Military War Dogs Hit The Skies

Military War Dogs - By Staff Writer on Tuesday, November 9, 2010 - 13:57

Throughout history, military war dogs have fought to defend our country and protect our troops all over the globe.  Today thousands of dogs hold important rolls in the fight against terrorism.  These special members of the British Special Air Services are parachuting into enemy territory.  Strapped to their handlers backs they drop into Taliban strongholds and risk their lives to get video footage from cameras strapped to their heads.  The jump from the plane is the least frightening part of their job.

Though the missions are officially secret, earlier reports of the pups’ training shed some light on how the British special forces are likely using them. SAS pooches are trained for High Altitude High Opening (HAHO) jumps, in which parachutes are deployed at a high altitude and long horizontal distance away from a target location in order to allow jumpers to glide in without detection. The SAS dogs are trained to jump tethered to their handlers from heights as high as 25,000 feet and up to 20 miles away — or a 30 minute glide — from a target location.  At that height, the lack of oxygen puts them at risk for hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation,  so the dogs are fitted with special masks to give them breathable air. The Brits reportedly borrowed the tactic from America’s super-secret Delta Force, which first trained dogs to make HAHO jumps.

Sadly eight paratrooper pups have been lost in battle on the British side so far.

Full Article [Wired]