status.
Assigned to special detail-
This is Mr. Icelan,
Mr. Fletcher of Washington.
- How do you do?
- This is Frank Murphy.
We're glad we found you in time.
We're due at the weapons testing range-
- What do they call that place?
- Pinkville-
Everything I'm about to tell you
is highly classified.
Don't discuss it with anybody.
We're testing
a new helicopter prototype.
We've got our own pilot. -.
But your city's been chosen
as the testing area-
Your mayor is very anxious
that his people participate.
Ours is not to reason why, but to submit
to the vagaries of local politicians-
- Smoke? Frank, is it?
- No. Yes.
No, smoke- Yes, Frank.
I understand you flew in Nam, Frank.
That's right.
- Two tours, was it?
- One and a half.
Why the foreshortened tour?
You know what they say about
a second chest wound.
It's nature's way
of telling you to go home.
- Yeah, right-
- Going to tell us about this detail?
A lot of people are looking forward
to the Olympics out here.
For a few short weeks, the attention of
the world will be focused on this town.
Every nut case and terrorist. -.
And crazy with a pipe bomb and a cause
is drooling about it already.
That's what this special detail
is all about.
The potential for catastrophe.
We don't want any
Munich massacres out here.
Are you talking about crowd control
from the air?
Give that man a cigar.
That's been tried. Didn't work out.
- Where was that?
- Vietnam-
Oh, yeah. Well, we added
a few new wrinkles to that.
Such as?
You'll see, Frank-
You say this thing has
antiterrorist capabilities-
Are you saying it's armed?
That I am.
That it is.
That sounds like it now-
I thought it was illegal
to arm police helicopters.
That would depend
on the circumstances, wouldn't it?
A lot of people
ain't gonna like this.
What do they call that thing,
an earbuster?
The Special. But somebody hung
a nickname on it-
What?
Somebody hung a nickname on it.
Blie Thunder.
Gentlemen, take your seats.
Here she comes.
She don't look normal...
she don't fly normal
'cause she ain't normal-
This whole ship is heavily armored. -.
With Nordoc NATO armor
one inch thick-
This ship is equipped with a forward
mounted 20-millimeter electric cannon.
Its six barrels are capable. -.
Of firing 4,000 rounds
of ammunition per minute.
And that, gentlemen, is one hell
of a shit storm in anybody's language.
Let's take a look. -.
And watch the lady strut her stuff.
Red dummies represent terrorists-
The white are civilians,
innocent bystanders.
The object is for our pilot
to knock out...
the red dummies and the black car-
He shouldn't touch any of the others.
In a riot situation, we want to get
the bad guys and protect the innocents-
Oh, my God.
With that kind of firepower,
it wouldn't be used. -.
Unless our worst case scenario
came to pass, like armed insurrection.
It's comforting to know
you've got it on tap.
Gentlemen, let me have
your attention-
Notice the selectivity of the firing.
This is not a strafing run
where you tear up a whole street-
This little lady picks
her targets carefully. Watch.
Look at that. All the red dummies
are blown to hell-
And a few white ones.
There's one civilian dead
for every ten terrorists.
That's an acceptable ratio-
Unless you're one of the civilians.
All right- Last pass, gentlemen-
Anybody want to bet
on the school bus?
We haven't told our pilot everything
about the bus.
Let's see if he can pick up on
what's wrong with it.
Damn it! Bloody gun!
Gentlemen, come below.
We'll take a closer look-
I'll be glad to answer any questions
you might have.
Terrific shooting.
- Beautiful, just beautiful.
- Beautiful, was it?
Goddamn it!
I had another stoppage-
I nearly killed the lot of you
on that second pass.
Tell ordinance if it happens again,
I'll have their balls for breakfast.
There's somebody I want you to meet-
- Well, what do you know!
- A friend of yours?
An old war buddy-