:52,013 --> 00:37:54,749 the US deploys the Super Cobra, 729 00:37:55,817 --> 00:37:59,220 and the first female combat pilot to fly it 730 00:37:59,220 --> 00:38:01,956 is Vernice Armour, 731 00:38:01,956 --> 00:38:06,361 defending troop convoys on the dangerous roads of Ramadi. 732 00:38:07,061 --> 00:38:09,764 Did I go out to become the first? No. 733 00:38:09,764 --> 00:38:13,201 I just wanted an amazing, epic, juicy life, 734 00:38:13,201 --> 00:38:16,904 and I decided I wanted to be a combat pilot 735 00:38:16,904 --> 00:38:18,206 in the Marine Corps. 736 00:38:18,206 --> 00:38:19,640 Why? Because my grandfather was a Marine, 737 00:38:19,640 --> 00:38:22,276 one of the first blacks to integrate the Marine Corps 738 00:38:22,276 --> 00:38:24,479 back in World War II, 1942. 739 00:38:24,479 --> 00:38:27,615 My dad was a Marine, three tours of Vietnam. 740 00:38:27,615 --> 00:38:29,350 If I was going to go active duty military 741 00:38:29,350 --> 00:38:31,319 and be a combat pilot, I wanted to go 742 00:38:31,319 --> 00:38:33,488 into the United States Marine Corps. 743 00:38:34,055 --> 00:38:35,323 [Narrator] To provide protection 744 00:38:35,323 --> 00:38:37,725 for her unit's elite ground troops, 745 00:38:38,259 --> 00:38:40,862 Armour's warrior has two engines. 746 00:38:41,696 --> 00:38:43,331 [Paul] First of all, the twin engine 747 00:38:43,331 --> 00:38:45,666 makes it more resilient to ground fire. 748 00:38:45,666 --> 00:38:48,336 But, secondly, it's got the ability 749 00:38:48,336 --> 00:38:50,738 to have a longer endurance. 750 00:38:50,738 --> 00:38:52,907 It can carry more weapons for longer. 751 00:38:53,708 --> 00:38:56,911 [Narrator] These weapons include hellfire missiles, 752 00:38:57,678 --> 00:39:01,716 guided by an integrated heads-up laser targeting system. 753 00:39:04,886 --> 00:39:06,387 A formidable upgrade. 754 00:39:07,388 --> 00:39:10,091 Literally twice the weight and power 755 00:39:10,091 --> 00:39:11,959 of the original prototype. 756 00:39:12,260 --> 00:39:14,796 So it's a huge jump in technology. 757 00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:21,536 [Narrator] Now the US troop convoy 758 00:39:21,536 --> 00:39:23,805 heads for the city of Ramadi. 759 00:39:24,972 --> 00:39:26,641 In the skies above, 760 00:39:26,641 --> 00:39:30,011 Armour's keen eyes find trouble. 761 00:39:30,745 --> 00:39:34,882 Middle of the day, regular convoy, 762 00:39:34,882 --> 00:39:36,384 headed up north, 763 00:39:36,384 --> 00:39:39,253 and, boom, all hell breaks loose. 764 00:39:42,323 --> 00:39:45,726 [Narrator] Armour has flown into an ambush. 765 00:39:46,627 --> 00:39:49,130 I see these puffs of gray clouds 766 00:39:49,130 --> 00:39:50,465 and we're chattering on the radio like, 767 00:39:50,465 --> 00:39:51,833 "What's that? What are those gray... 768 00:39:51,833 --> 00:39:52,967 What is that?" 769 00:39:52,967 --> 00:39:55,403 [Narrator] Her Cobra is being targeted 770 00:39:55,403 --> 00:39:56,971 from the buildings ahead. 771 00:39:57,738 --> 00:40:01,142 But the Cobra has systems to protect it 772 00:40:01,142 --> 00:40:03,778 from ground-to-air missile attack. 773 00:40:04,278 --> 00:40:07,815 Sitting on top is the ALQ-144, 774 00:40:08,216 --> 00:40:10,518 a device that generates a pulse 775 00:40:10,518 --> 00:40:12,653 to stop heat-seeking missiles 776 00:40:12,653 --> 00:40:16,457 locking on to the Cobra's hot engine exhaust gases. 777 00:40:17,658 --> 00:40:20,695 It's nicknamed the Disco Light. 778 00:40:21,429 --> 00:40:23,965 The Disco Light basically doesn't allow 779 00:40:23,965 --> 00:40:25,233 the missile to track. 780 00:40:25,700 --> 00:40:27,068 [Narrator] But it can't protect her 781 00:40:27,068 --> 00:40:28,836 from the most simple weapons. 782 00:40:30,771 --> 00:40:34,108 It turned out, they were exploding RPG rounds 783 00:40:34,108 --> 00:40:35,910 right at our level. 784 00:40:36,244 --> 00:40:38,479 [Narrator] Armour takes evasive action. 785 00:40:39,247 --> 00:40:40,581 [Vernice] We banked to the left. 786 00:40:41,015 --> 00:40:44,285 People, enemy, are now running all over the place. 787 00:40:44,285 --> 00:40:47,555 The convoy has stopped. Everyone jumped out. 788 00:40:47,555 --> 00:40:50,558 We're shooting rockets, guns. 789 00:40:51,459 --> 00:40:53,394 [Narrator] Her Cobra is hit. 790 00:40:54,395 --> 00:40:57,565 Enemy bullets shred an essential system. 791 00:40:57,965 --> 00:41:00,568 All of a sudden, the tape, 792 00:41:00,568 --> 00:41:04,405 which is the navigation on my heads-up display, 793 00:41:04,405 --> 00:41:05,940 starts spinning. 794 00:41:07,008 --> 00:41:09,777 Three rounds have gone through the aircraft, 795 00:41:09,777 --> 00:41:13,981 one right under us has cut through all the wires. 796 00:41:14,382 --> 00:41:16,651 [Narrator] She can't use her laser targeting. 797 00:41:17,084 --> 00:41:20,922 No amount of resetting switches would've done anything. 798 00:41:21,856 --> 00:41:24,892 [Narrator] Armour still has three hellfire missiles 799 00:41:24,892 --> 00:41:25,993 on her Cobra, 800 00:41:25,993 --> 00:41:29,063 enough firepower to obliterate the enemy. 801 00:41:29,697 --> 00:41:33,200 But, without targeting, they're basically useless. 802 00:41:33,868 --> 00:41:36,704 Small arms fire is coming out at us 803 00:41:36,704 --> 00:41:38,739 and I can't even shoot that. 804 00:41:40,007 --> 00:41:41,676 [Narrator] Out of options, 805 00:41:41,676 --> 00:41:44,745 Armour comes up with a do-or-die plan 806 00:41:45,746 --> 00:41:48,115 to manually fire the rockets 807 00:41:48,115 --> 00:41:49,917 by getting another Cobra pilot 808 00:41:49,917 --> 00:41:53,287 to mark the target with their laser sight. 809 00:41:53,721 --> 00:41:55,022 [Vernice] We talked to our wingman, 810 00:41:55,022 --> 00:41:57,158 we get their laser lined up with our missile, 811 00:41:57,158 --> 00:42:00,728 they lase, boom, we're able to shoot our missile. 812 00:42:05,232 --> 00:42:07,134 [Narrator] Now out of ammo, 813 00:42:07,535 --> 00:42:10,638 Armour needs to get out of the line of fire. 814 00:42:13,608 --> 00:42:15,242 We can't protect the troops anymore. 815 00:42:15,242 --> 00:42:16,677 We pull off. 816 00:42:22,149 --> 00:42:23,484 [Narrator] Back on the ground, 817 00:42:23,484 --> 00:42:25,419 Armour assesses the damage 818 00:42:25,419 --> 00:42:27,855 that almost cost her, her life. 819 00:42:28,956 --> 00:42:32,893 The deepest one was right through the tail rotor, 820 00:42:33,294 --> 00:42:37,732 miraculously, through the center of the tail rotor 821 00:42:37,732 --> 00:42:40,534 because if it had been to the left or right, 822 00:42:40,534 --> 00:42:42,503 anywhere off center, 823 00:42:42,503 --> 00:42:44,338 the tail rotor would've disintegrated, 824 00:42:44,338 --> 00:42:46,207 and we would've come out of the sky. 825 00:42:46,841 --> 00:42:49,110 And didn't even know it. It was crazy. 826 00:42:54,882 --> 00:42:57,785 [Narrator] After over six decades of service 827 00:42:57,785 --> 00:43:00,855 and more than two million flight hours, 828 00:43:01,856 --> 00:43:03,190 in 2011, 829 00:43:03,190 --> 00:43:06,293 the Cobra gets another design overhaul. 830 00:43:06,827 --> 00:43:08,996 New technology transforms it 831 00:43:08,996 --> 00:43:11,766 into an even more deadly serpent. 832 00:43:11,766 --> 00:43:16,704 With a different name, the AH-1Z Viper 833 00:43:16,704 --> 00:43:20,808 continues to patrol skies across the globe. 834 00:43:23,244 --> 00:43:29,116 It's a testament to the Cobra's pioneering legacy. 835 00:43:29,884 --> 00:43:31,552 It's an amazing aircraft. 836 00:43:31,552 --> 00:43:33,220 It's a great piece of gear. 837 00:43:33,220 --> 00:43:34,822 Has a lot of years ahead of it. 838 00:43:35,923 --> 00:43:38,459 [Narrator] A helicopter that changes the face 839 00:43:38,459 --> 00:43:40,061 of modern warfare 840 00:43:41,796 --> 00:43:45,599 by adapting to any threat that gets in the way. 841 00:43:46,701 --> 00:43:48,803 [Mike] The Cobra is often called a snake 842 00:43:49,870 --> 00:43:53,507 because, like a snake, it sheds its skin and emerges stronger. 843 00:43:55,910 --> 00:43:57,478 and it just keeps doing that. 844 00:44:04,402 --> 00:44:10,542 [music] 845 00:44:29,894 --> 00:44:31,996 [music]