Trump Ordered Low-Flying Military Helicopters to Stop D.C. Protesters

From Popular Mechanics

• The U.S. military performed a major show of force over Washington, D.C. earlier this week.
  

• The operation included overflights by military helicopters and the use of an ambulance helicopter to disperse crowds.

• At the same time, hundreds of U.S. Army troops were flown in from bases across the nation, including a battalion of paratroopers.

Over the last week, many cities in the U.S. have protested police violence and racial injustice in the wake of George Floyd's death—especially Washington, D.C. In response to those protests, U.S. military helicopters flew over the nation’s capital on Monday night while soldiers on Air Force transports poured into military bases scattered across the Beltway region. The unprecedented military activity was reportedly meant to secure the District of Columbia from unrest.

The situation began Monday night as several Army, National Guard, and FBI helicopters flew low over protesters in the D.C. area. The War Zone reports that one UH-60 Blackhawk struck a tree and caused a branch to fall, narrowly missing people below. Another FBI-operated Blackhawk flew low over the capital carrying members of the bureau's elite hostage rescue team, dressed in camouflaged clothing and wearing night vision goggles.

Still another helicopter, a U.S. Army or Washington D.C. UH-72 Lakota, flew so low over protesters that the downwash from the main rotors—the force exerted by the turning of the rotor blades—kicked up dirt and debris. The overflight was done deliberately to intimidate or disperse protesters on the ground.

Here’s an example of helicopter downwash working its magic on a cluster of Porta Potties. It should give you an idea of the forces at work when a helicopter flies at a very low altitude.

The use of a medical evaluation helicopter, identified by the large red cross on the side of the aircraft, was objected to on the grounds that a lifesaving helicopter should not be used for riot duty.

According to Newsweek reporter James LaPorta, President Donald Trump ordered the overflights. LaPorta also revealed the U.S. military had given the operation a name: Themis—the Titan goddess of divine law and order.

Meanwhile, airplane spotters reported on Twitter that U.S. Air Force planes, including C-130J Super Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III transports, were inbound to the D.C. area carrying troops from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the home of the 82nd Airborne Division; Fort Riley, Colorado (1st Infantry Division); and Fort Drum (10th Mountain Division). Spotters tracked the aircraft by their ADS-B aviation transponders.

Now, the District of Columbia National Guard is reportedly investigating the use of helicopters during the protests, according to The Hill.

"Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, District of Columbia National Guard Commanding General, has directed an investigation into a June 1 low-flying maneuver conducted by one of our rotary aviation assets," D.C. National Guard spokeswoman Air Force Lt. Col. Brooke Davis told The Hill in a statement.

The spokeswoman continued:

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, there were at least 700 paratroopers from the 82nd on the ground at nearby Andrews Air Force Base. This was likely the Immediate Response Force, an parachute infantry battalion normally on alert to deploy anywhere in the world within 18 hours. The 82nd can deploy a second battalion of 700 troops within 36 hours, and a third battalion within 54 hours. Further units from Fort Bragg and Fort Drum consisted of military police.

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