See if I got the right photo here as I have just found it and it is in the Minnox file. See if anyone remembers it. Type, location, date?? Plane in Kai Tak and 3 baddies on board with guns and grenades. We went in and solved the stand off with out shooting anyone. I think actually they just want out of the country and a home in HK. We had with us Hi Vel. .223 armour piercing rounds that would go thro the windscreens no prob. and we even had a bead on all the identified baddies as they looked out of the screen at HK. But the story is, when we had finished the stand off with the aid of police negotiators, myself and pete mullins (bomb disposal mode) were walking out the back/side gate of the airport away from the press. The Police Bosses A>P> and District were with them at the front telling the story and having their pics. taken behind us was our boss Bill Duncanson. We were all cammoed up and ghilly suits carrying 2 pistols, machine gun and Armalite rifle plus some interesting items and Bill who was still thinking tactics (could this have been done etc) just had his cammo suit on and 1 pistol. As we approached the gate the 3 security guards took one look at us and hid in the security hut, and we went by. When Bill and his 1 pistol walked by they jumped out on him and detained him as he seemed the weaker target. (they had just come on duty and they had no instruction about letting people out) He was detained and placed into the guard room. We had been up and about for nearly 3 days and had had enough so we tactically entered the room tooled up but not loaded (bayonets) and effected a rescue and off we went. Nothing was ever heard and no incident was recorded in the OC Book. Discretion being the better part of valour.
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Airport checks.
Myself and 2 others of the MU were sent into Kai Tak airport to deal with a gun/bomb situation at the boarding gate area. We were in suits and jackets and displaying ID pass cards good enough for airside. Under the jackets we had 2 pistols and a sterling machine gun on a sling. The gate security made us go thro the metal detectors which went off and we had to open the jackets to show them what they had. They took one look and didn't know what to do. They backed off and we rushed thro. and dealt with the situation. The reason for this story??? At this time the Australian Special Services liked and used the British Sterling SMG themselves and had devised a short 6 round magazine which was welded onto the side of the long 32 round magazine. This meant that the SMG could be carried slimmed down to the size of a rolled up newspaper, with the stock folded and loaded ready to go without the long magazine sticking out to one side. This long banana 32 rd. mag was lying alongside the body of the gun. You had the quick instant 6 round delivery then a quick mag change to the 32 rd. one. Very effective at covert carry that we used to good effect within the unit. In a situation being a baddie, what would you fancy looking at, the barrel of a revolver or a machine gun?. Incidents quickly came under control without shots being fired which is what we liked as it saved the paper work and press photos.
Korean Airlines DC-10
Looks like a Korean Airlines DC-10.