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| Iraq |
| Daytime chopper flights continue despite Chinook disaster |
| 2003-11-07 |
| The latest Black Hawk shootdown occurred at 9 a.m., despite a Fox News item several days ago that daytime helicopter flights had been phased out. Someone at Centcom needs to be relieved of his command. U.S. Black Hawk Helicopter Crashes in Iraq, 6 Killed TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - A U.S. Black Hawk helicopter crashed near Saddam Hussein’s hometown in Iraq on Friday, killing six people on board, and U.S. soldiers said it had been probably been shot down with a rocket-propelled grenade. Apache attack helicopters were scouring the area around the crash site in Tikrit, 175 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad, hunting for guerrillas who may have brought the Black Hawk down. If confirmed to have been attacked by guerrillas, it would be the third U.S. helicopter shot down in two weeks. "At approximately 9 a.m. (0600 GMT) this morning a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter went down," Major Josslyn Aberle of the 4th Infantry Division told reporters. "At this stage we don’t know if it was due to mechanical failure or another reason." But soldiers in Tikrit said initial reports suggested the helicopter had been hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. A column of smoke rose from the crash site, and U.S. troops sealed off the area. Soldiers at the base said they heard two explosions and ran outside to see the destroyed helicopter. A military spokeswoman said the helicopter had burst into flames after crashing on the banks of the Tigris river. |
| Posted by:Zhang Fei |
| #5 DEBKA is reporting that the heli had "unidentified Army VIPs" on board - anyone know anything about this? |
| Posted by: Mercutio 2003-11-7 3:30:55 PM |
| #4 American commanders need to learn the lesson Russian commanders learned in Afghanistan back in the '80s. After losing helicopters on a daily basis, they stopped flying!! Actually, they did not stop flying. Just as choppers continue to be used today in Chechnya, the Soviets continued flying in Afghanistan - they were just a lot more careful about it. There is no alternative to choppers for airmobility - we are not about to resume using parachutes to deposit troops in hot spots. The reality is that helicopters can go where airplanes cannot (we could start dropping dumb bombs in populated areas that are infested with the enemy, but I suspect that this wouldn't play well with the bleeding hearts back home). |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2003-11-7 3:24:58 PM |
| #3 there is something very wrong with the way operations are being conducted in Iraq. I've been saying this for weeks now. Someone's not using their head. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2003-11-7 2:45:58 PM |
| #2 The Army on the Chinook shootdown: The helicopter was flying at between 200 and 300 feet, he said -- meaning that the fast-moving missile, when fired at the correct angle of approach, allowed little time for its target to escape. What I don't get is why the Chinook was flying at 200 feet over hostile territory in broad daylight. This is why I believe a senior commander needs to be removed - there is something very wrong with the way operations are being conducted in Iraq. I suspect we will find that the Black Hawk was again flying at low level over hostile territory. I thought the helicopter crews were trained to reach operating height over the base, using a corkscrew ascent pattern - sure, it's stomach churning - but it's better to be nauseous than to be dead. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2003-11-7 11:49:26 AM |
| #1 American commanders need to learn the lesson Russian commanders learned in Afghanistan back in the '80s. After losing helicopters on a daily basis, they stopped flying!! |
| Posted by: Rafael 2003-11-7 10:47:31 AM |