| Submit your comments on this article |
| Middle East |
| U.S. Warplanes Face Down Iraqi Jet Over Saudi |
| 2003-03-02 |
| PRINCE SULTAN AIRBASE, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - U.S. warplanes were within two minutes of firing at an Iraqi Mig-25 fighter jet when it sneaked into Saudi airspace in an intensifying cat-and-mouse game between Western and Iraqi warplanes, U.S. air force pilots say. The daring probe on Thursday by Iraq's fastest warplane -- a move apparently rarely attempted since the 1991 Gulf War -- indicated Baghdad was willing to take risks to test U.S.-led forces rapidly building up planes and troops in Saudi Arabia. "He came 15-20 miles into Saudi airspace and went nose-to-nose with us at 70,000 feet," F-15C fighter pilot Lt. Col. Matt "Zap" Molloy told Reuters in an interview. "He wisely turned around when we gave him a good hard radar lock ... We were two minutes away from firing an air-to-air missile in his direction," he said. Saudi officials said they had no knowledge of any such incursion. The MiG-25, code-named Foxbat by NATO allies, is an interceptor aircraft developed for the former Soviet airforce capable of flying at three times the speed of sound. It can also be used for reconnaissance. U.S. pilots say that in the past two months they have encountered these planes more frequently in a "no-fly" zone over Iraq, set up after the Gulf War, while Iraqi troop activity has also intensified. "They are stepping it up and trying to see what's out there ... listening and looking more," Molloy said. "But we give them the benefit of the doubt -- when threatened we have to make a difficult call, and we coordinate with coalition forces in a measured way." At present, coalition planes based at the Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia are only allowed to take "defensive" action as part of strict rules of engagement agreed with authorities in the kingdom. What this means is that Western planes could fire back only if under a "continuing" threat from Iraqi planes or missiles. The Iraqi plane had posed a clear threat, U.S. pilots said. As shots from the ground are normally wild and sporadic, Saudi-based U.S. warplanes just veer away when attacked, then call in jets based in Kuwait or from aircraft carriers to attack the guns on Iraqi soil. "It's quite a dance, the rules are very strict. We don't want to act in an irrational way and we don't want to be doing anything illegal or politically untenable," Air Force Colonel James Moschgat, vice commander of U.S. planes patrolling a no-fly zone over southern Iraq, told Reuters. The issue of what foreign troops on Prince Sultan Airbase, 50 miles southeast of Riyadh, will do if war with Iraq breaks out has become increasingly contentious as Washington builds up its forces in the region. Saudi authorities have repeatedly said they are against an attack on Iraq and will not allow U.S. forces to launch any invasion of the country from their territory. In the event of war the role of the airbase -- which until recently was off limits to journalists -- remains unclear. "The real question is whether we will be able to do direct attacks from here. We will have the capability to do that from here but that option is still being discussed by our governments," Moschgat said. "Our mission will be to deny Iraq offensive capability by having as robust a force as possible." He said U.S. and British forces at the base were being built up to ensure that in the event of war, the existing coalition would be able to patrol southern Iraqi skies round-the-clock instead of several hours a day as at present. He added that regardless of what happened, a command and control center at the base would probably remain in charge of all the coalition air forces in the region. Moschgat said the number of foreign troops -- mostly American -- at the base had reached 7,200 from 5,000 in early January. More U.S. troops were arriving by air every other day. The normal 90-day period for U.S. soldiers to stay was suspended in late January. The U.S. military is erecting a tent city for the extra troops and Moschgat said there would be room for 14,000 foreign soldiers when it was ready in about a week. The base would be able to take about 200 aircraft when the buildup was complete, he added. |
| Posted by:frank Martin |
| #1 Serious? A MiG 25? Interesting. Sammy trots out a Foxbat. This is right of Dear Leader's playbook. The Foxbat is strictly an interceptor and a mediocre one at best....no dogfight capabilities to speak of. Looks as if Sammy could use a hot bowl of oatmeal as well. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2003-03-03 00:27:47 |