Landing Zone
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A Landing Zone or "LZ" is a military term for any area where aircraft land.
In the United State military, a landing zone is the actual point where aircraft land (equivalent to the commonwealth landing point.)
In commonwealth militaries, a landing zone is the cartographic (numeric) zone in which the landing is going to take place (i.e. the valley). The actual landing area is the area in which the landing is going to take place (i.e. the field where the aircraft are to land). The landing point is the actual point on which aircraft are going to land (i.e. a point of the field). Each aircraft has a different landing point.
Landing areas are most commonly marked by coloured smoke. The standard procedure is for those at the landing area to "pop smoke" (set off a smoke grenade) and declare this over the radio. The pilot says when smoke is seen and what colour the smoke is. Those on the ground then respond with what colour the smoke should be. Smoke of a different colour can mean the landing area has been discovered and compromised by enemies, and the pilot will usually have the authority to cancel any landing.
[edit] Vietnam War
LZs were used in a greater extent in the Vietnam War because of the widespread use of helicopters. Helicopters were usually the fastest way around Vietnam, and as such, there needed to be Landing Zones for them to land at. LZs allowed troops to be moved to closer positions near the front. Few LZs were permanent, and clearing them usually meant using the help of bulldozers, or in some cases, using a BLU-82 bomb (Or a "Daisy Cutter"). A clear area in the jungle of Vietnam could be used, because it was easy to pick a clear area that was large enough for the helicopters. It also did not require any special equipment, besides the smoke grenades needed to mark the LZ.
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