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| Helicopters Just Took Center Stage In Rim Of The Pacific Sinking Exercises |
| 2026-07-27 |
| [TWZ] Allied rotorcraft employed at least four different missile types against retired warships during the massive Pacific exercise. Helicopters played a major role in this year’s Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) sinking exercise (SINKEX), with at least three allied rotorcraft types employing weapons against retired U.S. Navy vessels. U.S. Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters fired Spike NLOS (Spike Non-Line of Sight) missiles at the guided missile cruiser ex-USS Mobile Bay, a Royal New Zealand Navy SH-2G(I) Seasprite struck the amphibious assault ship ex-USS Peleliu with an AGM-119 Penguin missile, a Royal Australian Navy MH-60R Seahawk launched an AGM-114N Hellfire missile against a target ship, and an Italian Navy SH-101 helicopter launched a Marte anti-ship missile. Collectively, the engagements underscored how helicopters are emerging as key contributors to distributed maritime strike, complementing fighters, warships, submarines, and land-based missile batteries with precision-guided anti-ship weapons. The Apache strike, conducted July 11, saw AH-64s assigned to the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, 7th Infantry Division, Multi-Domain Command–Pacific engage the former Ticonderoga-class cruiser ex-USS Mobile Bay during the live-fire SINKEX. The Army’s previous demonstration of an Apache destroying a much smaller boat with a Spike NLOS was something TWZ was first to report, but employing the weapon against a full-sized cruiser during the world’s premier maritime exercise marks another significant milestone in the service’s expanding maritime mission. Related: Rim of the Pacific: 2026-05-23 Navy preparing to sink two prominent and retired San Diego warships off Hawaii Rim of the Pacific: 2024-10-03 AIM-174B Loadout Brings Back U.S. Navy’s Cold War Roots Rim of the Pacific: 2020-09-02 Volley of missiles tears through a decommissioned US Navy ship during Pacific training exercise amid escalating tensions with China |
| Posted by:Skidmark |