DCI Gene Hunt

Interesting program on Discovery Channel last night...

It was about the DHL plane that after leaving Baghdad airport was attacked by terrorists using shoulder launched SAM 7's. The result was a direct hit to the wing, but by a miracle and some fancy flying that crew managed to get the plane back in one piece.

The SAM 7 is a heat seeker and has a range of 3500 yards, Saddam bought 100's of these over the years and it is thought that 100's are already in the hands of terrorists.

So don't believe all the billy bull**** that the ***** only have the older rocket propelled RPG ****e...... they have (and have used) fairly hightech stuff...... the feckin *******

Leslie

What Iwan says is all true. They do carry parachutes in a Nimrod since despite the fact it is descended from the Comet they have to carry them on operational type flight. It was only on transport aircraft such as the VC 10 and the Dominie etc where we did not carry parachutes.

There was indeed one lost at the Canadian International Air Show in Toronto. The problem there is that the is usually a sort of light fog from pollution and humidity which means there is no visual horizon. This makes it very difficult to carry out visual manoeuvres and in this case the pilot became disorientated during a manouevre and was unable to recover from hitting the water on the lake. I have done displays there and at Cleveland Ohio with a similar problem. It is a real worry!

We cannot say yet what caused the Afghanistan crash yet. It is about time however that the troops were supported correctly with the right equipment instead of having to make do with inferior kit as usual.They do an outstanding job but one can only do so much.

Les

CrisPDuk

I think you'll find there's a pretty good chance that the taliban types have a pretty good stock of US made Stingers too (range approx 5000m) The CIA quite obligingly doled them out like sweets during the period Afghanistan was under Soviet occupation

DCI Gene Hunt

Yep, something dodgy going on here...... the press released the same old 'technical fault' story about the DHL flight... until a French journo released video of the terrorists firing the rockets and hitting the plane.....

Then (and only then) did the government admit it was hit by a ground to air rocket....... lying *******....

simplesteve

The plane encountered an electrical problem shortly after refuelling. Smoke started to fill the inside of the plane, and then it just suddenly exploded. Heard this yesterday.

Steve

Petem95

Well you wouldnt expect the truth from this Government would you?

Being taken down by a SAM is surely one possible theory. The plane apparently radioed in an emergancy message before the crash, but I dont think theyve released anymore details. Must have been a major explosion or something to take it out, and not allow for an attempted emergancy landing, or for the pilots to at least radio in more details of what was happening.