Synopsis

When the US Army needs to get Special Forces soldiers into or out of a tight spot, it uses the Fast Rope Insertion/Extraction System (FRIES). During a fast rope insertion, a helicopter or tiltrotor aircraft hovers in place and drops thick, heavy ropes, allowing soldiers to quickly slide into the drop zone. During this training, US Air Force CV-22 Ospreys practised this insertion method with US Army Special Forces operators in Latvia. US Army Special Forces are deployed in Latvia as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve. The operation aims to reassure US allies and partners of the US’ dedication to enduring peace and stability in Eastern Europe. Atlantic Resolve is ongoing in Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania. Shots include CV-22 Ospreys on the ground and in flight; soldiers fast-roping from the Ospreys during the day and at night; GoPro shots of the training from inside the Osprey and from a soldier’s perspective; and slow-motion shots of soldiers fast-roping. Note: due to operational security requirements, the names of the Special Forces soldiers are pseudonyms.

Teaser

US Air Force CV-22 Ospreys practise fast rope insertions with US Special Forces operators in Latvia.

Transcript

1. (00:00) VARIOUS SHOTS - US AIR FORCE CV-22 OSPREY TILTROTOR AIRCRAFT ON THE GROUND 2. (00:15) VARIOUS SHOTS - OSPREY TAKING OFF 3. (00:42) VARIOUS SHOTS - OSPREY IN FLIGHT 4. (01:05) MEDIUM SHOT - SPECIAL FORCES OPERATOR WATCHES OSPREY PASS OVERHEAD 5. (01:07) VARIOUS SHOTS - SOLDIERS BOARDING OSPREY 6. (01:17) VARIOUS SHOTS - SOLDIERS FAST-ROPING FROM OSPREY 7. (01:46) MEDIUM SHOT - SOLDIERS LOAD ROPE ONTO OSPREY 8. (01:51) CLOSE-UP - AMERICAN FLAG PATCH 9. (01:56) CLOSE-UP - SPECIAL FORCES TAB AND PATCH 10. (01:59) VARIOUS SHOTS - PADDED LEATHER GLOVES USED FOR FAST-ROPING 11. (02:02) VARIOUS SHOTS - OSPREYS IN FLIGHT AT DUSK 12. (02:12) WIDE SHOT - SPECIAL FORCES OPERATORS HUDDLING AT DUSK 13. (02:18) VARIOUS SHOTS - SPECIAL FORCES OPERATORS BOARDING OSPREY AT DUSK 14. (02:27) VARIOUS SHOTS - OSPREYS TAKING OFF AND LANDING AT DUSK 15. (03:18) VARIOUS SHOTS - SPECIAL FORCES OPERATORS FAST-ROPING AT DUSK 16. (03:36) VARIOUS SLOW-MOTION SHOTS - FAST-ROPE TRAINING 17. (04:29) GOPRO SHOT - OPERATORS BOARDING OSPREY 18. (04:35) GOPRO SHOT - VIEW OUT RAMP AS OSPREY BANKS 19. (04:42) GOPRO SHOT - OPERATORS FAST-ROPING 20. (04:49) GOPRO SHOT - OPERATOR’S PERSPECTIVE DURING FAST-ROPE INSERTION 21. (04:59) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – ‘BEN’, US ARMY SPECIAL FORCES TEAM SERGEANT “So, fast-rope training pretty much, just like anything else, we like to do things that get your adrenaline up, get you pumping, and as long as we can maintain a safe environment and still be able to accomplish that, we’re going to do it, and that’s what we’ve been doing here today, and it’s pretty good.” 22. (05:20) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – ‘ZACK’, US ARMY SPECIAL FORCES OPERATOR “We’re here today to conduct fast-rope insertion training. This is a system that’s used by Special Forces teams in order to insert into an area when you want to place a small team into an exact location, and that location does not have enough room or area for a helicopter, or as we’re using today, a CV-22 Osprey, to land.” 23. (05:41) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – ‘ZACK’, US ARMY SPECIAL FORCES OPERATOR “When you’re on your final approach to your landing zone, you’ll have communication with the pilot. The FRIES master, as we call him, the fast-rope master, will prepare the team inside, getting them ready for the insertion. Individuals will begin to unhook from the inside of the plane and walk forward towards the edge of the ramp. Ropes will be deployed. When the rope is deployed and it’s settled, the FRIES master will give the command of ‘go,’ and the first roper will grab the rope, and slide down, and each roper will continuously slide down the rope until the bird is free and lifts off.” 24. (06:19) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – ‘ZACK’ - US ARMY SPECIAL FORCES OPERATOR “It’s quite an exhilarating feel, of course it’s not natural to have an air platform just kind of hover in a single place 50 feet above the ground. Today’s training environment is the max that we’re roping out of, so to be at that kind of height with the CV-22 hovering ahead, and slightly banking left to right, coming to a hover, it’s unnatural to walk forward, see the rope and just grab it, and slide down, but every one of the men here has complete confidence in their abilities. They’ve been trained well, and they’re doing a great job.” ###