George E. Hand IV, a former Delta operator, recalls his training experience with M-34 Miniguns and CH-47 Chinooks in the 29 Palms desert in California and the impressive ‘bullet saver’ feature that enabled high-speed fire rates. The narrative also covers a missile-shooting day when a Lieutenant Colonel brought in an early model of a drone, which unintentionally crashed into a mountain due to a novice operation.
Key Points:
- The article details the exhilarating experience of using M-34 Miniguns from an airborne platform and the ‘bullet saver’ feature allowing the change in firing speed.
- A unique portion of their training involved shooting AGM-114 Hellfire Anti-Tank Guided Missiles, designated by the Army’s Laser Designating System and could reach up to 11 kilometers.
- An unexpected visitor, a Lieutenant Colonel, appeared one day with an early model RC (Radio-Controlled) aircraft Ground Control Station (GCS), an early type of drone.
- The Lieutenant Colonel handed over the drone controls to George, attempting to demonstrate its ease of use.
- Despite George’s reluctance, he took the controls and unintentionally crashed the drone into a mountain. The incident was dismissed as a research and development loss.
