63D Chemical Company Conducts First M56 "Coyote" Air Assault - military training operation - Brief Article

On 25 January 2000, during a rare Western Tennessee blizzard where the wind chill hovered around zero degrees Fahrenheit, 1st Platoon, 63d Chemical Company, completed the first successful air assault of the M56 Coyote smoke-generator system. The soldiers performed admirably, the mission went off without a hitch, but accomplishing it was a challenge.

The 63d is assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)--the world's only air-assault division. Therefore, being able to sling load the M56 Coyote into battle is an essential capability this company must possess to be of any use to the division. However, until that cold January day, we did not possess that capability. Clearly the responsibility to prove that the Coyote could be air assaulted into battle sat directly on the shoulders of the 63d.

It doesn't seem very complicated--hook a rope to the Coyote and pick it up with a helicopter, right? It is not that simple. During the fielding, the company participated in a brigade-level sling-load training event. This training lead to the discovery that the published link count would not work with any fuel in the vehicle. The link count and rigging procedures published in FM 10-450-5, Multiservice Helicopter Sling Load: Dual-Point Load Rigging Procedures, lists a link count of 60 in the front and 3 in the rear. When the vehicle was lifted by the CH-47 Chinook, the link count was incorrect, so the pilot had to place the vehicle back on the ground. It was very frustrating, but safety was our main concern. The company had problems finding a link count that would keep the vehicle level with the proper "nose-down" attitude in spite of its odd shape and weight distribution.

Shortly thereafter, we were told to coordinate with the division safety office and 372d Transportation Company to rig the vehicle and lift it, using a crane, to test various link counts. We submitted the certification paperwork to Natick for approval. The link count submitted was 65 to the front right and left, 3 to the right, and 14 for the left rear. It seemed we would finally air assault the new system.

After about three months, the new certified link count came back as 50 to the left and right front, 3 to the left rear, and 14 to the right rear. This was a shock because it was such a drastic difference from the original link count we received a few months earlier. However, it was no mistake; this time it was correct and, in spite of terrible weather conditions, three M56 Coyotes were successfully flown and placed on the ground as 100 percent mission-capable.

The big battle is over, but there are still unanswered questions that need to be addressed and worked out. The first problem is that there is not a sling-load configuration that can fly the M56 along with its trailer. To air assault into a mission, still maintaining a dual-purpose capability, we needed extra helicopters to sling the trailers with the decontamination supplies. The combined weight exceeds the maximum capacity of the spreader bar used on the load. This is especially a problem because it requires a significant number of aircraft to support such a mission in a division where the aircraft is perhaps the most precious resource it owns. Therefore, the likelihood of five aircraft (three CH-47s and two UH-60s) being dedicated to a smoke squad would tax an already precious resource.

In conclusion, being able to sling load our vehicles has opened many doors for this company. In each training cycle, the company will participate in a large-scale air assault. In addition, every time units conduct their military decision-making process, the leaders know that generated smoke is an asset they may employ in all phases of their operations and as deep into enemy territory as needed.

At the time this article was written, ILT Hohbein was leader of 1st Platoon, 63d Chemical Company, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He has also served with 2/327 Infantry Regiment, Fort Campbell, as the Battalion Chemical Officer and as an Antiarmor Platoon Leader. He is a graduate of North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota.

At the time this article was written, SFC King was Platoon Sergeant of 1st Platoon, 63d Chemical Company, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell. His previous assignments include Squad Leader at 71st Chemical Company at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; Battalion NBC NCO for 2-11 FA Regiment, Schofield Barracks; and Company NBC NCO 546th Maintenance Company Fort Polk, Louisiana. He is currently attending ANCOC at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

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