Viper Inbound
Major Alex Durr, USMCR
Acquisition Number: 2007.52.1
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas

Two Marine helicopters fly over an Iraqi city during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006: a Bell AH-1W Super Cobra in the foreground and a Boeing-Vertol CH-46E Sea Knight. The twin-engine Super Cobra was the long-time mainstay of the Marine Corps’ attack helicopter fleet, while the evolving models of the CH-46 carried Marines and their equipment into and out of harm’s way for decades. This Super Cobra was operated by Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169, known as the Vipers. In 2006, Marine Corps aviation’s tempo of operations was at its highest level since Vietnam, committing 120,000 combat hours in Iraq and Afghanistan.