Fighter Jocks 0 CIA/Computer Nerds 1?

D

Dave Krall CFII

Final Approach
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Dave Krall CFII SEL SES, Cmcl HELI
If it's true...

Watched again on the Military Channel re-enactment where a big chopper load of our troops crashed and were getting shot up real bad below the top of a hill containing an Al Queda machine gun bunker. They actually made a head on assault with no real gains and called in air strikes which materialized in the form of a pair of F16s an a pair of Hornets, I think. All jets loaded to the hilt, and still neither repeated gun strafing or even 500# bombs got the bunker.

One fighter jock begged off on trying another strike to the machine gun nest with our guys only ~75 meters away saying, "I'm flying at 450 knots, trying to hit the tarket..." (paraphrase). All jets went home and things did not look very good at all with many dead & wounded and retreat as difficult as advance, and more distant Al Queda coming up the mountain.

A CIA Predator UAV shows up at a blistering ~130 knots or something like that, with its camera and its single Hellfire missile, and takes out the bunker clean and for good with one shot.
 
Just goes to show that there is no single best tool for all jobs, a la swiss army knife approach. Or as my dad always said "There's a correct tool for every job. Unfortunately, it's always on the other truck when you need it."
 
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That matches my RVN experience, Dave. We didn't (obviously) have UAVs but when we needed close support we'd call in Snakes, not fighter jets.
 
RotaryWingBob said:
That matches my RVN experience, Dave. We didn't (obviously) have UAVs but when we needed close support we'd call in Snakes, not fighter jets.
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What is a "Snake"?
 
Dave Blackmon said:
Cobra attack helicopter (AH-1)
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Oh, THOSE Snakes...

I actually figured it out myself after another cup of coffee -it's not even noon out here yet!

Thanks.
 
That has got to be emotionally draining on an enemy. Knowing that there is some un-manned 'thing' flying around looking for you with the intention to kill you.

I had a similar nightmare as a kid after watching this one six-million-dollar man episodes. :)
 
AirBaker said:
That has got to be emotionally draining on an enemy. Knowing that there is some un-manned 'thing' flying around looking for you with the intention to kill you.

I had a similar nightmare as a kid after watching this one six-million-dollar man episodes. :)
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I saw one video from a UAV that captured the launch of a SAM at IT. They missed. I think the UAV didn't miss the SAM launcher.
 
mikea said:
I saw one video from a UAV that captured the launch of a SAM at IT. They missed. I think the UAV didn't miss the SAM launcher.
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Maybe we should re-edit parts of the Terminator movie series... Drop thousands of VHS tapes, movie posters, DVDs, etc first. They'd watch the movies then look out the window and see the UAVs. :)

There's some psycological warfare for ya!
 
AirBaker said:
Maybe we should re-edit parts of the Terminator movie series... Drop thousands of VHS tapes, movie posters, DVDs, etc first. They'd watch the movies then look out the window and see the UAVs. :)

There's some psycological warfare for ya!
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Each VHS tape or DVD equipped with a homing device for ease of targeting ...
 
gkainz said:
Each VHS tape or DVD equipped with a homing device for ease of targeting ...
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No no no... that comes in the second shipment. "Enemy of the State" :D
 
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