This footage, provided by the Karenni National Defense Force, shows a truck-mounted machine gun being used to shoot at a Myanmar military helicopter, along with an image reported to be the downed aircraft.

The Karenni National Defense Force (KNDF) is a primarily ethnicity-based militia which fights alongside other anti-government forces in opposition to the ruling military junta in Myanmar. While opposition to the junta is widespread, the Karenni, Karen, and other ethnic-based militias have the added goal of establishing recognition and sovereignty for their peoples. To paint it with a (very) broad brush, the People’s Defense Forces (PDF) could be considered analogous to resistance cells in France or Poland during the Second World War, whereas the KNDF in goal and purpose are closer to the Montagnards or Hmong in the Vietnam War.

The Hilux/machine gun combination, which is called a “technical” in most circles and is unilaterally considered rad, reportedly downed the Junta transport helicopter in Kayar State. There are also reports of an Mi-8 having been shot down as well. A still photo at the end of this footage is alleged to be the one shown in this video, but given the casual demeanor of the KNDF personnel I am hesitant to believe they just shot down a helicopter. Naturally, as anti-junta forces largely lack MANPADS (apart from those purportedly trickling in from China on the black market), shootdowns are very rare. The Myanmar government also has comparatively few rotor-wing assets as compared to other militaries. These two factors make the potential downing of an aircraft a substantially big deal, but the troops shown here seem mildly amused at most.

 

About the Author

 

       

     

Cole Simms

     

Cole Simms is an Air Guardsman, NASA enthusiast, police officer, and security contractor with particular experience in austere environments. Outside of work, he volunteers as a Stop The Bleed instructor for area schools. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and blends his knowledge and experience to write analysis for Funker530.

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