Could Fireforce work in other theatres of operation?
Potentially.
Rhodesia’s military was hampered by a serious lack of resource and manpower. They were the camouflaged epitome of make do and mend, and Fireforce was a direct manifestation of the need to use what they had to create an absolutely badass solution to the tactical realities facing them.
After Portugal pulled out of Mozambique in 1974, and with the exception of the short border with South Africa, Rhodesia was literally surrounded on all sides by hostile countries, with insurgents crossing the border almost at will. Outside of any natural obstacles, there simply wasn’t the manpower or money to create an impenetrable barrier. The closest modern parallel would be Israel and maybe, but not quite the same, Ukraine.
Insurgent attacks and ambushes could happen across a very wide area, and Fireforce was designed to meet that threat. It was essentially an airborne rapid response unit, tailored to be delivered with the air assets available to Rhodesia, and honed to an exact degree.
First on the scene was a command helicopter, called a K Car. It was there for situational awareness, and armed with heavy machine guns for suppressive fire.
They were quickly followed by three further helicopters called G Cars. The G Cars each carried a ‘stick’ of four troops and were also equipped with machine guns.
Timed to the minute, a Dakota followed up with a further twenty paratroopers.
With further ground support provided by a Lynx gunship.
The aircraft and numbers of troops can always be varied from nation to nation, but the concept could be applied anywhere. ‘All’ you need is an airstrip, the necessary aircraft to deliver the troops, loitering aircraft with air to ground ordnance, and a whole bunch of exquisitely trained soldiers and aircrew.
Plenty of countries have got those.
But what made Fireforce so potent within Rhodesia was the lack of air defence among the insurgents. If the enemy has access to those weapons, then it may be time to re-think things.
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