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Spreadie
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:06 pm Posts: 6355 Location: IoW
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12816226They are attributing it to mechanical failure and not a shootdown. The thing that interests me is, in the article, it says... Now, wasn't David Cameron bigging it up on the news all yesterday afternoon, stating that Libya's air defence capability had been destroyed? 
_________________ Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes; after that, who cares?! He's a mile away and you've got his shoes!
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Tue Mar 22, 2011 12:14 pm |
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belchingmatt
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Fri May 15, 2009 3:16 am Posts: 6146 Location: Middle Earth
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_________________ Dive like a fish, drink like a fish!
><(((º>`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º> •.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º>`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(((º>
If one is diving so close to the limits that +/- 1% will make a difference then the error has already been made.
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Tue Mar 22, 2011 12:22 pm |
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jonbwfc
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:26 pm Posts: 17040
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And a fairly old one as well, which probably doesn't help. I think the last F-15 airframe was built some time in the early 1990's, which means that aircraft was probably over 20 years old. I know they maintain the very well, but they're not just flying from a to b either. Kind of doesn't surprise me that much.
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Tue Mar 22, 2011 12:52 pm |
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Amnesia10
Legend
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:02 am Posts: 29240 Location: Guantanamo Bay (thanks bobbdobbs)
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It also sounds like it crashed in the "safer" eastern part of Libya. so its crew would have little risk or torture by Gaddafi. I suspect that they had been picked up by now.
_________________Do concentrate, 007... "You are gifted. Mine is bordering on seven seconds." https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTg5MzczNTkhttp://astore.amazon.co.uk/wwwx404couk-21
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Tue Mar 22, 2011 1:01 pm |
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jonbwfc
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:26 pm Posts: 17040
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BBC One O'clock News reports 'both pilots' (/facepalm, but anyway) are safe. Jon
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Tue Mar 22, 2011 1:10 pm |
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Linux_User
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 3:29 pm Posts: 7173
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Yes, their SAM capability.
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Tue Mar 22, 2011 4:37 pm |
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jonbwfc
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:26 pm Posts: 17040
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Static SAM capability I'd have thought. You can't account for one bloke with a Stinger or SA-18. Or even a plain old everyday AK-47 if you're low enough. However looking at the wreckage on the news reports, some sort of controlled landing does seem to be a possibility - the engines seemed more or less intact, which wouldn't be the case if it had been hit by an IR homing missile. The remains suggest to me it's actually possible the plane was destroyed on the ground - I'd imagine that it's standard practice not to leave a pile of highly classified military tech lying around where just about anybody can find it. SOP is surely to retrieve what you can, then blow up/torch the rest so it's not recoverable by anyone you don't like.
Jon
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Tue Mar 22, 2011 5:21 pm |
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Paul1965
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:29 pm Posts: 5975
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Pity the crew of one of the rescue helicopters appear to have shot 6 civilians while attempting to pick up one of the pilots.  |  |  |  | Quote: But a rescue mission was mounted for pilot number two, and this is where what could have been comic turned sour. Osprey aircraft came in, all guns blazing, assuming - as the American military tends to do – that this was hostile territory.
Worse than that, several bystanders were injured, amongst them 43-year-old Hamad Abdul Ati. We found him in Jala hospital in Benghazi, with multiple shrapnel and bullet wounds, and a broken arm. He didn’t understand why the Americans had been so aggressive in their rescue mission.
"We consider that whoever is shot down or a prisoner of war, we should save him and hand him over," he told me from his hospital bed. "But another plane shot at me and Hamdy my son. I have shrapnel in my hand."
Hospital staff told us that 20-year-old Hamdy’s injuries were far worse, and he was undergoing an operation to amputate part of one leg. |  |  |  |  |
More here.
_________________ "I hadn't known there were so many idiots in the world until I started using the Internet." - Stanislaw Lem
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Tue Mar 22, 2011 7:30 pm |
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jonbwfc
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:26 pm Posts: 17040
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I read that in the BBC report which included that and they said something like 'However, the locals don't hold the US soldiers responsible'. Which I thought was a bit odd.
Soldiers on a recovery op generally don't pick fights with people - the SOP is to get in, grab the pilot and get out ASAP. They don't hang around to start firefights. There are standard procedures for suppressing the area as the chopper is landing but they must have known they weren't in directly hostile territory. And anyway, with suppressing fire you're not that bothered about accuracy, you're just trying to get people to keep their heads down. Plus they would have had radio contact with the airman, so he would have (you assume) told them the locals weren't any threat.
It is very odd. if they did just go in firing at whoever was there and using explosives for pity's sake, someone's going to be in a world of trouble over it. Even the yanks don't take kindly to their soldiers shooting up civilians at random, plus firing area effect armaments runs the risk of hitting the pilot you're trying to save.
Jon
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Tue Mar 22, 2011 9:48 pm |
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JJW009
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:58 pm Posts: 8767 Location: behind the sofa
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F*cking cowboys.
_________________jonbwfc's law: "In any forum thread someone will, no matter what the subject, mention Firefly." When you're feeling too silly for x404, youRwired.net
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Tue Mar 22, 2011 10:53 pm |
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Amnesia10
Legend
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:02 am Posts: 29240 Location: Guantanamo Bay (thanks bobbdobbs)
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On this occasion yes. Major FU.
_________________Do concentrate, 007... "You are gifted. Mine is bordering on seven seconds." https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTg5MzczNTkhttp://astore.amazon.co.uk/wwwx404couk-21
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Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:55 pm |
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MrStevenRogers
Spends far too much time on here
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:44 pm Posts: 4860
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thats the yanks for you we come in peace, shoot to kill ...
_________________ Hope this helps . . . Steve ...
Nothing known travels faster than light, except bad news ... HP Pavilion 24" AiO. Ryzen7u. 32GB/1TB M2. Windows 11 Home ...
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Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:40 am |
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l3v1ck
What's a life?
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:21 am Posts: 12700 Location: The Right Side of the Pennines (metaphorically & geographically)
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Wed Mar 23, 2011 6:20 am |
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Amnesia10
Legend
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:02 am Posts: 29240 Location: Guantanamo Bay (thanks bobbdobbs)
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If they had not opened fire it would have been insignificant overall. The lose of one fighter because of mechanical problems happens, shooting civilians very unfortunate and a court martial will be necessary.
_________________Do concentrate, 007... "You are gifted. Mine is bordering on seven seconds." https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTg5MzczNTkhttp://astore.amazon.co.uk/wwwx404couk-21
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Wed Mar 23, 2011 9:25 am |
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l3v1ck
What's a life?
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:21 am Posts: 12700 Location: The Right Side of the Pennines (metaphorically & geographically)
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I hear the Yanks bombed the wreckage last night.
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Wed Mar 23, 2011 8:10 pm |
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