Newshoggers Comments
"The lawmakers said three rocket-propelled grenades were fired at their plane, a C-130, over the course of several minutes as they left for Jordan"
NOT RPG's! IR-guided SAMs (probably Strela-7)!
RPG's don't have the range/accuracy required.
The C-130 goes into a steep turning climb immediately on takeoff. Maximum climb rate is 1900 feet per minute. The whole point is to gain altitude ASAP.
Dropping flares is an IR-guided SAM countermeasure. RPGs are just dumb explosives ( and as noted, not enough range anyway).
EIther these senators are ignorant, or they are lying.
There's nothing new in this. Several helicopters have been shot down by Strel SAMs. DOn;t be surprised if the latest BlackHawk down (everyone dead)turns out to have been shot down, not downed due to "mechanical failure"--the US always blames mechanics first, no matter what.
Britisher, I don't know one bomb from another myself but I thought it sounded pretty serious and wondered about the flare thing. I seem to recall that strategy is to confuse hear seeking missiles.
I think you're right about the Blackhawk down also. They always say it's equipment failure. I doubt that this is often true, if ever.
Libby... No you arne;t "the only one"... by my count nearly two-dozen other people remember back to March :D
"Despite the scare, Shelby, Martinez and Cramer said they believed the recent troop buildup had helped stabilize parts of the country"
Given that the surge targeted Baghdad, which "parts" of the cuntry are they talking about I wonder? As I understand it the surge actually meant the "insuirgents" just moved to other parts--like Anbar--- so what parts are they on about? Maybe there are patches about three feet square dotted around the place where no violent activity is occuring.
It staggers me how spectacularly STUPID these elected officials are, and that sutpidity is wasting money and lives.
Commenting by HaloScan
