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every British transport helicopter I have been in has had the crew with rifles as well as their pistols
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AFAIK this goes back to the 1980s in NI, when the PIRA managed to shoot down their first helo. The crew made a successful forced landing, and were climbing out the wreckage when the PIRA team came over the hill towards them, carrying some combination of AKs, M16s and an M60. The crew looked at their issued weapons (Browning 9mm or Walther PPK, I don't know which) and decided not to hang around for the rescue/recovery helo...