Blue on blue incident in Afghanistan

[Tchocky]

Ah, that's horrible.

[bigboywooly]

Bad enough them dying over there in the first place but by friendly fire
I suppose all the facts wont be known till after the investigation
If ever

If anything like the last blue on blue there will be no repercussions for the pilots

Perhaps that needs to change to wake them up a bit

[Dmitry Markov]

RIP

[Dowly]

RIP

[Iceman]

Originally Posted by Hakahura

Yet another display of the USAF's poor acuracy in battle.

Again at the expense of UK servicemen.

Despite the RAF's continuous close air support of US troops in both Iraq and Afganstan the UK has yet to bomb any US forces. The RAF is infact the preferred choice of UK and US forces in both theatres, for close air support. Doing it with older and more antquainted airframes as well.

Does this yet again say something about US pilot training? Or is it a case of a cultural attitude that leans towards "Triggerhappy"?

Friendly fire is anything but!

Still something to learn America?

I think so.

From the small article linked to here you make those comments?

You make alot of ASSumptions...But I will consider the source.

[Tchocky]

More info..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6962071.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6962255.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6962926.stm

[Dowly]

Originally Posted by Iceman

From the small article linked to here you make those comments?

You make alot of ASSumptions...But I will consider the source.

Well, the only BoB incidents from the Afghanistan/Iraq I've heard have been done by the US. Simpson from BBC, the Canadian (orwas he a Brit too, cant remember) and now this.

But what can one do to it? Nothing! We all make mistakes and in situations like these are, it just happens. Like the friendly fire incident during the Gulf war, where the two AH-64s destroyed an M113 & Bradley just because wind had drifted their choppers further away as was intended.

[Jimbuna]

Even though everyone accepts all BoB are unintentional I believe they are becoming so frequent peoples patience is waining with those in the military who don't seem able to lessen the number of incidents

[Tchocky]

Hmph.
It's the Times, unfortunately.

[ASWnut101]

How sad. Unfortunatally, mistakes are made, and there are consequences (as shown).



After looking at this, I'm beginning to wonder if the bomb dropped was laser guided.

A somewhat recent bug had been discovered with the man-portable laser guidance units (the thing that the soldier points/"paints" at the target to have a bomb dropped on it). Apparently, when the batteries in the unit run out and are replaced, the laser somehow defaults to the emitter's location, rather than what the emitter is pointing at.

It's already happened in Afghanastan to one of our own. Poor guy quickly changed the batteries while the bomb was in flight, didn't realize the bug, and the bomb dropped on his location.

With soldiers on the ground carrying GPS devices there should be much less of this happening.

Again, it depends on the weapon used. A GPS reading would be next to worthless if the weapon used was laser guided or unguided.

07.04 - 02:00 - Podgorica
French Mirage 2000. Missile missed but pilot ejected anyway.

:rotfl:

Yet another display of the USAF's poor acuracy in battle.

Poor accuracy my ass.

The RAF is infact the preferred choice of UK and US forces in both theatres, for close air support. Doing it with older and more antquainted airframes as well.

Do you have any proof of that? Or are you talking out of your butt?

Does this yet again say something about US pilot training? Or is it a case of a cultural attitude that leans towards "Triggerhappy"?

Or does this say something about the reliablility of current equipment issued to our sides? Or suggest that the brits could have been at fault? Of course, someone is probably going to unload on me for saying the latter, but it's a damn fine possibility right up there with "poor accuracy."

I think that Brad said it correct early in this thread. We will most likely not know until they release more information.




Why did my text go bold?

[JALU3]

A day when blue on blue ends, would be a day in paradise, until images on the HUD or visor projector are painted blue and red like in video games . . . and every soldier has a transponder that enables that (which hopefully the opposing side wont be able to use to their advantage) . . . then it will still occur.

Sad the realities of the fog of war . . . and the speed of modern combat.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Hakahura

Yet another display of the USAF's poor acuracy in battle.

Again at the expense of UK servicemen.

Despite the RAF's continuous close air support of US troops in both Iraq and Afganstan the UK has yet to bomb any US forces. The RAF is infact the preferred choice of UK and US forces in both theatres, for close air support. Doing it with older and more antquainted airframes as well.

Does this yet again say something about US pilot training? Or is it a case of a cultural attitude that leans towards "Triggerhappy"?

Friendly fire is anything but!

Still something to learn America?

I think so.

I heard on the News Hour about four months ago UK Paras in Afganstan were complaning (with a written letter to a newspaper or something) about the RAF's CAS and the USAF/USN/USMC was perfered. :hmm:

[micky1up]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

I heard on the News Hour about four months ago UK Paras in Afganstan were complaning (with a written letter to a newspaper or something) about the RAF's CAS and the USAF/USN/USMC was perfered. :hmm:

you woukd say that wouldnt you without any proof of course

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by micky1up

you woukd say that wouldnt you without any proof of course

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...22/uafghan.xml

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/5371392.stm

From the BBC Article:

"... Harrier pilot 'couldn't identify the target', fired two phosphorous rockets that just missed our own compound so that we thought they were incoming RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades], and then strafed our perimeter, missing the enemy by 200 metres," it says.
...
Other Parachute Regiment officers had told him they prefer to call in American A-10 Tankbusters for air support when under fire because of what they see as the RAF's ineffectiveness, he added.

[bigboywooly]

From your own Telegraph link

"They do not reflect the view of the vast majority of soldiers about the Harrier Force in Afghanistan, which has consistently performed brilliantly in defending coalition forces, so much so that it is in regular demand not just from British commanders on the ground, but from our allies too.

"It must be remembered that this is the opinion of only one man. The general view is very different."

Besides
In your quote it says he missed the enemy by 200 meters

Still closer to the enemy than the F15 that dropped his bomb ON Brit soldiers