Steve Pace
Aviation History Writer
- Joined
- 6 January 2013
- Messages
- 2,266
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Libya's air defenses are in real trouble. -SP
All I know on that topic:bobbymike said:Any word on F-22 deployment?
Dragon029 said:All I know on that topic:bobbymike said:Any word on F-22 deployment?
"Under questioning from Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said it would be his "expectation" that F-22 fighters "would be in use" during "the early days" of a no-fly zone mission."
However, 3 B-2's have struck "a major Libyan airfield".
Michel Van said:After German News
the French Rafale, Mirage 2000.
with British Eurofighter, Tornados
and Italian F-18
have clean sky over Libya and start cleanup under Gagadafif ground forces...
TomS said:Any number of things -- an engine bay fire, for example, or a major hydraulic failure, etc. If an F-15 were so redundant that no possible casualty could destroy one except enemy action, why would there be any non-combat losses at all?
It appears to me that this F-15E must have been in a flat spin when it pancaked onto the ground. -SPDragon029 said:Some more photos of the crashed F-15
I find it somewhat interesting how the rear half of the aircraft has so much surviving, even if the engines have disintergrated.
TomS said:"Not due to hostile action" doesn't mean "not pilot error". One F-15E went down in Afghanistan in 2009, also described as a non-combat loss. Turns out the cause was CFIT during a practice strafing run. Now, that specific cause isn't likely here, but there's a whole gamut of things, both mechanical and non-mechanical, that could have downed this aircraft. Absent some specific evidence of hostile action, why assume the official sources are lying?
"Why the West dodged a Russian bullet over Libya"
To challenge the no-fly-zone imposed by a Western-led coalition, the Libyan Air Force has not launched a newly-acquired fleet of state-of-the-art four Sukhoi Su-30s and 12-15 Su-35s. It has not activated an integrated network of recently-delivered S-300 air defense missiles. And Muammar Gaddafi's loyalist force have not overwhelmed the rebellion with several dozen T-90 main battle tanks.
Sometimes it's worth considering the close-calls of history, and a major arms deal between Russia and Libya in 2008 may be one of them.
Slightly less than three years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived at Tripoli's only five-star hotel, the Corinthia Baab Afriqiya, to meet with Gaddafi. Putin promptly forgave $4.5 billion of Libya's Soviet-era debt in return for Libya's commitment to buy a $1.8 billion arms package, which included all of the weapon systems listed in the first paragraph above.
For reasons lost (at the moment) to history, the deal apparently was never finalized. The only contract signed by Libya for new military aircraft since Putin's meeting in Tripoli involved six Yakovlev Yak-130 jet trainers, and they're not scheduled for delivery until later this year or next.
UpForce said:Good thing that the Strike Eagle crew made it out OK. There's on-site reporting from British journalists though ...
edwest said:Uh, what's this all about? Really? Just keeping Qadafi from terrorizing his people or just rearranging more of the Middle East to suit Western interests? Interesting how Hosni Mubarak is off the map after 30 years. Not trying to defend anyone just looking for that clear and present danger thing. Ed
AeroFranz said:That's the thing. When was the last time you heard of an F-15E going down due to causes attributable to the aircraft itself rather than pilot error? The things you mentioned can and do happen, but by themselves should not be enough to cause the loss. It has to be more than one thing happening simultaneously. I would be surprised if the F-15 designers had left a single-point failure feature in the aircraft. Anyway, the crew is safe, so we're likely to find out at one point or another.
Triton said:Some interesting What if... information by Steven Trimble from The DEW Line blog at Flight Global.
Abraham Gubler said:Yay more S300 hype. Its not as if NATO and friends air forces haven't spent the past 20 years training on taking down S-300 and other "double digit" ex Soviet SAMs with actual threat systems. Damn we missed a chance to wipe out a S-300 force and finally put to bed this element of air power ranting.