SAS to Use Dogs in War Against Taleban
Posted By Freelance Writers Date: 21/07 Posted Under: Dog NewsBritain’s famous Special Air Services (SAS) will utilise the skills of dogs in raids against the Taleban, according the The Sun today.
The dogs, German Shepherds, will be kitted out with their own oxygen masks as they plummet from 25,000 feet strapped to their military handlers.
Once on the ground, the dogs will be used to seek out Afghan insurgents and will carry head cameras which will beam back live pictures to the troops.
Author DetailsThe amazing tactic – on which The Sun has been fully briefed – has been devised to cut down the Who Dares Wins regiment’s soaring casualty rates.
Three SAS troopers have been shot dead on raids in Iraq in two years and at least eight seriously wounded.
An SAS source said: “The dogs will be exposed to very high levels of danger on these operations and you never know what’s going to be behind a door. Nobody wants to see the dogs get killed but if it’s their life or a man’s it is obvious which the CO would prefer.”
The dogs will be used in a highly-skilled technique called High Altitude High Opening, jumping as much as 20 miles from their targets and gliding towards them for up to 30 minutes.
America’s most elite unit the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, commonly known as Delta Force, has pioneered the skills for jumping with dogs from heights over 20,000ft and its instructors have been sent over to 22 SAS headquarters in Hereford.
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From the ’super soaraway (geddit!) Sun Newspaper:
‘The dogs have big advantages over soldiers in that they arouse less suspicion approaching targets, can squeeze into tighter spaces and can sniff out booby-trap explosives.
Two have been issued to each of the regiment’s four squadrons with troopers specially selected to be their handlers.’
How less ’suspicion arousing’ can a German Shepherd Dog with a camera on its head be, walking up to a village or other position in Afghanistan?
Dogs in the military play great roles and can provide excellent life saving support by arms and explosive detecting and being patrol dogs.
Are these K9’s the ultimate SAS trained Patrol Dogs, or has somebody down at Stirling Lines been winding up the Sun reporter?
I remember Soldier Magazine about 20+ years publishing a story that mentioned that the SAS were going to be jumping from Concorde using this HALO insertion method, everyone was taken in until it was realised that it was the 1st April, April Fools Day!
Can dogs parachute from such a height attached to a handler? The SAS did use dogs behind enemy lines in France during WW2 but they must have jumped from 800+ feet, not this high?