Air Pictorial 2002-05
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US Marines return from Afghanistan
This AV-8B Harrier II Plus, 164566/YP-55, carries the unit’s 'Evil Eyes’ just visible above the code as well as a shark's mouth and gills. On the canopy rail are five bomb symbol mission marks along with an explosion symbol.
A US Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II Plus, 165430/YP-54, assigned to composite squadron HMM-163 (reinforced) on the deck of the Peleliu.
A Bell UH-1N Iroquois and an AH-1W Super Cobra sit side-by-side on the deck of the USS Peleliu. The former has a Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) turret under its nose.
A view of the USS Peleliu in Fremantle harbour preparing to depart.
‘Evil Eyes' painted red on Boeing CH-46E Sea Knight, 156445/YP-00, of HMM-163. Bolt-on armour-plating to protect the pilots is attached just behind and below the cockpit.
The only two US Navy aircraft amongst the US Marine Corps hardware was a pair of Boeing HH-46Ds from HC-11 Detachment 6. One of the pair, 150954/VR-73, is pictured with a request for beer on the side, possibly reflecting the fact that US Navy ships do not allow alcohol on board. A flare dispenser is attached to the fuselage just behind the cockpit.
Another shot of HH-46D, 150954/VR-73, with art­work of a comic strip character called ‘Calvin’. Also note the roulette wheel numbers just below the rotor blades.
Black and white 'Evil Eyes’ along with special markings on the armour-plating beside the cockpit are worthy of note on this CH-46E.
The nose of Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion, 164776/YP-21, with ‘Evil Eyes' and commemorative details of two Marines killed on January 20, 2002, in a CH-53E crash in Afghanistan. Also, note the furry dice hanging in the cockpit!